In the Court of the Sun King

Chapitre VI :J'irais En L'Enfer Pour Vous

"Merci garçon," The King himself, seated behind a great mahogany desk, waved the servant away with a sweep of his fingers. Marie heard the doors close with a thump behind her, but she dared not drop the King's gaze.

They did not say a word to each other for an extended period of time. Marie felt her hands tremble at the very sight of the powerful man before her. Finally, Louis gaze a resigned sigh and dropped his arms down to the desk's surface.

"Maria." He said nothing else. Just that name; the one that had once meant so much coming from the same set of lips. And with it, the flood of memories that Marie had worked so long to suppress. Of warm breath tracing the curve of her neck. Of the whisper of furtive promises in her ear. The feeling of a splayed palm against the small of her back.  

Fighting it all, Marie did nothing but curtsy. "Your Majesty."

Louis' immediate confusion at her was evident, and shook his head. "We are far past formalities, you and I."

Marie did not respond.

"Maria," he said again, beckoning her forward. "Please."

Her feet longed to run to him. "I am unsure of how to respond, your Majesty."

"Maria, I have missed you."

She felt her lips trembling. "I am sorry to cause you such grief, your Majesty."

Louis stood from behind his desk, the cloak of furs dropping from his shoulders and onto the back of his gilded, cushioned chair. "Maria," He stepped around the piece of wood and reached upward to touch a finger to her hair. "You are as radiant as the day you left me."

Once again, she said nothing. Her spine straightened at his touch. It was not the touch of a King. It was gentle, hesitant, but full of promises. 

"Maria, my love," he lifted her chin with a single finer and made her meet his eyes. Those crystalline blue eyes that haunted her sleep. "Why did you leave?"

"You had a duty to France." The answer that she had drilled into her own cognition for her entire life. 

"I had eyes only for you." His gaze dared her to argue. 

"That is why I had to leave."

"Maria, you could have been my Queen."

"It would not have been possible, your Majesty." She held his gaze, her streak of determination and stubbornness protruding suddenly. 

"I would have made it possible." She believed him, the conviction in his eyes pleading with her to. 

"Maria Theresa offered you so much more."

"I do not love Maria Theresa." A stony reflection of her own face when she thought of Lorenzo was streaked across his face. 

And yet still, Marie was startled. "She is your wife!"

"And you love your husband?" Marie did not answer. "The Queen has not visited my bed in many long years." He said slowly.

"And yet others have?" Marie pulled away, the sudden image of her Louis writhing with some other whore threatening to weaken her at the knees.

Louis did not respond to this. "Maria, I still love you."

"And what good does this do you?" Marie knew that she was far over the line, speaking to a King as powerful as Louis in this way, but his refusal to acknowledge her question had angered her. "You wish me to be another one of your Mistresses?"

"You would be the Queen of my heart."

"And a whore in the eyes of your people."

Louis scoffed. "You care what they think?"

Marie tilted her head to him, replying in a softer tone. "You do not?"

There was a stroke of silence. Louis stood a few feet out of reach of the woman that he claimed to love, even after all of these years. Marie could see that he longed to reach out to her once more, but he held back. His silence made up her mind. 

"I am married, your Majesty." She finally spoke, letting the words stand. "As little as that may mean to you, it is the truth. And I will not be unfaithful."

"He has remained faithful to you?" Louis asked lowly, twisting the ring of office on his finger. Marie felt her heart clench. In that way, perhaps all men of power were alike. 

"He is not me." she looked away. "I may not love him, but I take the vow of our union seriously."

"Seriously enough not to share his bed?" A challenge. 

She met his gaze with fiery eyes. "How dare you speak of me like that."

"Is it not the truth?" His voice rose. "Tell me it is a lie!"

She didn't answer him, the sudden raising of his voice stilling her breath. Never before had he ever yelled in her presence. At least, not when he knew she was there. The memory broke her a little more inside. 

"You would rather be alone than happy." He pressed, his voice more even this time.

Marie looked at him with questioning eyes, but in her heart she knew the answer to the question she was about to ask. "You believe that you could be my happiness."

"I do." It was what she had expected.  For men could see nothing in happiness but riches and sex.

She took another step back. "My happiness does not lie in the hands of anyone."

"Maria," Louis strode toward her and grabbed her hand in his. "Please. Think about it."

"Your Majesty -"

"Swear to me you will consider it." 

The slight tremor of desperation in his voice sobered her judgement. She hesitated only a moment before meeting his eyes one last time. "Very well. I will consider it."