In the preface to his adventure novel, the author establishes the historical grounding of his story, assuring readers that despite the mythological cadence of their names, his heroes were real individuals. He reveals that about a year prior, while conducting historical research on the reign of Louis XIV at the Royal Library, he happened upon a rare volume titled the Memoirs of M. d'Artagnan. This fascinating work, published in Amsterdam to bypass the restrictive censorship of the era and avoid the Bastille, immediately captivated him. While the text offered masterfully drawn portraits of major historical figures like Louis XIII, Anne of Austria, Cardinal Richelieu, and Cardinal Mazarin, a seemingly minor detail arrested the author's attention. D'Artagnan noted that during his very first visit to the captain of the musketeers, M. de Tréville, he encountered three unique young soldiers serving in the prestigious corps who bore the highly unusual names of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.
Intrigued by these foreign-sounding pseudonyms, the author suspected they were aliases used to mask illustrious identities or adopted due to personal misfortune, family friction, or financial ruin. Determined to find historical proof of their existence, he embarked on an exhaustive search through a vast catalog of contemporary texts and documents. Just as he grew disheartened by his fruitless efforts and prepared to abandon the investigation, a breakthrough occurred. Guided by the advice of his learned scholar friend, Paulin Paris, the author discovered an obscure, unpublished folio manuscript. This document was titled the Memoirs of the Count de La Fère, which chronicled various political and social events in France toward the end of Louis XIII's reign and the beginning of Louis XIV's rule.
Upon examining this manuscript, the author was thrilled to discover explicit references to Athos, Porthos, and Aramis within its opening pages. Recognizing the discovery of an unknown historical manuscript as an incredible asset, he successfully secured permission to publish the material. He notes with some humor that this contradicts critics who claim the government is hostile toward literary figures. Presenting this narrative as the first volume extracted from that precious historical document, the author assumes full accountability for the storytelling, acting as a literary godfather to the work. By bridging the gap between archival research and narrative fiction, he prepares the reader to transition directly into the epic tale of historical intrigue and camaraderie that follows.