I Followed Fires

XLVII. Bash

After a long day of work as king's deputy, Bash was more than glad he had time to sit down on his chair and have time to himself.

He took off all of his clothes, with the exception of his white tunic and his trousers. The rest lay on the floor of his bedchambers. Sitting near the fireplace, he listened to the crackling sounds from the hearth of the fire. Bash's eyes were beginning to shut off and nearly fell asleep, before he heard a knock on his door, and a servant came inside, with an envelope in her hand.

"A letter from Adèle Prouvaire," she said, placed the envelope on his desk, and went away in a rush.

Bash immediately rose from his chair and headed towards his desk, where he picked up the envelope and almost tore it open in impatience. He now held the letter in his hand, observing her handwriting before he read its contents. As usual, she wrote with blue ink. Bash smiled, sat on his armchair, and his eyes began to read the contents of the letter. 

Dear Sebastian,

I am quite well here in Italy. As it happens, I find the house quite enchanting. Although think it may be too scenic for you. The plague has not reached outside of the borders yet, thank goodness, but as a person who takes precautions, I have made sure that the small number of maids and servants who came along with us does not enter villages or towns that are too far from the house, for it could bring potential diseases, especially if they are the maids who are taking care of Theo and Cyril.

I was surprised to know that the plague has entered the castle so quickly. I was expecting a slow, and progressive arrival, and yet it came so unexpected, just as you said. I have agreed to your proposition as well, and I have discussed it thoroughly with my father. Thankfully, he has agreed to send a small amount of grain to the castle, along with fruits, vegetables, and bottles of wine as a gift for the king and queen. Although the amount of food that we will send to the castle to relieve the famine is not much, my father and I hope that it will be sufficient to aid court members and nearby villages. I have notified my brother with a short letter written by my father, and food supply is expected to arrive at the castle in a short amount of time.

There is one more thing that I wanted to write about in this letter. It is regarding the current situation between you, Kenna and myself. I do advise you to reconcile with Kenna first. Make her feel at ease. Although, you must do well to remember that it is your own decision if you still want to marry Kenna or not, but I do hope that whatever decision you make, it will bring you happiness into your life.

My parents, Theo, Cyril and myself, send our love.

Adèle.

As Bash finished reading the letter, he scurried to Mary and Francis, who were discussing something in Francis's study. The letter still in his hand, Bash called out Francis's name, his expression displaying pure joy. He handed the letter to Mary, whose eyes showed an immense curiosity as to why Bash looked so happy, and what was inside the letter that he held in his grasp.

"What is it, Bash?" Francis said, slightly irked by the fact that his brother has interrupted his lengthy conversation with Mary.

"Read it," Bash giving the letter to Mary. "You will be thankful that you have befriended the Prouvaire family."

Leaning over to read the contents of the letter along with Mary, Francis began to look just as surprised as Bash was when he first read it. "Oh my God," he uttered under his breath. "This is, certainly, not what I was expecting.."

"What were you expecting?" asked Bash, looking confused.

"A love letter, no doubt," Mary joked, still reading the letter that was in her hand. "She has so much kindness in her heart, it's almost alarming. If this is true, then the people of France should no longer suffer due to Lord Narcisse and his threats." Her face gleamed with the grin on her lips.

"But the amount of food her family will send us is not enough to save the entire population of France from famine," replied Francis. "We need more than just a few sacks of grain, fruits and vegetables."

"Francis, be grateful for what her family has done for us. We will find another way to take care of the famine," Mary shot back, glaring at him with a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "But for now, we have to be grateful that her family has decided to aid us, even if it is only the members of court and a small number of villages. I shall write a letter to thank her. What am I thinking? Francis, you shall do it yourself. Show her your gratitude,"

"Yes, Francis, how about you do it yourself?" said Bash with a sly smirk on his face.

Francis eyed his brother, and turned to look at Mary, who was smiling at him. "Fine, I will do it myself," he excused himself and sat down on his desk chair, grabbed a quill and a piece of paper, then began writing.

Averting her gaze from Francis to Bash, Mary opened her mouth to speak."You are the luckiest man in the world to be in love with someone like her, Bash."

As she said this, Bash smiled, and thought of Adèle, regardless of the fact that she was currently thousands of miles away from him. He smiled, for he knew that wherever and whenever, her heart would always remain close to his.