Francis wasn't sure what he thought, to be exact.
His blue startling eyes looked all around, but with no real destination in mind. The Frenchman nation did his best to mask the emotions with an easy smile towards the new king. Louis XVI, the new, but young, French king. Beside him was his Austrian wife, wedded not even a day ago. It didn't escape him how young and naïve the young man was in comparison to his predecessors. It almost brought the nation hope, but a familiar word rang through his mind. Too true was it that his masked smile cracked a bit.
Children…
The word left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. 14 and 15 was what they were, and yet they carried the crown. Even so, the Frenchman nation couldn't even look at the Austrian. The memories of the treaty, the humiliation and deaths were still too fresh in his mind. No matter how long ago it was.
"My King, may you and your lovely wife have many years of happiness and prosperity."
Francis announced brightly as he gave a respectful bow. It didn't matter what he thought. He had to act his part like always. Marie Antoinette gave him a nod. Her husband beside her gave the nation a tight smile.
"Merci, Monsieur France. Perhaps we can come to you and your Madame for advice if needed."
Louis replied. Francis copied the expression.
"Of course, my King. It will be un honneur."
Good Lord he hoped they wouldn't. His wife could barely stand the sight of the Austrian woman. Who knew what she'd do if they came to her for something as small as advice? She had a level of hatred towards the Austrians that suppress his own.
"Where is Madame Paris? Is she still ill?"
The young queen asked with politeness, but the frown of displeasure made itself known. The blond nation gave her a charming smile, which made her blush a bit.
"I'm afraid she is."
"That's a shame. I was looking forward to talk to Madame Gabrielle."
The woman responded. She flipped her silvery fan open and waved it a bit in front of her face. It covered the bottom half, which masked her lips. He was sure that she tried to hide her twisted smile behind it. Was this how she acted around Roderich? How… disgraceful. No bosses and their children with dignity and honour spoke like this towards their nation and cities. They were the only things equal to that of the rulers. To lose the support, trust and confidence of their nation was shameful. It questioned their right to the crown. To call the nation or city by their human names without permission was a one-way ticket to losing their crown. Something that no ruler wanted to afford.
Even Louis stared at his new wife with a mixture of horror and displeasure.
Francis didn't show a reaction and merely stared at them.
"Please excuse her, Monsieur France. She meant no harm."
Louis turned to his nation with something close to plea. After all, they only now got the crown. No matter how they felt, they had to appease their nation. Francis continued the silence. Not even a twitch touched upon his lips. When the heavy silence stretched, even the queen started to shift in her seat and look nervous. It almost made the Frenchman smile with pleasure.
"Very well, as long as she holds her tongue next time."
The threat weighted heavy in the air, full of dark promises. Louis gave a sharp nod. With permission, the blond nation left. A sigh of relief almost escaped Francis as he left their presence.
It was a true shame that the present issues spoiled the fun in the atmosphere. Francis adored these sorts of parties, especially ones that celebrated romance. The fashion, music, food and atmosphere intoxicated him like the wine that he drank. His favourite part of these parties was when his wife joined them. It was always a fun challenge to get her to smile, laugh and have fun in them. At least he didn't have to stay here for too much longer.
-ooOOoo-
It was only a few hours later that Francis finally managed to escape the party.
His footsteps echoed throughout the halls of Versailles. The noises that escaped the party has quietened down the further he walked away. Servants rushed by him with plates of food and drinks. They only stopped for a moment to give him a small bow. For the most part, he ignored them. The only thing that he took care of was to keep his trademark carefree smile on his face. He couldn't allow to show any of the humans his true thoughts and feelings. Let them stay ignorant.
The walk was a bit of a long one. After the palace has been constructed, the nation and his wife were ordered like the rest to move in. In return, they asked for one of the more private suites. The ones that were far away from everybody else. They had no desire to be part of the court life more than necessary. As a nation and city personifications, they led different lives compared to that of humans. They also had Matthew with them at the time, so privacy was especially crucial. Louis XIV was graceful enough to grant them permission. It certainly made life easier. Gabrielle found the gossip life that all the aristocrats adopted as distasteful. Matthew stayed preoccupied with the many books there. Francis found it an escape for when he was under the weather and didn't want to deal with the aristocracy.
The thought of his son brought sadness and anger. He cursed Arthur's name for getting his hands on him. He also cursed Louis XV for losing the war that allowed for it to happen. Neither he nor Gabrielle felt anything close to sadness when that king died.
Francis took in a deep breath through his nose. He allowed for his mask to slip by rubbing the side of his forehead with two fingers. His eyebrows knitted together at the slight headache and frustration. It was a good thing that he finally got to the suite. Two guards stood outside the main entrance. They didn't move an inch, so the nation personification ignored their existence.
When he closed the double white doors behind him, the man finally breathed.
Sweet silence danced around him. No music. No talking. No laughter. No gossiping. Just… silence.
Francis walked slowly to the main bedroom through the darkness. No candles were light, so the night dominated the rooms. Something that he welcomed as his eyes were tired and he wished to sleep. He wondered if his wife was still in bed, where he left her before heading to the celebration. A worried frown marred his face. His head peeked into the bedroom and soundlessly sighed in relief. Yes, Gabrielle was still there, in bed. Except she wasn't asleep as a rough cough greeted him.
Francis made haste as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Her brown, tired eyes stared up at him.
"Oh, mon amour."
The nation whispered with worry. His fingers ran down from her left forehead and down her cheek before copping it. The skin that usually was fair began to turn pale. He had seen this happen to her a few other times. Even he had been in this situation.
"It's getting worse"
His wife's voice was slightly rough, but still held strength. Her head tilted to bury itself into his warm hand.
"I'm going to keep a closer eye on this king. It's going to get better."
Why did it feel like he lied at the second part? He wanted it to be true. It had to be.
"It's not. It's only going to get worse."
She countered. Francis closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. No words escaped him. Instead, he withdrew his hand and stood up to start getting ready for bed.
"Francis… you know it's true."
"Gabrielle, you're thinking too much."
Her husband argued as he slipped on his white nightgown. His party clothes were carefully placed on one of the chairs for the night.
"You can't possibly think that these idiots are going to fix everything."
Thank God that their suite was too far away from anybody, so the chances of eavesdropping were zero. It'd be a great scandal if anyone heard her call the royal couple idiots. Francis flinched at the words. It didn't matter that he thought similar things beforehand. It was the fact that she said it out loud that made it feel more real.
"Mon amour, please…"
The brown headed woman didn't say anything. The blond slowly got into bed. His shoulders once more tense. Gabrielle turned to face him. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him. The two stared into each other's eyes. There were many things that they needed to talk about. Francis knew that. The issue was that they didn't know what was to come. The night made the needed conversations even less desirable. Leaning forward, he pressed featherlike kisses on her face. First her forehead, then cheeks, her eyelids, the tip of her nose and finally her lips.
"We'll make it work. I promise."