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| Joy and Revolution |
Part 1
CREPUSCULE
They had made it.
Safe and sound.
The battalion had been decimated, half of her men had died while fighting; as for Andr�, it was a miracle that he was alive because it was only by chance that he had avoided a rifle's bullet at the last moment. Now he and Alain were standing close to her.
Oscar turned so as to look at her soldiers: someone of them was injured, the majority had faces black-and-blue or full of scratches, but they were trivial wounds and scrapes that would heal in a few days' time.
They had just come back from behind the barricades and had joined Bernard and the insurrectionists.
She was tired and worn-out and was short of breath.
�Oscar! You are safe!!� Rosalie flew to her arms, with tears in her eyes.
Oscar returned the hug for a moment, then pulled her away from herself and dried her eyes with a delicate gesture of her forefinger.
�Rosalie, there is no need to cry. By now you are grown up...� Oscar kindly made fun of her.
�Oscar, you are tired... come to my house to refresh yourself.�
Rosalie's proposition was too attractive to be refused.
It was a muggy evening and Oscar felt the impellent need to take off that uniform torn in many places, sweaty and soiled with her and other's blood.
A bath...
It seemed to her like a luxury, but she had a pressing need of it.
Some moment alone with herself, also to get the chance to reflect about the sudden turn her life had taken would do her good: from the noble Commander of the Guards, in a few hours time she had turned into the partner of an insurrectionist.
The last hours had been a whirlwind of events and yet she hadn't had the opportunity to stop to think about all that had been happening to her.
Once more, she thought about the soldiers who that day had perished at her hand and even more about his men who laid down their lives for a right cause, but after a moment her thoughts ran to what had happened the previous night, between Andr� and herself and she felt as if her breath had been taken away.
She brought her hand to her chest, almost to soften that surge of happiness that possessed her for a moment and she desired with all her heart to be able to relive these moments of overwhelming joy.
�Thank you, Rosalie, I accept with great pleasure.�
Unconsciously she turned to look at Andr� who as unconsciously took a few steps towards her.
Bernard looked intrigued at both of them, he seemed to think for a moment, then put an arm around his wife's shoulders: �Rosalie, I think that Oscar needs to be on her own. Help her to prepare the bath and then come back here. Oscar, tonight you will sleep at our house. We are going to stay at Roger's house.�
Rosalie looked perplexed at her husband; he beckoned that he would explain better later.
Then he began to make arrangements with the commoners to find an accommodation for the French Guards soldiers commanded by Oscar.
Oscar gently took Andr� by the hand and pulled him to one side.
Rosalie was left open mouthed and looked at her husband who smiled at her nodding.
�Andr�, listen.� Oscar began hesitantly, shamefaced because of that explicit gesture of affection expressed in public.
�Tell me, Oscar� Andr� answered her softly.
�I... am going at Rosalie's house to have a bath.�
�Very well.� Andr� nodded with a smile, having guessed the direction her partner's thoughts had taken.
�I... was wondering if... if you would like to spend the night with me, Andr�.� Oscar expressed her request whispering, with her eyelids lowered on her cheeks, which were suddenly on fire.
�Andr�! We are going to the tavern to have some drink!� Alain shouted out at him.
�Coming right now!� he answered back.
Then he drew near to Oscar and whispered in her ear: �Of course I want to spend the night with you, Oscar. After all, you are my woman, aren't you? And he brushed her cheekbone with the shadow of a kiss and he gazed at her, as if he was waiting for Oscar's confirmation at his statement.
�Yes, it's true, Andr�.� she answered in a low voice, �I am your woman. Then, I will be waiting for you to come later.�
�Sure, Oscar.� With a nod of his head, he turned and joined Bernard and the others.
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
�And you, what the hell are you doing here?� Alain made fun of him. �I can�t believe that you would come to drink with us when your woman is waiting for you.�
The laughter of his comrades echoed along with Alain's: �Yeah, Andr�. The Commander doesn't need you tonight?�
Andr� didn't answer.
As they didn't get an answer, his comrades left him in peace.
The host came and poured them cool wine.
That evening nobody sang, nobody played a joke and nobody started the usual soldier�s fight.
�I didn't think that today I would have saved my skin.� Alain mumbled.
The others answered him with a growl of assent.
Andr� drank only one glass, then he got up, said goodbye to Bernard and comrades and came out of the tavern.
He was going to join Oscar shortly after and he found himself deeply excited.
He still couldn't believe that: the previous night he had realized the dream he had been cherishing his whole life and Oscar had become his woman.
That morning she had declared before all the people that she had became his woman; he himself, listening to those words so proud and passionate, started with surprise and pride that such an exceptional woman had given herself like that, so plainly, to him.
His hands were trembling and he laughed at himself.
The previous evening, when Oscar avowed her love for him, he had just let himself go.
He hadn't been able to think about anything but Oscar and he had let his body and his heart speak, putting aside for once the sombre thoughts that populated his mind.
Maybe, for Oscar too it had been like that: maybe the fear that she had when he was hit, made something click inside her and she couldn't be silent anymore and, for once, her feelings prevailed over her well-known restraint.
Now, things were different: he was about to join her, they had agreed to stay together that night.
Intentionally, calmly.
How it was going to be? For sure, the bed would be more comfortable than the bare ground, he thought with a dash of naughtiness.
He put his hand in the inner pocket of his jacket and checked if they were still there.
They were there.
They didn't get lost during that crazy day.
Fine.
He was about to get up, when a noise behind him startled him.
He sensed, more than anything else, the presence of Alain.
�Hey mate. But what makes you stay here with a bunch of soldiers when your Commander is all alone in her bedroom?�
Andr� smiled imperceptibly: �She said that she wanted to take a bath, but I'll join her shortly.�
Alain laughed with his shrill and open laugh: �Even if she joined our side, your Oscar will be an aristocrat forever!� Becoming serious again, suddenly he asked him: �Andr�, how is she?�
Andr� didn't answer, but caste at him a glance so much full of wild joy that Alain fell silent.
�Okay, okay; I got it.� Then clapping him on the shoulder, he winked at him before going back to the wine and comrades: �Do your best tonight, mate!�
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
Now she was feeling better.
The warm water had done miracles, as usual.
She was passing the sponge along her body with slow and rhythmic motions.
She leaned the head against the bathtub rim and let the sponge fall again in the scented water.
She closed the eyes.
She was looking forward to the time when Andr� would come.
Sighing, she realized to be perfectly able to understand the feelings and the motivations that had leaded the actions of her Queen towards Fersen.
Only he existed, the world had a meaning only because Fersen lived in there and she could live just because he was alive too.
She understood her, finally. Because she now felt the same feelings for Andr�.
She couldn't live alone anymore and she had been aware of this fact for some time.
Every smallest and the most meaningless event of her life included Andr� too; she shared with him every memory, every second, every single beat of her heart.
And now, she had understood that she didn't want to and she couldn't do without his love anymore.
She got out of the bathtub and wrapped herself in a big clean towel.
The memories of the previous night; his skin, his voice were by now engraved indelibly inside her.
The only thing she really desired was that Andr� would cross that threshold as soon as he could.
As if called by her thoughts, Andr� knocked on the door just in that moment.
Oscar went to open the door and moved aside to let him to come in.
�Hi, Oscar.� he greeted her.
�Andr�...� she answered softly.
He took her hand and began shyly to toy with her long and tapering fingers.
Both were embarrassed and smiled at each other hesitantly, while the night was falling on Paris.
�I'm happy to be here with you, Oscar...�
Without speaking, Andr� opened his arms and she lost herself inside them.
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
Like the previous night, clothes fell around them, forgotten, kisses replaced the words and caresses made them trembling despite the heat.
�Commander! Commander!� a voice that seemed coming from another world echoed outside the little paradise, which the small room had, became.
�Commander!�
Oscar pulled away from Andr� who grumbled annoyed: �Oscar, ignore it, stay here!�
She placed a kiss on his lips and Andr� tried to draw her again to him, but she wrenched free laughing.
�Andr�, it could be something serious.� she admonished him severely while she bent down to pick up the uniform's jacket and put it on.
Andr� chuckled: �Oscar, you don't know them...�
�They are my men, Andr�, why shouldn't I know them?� she countered and leaned out to open the shutters that darkened the room.
She saw right away Alain in the middle of the street together with the other soldiers; worried, she asked him: �Alain, what happened?�
The man burst into laughter and scratched his head pretending to be embarrassed: �Well, Commander, we wanted to make sure that Grandier was fulfilling his duty properly.� He broke into laughter mischievously, imitated by his comrades.
In spite of herself, Oscar felt blushing violently; nevertheless with her coldest voice answered: �Grandier is an excellent soldier who obeys the orders!�
Then she closed the shutters with a sharp bang, while the soldiers resumed guffawing.
�But what...� Oscar sibilated, while Andr� took her in his arms and laughed in his turn.
�I told you, Oscar. You didn't sleep in the barracks-room with them for months and months.�
�No, of course not.� agreed Oscar, beginning to see the comic side of the situation.
Andr� held her to his chest and bent down to kiss her on the tip of her nose: �Now they should begin...� he mumbled absent-mindedly.
�Begin? To do what?�
In that moment, the French Guards soldiers intoned a rather bawdy song that had Andr� laughing and Oscar embarrassed.
�They are biding us goodnight, my love... but in their own way!� Andr� whispered, leading her back to the bed..
On the street, Alain and the others kept singing, but after some minute Oscar forgot about them.
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