Cloud 69

63:

may 13, 2022 - paris, france

Although on the first day, all students were required to take a tour of the Louvre together, the rest of the trip was pretty much free rein. They all had a chaperone that they would have to check in with in the morning and at the set curfew, but as long as they complied, they were free to roam the city and do anything they chose. 

On second day of the trip, Madeline, Luna, Dylan, Carson, Zach, and Jason decided to take a guided tour of the Palace of Versailles. However, the tour required a lot more walking than Jason or Zach anticipated; they spent the first portion of the tour alternating between complaining about having to walk so much so early in the morning, and trying to bribe the tour guide into letting them take a nap in Louis XVI's bed. In Zach's words, 'it's not like he has a head to rest on the pillow anymore!'

The six of them only made up half of the tour group, and most of the other tourists were much older and actually interested in learning the history of the palace. 

"I feel like if Marie Antionette was alive during our time, she would totally get a kick out of Tide Pods," Jason said, breaking his four minutes of silence, which began after an old lady told Jason he might grow a brain cell if he stayed quiet and listened during the tour. "I can so see her popping one open and waterfalling it into her mouth."

"Thank God," Dylan said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I thought you forgot how to speak."

"I'll give you credit for that one, J," Madeline started, keeping her voice low. "That's not the dumbest hypothetical you've ever come up with."

The hallway seemed to have a bit of echo, because Madeline's voice carried enough for them to earn some disapproving looks from older members in their tour group. Luna shushed her friends, and then ten seconds later let out an audible gasp when they entered into Marie Antoinette's private chambers. 

"Her bedroom is large than my house!" She exclaimed. 

"Well, she was known to be extravagant," Dylan responded. 

"That, and if you wanted to hide away from your ugly, immature husband with erectile dysfunction, might as well give yourself a large enough room to not feel like a prisoner," Madeline added in. 

"That's certainly an interesting approach to her character," another member of their tour group chided, inserting themself into their conversation. 

Maddie shrugged, "Marie Antoinette was born into beauty, wealth, and royalty, and married off to a crown prince of a foreign country at the age of fourteen. No one ever asked how she felt about it or taught her the responsibility she would have to an entire country. They created a spoiled, apathetic brat who quite literally did not know to consider life outside of palace gates. She is what she was made."

The entire tour group was looking at Madeline now, some looked offended, others looked curious, and the tour guide looked frustrated, with his lips pressed firmly in a straight line. He seemed to be saying 'Am I the guide, or are you?' with his eyes, which gave her the impression that he saw Marie Antoinette as a villain of her own making, and suddenly she didn't feel so bad about disrupting him. Madeline offered them all a shrug before turning to move closer to the bed. 

"Why do we always have to get so philosophical?" Jason groaned quietly. "Can't we ever just poke fun at history without getting all thinky?" Zach patted Jason's shoulder sympathetically in solidarity. 

The tour guide had started speaking again, and those who wanted to listen did, and those who didn't got distracted by the mass of trinkets and decorations spread across Marie's rooms.