D’Artagnan was a poor but noble young man who lived in Gascony. He left his home to make fortune and join the king’s musketeers in Paris. He carried fifteen crowns, a horse and a letter of introduction with him. The letter was addressed to his father’s friend, Monsieur de Treville. He was the captain of the king’s musketeers.
D’Artagnan was a man of impulsive nature. This impulsive nature got him into trouble while he was on his way to Paris. He was beaten up and his letter of introduction was taken away. But somehow, he was granted an interview with Monsieur de Treville. He was also promised acceptance in the Royal Academy free of charge. In the academy, he could learn fencing, riding and good manners. With this learning and experience, he could become a musketeer.
Treville agreed to write a letter of introduction to the king for d’Artagnan. While he was writing the letter, d’Artagnan glanced out of the window and saw the person who had robbed him of his letter. He ran after him. As he ran, he collided with Athos, the first musketeer. He injured his already wounded shoulder. He then pushed Porthos, the second musketeer. This revealed a partially fake golden shoulder belt that Porthos was wearing.
Finally, d’Artagnan upset Aramis, the third musketeer, by accidentally bringing attention to a lady’s handkerchief. As a result, he was challenged to a duel by all the three musketeers.
As his first duel started with Athos, the cardinal’s guards arrived. The guards threatened all of them because the duel fight was against the law. D’Artagnan and the musketeers joined hands to drive away the guards. D’Artagnan now became a close friend of the three musketeers.
One day, d’Artagnan’s landlord, Bonacieux, came to ask for his help. The landlord’s wife, Constance, had been kidnapped. Bonacieux thought that the cardinal’s men had kidnapped her because she was the queen’s maid and knew many secrets. The cardinal wanted to know all the secrets so that he might discredit the queen. D’Artagnan agreed to help his landlord. He rescued Madame Bonacieux. But at the same time, he fell in love with her.
Later, he saw her crossing the bridge with a strange man. He stopped them. He discovered that the man was the Duke of Buckingham, the queen’s secret lover. Being an Englishman, the Duke was also an enemy of France. That night, the queen gave the Duke a gift of diamond studs with twelve diamonds.
One day, the cardinal asked the queen to wear the diamond studs in a ball. The queen was terrified. In the meantime, the cardinal had sent his spy, Milady, to London. He instructed Milady to dance with the Duke and take away two diamonds from his studs and get them to the cardinal. He would then use them to blackmail the queen.
Constance Bonacieux came to know about the cardinal’s scheme. So, she begged d’Artagnan to go to London and get those studs before the ball began and save the queen’s reputation. He accepted the request. Along with the three musketeers, he began his trip to London. On the way, they were trapped by the cardinal’s men. The three musketeers were not allowed to accompany d’Artagnan to London.
When d’Artagnan reached London, he explained the whole situation to the Duke. The Duke discovered that two of the diamonds were missing from the studs. He immediately asked his jeweller to get the replacements. So, he could give d’Artagnan the studs with complete twelve diamonds. D’Artagnan reached Paris on time and gave the studs to the queen. In the ball, the queen appeared with her diamond studs with all the twelve diamonds intact. The cardinal was astonished to see her. The queen gave d’Artagnan a diamond ring for his heroic efforts.
Now, d’Artagnan decided to look for his lost three musketeer friends. They were all safe and returned to Paris. They were now asked to buy equipment for the king’s next military manoeuvre, the siege of La Rochelle. Before d’Artagnan and the musketeers left in their different regiments for the siege, the king fall ill. So d’Artagnan’s group moved out first leaving the musketeers behind to wait for the king.
One day, d’Artagnan wandered off alone and was fired at by two of Milady’s killers. Milady made many attempts to kill d’Artagnan but all failed.
Meanwhile, the musketeers heard about cardinal’s plan. Milady was going to London to kill the Duke of Buckingham and the cardinal would take revenge against d’Artagnan. The musketeers decided to warn both the Duke and d’Artagnan. Thus, when Milday arrived in London she was caught and made prisoner. But she managed to escape and the Duke was killed. She came back to Paris to complete her revenge against d’Artagnan. For this, she poisoned Constance Bonacieux whom d’Artagnan loved. D’Artagnan and the three musketeers found Milady, accused her of her crimes, and executed her.
The cardinal was also shocked to hear of Milady’s evil doings. He praised d’Artagnan for his heroic efforts. As a result, he wrote a commission for d’Artagnan to become a lieutenant in the king’s musketeers. D’Artagnan offered this commission to Athos, Porthos and Aramis because they helped him in his efforts. But they all refused.
Finally, d’Artagnan accepted the commission at an early age of twenty-one and became the lieutenant in the king’s musketeers.
