There has to be peace
Two days before the first anniversary of Louis' death, Anne finally gave in and allowed Aramis to teach their son how to shoot.
She sat nearby, jumping nearly every time the gun went off, but wanting to make sure Louis behaved, as well as to simply enjoy seeing father and son together. Aramis was an excellent teacher, and Louis an astute student. If only he was as enthusiastic about his studies as he was about weaponry and war. Perhaps, though, now that he's gotten what he wanted, he'll be less distracted…that or they could use time outside shooting as a reward for dedicated study.
As she clapped for Louis after he struck the target for the first time, one of her ladies approached her.
"Your Majesty," she said. "The council has called an emergency meeting. There is news from the Imperial court."
MMMMMMMMMM
"The Holy Roman Empress has died."
Aramis immediately glanced over at Anne. The Empress was her sole surviving sister.
Anne stared ahead at Bellevoix for a moment before bowing her head and asking how her sister died.
He looked back at Bellevoix. There had been word of a plague nearing Vienna and forcing the Imperial family to leave the capital. Were they unable to escape it? Or was it something sinister?
"While in Linz, the Empress fell ill with fever and started bleeding heavily. She passed the next morning," Bellevoix answered, looking regretful.
His eyes flickered over to Anne, he could see the tightness in her jaw. "And the child she carried?" Her sister had only been seven, maybe eight months along.
Bellevoix's gaze fell and he shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. "Was…delivered, but only lived for a few hours. They named her Maria."
"Our deepest sympathies are with Your Majesty," said Chavigny, "but we must look ahead and discuss the opportunities this presents us. There is a chance for us to break the Austrian-Spanish alliance. We can offer Mademoiselle as a potential bride to the Emperor."
"Gaston's daughter?" Aramis asked. "She just turned eleven."
"The same age as Her Majesty when she was betrothed to our late king," Chavigny countered, unperturbed.
He looked over at Anne then, and saw her sitting there quietly, her gaze down on the table. A silence settled over the room.
"My sister is not yet cold in her grave," she began after a few seconds, her voice hollow and her eyes still fixed on the table, "and already you want me to start considering her replacement?"
"I understand the sensitivity of the issue, Your Majesty," said Chavigny, "and I would very much rather allow you the proper time to grieve, but the reality is that the Emperor remarrying is a strong possibility in such a climate as this. If France wishes to benefit from it, we must act quickly."
Anne looked up at Chavigny. "You are neglecting to consider that my brother lost his own wife, a former princess of France, nearly two years ago and has yet to remarry. One would think he had more reason to; considering he has only one legitimate male heir compared to the Emperor's two, and a treasury in want of finances," she stated in a cold, even voice. "The subject can wait," she concluded, and with that, she got to her feet and walked out of the room.
Aramis immediately stood with the others, wishing he could follow after her.
"I have no desire to toss salt in Her Majesty's wounds, gentlemen," said Chavigny, "but you know I am right when I say that the courts of Europe will have been discussing how this latest development can work in their favor as soon as they heard the news. Even if the Emperor will not consider any offers yet, his own counselors and advisors will."
"Just give her some time," he replied. "She learned of her sister's death not five minutes ago."
"We don't have the luxury of time; we're trying to win a war."
He bowed his head and exhaled before meeting Chavigny's eyes again. "I will talk to her."
MMMMMMMMMM
He found her in the nursery, sitting in a chair with a sleeping Philippe in her arms, holding his tiny hand in hers. Right away he knew why. Maria Anna's death and that of her child was reminding them how fortunate they were to have him here. How fortunate Aramis was to have them both.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked tentatively. "Anything you want?"
"I want peace," she answered softly, tiredly, still looking down at Philippe. "I want to see my brother again before one of us is all that's left."
"Then we stop playing games," he decided. "Stop tip-toeing around the council." Anne turned her head towards him, meeting his eyes. "Let's start making some real change, and end this war."
"How?"
Quickly glancing around to make sure they were alone, he closed the distance between them and got down on one knee before her. "I have ideas, I just need your support."
"You have it," she replied, and reached out to take his hand. She squeezed his fingers. "You always have it."
MMMMMMMMMM
"Our current taxes, loans, and selling of titles are not enough," he began once the council had reconvened with Anne in attendance. "If we are to not only sustain our offense, but show Spain that we can keep this going for years to come, then we need more money. Now, I've been doing some research, and found an old law dating back to the reign of Henry IV which forbade Parisians to build homes outside the city limits. As you all know, the city has grown well beyond those boundaries. If we start enforcing that law, we can collect substantial fines from it. Next, we can put a tax on all merchandise being brought into the city. Paris is a major center for trade, let us profit off of it." He paused to gauge the thoughts of the rest of the council, and none raised any objections. He glanced over at Anne, and she gave him a small nod of her head for him to continue.
"Finally," he said, "I propose a tax on all nobles who serve on royal courts and councils." Immediately, the other council members shifted in their seats, this one affected them. But before any of them could open their mouths, he continued strongly, "Those who have been so blessed with these positions, who have gained their wealth and status through the crown have a duty to repay it in the crown's hour of need." Sure enough, the other men bristled.
"Would you be exempt from this tax, Minister," asked Chavigny, his eyes narrow, "given your origins…that is your lack of a title?"
He let the slight pass. "I will do my duty and pay whatever is needed, which, compared to many of you, is a fraction of your fortunes." He had actually wanted to impose a much larger tax, but his financial advisors warned against it, as did Anne. Imposing a tax at all would be enough of an upset.
"We all must make sacrifices in war, monsieurs," Anne stated. "With the help of the nobility, I hope to gain an advantage that will see France victorious."
MMMMMMMMMM
Aramis didn't greet them with his usual grin and outstretched arms when he came to her room that night, and she knew he would have let her hold Philippe as long as she wanted, but she also knew how precious his time with Philippe was to begin with, and would not delay him his own reassurance of Philippe's wellbeing in light of such tragedy.
Sliding a hand over, she patted his side of the bed. "Come here."
Once seated, she passed Philippe over to Aramis, who breathed a sigh of relief once a gurgling Philippe was sat up in his arms. She scooted closer to them, and squeezed Aramis' bicep after laying her head against his shoulder. Tonight, she would ask him to stay with her.
"I'm the one who should be comforting you," he said, and slid his arm behind her to rub his hand along her back as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sorry about your sister."
She nodded against his shoulder. "She tried to arrange a visit to France once after her marriage but it didn't work out." She sighed. "I should have been more persistent."
"You thought you had more time, more chances," Aramis replied while Philippe played with the strings hanging from his collar. "You wrote to each other often, though, didn't you? Before the war?" She nodded. "I'm sure that was a comfort to her."
"The last time I saw her she was not yet ten," she recalled. "How hopeful and ignorant we were of what was to come."
Aramis gave her hip a gentle squeeze and looked into her eyes. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to end this war and let you see your brother again." He looked back over at Philippe. "And perhaps you can meet some of your cousins," he added, and gave their son a playful shake.
As Philippe squealed in delight, Aramis' head jerked slightly to the side. "Ah," he said with a slight grimace. "Your mother likes to do that too."
Leaning forward, she saw that Philippe had grabbed a fistful of Aramis' hair. Tutting, she reached over to disentangle Philippe's right hand from Aramis' hair so that Aramis could then lower their son a little further down his chest.
"It'll take some growing though before you can pull as hard as she does."
"Aramis!"
Aramis only shot her a cocky grin before she settled back against him.
He took her hand. "Thank you, for giving me your strength earlier with the council," he said sincerely, "even though you needed it more than I did." He brought her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. "My fearsome lioness."
She smiled at the description, and reaching up once more, ran her fingers through his thick hair. "And you are a lion, too, with this mane of yours." She looked over at Philippe, then, and tickled his side. "Isn't he, darling?"
MMMMMMMMMM
"I just wanted to go over tomorrow's events with you," she began once Milady had arrived at her room. "First, Aramis, the boys and I will be attending a special mass, then a dedication ceremony at a new fountain, though Philippe will stay behind for that, and finally a pilgrimage to Saint-Denis, which I will bring Philippe along for but not Aramis." Aramis would have rather gone with them to Saint-Denis, of course, but it was meant to be just a family affair.
"Do you want me to accompany you on the pilgrimage?" Milady asked.
"I don't think that will be necessary. It will be a quiet, private outing for the boys and I. No, I'll ask that you simply go out among the courtiers and the people and see what they're all saying about us over these next few days."
"Very well, Your Majesty. And may I commend you for being so willing to do so much to honor the memory of a man who openly scorned you and wanted you dead."
She lightly sighed. She would have preferred a simpler mass and then just the visit to Saint-Denis for Louis' sake, but she had to keep up the belief that she'd loved her late husband devotedly, especially with Philippe's birth still fresh in everyone's minds. "Rochefort manipulated him into signing the death warrant."
Milady's gaze flickered over to her, and she looked almost apologetic. "I was referring to the first time."
MMMMMMMMMM
He was surprised to see the door to the passageway open and for Milady to then come through it. He knew Anne was meeting with her, but it was supposed to be a brief one.
"Milady, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"It is Her Majesty who's in need of some pleasuring, I'm afraid."
Aramis frowned. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"
"I may have revealed that it was in fact her late husband who-how should I phrase this-suggested? to the Cardinal that it would be better for everyone if Her Majesty were dead, thus triggering the attempt on her life."
He jumped out of his chair. "What?!"
Milady raised her eyebrows. "The Cardinal told me himself. The King, his tongue loosened by drink, went on about how much he disliked his wife, her inability to provide him with a son, and how lovely, rich, and fertile-looking that German girl was. What was her name?"
"Mellendorf," he growled, coming around the desk. "Charlotte Mellendorf."
"That's the one. What a mess that turned out to be. Can't blame the Queen for failing to hide her aversion to the man's touch though; such clumsy, clammy hands. And he had no talent when it came to pleasuring women."
"Enough!" he shouted. "I've heard enough."
With a curt bow of her head, she left the room, and the second the door shut he unleashed his anger, taking one of his wine glasses and throwing it against the wall with a roar.
He turned and leaned heavily on his desk. They had thought it was one of the Cardinal's power plays, replacing Anne with someone he could control. He had admitted that Anne's perceived barrenness was what prompted the attempt on her life, but he neglected to say that it was the King who had decided she was out of time.
It was the King who had wanted Anne out of the way so that he could be with another woman. And rather than repudiate Anne, or just give her more time and attention, he thought it easier to have her killed, to just get rid of her as if she were nothing.
The items on his desk rattled as he kicked against it before he started pacing the room. He needed to calm down before he went to Anne.
Taking another glass he poured himself a drink and quickly downed it. Then after a long, deep breath he left his office and made his way through the secret passage, wondering not for the first time how the King could have been so heartless, so cruel. So oblivious of how fortunate he was to have been able to call Anne his wife.
He listened at the door to make sure no one else was in the room, but all he could hear was sniffling, so he went ahead in and immediately spotted her in a chair by the fireplace looking at one of her rings, one he knew that Louis had gifted her. When she looked up at him the light from the fire illuminated the trails of tears on her cheeks.
She let out a sob and he was at her side in seconds, taking her free hand in his as he kneeled next to her.
"Hey, hey. That man does not deserve your tears." Reaching up, he brushed a thumb across her cheek. "Think of our son. We wouldn't have had him if not for that night, if not for all the events that led to it. Think of the Cardinal, rolling in his grave over the thought of the three of us ruling France," he told her, and was glad to wrestle a smile from her.
"They can't hurt you anymore," he said, looking up into her eyes. "I won't let them."
MMMMMMMMMM
She didn't want to get out of the carriage once they arrived at Saint-Denis. Milady's revelation had shocked her. She had always known Louis to be fickle in his affections, but disliking her to the point of wishing her dead in the presence of the Cardinal? And of course the Cardinal had leapt at the idea.
She had found it easier to forgive Milady for her part in her attempted assassination, even though the woman never asked for it. While she was critical of Milady's morals or lack thereof, it was nothing personal between them, and she knew saying no to the Cardinal would have put Milady's own life at risk.
Louis, on the other hand…she had thought they were in this together. Two teenagers thrust into a marriage with the expectations of their families and the weight of both of their countries on their shoulders. Even though they had never succeeded as lovers, they had indeed been friends in the beginning. When did that change though? When did she become expendable? Was it just once Charlotte arrived, or earlier?
She squeezed Louis' hand as they approached the abbot and other members of the church waiting to welcome them. She had to remember what Aramis had said. If not for Louis' actions, she and Aramis wouldn't have consummated their love for each other. If not for them finding refuge from the assassins at the convent, they wouldn't have had their son and everything that came after.
MMMMMMMMMM
The abbot met them outside the tomb once they had finished laying their flowers and Louis had said a prayer for his father.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but there is a woman who wishes to speak to you."
She glanced around but saw no one except for the members of her entourage. "What of?"
"She would not say, Your Majesty. Only that it was important."
"And who is this woman?"
"An old recluse cared for by the sisters of the convent here. But when she heard Your Majesty was visiting, she insisted she had to speak to you. The sisters say they have never known her to be so determined, but please, do not feel obligated to see her," the abbot assured her. "I'm sure the matter is not of actual importance."
She gave a shake of her head. "I will see her," she decided.
After passing Philippe over to his governess and Louis to his valet she had them lead her to the chapter room of the nearby convent, where a white-haired woman sat waiting on one of the benches along the wall. As Anne approached her, the small, frail-looking woman started to stand, leaning heavily on a wooden cane.
"Please, sit," she said, but the woman went ahead and straightened herself as much as she could before bowing her head, uttering a trembling "Your Majesty" and falling back onto the bench with a soft grunt.
"Tell me, what is your name?" she asked, taking a seat beside her. The woman stared at her from under heavily wrinkled eyelids, though one eye looked clouded over and unseeing.
"The First Minister…" the woman instead answered. "You must send him away. His ambition will be France's downfall," she told her solemnly. "For the sake of France and the King, you must send him away."
Anne could not believe what she was hearing. All this to tell her that Aramis was a danger to France? Someone, a noble or even the abbot perhaps, must have instructed her, forced her, to say this, to put on this act.
She shook her head. "You do not know him as I do," she replied. "He has no other interest except that of the King." And with that, she got to her feet and started to walk away, putting an end to this farce.
"I will pray for you, then, Your Majesty," she heard the woman say behind her. "As I will pray for France."
A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I got a new job and moved and all that, so I've been quite busy. I had wanted to post this chapter once the next one was finished, but I'm still stuck on a few things and wanted to post something in the meantime (and I like posting on Anne's birthday). I do still intend to finish this story, but I'm afraid it's just going to take a while. I hope you're all doing well and thank you all for your patience and continued support :)
Historical background/inspiration:
-Philip IV's wife, Elisabeth, died in 1644
-Anne's sister, Maria Anna, died in 1646
-"Mazarin was forced to raise money by any means possible to support the war against the Habsburgs...Wehn taxes, loans, and the sale of titles did not bring in enough, he sought new sources of income. He discovered an old law dating to Henry IV which forbade Parisians to build houses outside the city limits. Since the city had grown well outside the old boundaries, in 1644 he imposed heavy fines on all those who lived outside the city limits. In addition, he taxed all merchandise being brought into the city. One measure caused particular resentment among the nobility; he imposed a special tax on all the nobles who served on the various royal courts and councils, amounting to four years of their fees" -Wikipedia
-"She had heard protests against Mazarin in the convents she liked to visit, and the devout even waylaid her on her travels. Mademoiselle reported one such incident...A pious recluse, an invalid lady, insisted on seeing the queen in order to give her a solemn warning that she must send away Mazarin. Anne replied only, 'You do not know him; he has no other interest except that of the king.' She remarked later that the poor woman must have been instructed to speak as she had done." -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria