King's Tears (Part 2)
That night, Lorraine once again had a dream about the Duke of Anjou.
As usual, the Prince was standing there with his back to the stable gate of St. Germaine-en-Laye but he was clearly no longer a boy. He was taller, with shorter black hair, and he was wearing…Lorraine just wanted to look closer to make sure what he was wearing. Was it that blue dress? If it was, he wanted to strip it off and to see what was inside or what was not inside it.
He was scared by his own boldness. It made him felt intolerably hot and thirsty. His mind was in a mess. The Prince turned to him at the moment when he got closer and caught him in surprise. There was nowhere to hide in the empty stable so he had to look back to the prince. He had to look at that pair of green eyes staring at him, completely frozen, petrified by some kind of magic. He could no longer feel his limbs and his entire body started to hurt. The Prince took one more step and grabbed him. It was just like what had happened many years ago and that pair of green eyes made his vision so vague that he trembled without control.
Then he heard it, a sound of thunder. He thrilled and sweated before openinghis eyes unwillingly.
It was someone knocking! The angry young man had to sit up. "Fxxk!" He cursed loudly and looked down to check his condition before wiping his belly with a dirty shirt. Then he got off bed with a dizzy head to answer the door.
"I would kill you if you were not a pretty girl!" Claimed him to the person standing at the door.
But a pretty girl there was! He could see her black eyes and dark skin when she removed the cap of her cloak.
"Marie?" Called him surprisingly.
"Let me in. I can't been seen." Said Marie Mancini.
Lorraine moved aside so she could get into his room.
"Well, well…why do you seek me at this hour?" Lorraine grinned and closed the door behind him. "If the king hasn't satisfied you, you have come to the right place!" He reached out to undress her.
But a knife quickly appeared from inside her cloak, pointing at his neck. He quickly retreated and put up both hands in the air.
"We are not like what you think, the king and me."
"All right, all right! My dear Marie, Marie the Saint. My mistake. But why do you call on me at midnight?" His fireplace was empty. He felt already cold enough standing there with his night gown and bare legs, letting alone the fact that he was actually wet due to the accident a moment ago.
"I hope you can do me a favor, for the sake of our friendship since childhood." Replied Marie Mancini, "I know we did not spend lots of time together, but you are among the few people who know how I was bullied by my own sister."
That was fair enough. Olympe and Marie simply did not get along. Their relationship could only get worse since Marie had won the King's affection. But the true reason why the Lorraine boy had chosen Marie's side was that he blamed Olympe for his punishment as a servant at the Mancini house.
"Believe me my dear Marie, I always favor you than your sister." Said Lorraine, "but what can I do for you? I am merely a herald in the army. If the queen knows I am helping you, she will have my head cut off and hang it over the city gate." He made a sign of cutting his own throat.
"You just need to send a message for me." Said Marie, "No one will know."
"No one will know?!" He raised his voice, "My lady, are you joking?"
"My uncle forbids me to leave the house during the day. I can't think of anyone for help except you."
"Well, think harder then, will you? I don't want to be involved in this. Besides, what do I get for helping you?"
"I will owe you a favor." Replied Marie, "Whatever trouble you get in the future, I will do my best to help you. I swear this to you."
"My dear, this is a quite meaningless vow." Lorraine started to pretend to taking off his night gown, "Unless you can pay me with your body right now, I suggest you leave my room."
But Marie Mancini was not a coward. She stood there without moving an inch, not even her eyelid. It was Lorraine who felt embarrassed. After all he was only fifteen years old and he didn't really have any experience outside the whorehouse.
"Either I owe you a favor or your dirty business at Fontainebleau three days ago will be told to the king." Said Marie, "which option seems to be more beneficial to you?"
"What are you talking about? What dirty business?" Lorraine felt his ears getting hot.
"That night you were following the Duke of Anjou, trying to find a chance to let the Count of Guiche to get close to him. I've seen everything." Said Marie, "I was there to say goodbye to my brother and I saw you sneaking around. I knew you were up to no good. Those rumors of love affairs may not draw attention to the queen mother, but I know the king. I know he won't be happy if his brother was treated like this against his will. You will certainly be punished for doing that."
He felt like he was puched hard in the face but he tried to stay calm.
"Did you just say your uncle forbids you from going out?" Asked Lorraine, "How are you supposed to tell on me to the king?"
"I don't need to do this myself, you idiot!" Smirked Marie, "I talk about this in front of whichever lady servant and the king will be told within half a day."
She saw the face of Lorraine and knew immediately that he had lost the battle. So she smiled and forced him to take an envelope.
"If you were clever enough," said Marie, "No one will know the message comes from me except the King."
As she finished with him, she quickly opened the door, took a careful look around and disappeared.
Lorraine shivered at the cold wind she had brought in. He could see her envelope was unsealed, inside it were three tulip petals.
Lorraine was waiting impatiently for the Count of Guiche to trim his moustache. He told him about Marie's visit last night a few minutes ago. To his surprise, Guiche didn't find this news disturbing at all, instead he was rather excited.
"The Mancini girls do like to talk about me, don't they?" He sniggered to his own reflection in the mirror.
"Aren't you afraid of the King?" Asked Lorraine.
"Why should I?" The count asked back, "You are afraid of the king because you are too naïve."
And you aren't afraid of him because you are too foolish. Thought Lorraine.
"Listen to me, my pretty little boy," Educated the Count of Guiche casually, "It will all come to the Duke of Anjou himself. There is nothing the king can do if his brother accepts me. It is not the first time and they are not likely to punish the duke for this. Do you understand me?"
He didn't understand. But he supposed that it was correct.
The count put more powders on the chin in order to cover the bruise left by the duke a few days ago.
"Let's be clear on this: I am a good, experienced lover. Comparing to me, the duke can boast of no real love affairs. You wait and see, he will be mine in no time." Concluded Guiche. "But before we get there, we will need to do a favor for the king's little mistress."
Thanks to the personal relationship of the count, they quickly gained access to the royal palace. While they were approaching the king's chamber, they could hear someone arguing To their surprise, one of the voices belonged to the Duke of Anjou.
"Why? Why is he avoiding me? He has been hiding in his chamber for days!"
"His Majesty was protesting to the queen's order of sending mademoiselle Mancini abroad. If the queen insist on her decision, his majesty will not leave his chamber." Answered Alexander Bontemps, the king's first valet who was standing at the entry. He appeared to be quite calm despite the situation.
"Let me talk to him." Requested the duke eagerly.
"The king has made it very clear that he would not see you of all people, Monsieur."
"Why on earth? I've done nothing wrong!"
"What are you doing here?" Bontemps just spotted the count and Lorraine.
"I have a message for the king." Replied Lorraine.
"From who?" Asked Bontemps.
"I am afraid I cannot tell you." Lorraine had to bear with the stern stare from the king's first valet. He was doing his best not to blink.
There was a moment of silence. It seemed that Alexander Bontemps was waiting for him to change his mind. Lorraine couldn't feel his legs but he managed to stand there.
"Very well," Bontemps said at last, "give me the message."
"I…I was entrusted to hand it to his Majesty himself."
Another moment of silence.
"Do not argue with Bontemps like that." It was the Duke of Anjou who broke the silence.
Lorraine turned slightly and caught the Duke's gaze upon him. The Prince seemed to be deeply concerned. He suddenly felt one of his cheeks burning.
"Did you hear his Highness? Stop arguing with Bontemps!" The count poked him in the back. Lorraine bit his lips and handed the envelop to Bontemps.
"Please wait here." Said Bontemps before turning back and entering the king's chamber.
Now the three of them were just standing there and facing the door. It became a little bit strange.
Guiche would not let go an opportunity like this, so he turned to the duke.
"Your Highness, you look gorgeous this morning."
The Duke of Anjou coughed and turned his face to another direction.
"And you smell like the freshest morning dew." Continued Guiche, "Do you know that I can't stop thinking of you since we've met in Fontainebleau? I keep dreaming about you. In those dreams your hair were the darkest evening sky and your eyes the brightest stars. I can swear I will never need to wake up and see the sun again…"He reached out a finger, put it on the duke's shoulder and tangled it with a lock of black hair.
The Prince glanced nervously at Lorraine who was standing motionlessly on the other side of the Count.
"Stop it." He replied with a low voice, "If you continue to talk without any sense, I will no longer be polite to you."
"But can't you see my admiration and my obsession for you?" Guiche let his finger slide down from the duke's shoulder slowly, "Maybe you should feel my heart yourself, feel how madly it beats for you…" He was trying to grab the hand of the duke when Bontemps suddenly came out form the opened door.
"The king will see you immediately."
The Duke of Anjou struggled to free himself from Guiche and turned towards the king's chamber. But Bontemps raised a hand to stop him.
"Not you, Monsieur," Bontemps turned his face to Lorraine, "but you."
Couldn't believe this, the duke turned to Lorraine with a pale face.
The king was wearing a simple jacket over his shirt. He was sitting on bedside, deep in thoughts, he didn't even look at Lorraine when he entered the chamber.
Lorraine could remember the last time when he looked at the king so closely. It was also in this chamber and the king was also sitting on bedside. But he looked so differently now from the twelve-year-old boy king he once knew. Both of the royal brothers had grown up, The Prince was taller and more handsome. But Louis, Louis had changed in a way that Lorraine could not simply tell.
The king slowly raised his eyes, swinging away the dark brownish hear along his face.
"I remember you." He opened his mouth, "The second son of Henri de Lorraine. I used to send you to the house of Mancini. Are you with the army now?"
"Yes, Sire." Replied Lorraine.
"What is your position?" Asked Louis.
"I am under the command of Count of Guiche."
"That position is beneath you." Commented Louis, "Your family is the descendant of Lorraine dynasty and your mother had been duchesse of Puylaurens by her first marriage. You should be called a chevalier. Am I wrong?"
Lorraine hesitated a little, "You are not wrong, Sire, but…"
"Your father is a good soldier." The king interrupted him, "Your family is down to this position because of the Cardinal. But I want you know that this may not be permanent. Do you understand what I meant? "
Lorraine looked at the king surprisingly.
"Serve me and I will not forget what you did today." Said Louis, "Just as I won't forget what you have done eight years ago, for me and my brother." He was glancing at the big chest setting at the foot of his bed.
Then he stood up, put the three tulip petals of Marie Mancini back into the envelope and gave it back to Lorraine.
"When you step out this room, I will disappear with Bontemps for one hour. During this one hour, you will guard the door and make sure that no one enters my chamber. When it is over, give this envelope to my brother."
"Your brother? Sire?" Lorraine was confused.
"Yes. I will need to talk to my brother about something important. But we cannot talk in the palace." Replied the King, "Bring this to him and he will know where to find me."
Lorraine bowed deeply and prepared to leave.
"Wait," The king stopped him, "if you want any prize for doing this, now will be the time to speak."
It was the longest hour he ever know. Longer than all the hours added up since he was born.
But he knew how important this was to him. His future, his destiny, his life would change completely from this very hour. He could not ignore it, only idiots would.
Yet deeply in his heart, he also realized how much he could lose in one hour. The count of Guiche and the Duke of Anjou who had disappeared from his sight might have done anything to make him regret and he just couldn't stop it from happening.
When he found them again beside in the garden, he saw the Prince sitting on a bench near the pool with Guiche close by. The count was running his hands casually around the Prince's waistband and the Prince was looking back to him silently. All the resistance there used to be between them wernow gone. The duke rest one hand on the bench and used other one to stoked softly the chin of his companion, where the bruise could still been seen.
At that moment Lorraine believed that he was the silliest person in the world. He retreated behind a rock, drawing out his sword, chopping and striking hardly at the thickets until the little branches were cut and broken.
He might have won the time for revenge in the next ten years. He might have won a chance to take on revenge for anyone. But at that very moment, he was just a stupid, naïve boy who had lost everything in one hour.