D'Artagnan

Still a lieutenant at the start, practical, ambitious, and determined to recover his friends and advancement.

Porthos

Wealthy but socially ambitious, joining D'Artagnan in hope of a barony.

Athos / Comte de la Fere

A nobleman devoted to honor, Charles I, and the future of his son Raoul.

Aramis

Now an abbe, politically connected, secretive, and aligned with the Fronde.

Cardinal Mazarin

Anne of Austria's minister, whose survival and self-interest drive much of the French intrigue.

Anne of Austria

Regent for the young Louis XIV and increasingly estranged from the loyalties of the previous novel.

Raoul de Bragelonne

Athos's honorable young son, introduced to court, war, and love.

Mordaunt

Milady's son, consumed by revenge against the men responsible for his mother's death.

Charles I

The English king whom Athos and Aramis try unsuccessfully to save.

The Duke de Beaufort

A popular nobleman whose prison escape energizes the Fronde.