|
|
| The Fate of Love |
Part 4
The sun was about to set. Oscar and her men came out of the arcade which had been their shelter for the last few hours, cloaking the surviving men of company B from the hostile eyes of the King�s soldiers. But now, they had to return back to the center of the insurrection. Besides being the safest place to spend the night, Oscar knew that it was the only place to find food: Her men definitely needed some food to pull themselves up and to go on fighting tomorrow as fiercely as they did today.
But the timing was quite wrong: As soon as Oscar came out of the arcade, she immediately noticed the watcher who was standing at the top of the stairs which led to the street level. She stopped abruptly, but it was too late: The man had already seen her! The guard�s rifle and the revolver of Oscar were pointed to each other and the triggers were pulled almost at the same instant. There was the ear-splitting echo of the two bangs.
Oscar watched the collapse of the guard with stiffness. They had managed to surmount the problem. However�
�Commander!�
Oscar turned her back and looked at her men. The scene before her eyes made her tremble with terror:
Andr� Andr� was shot!
Oscar froze numb for a second. How could it be?? Andr�, as in shock as Oscar was, made an attempt towards her, as if reaching her arms could save his life... But the distance between them was too long, there were oceans separating them� He blacked out, stumbled and fell flat on his face. Oscar ran towards him, frenzied. No, this could not be happening to her Andr�!!
�Andr�eeeeee!�
She lifted his head from the ground and placed in her lap. She was stunned to see her love covered in blood, hardly breathing. She yelled frenzied: �Alain! Bring your horse, quick!�
�Yes ma�am!�
As her men moved in a hurry, Oscar kept looking at the ghastly view of the dying man in her lap in amazement. She just could not figure out how this had happened� Which events had led them here? But, wait a minute, hadn�t she quitted the military long, long time ago? What had happened to the days they had been spending together in Normandy with Andr�? How come had she been the commander of the Company B again??
While she was thinking about these questions, she looked at the man�s face between her arms and blenched with horror: The man who was dying in her lap was no longer Andr�: It was Gerod�re! A fine line of blood was leaking from his temple, he was perspiring and breathing heavily. Oscar looked at him startled: �Victor!�
�Oscar�� murmured Gerod�re. He looked at the woman before him with a tender expression in his face. Then, he smiled. His ice-green eyes were shining with pride:
�Oscar� It is such an honour to give my life to save you� Oscar, please don�t be sorry for me� I have lived a wonderful life besides you� Loving you was the meaning of my life� And I�m proud to be� dying like this��
�No Victor, you won�t die! I won�t let you die!� cried Oscar and yelled to her men once again. But it was too late�
�Adieu, my beloved Oscar� Please take good care of you� and your baby. Live a splendid life, my dear lady!�
And the beautiful eyes of the noble man were shut forever� Oscar was feeling as if she was stabbed from the heart. Her best fellow� He was gone!
�NO! Don�t die! Please DON�T DIE!�
Oscar woke up jumping from her bed. She was soaked in sweat. She abruptly noticed what had happened�
�It was just a nightmare!... Oh God, thank you��
�Oscar, are you okay?�
Andr� had also woken up with the little cry she had given out before realizing she had been dreaming. Oscar�s face was still frozen like a stone: �Andr� I had a very bad dream��
Andr� looked at the petrified face of his wife and rolled her back to soothe her fears: �Shhh� It�s okay now, we are fine��
Oscar�s eyes were still looking blank.
�It was so real, Andr� It was the day of revolution� We had not quitted the army, we were fighting� But we had decided to fight on the side of the people, to become rebels! I remember each one of the fights we had on that day� And then it was the end of the day� The sun was setting� We had to return back to the square the people were gathered� But then, a watcher saw us and fired towards us. You were shot Andr�!�
She quivered and Andr� felt a cold breeze in his nape because of the fear he saw in the eyes of his love. He hugged her more tightly and whispered: �Baby� It�s just a dream��
�Yes, I know!� shouted Oscar, excited. �But it was so real, Andr�! It was as if� as if� what we would have lived if we hadn�t taken leave from the army!�
Oscar shuddered with the idea: If it was really what their fate would have become, she didn�t know how she would be able to live after losing Andr� forever. She clenched to the arm of her husband: �Oh Andr� We have overcome this fate now, haven�t we?? Tell me I will never lose you like that!�
�Of course we have! Oscar, look at my eyes: You will never lose me like that��
�Do you promise?�
�I do promise,� Andr� replied. Then he smiled softly: �With you and our baby by my side, I have no intention of leaving you anytime soon! Indeed, you should get used to the idea of seeing me around you for long long years!�
Oscar couldn�t help but laugh. She had overcome the shock of the dream by now. She caressed the rough skin of Andr�s face compassionately with her neat fingers. Andr� captured these fingers and put soft kisses to every one of them.
A few minutes later, as she listened to the regular breaths of her husband sleeping next to her, Oscar set her eyes on the wooden ceiling above them: She couldn�t get rid of the irritating idea that what she had seen in her dream was nothing but the other fate that had been waiting for them had they not taken this path instead� Oscar tried to figure out at what particular instance of her life she had deviated from having to end up in that ghastly path of fate: Perhaps with the decision to quit the military� Or, with the decision to take Andr� to the doctor with her� She shook her head sharply, no! It was even before then� If it weren�t the mob she and Andr� had encountered in the streets of Paris which made her recognize how much she loved Andr� for the first time, and if she weren�t that brave to go to his room that night, probably none of the successive events would have happened� It was love which saved their lives� if they were saved at all! Oscar made a face and tried to get rid of the fear that had been growing inside her: the fear of losing Andr�. Until a few months, she had been fearless: She could even risk her own life without hesitating a moment! But now, things were different� She caressed her belly instinctively: She had a life inside her body to think of� She also had a man who was nearly blind to take care of� She no longer was the fearless daughter of the Mars, who had nothing to lose. Despite being happier than any time in her life before, she was also having the most uneasy days of her life by experiencing the fear of loss for the first time�
No! They had overcome the bad path of fate by choosing love! There was nothing more to be afraid of!
Oscar forced herself to believe in this idea and shut her eyes tightly to convince her body to sleep. Only when she had been falling into the arms of the Morpheus unconsciously, the last thing that flashed in her mind was the bothersome question: But what was the meaning of the transformation of the dying Andr� to a dying Gerod�re in her dream??
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~
The days were passing quiet, but distressingly at the pavilion of the Jarjayes. It was already the end of October; it had been nearly a month since the stormy day of the General�s visit. Oscar wanted to leave the villa immediately that day but Andr� had convinced her to wait until they contacted Bernard and Rosalie to find them a place to live. After all, by themselves they had no place to go except for Paris or Arras, where Oscar would immediately be recognized as the ex-commander of the Royal Guards by the furious people her family used to rule until a few months before. Normandy seemed a bit safer compared to the other options. Especially in Paris, nowadays the former nobles were under the hostile pressure coming from the commoners. The ones who were publicly known figures were even forced to leave the country, and it was not unusual that a noble could be killed by an anonymous murderer at any corner of the city. Andr� could not admit endangering the life of his beloved one under such circumstances! When he was discussing the matter with Oscar, he had made his point clear; they would wait here until Bernard could arrange them fake identities as commoners.
It was way too humiliating for Oscar, she had spoken with sparkling eyes:
�Forget it Andr�! I may even accept dying with my honour rather than living like a coward all my life!�
�Oscar, this is not cowardness! We are only trying to be cautious. Don�t you recall what Philippe told us today; that the women had marched upon the Versailles?! They could even have killed Marie Antoinette, their former queen! Don�t you see what they could do to you, if they are doing this even to their Queen?! Oscar, please be reasonable, dear!�
�Ah, but I can�t live at a place which does not belong to me any more Andr酔 Oscar had murmured with wet eyes. �I�m rejected by my father, I�m no longer the heir of the Jarjayes, Andr� This place does not belong to me now� I�m like an invader��
�I don�t care!� Andr� had cried, he had had mischievous lights in his eyes: �These are not normal times my dear lady; the commoners are already invading the properties which were previously owned by the nobles! Since you are rejected by your father and married to a commoner, you are also a commoner now; and this gives you the right to invade the house of a noble: This house!�
Oscar couldn�t help but laugh: �Andr� Grandier, you are distorting the facts according to your own benefit!�
�But you can�t deny that my logic is consistent within itself,� grinned Andr�.
Hence, despite raising strong objections to staying in this villa at first, Oscar had finally indulged to the idea although completely reluctantly. But she had been waiting for the good news to arrive, the news that would come from Bernard and Rosalie, with impatience. She had already promised herself not to spend any of the money that belonged to her father anymore. She had still savings from her salary which had automatically accumulated when she was in the army and had been living in the mansion of Jarjayes. That would be enough for their living for a long time if they lived a moderate life, which was already the way Oscar had been living in her entire lifetime. But the main problem was that it was getting harder and harder to find villagers to buy vegetables, meat, milk, eggs and animal feed from: They were sometimes using the scarcity of food due to the revolution as an excuse, which was true to some extent; but the main reason lying behind the mean behavior of the villagers was the grudge towards a former noble who used to obtain anything she would like for long years without even needing to pay for them. The anger in the people was not likely to decay anytime soon; on the contrary, it was growing and growing every day since the revolution. Andr� was very concerned about seeing the hostile looks of the people in the village when he wanted to buy some milk for his pregnant wife and often got the answer: �We don�t have any.� He knew, they should find a place where nobody would know who they really were � and find it as soon as possible! Hence, each one of the young couple was waiting for the news that would come from Bernard and Rosalie, hastily and impatiently, although with different concerns in their minds.
And one day came a visitor bringing some news- but neither the visitor nor the news was what they expected!
When he heard the sound of a carriage, Andr� had been working in the back garden. He had been seeding wheat and potatoes, in case they may need to spend a much longer time around here, or come back later in a few months time. After checking the depth of the ditches he had dug, he thought he would make a good farmer and smiled to himself with satisfaction. Right at that time, he heard the noise of the carriage and his smile froze on his face: Could this be�? He urged to the front door.
Oscar had also heard the noise and ran downstairs to see who their visitor was. When the man with an elegant hat and polished boots came out of the carriage, she couldn�t believe in her eyes: �Gerod�re! What a surprise!�
�I greet you with all my esteem, Commander,� said Gerod�re and bowed before his former commander. His eyes were shining with the joy of seeing Oscar again. He was a little surprised with the way Oscar looked: She was still wearing trousers like a man, but now the clothes on her were even more ordinary than before. Where had the silk blouses of this beautiful woman gone? And to Gerod�re�s surprise, she had tied her hair into a casual bun over her head � his former commander would never wear her hair that way, like a� like a lady! But on the other hand, there was another spark inside her eyes that had caught his immediate attention. There was still some concern in these beautiful eyes, he could immediately recognize that after spending many years besides her. But� there was also something else: Gerod�re suddenly understood that these were the eyes of a happy woman.
Oscar, on the other hand, was in the middle of confusing thoughts after seeing her former subordinate: She was pleased to see an old fellow after a long time. But meanwhile she was highly curious about what they owed this unexpected visit to.
Gerod�re spoke as if he read what was crossing her mind: �It is such a pleasure to see you in good health, commander. I had long heard the news that you were staying here for the past few months� I had a duty in Normandy assigned by the King, and I couldn�t help but come to see you� I was quite concerned about your well-being after having heard the rumors about your disease; but now seeing you in such a great shape I�m quite relieved��
�I�m doing quite fine indeed, thank you for your concern,� Oscar replied. Then she held his hand, smiling: �Please come in, my dear friend. It is almost dinner time. And I bet you wouldn�t say no to a drink before the meal��
�You are a great host as ever,� smiled Gerod�re back. At that same moment, Andr� appeared at the door of the house. The two men stared into each other with a dim insecurity.
When Oscar noticed her husband, she started cheerfully: �Andr�! Look who is here to visit us! Gerod�re had been assigned a duty in the proximity of our town, and he was kind enough to pay us a visit!�
Andr� composed himself quickly. He smiled politely: �What an honor to see you, Monsieur Gerod�re! Please come in��
�That honor is mine, Andr�,� said Gerod�re. Although speaking with a calm voice, indeed he was quite shaken with the fact that Oscar and Andr� seemed like a real couple: Andr� was not acting like a servant of the house any more, he was now the host of this house! So the rumors about Oscar and Andr� being together, and General Jarjayes renouncing his daughter were true! Gerod�re felt a sudden wave of jealousy in his heart, but managed to control himself quickly. He nodded and entered the house.
Oscar was talking in joy: �Fortunately we had a few bottles of wine left in the cellar. I would be really sorry if I weren�t even able to offer you a drink! After all, the mansion of the Jarjayes has always been famous for its nice wines, aren�t I right?�
�Yes, I have always tasted the best wines of the country at your residence, Commander�, smiled Gerod�re.
Andr� prepared to leave: �Let me fetch the drinks,� he said.
Oscar interrupted quickly: �No, I will go! You stay with our guest Andr�, I�ll be back in a few minutes.�
Gerod�re was watching the scene with amazement: It was the first time he saw Oscar Fran�ois, the manliest woman he had ever met in his life, acting like a real woman. When he spoke, he couldn�t help but stammer a little: �But� but, don�t you have any servants here, my lady?�
As the words came out of his mouth, he immediately regretted what he had said. Andr� could feel like being insulted. Luckily, neither Andr� nor Oscar took his words like that.
Oscar smiled sadly: �No, we don�t have servants any more� I won�t hide anything from you, Gerod�re, I have always been frank with you, and there is no need for trying to cover the facts now: You probably already know that my father denounced me. I�m no longer the heir of the Jarjayes family� Under such circumstances, I could not possibly have kept the servants who had been paid by my father any more� Moreover, I will leave this villa as soon as possible� Now, I�m just like an ordinary person, Victor��
Gerod�re was deeply affected by the sincerity of his former commander. He bowed his head and smiled sadly: �You would never be an ordinary person, no matter how poor you are, or what role you assume, Mademoiselle Oscar� You will always remain as the brave and elegant commander of the Royal Guards.�
Oscar was greatly touched by the sincere words of the man who had declared his love for her long long time ago. To hide her sentimentality, she quickly changed the subject:
�Oh, speaking here, I have forgotten the turkey in the oven! Let me keep you waiting for a few minutes, guys; then I�ll be back with our wine, and then we may enjoy our drinks until the dinner.�
And to the surprise of Gerod�re, she left for the kitchen like a house-wife!
Andr� yelled behind her: �Leave the job of preparing the turkey to me, Oscar! Gerod�re will start thinking that I�m taking the revenge of all the commoners from you, hahaha!�
Oscar�s voice coming from the hallway was cheery: �Oh no Gerod�re, believe me Andr� is the best husband a woman could ever want, he is always doing the most of the work!�
Gerod�re smiled at these words, but a little bitterly. He then turned to Andr�: �So you two have really got married! I had heard the rumors, but��
�But you didn�t believe that Oscar would marry a commoner; oh, I should say not just a commoner but her former servant! Is that what you are trying to say, Gerod�re?�
Gerod�re immediately protested: �No, no, of course not! I should admit that the situation is a little� awkward so to say, but I know Oscar well enough to know that she would never indulge to any kind of social norms or rules when they conflict with what she thinks right is� I was just trying to say�� He looked at Andr� with a soft smile.
Andr� saw an envy, but without malice in that look.
�I was just trying to say that you are a lucky man Andr�,� said Gerod�re. �I know how hard it is to get into the heart of that marvelous woman� And if you have managed to do that� I could only congratulate you, and wish you happiness, my friend��
Andr� looked at their guest, surprised. Was this really the aloof noble man he had known for years? Could he really be candid in his congratulations, as if he had not proposed to Oscar some while ago? He could not stop himself speaking sarcastically: �Oh, is that so, Monsieur Gerod�re? I was thinking you would perhaps call me for a duel to fight over Oscar�s heart?�
Gerod�re bowed his head and gave out that charming smile of his appearing at one side of his lips: �Believe me my dear fellow, I would not hesitate one moment if I had believed that one in a million chance Oscar would love me� But, she has already made her choice: She has chosen you, and it is out of my scope to change it anymore� So, I can only pray for your happiness; seeing her happy would make me so, too��
The gazes of two men meet and they smiled at each other. The ices between them had melted.
When Oscar came back to the room, she was a little surprised to find them chatting amicably. Of course she didn�t think a fight might burst out or something, no! But although they three were all together in many duties back in the old days, she could never recall a moment the two men chatting with each other! Gerod�re was always too snobbish even to talk to other noble members of the royal guards beneath his rank, yet alone would he dare to chat with Andr� Andr�, on the other hand, would not care about making noble friends from the royal guards! But certainly things have changed, Oscar said to herself, just look at yourself Oscar� Who would ever think�? Perhaps it is better this way, though; she then thought; an aristocrat man chatting with a commoner is one of the nice things the new era brings us� She opened the cork of the wine bottle and interrupted the little talk about the natural beauties of this region of the country, as she poured the cherry-colored liquid into their glasses: �So, how are you doing Gerod�re? You are still the commander of the royal guards, right?�
�Yes my lady,� replied Gerod�re. �But I�m afraid there won�t be any royal guards soon� The royal family is already considered by many prisoners in Paris. In such circumstances, the dissolution of royal guards seems sooner than anything��
�I�m sorry to hear that,� Oscar replied slowly.
Gerod�re continued: �The king is still the ostensible authority� But this situation may change any moment. The National Assembly led by Robespierre has been gaining more and more power with every passing day. They are now trying to have the King get trialed.�
�But the assembly had declared its inseparability from the king and the constitutional monarchy!�
Gerod�re swung his head to both sides: �It is again how it looks on the surface... But they are looking for a small excuse to abolish the monarchy and destroy the King forever!�
�So there will be even more blood,� said Andr�.
�Exactly� In fact, the worst part is just beginning��
The three young fellows remained silent for a while. They were all thinking of the new era: In contrast with the hope in the beginning that it would bring more freedom and better lives, it had only brought blood and tears so far� �My beautiful France,� Oscar was thinking, �Will I ever see you as happy as in the good old days again? Or will we pursue lives filled with agony and despair for the rest of our time on earth?�
�I see that you are not drinking, my lady� spoke Gerod�re to change the subject. �I understand your concern about being a good hostess and offering the best of the wines to your guest; but I�d be more enchanted if you had also joined me in tasting this beautiful wine��
Oscar smiled at the small joke of Gerod�re: �Well, I�d love to, Gerod�re� You know how much I�m fond of good wines� But� I think I will not be drinking even the best wines for some while��
�Why, but�� Gerod�re had started protesting, when he suddenly apprehended the secret meaning behind the words of Oscar. His loving eyes enviously noticed the shy eye-contact between Oscar and Andr�, and a lump came, sat over his heart: �Oh� I see� Then, you are��
�We are expecting a baby,� Andr� spoke cheerfully. Oscar�s face had already turned into a scarlet tone. Gerod�re�s eyes slid down to her belly. She indeed got a little pot-belly, but he hadn�t guessed� he could never have guessed� Oscar and being mother! What a weird thing to imagine�
Yet� How much he would love to be the father of that baby!
It was exactly the moment it struck to Gerod�re that he had lost Oscar forever: She really was the wife of another man� Gerod�re could now realize there had been a very tiny hope in his heart that the rumors were wrong as he had accepted to get into this voyage: He had still been dreaming of winning the heart of his life-time love, when he had decided to come here. But now� the dreams had all gone and the cold face of the truth lay before his eyes.
What was the meaning of his life, then?
He didn�t reflect the bitter change in his mood to his hosts, nevertheless. He congratulated them, smiling; and he spoke, listened and laughed all night as if nothing had happened. When it was finally time to go to sleep, he wished a good night to the young couple, and shut the door of the room that was prepared for him. The mask that had been covering his face all night long, dropped at that instant. He slowly walked towards the window, opened it, and stared into the beautiful night under the moonlight blankly.
�So� this is the end� Is it, my dear Oscar?�
He thought of the day he had seen her for the first time: She had been waiting on her way to challenge him into a sword fight! What a brave, fearless, ferocious young girl she was! Yet, what a beautiful and attractive creature! Having contemplated on it many times now, he was pretty sure that it was the very day he had fallen in love with her� But she was a woman who could never be captured� nor could be led to any path she does not want to be on� She had always chosen her own way of living, and nobody was able to keep her from doing so� And again, she had drawn her own path once more: She had chosen to be the wife of an ordinary man, leaving a life full with glories behind as well as many men, noble and wealthy, ready to give her the most luxurious life in the return of an affirmative answer�
�But no�� thought Gerod�re with a bitter smile on his lips, �My Oscar has never been a woman who could be seduced by tempting offers of any sort��
�And that�s why I loved her in the first place�� he added with slight hilarity.
�Live, Oscar Francois! Live, in the way however you like it to be!
Long live, my dear�
� I could just wish you happiness��
Hours went by and Gerod�re stood still, in front of the windowsill, looking blankly into the darkness and reviving the old memories. He was feeling pretty drunk; partly because of the nice wine he had in the evening, and partly due to the fuddling effect of thinking about Oscar� That�s why he couldn�t perceive the meaning of the humming coming from the inside of the dark forest. When he finally got back from the world of imagination with the humming getting louder and louder, his trained senses immediately warned him that something was wrong: At this time of the night, at this place, this noise was not a good sign� Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the bushes at the border of the forest and the garden of the pavilion. Gerod�re grabbed his pistol quickly, went out of his room to downstairs and in a few seconds he was at the garden of the house. His keen eyes immediately noticed the silhouette crawling inside the bushes near the fences.
He approached the figure quietly and pressed the barrel of his pistol harshly to the back of the sneaker: �Don�t move! Drop your gun and turn your face! Do not ever attempt to make a stupid move, or I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your head!�
The guy immediately did what he said. When he turned his face, Gerod�re was puzzled: This was just a young boy! The boy, whose eyes were widened with fear, stammered:
�Please monsieur� I have to see Madame immediately! Please take me to Madame Oscar, I brought important news for her!�
�What? At this time of the night?� Gerod�re looked at him suspiciously.
The boy was agitated to see the unbelieving eyes of the man: �Please, you should believe me! They are coming� they are coming to kill Madame Oscar!�
Looking at the fidgeting boy, Gerod�re saw at once that he was not lying. He pushed the boy to the house: �Okay! Come in and tell me what is happening from the beginning!�
�Gerod�re?! What is going on??�
Oscar and Andr� had already woken up with the rumbling noises coming from the garden and were downstairs to see what was happening. When the boy saw his lady, he yelled thrilled: �Madame Oscar! It�s me, Philippe! You have to run ma�am, they are coming to kill you!!�
�Philippe! What are you saying?!� Oscar quickly captured the vehemence of the situation, something important must have happened. Philippe was still breathless, he must have run all the way from the village to here, Oscar thought. She was not mistaken.
�They are coming, Madame,� he started, gasping. �Monsieur Lindet and many villagers� even people from the other village� They are very crowded� My elder brother is with them, I heard him speaking with the others, he was saying: �We will teach a good lesson to those filthy nobles!� and one of his friends replied: �Yes, and to our chance, the Commander of Royal Guards is also in the mansion tonight! His body will look great on the plain tree at the square!� Oh, it is terrible, Madame, then they made jokes all about that! You should run away, all of you, as soon as possible!�
The three young people looked at each other, the situation was quite serious. Gerod�re spoke immediately: �I heard the voices, a good many number of people should be coming� Oscar, Andr�, you go to the stacks and take the horses! I�ll try to see if I can linger the coming people for a while��
�No! We are going altogether!� said Oscar firmly. �Come on, everybody to the stables!�
�Oscar, we may not have time for this,� said Gerod�re, and indeed, the humming was louder and closer at the time.
Oscar looked at him fiercely. Gerod�re�s gaze met with the flashing eyes of his commander as in the old times: �Gerod�re, do whatever I tell you! Andr�, go with Gerod�re to the stables, prepare the horses! I left my pistol and my sword upstairs, I�ll go get them and join you in a moment��
�I�ll go�� said Andr� and attempted to run towards the stairs.
Oscar held him tightly from the arm: �No! Do what I say!� Then, her voice softened. She was no longer the commander, but the wife who was worried about her almost-blind husband now. �Andr�, you cannot find it quickly, you know that� Please go to the stables and make sure that we can leave here as soon as possible� Please��
She was so tender... yet, persuasive. Gerod�re was surprised to realize once again that he felt as if he was stabbed in the heart with the poison of jealousy, even at this critical moment! Oh Lord, I must have gone insane, he thought, what am I thinking in such a moment?!
At the same instance, Andr� had bowed his head and softly:
�Alright� But come quick, be quick Oscar!�
His last words were like a rogation. Oscar nodded, and ran upstairs like a wind. She should not leave her precious Andr� alone with his crippled eyes, quick, quick!
When she had reached the stacks, the two men had already made the horses ready to depart. Oscar looked around: �Where is the little boy, Philippe?�
�He said he would find a place to hide,� said Gerod�re, �After all, it is not him that these people are after��
Oscar thought for a moment: �Yes, probably you are right� He will be safer by not being around us� Gerod�re, take Andr�s horse! We�ll take mine and go out of the back garden. Let�s go!�
But it was too late: The wooden door of the stable cracked open and a mob filled in! The lights of the flambeaus at their hands enlightened their faces-and these faces didn�t carry any nice expression! Oscar, Andr� and Gerod�re looked alarmedly at the people carrying bludgeons and knives. This was no joke!
�There they are! Come on, get them!� said one of the men who was among the first entrants.
�Hey, the handsome commander of Royal Guards is also here! Leave the pleasure of killing him to me!� yelled another one and blew a nasty laughter.
Oscar could see the hate in the eyes of the villagers. It was so terrifying to see the people most of whom she knew personally looking at herself and her companions with such a pure hatred in their eyes� Although the situation was not bright, she wanted to try her chance: �Listen to me! What is your problem with us?? Tell me what you want and I promise I�ll do my best to fulfill your wishes!�
�We want the man next to you, Lady!� replied the man who had uttered the words about Gerod�re beforehand. He looked very fierce with a face full of scars and a hunchback.
Oscar frowned: �Why? What is your problem with him?!�
�He is the commander of Royal Guards! He is responsible for the death of many commoners during the Storm of Bastille and afterwards!�
�Give him to us, Madame Jarjayes!� said another man. Oscar looked at him sadly. He was called Jacques, she used to know and like this young man during the old days. But now, she couldn�t recognize the people she used to know before; it was a wonder how people turned into monsters with the psychology of being in a heartless mob!
Oscar�s face stiffened and she shouted with the sternest commander voice of hers:
�Gerod�re is my guest and I�m never giving him to you!�
�In that case we have to kill you all!� said the man with the hunchback and he flew out towards them! The crowd behind him plunged into the fight almost instantaneously. Oscar was like in a bad nightmare; she had experienced many terrible times before, but being trapped in a narrow place against an angry crowd was one of the worst battles she would ever have found herself in! She bit her lip, what should she do?? How could she save the life of her half-blind husband, her baby, and her old friend?? While she had been swinging her sword to the assailants who managed to approach them, her mind was working quickly to find a way to get out of this situation.
At that time, she heard Andr� whispering slowly form her back:
�Oscar! I�ll get out of the small hole at the very end corner� Then I�ll try to attract their attention from outside.�
Oscar immediately recalled the small opening behind the loft, probably bored by a rat or beaver� Andr� had noticed it a few days ago and was talking about mending it� Oscar whispered in terror: �No! Andr�, I can�t let you go out of that little gap! You may get stuck! Even worse, if you manage to get out, you�ll be alone outside!�
Oscar�s words were cut in by the roar of the man with hunchback who had attacked her with all his strength! But he had underassumed the agility of this woman. Oscar jumped aside quickly, then turned back to hit a last blow at the man who had already lost his balance after missing his target. When she was done with her enemy and turned around to check Andr�, she was terrified to see that he was gone! She yelled at Gerod�re who was fighting next to her: �Gerod�re!! Andr� is gone!! We should get out of here, now!�
�What?! How is that possible�.� Gerod�re couldn�t conceive how Andr� managed to get out� But it wasn�t time to contemplate; he threw another man coming towards him over his shoulder and yelled back to Oscar: �Yes, let�s get out of here Oscar!�
The two old comrades attacked with their utmost strength to the people trying to squeeze them into the corners of the small barrack. Oscar was fighting crazily, she was terrified about the destiny of her beloved one among the huge mass of angry people out there! She should be fast, fast! But whatever she did, people continued attacking them. Some of the villagers were startled with the beats their friends got and some were frozen numb seeing many of the others lying down on the ground unconsciously; but nobody had attempted to run away as they were counting on the fact that they were so crowded. And they were not wrong; together with the people outside of the door, there were perhaps more than fifty people in the mob! Gerod�re suddenly felt desperate; how could it be possible to fight so many people, as they were only two?? But looking at Oscar, he was once again mesmerized to see the fury in her eyes to get out of here! She would never give up, how could he have forgotten that habit of hers?! Just then, they heard a gunshot outside. Everybody stopped for a second, confused.
�Andr�!!!� Oscar screamed. �Gerod�re, this is Andr�! We should get to him fast, he can�t stand long!�
�O-okay,� said Gerod�re, puzzled. Using the momentary distraction of the assailant just in front of him, he swung his sword to the man and lay him down with a broken jawbone.
Then he heard his commander once again: �Be ready, Gerod�re! We�ll jump over the people at the door when I count to three! Mount your horse!�
Gerod�re thought Oscar was going insane. The people had nearly recovered from the sudden confusion that held them. How would it be possible to get out of that small passage on the horses especially when there was a flesh-barricade totally covering it? Still, he prepared to obey the command. He was accustomed to crazy-looking commands coming from his commander which somehow turned to be the best thing to do in many occasions before.
It was the same thing once again: To Gerod�re�s surprise, Oscar urged on her smart horse towards the mob blocking the exit of the barrack. It was as if time was passing slower now; Gerod�re watched the scenes before his eyes, petrified: She was clearly the daughter of Ares; she was tossing the people on her way with elegant swings of her sword. She was a goddess, no doubt about it� As he was watching all what was happening, he came back to earth with the scream of Oscar.
�Gerod�re! Come here, now!�
Gerod�re composed himself and led the horse beneath him to the passage Oscar had miraculously achieved to form among the mass of people. One of the men who was stupefied with the stroke of Oscar�s sword attempted to attack her from the behind as she was nearly out of the door; but luckily Gerod�re immediately hit him hard on the arm and saved his beloved lady from a possible injury. In a blink of eye, the two young fellows were out of the trapping barrack!
Oscar�s eagle eyes noticed the whereabouts of her precious at an instant: He had pointed his gun towards tens of people not very far from the door of the barrack. The people over there had left the issue of dealing with the two nobles inside the barrack to the others and were looking at the young man with the gun as if predators were looking at their prey!
Oscar screamed in panic: �Andr�eee!�
It was a scream that could only come out of a heart that was scared to death with the possibility of losing the beloved one. Gerod�re watched the scene again as if he was in a dream where Oscar rode on her horse like a wind and reaching at the middle of the circle of people at once, grabbed her husband�s hand� He saw the look in Andr�s eyes, the full trust in his heroine as he was pulled to the top of her horse behind her, with a slight ache in his heart. He knew the talent of his commander in martial arts from long ago� But these movements, the miraculous way of getting out of the attacks of this many people, saving a man in the middle of more than ten people; this could never be explained by anything but the power of love! He felt that Oscar would do anything to save Andr�s life, even by risking hers!
�Gerod�re! Follow me!�
Gerod�re kicked his horse and the animal sprang forward. Within a few seconds, the two horses had nearly reached the boundary of the dark forest that extended miles away, starting from the fence of the pavilion�s garden. However, what neither Oscar nor Gerod�re did see were the rotters who were lying in ambush�
�Ahhh!�
Oscar turned back and her eyes were widened with terror once again: Gerod�re�s horse� It was knocked down by the assailants who had been positioned behind the trees of the forest. They must have thought about the possibility of them escaping from the trap- �merde!� Oscar pulled the reins and turned the head of her horse back�
�No!! Oscar, go away! Please go!�
Gerod�re had taken out his pistol. While he was pointing it towards the mass of people who were entrapping him in a circle, he was begging Oscar desperately to leave.
Oscar screamed dreadfully: �I won�t! I can�t leave you there!�
�Go Oscar!� Gerod�re couldn�t drive his gaze out of the people who were surrounding him; but his words were directed to his beloved lady: �Oscar, please leave! Andr�, listen to me, take Oscar and go away from here!�
�Nooooooo!� Oscar directed her horse towards her old fellow madly. But she immediately saw how impossible it was to approach him: More than twenty people who appeared out of nowhere blocked their way, preventing her help his friend.
One of them gave a nasty laughter: �Come to our hands, beautiful noble lady! Don�t worry, I will not hurt you as I�ll do to your friends!�
�Go to hell!� screamed Oscar furiously and hit the man on the nose. But this move had enraged the others: One of the men pulled the bridles of Oscar�s horse, the poor animal ramped in pain! Oscar was almost falling down the horse!
�Oscar!�
Andr� held her hand at the last moment. Then, taking the reins, he tried to control the animal who had gone mad with the hostile touches of the people around it. He was almost able to find his balance on the animal and pulled Oscar back to the rear of the horse; but at the same instant a woman with a scythe on her hand stuck to the curls of Oscar�s long hair and prepared to hit her neck with the sharp edge�
�OSCAAAAAAARRR!!!�
There was a gunshot and Oscar felt the hands pulling her down fade along her hair. It was Gerod�re. He had seen the trouble Oscar and Andr� were getting into and had shot the woman from amongst the mass he was surrounded by. However, this was a very risky movement to make. The furious people, snarling like wild animals, attacked him as if this gunshot was the start point of a race!
Gerod�re, while firing his pistol a few times more, yelled with all strength of his lungs:
�Andr�! Take her away from here! Go!�
Andr� nodded and kicked the sides of the horse.
Oscar apprehended what was happening after the horse beneath her body jumped over the men surrounding them: �NOOOOO!!! We can�t leave him here Andr�! We have to help him!�
Andr� shouted anxiously: �We can�t help him Oscar! Either we go now, or we will all die here!�
Oscar looked back desperately: Gerod�re� they had been leaving him in the middle of the mass of people prepared to kill! At that moment, Gerod�re lifted his look one last time to see his beloved commander�s face. Under the dim light of the moon, the eyes of two old fellows collided for the last time. Gerod�re�s beautiful ice-green eyes were full of pride: The pride of giving his life to save that of his love� Oscar, although being a great distance away to be able to hear him, still heard his voice clearly and sadly: �Adieu, my beloved Oscar� Please take good care of you� and your baby. Live a splendid life, my dear lady!�
And the sight of Gerod�re who was about to be lynched by a mass of people disappeared among the dark trees of the forest. Oscar saw a few people running and yelling behind them, but they were far from being a threat without horses. Andr�, despite the little light that let them see the trees coming to their way, rode the horse fiercely and anxiously with the help of the keen intuitions he developed in his blindness. The only thing Oscar could do was to sit behind him with her hands clasped around his waist, in a huge blankness.
Victor�
A teardrop glided down her cheek. She knew, this was the last time she�ll ever see him. She was not in love with him, this is true� But there was such a big bond between them over all years they spent in the royal guards together. She had felt that bond at the moment he had lifted his glass to her honour, when she had gone to the party arranged for her marriage in men�s clothes! She had felt that bond when he had ordered his men to retreat in front of national assembly because she had asked him to! And now� He was gone forever�
�Adieu, my dear Victor� I will never ever forget you as long as I live! Adieu, my dear friend!�
As the horse beneath them was running in full gallop, Oscar started to cry quietly�
Unfortunately, she had finally understood the meaning of her dreadful dream�
~ TO BE CONTINUED ~
|
|
|
|
