That night while the king sleeps, he is awakened by the bed sinking to the floor. As the bed lowers, he finds himself deposited in a tunnel where two masked and cloaked men await him. At first, the king tries to learn their identities and purpose, but the men reveal nothing. King Louis, believing they are assassins, resigns to follow them down the tunnel to the outdoors. The men load him into a carriage and travel swiftly to the Bastille. Upon arrival, one of the masked men, revealed to be Aramis, meets Baisemeaux outside and explains that the man he previously released was mad and tried to impersonate the king, so he has arrived now to return him. (The reader knows he is imprisoning the true king.) Aramis also presents Baisemeaux with the original order to release Seldon and burns the forged order for Philippe’s release. Baisemeaux locks King Louis in Philippe’s old cell, and Aramis and the other masked man—revealed to be Porthos—return to Fouquet’s chateau.

During his first few moments in the Bastille, King Louis earnestly believes he died and that this is hell. When the reality of his situation sets in, he breaks the wooden chair in his cell and uses it as a battering ram in an unsuccessful attempt to break down the door.