Do the musketeers save Charles I?
No. They infiltrate the execution machinery and attempt rescue, but the king is beheaded before they can free him.
What happens to Mordaunt?
He attacks the escaping friends at sea and appears to drown. Athos tries to save him, but Mordaunt attempts murder even then, and Athos finally lets him sink.
How do the friends obtain their rewards?
They capture Mazarin and force him to negotiate. D'Artagnan gains the captaincy, Porthos becomes a baron, and protections are secured for their allies.
Are the four permanently reunited?
Their friendship is restored, but their lives remain distinct: Athos returns to Raoul, Aramis to political and clerical designs, and D'Artagnan and Porthos to royal service.
Themes and What the Ending Means
Friendship across political division: The four men disagree deeply without allowing faction to erase their shared history.
Age and deferred reward: Twenty years have produced wealth, children, disappointments, and ambitions that youthful courage cannot simply reset.
Monarchy and legitimacy: France's Fronde and England's regicide expose the vulnerability of royal authority.
Revenge inherited: Mordaunt turns Milady's death into a second generation of violence.