Chapter XVI: “Remember!”
Spoiler Notice: This summary reveals the complete plot of Chapter 16 of Between Two Kings. If you prefer to read the chapter fresh, bookmark this page for later.
Summary
King Charles II and his servant Parry ride away from Blois, dejected after Mazarin’s refusal of aid. A young rider passes them and waves to an old man standing at a gate. When Parry and the king reach the gate, the old man—Grimaud, servant to the Comte de La Fère—recognizes Parry and, after scrutiny, the king. Parry identifies him to Charles as the servant of the honored gentleman who assisted Charles I in his final moments.
Charles, moved, decides to meet the count. He finds Athos strolling beneath chestnut trees and introduces himself. Athos receives him with deep respect. The king recounts his failed mission: he asked King Louis for a million in gold or two hundred gentlemen to pursue his throne, but Mazarin refused. Charles expresses utter despair, seeing his journey to exile in Holland as a prelude to a summons of death.
Athos offers hope, but Charles counters that no king has ever reconquered a realm with a servant Parry’s age and three hundred crowns. Athos asks the king to listen to what he has to say, then leads him toward the house, promising a revelation that may alter his despair.
Key Events
- A young horseman passes Charles and waves to Grimaud, establishing the house’s location.
- Grimaud recognizes Parry and the king, then bows deeply.
- Parry explains Grimaud’s master is Athos, the man who stood by Charles I at his execution.
- Charles decides to personally thank Athos and walks alone to meet him under the chestnut trees.
- The king formally introduces himself to Athos, who reacts with visible emotion.
- Charles details his failed appeal to Louis XIV, blaming Mazarin for the refusal.
- The king declares his cause hopeless and resigns himself to final exile and death.
- Athos counters Charles’s despair and asks permission to speak further, leading him to the house.
Character Development
Charles II
This chapter deepens the portrait of a king reduced to profound despair. He frames his quest for aid as a grim satisfaction, stating, “all is lost” and expecting only a quick death in exile. Yet beneath the fatalism, his immediate decision to thank Athos reveals a king still mindful of personal duty and honor, distinguishing him from a man utterly broken.
Athos
Athos appears initially as a melancholy figure strolling in reverie, but the encounter ignites his core traits: loyalty, quiet dignity, and steadfast hope. His visible tears at the mention of Charles I show that old grief remains close. His closing words hint at a hidden resource, positioning him as a potential architect of renewed royal fortune.
Grimaud
Grimaud’s minimal speech contrasts with his sharp recognition and emotional reaction. His bow, nearly kneeling, affirms enduring fidelity to the Stuart cause. He serves as the chapter’s catalyst, his recognition bridging the two protagonists.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Chanced Encounters and Fate
The narrative emphasizes chance: if not for Grimaud’s recognition, Charles would have “passed your house as if it were that of a stranger.” This meeting, framed as accident, carries the weight of destiny, suggesting providential intervention in the king’s fortunes.
Despair Versus Hope
The chapter stages a direct philosophical clash. Charles presents logical reasons for despair—refused funds, age, isolation—while Athos asserts that the darkest moments precede “the greatest turns of fortune.” The tension between these viewpoints drives the entire scene.
The Debt to the Father
Charles evokes his father’s scaffold-side companions and states, “all good and ill eternally derive from France.” The phrase “Remember!” from the chapter title links Charles’s memory of his father’s death to Athos’s continuing sense of honor, binding past and present into an obligation that may shape the future.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 16 transforms the narrative’s political stakes into a personal, emotionally charged encounter. Until now, the king has pursued his cause through official channels, only to be rebuffed. This chapter introduces a new axis: the network of old musketeer loyalties, embodied by Athos. The shift from Blois’s court intrigue to Athos’s quiet garden signals a turning point, promising that the resources for Charles’s campaign may lie not in royal treasuries but in the honor and secret wealth of King Louis’s own subjects. The chapter closes on a dramatic pivot, breaking the king’s fatalistic conclusion and setting the stage for a counteroffer.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Charles II call his acceptance of failure a “grim satisfaction of despair”?
Charles explains that some souls find “a sort of serenity in the realization that all is lost.” Having forced the matter to its end and received a definitive refusal from Mazarin, he no longer wrestles with uncertainty. The “grim satisfaction” is the release from hoping, a cold comfort that at least allows him to stop struggling and accept his perceived fate.
2. What role does Grimaud’s recognition play in the chapter’s structure?
Grimaud’s recognition is the hinge on which the entire scene turns. Without his silent but immediate identification of the king, Charles would have ridden past and never met Athos. Grimaud thus acts as a living link between the past loyalty shown to Charles I and the present opportunity to aid Charles II, restoring a connection the king believed was lost.
3. How does Athos challenge the king’s argument that his cause is hopeless?
Charles rests his case on a material fact: he has no men and no money. Athos sidesteps this by refusing to accept the finality of Mazarin’s refusal. He claims to have observed that “when things seem darkest that there come the greatest turns of fortune,” and asks to be heard further, implying he possesses unspoken means—men, funds, or influence—that the king’s analysis has overlooked.