Remembrance, chapter 6
Oct. 8th, 2018 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scripsiTitle: Remembrance
Fandom: Versailles
Rating: Explicit
Chapter: 6/8
Word Count: 1199
Characters Sophie de Clermont, Fabien Marchal, Claudine Masson??, Duc de Cassel
Pairings: Fabien Marchal/Sophie de Clermont, Fabien Marchal/Claudine Masson
Warnings: Non-con and abuse, which reference events in the show. Rape recovery. Suicidal thoughts.
Summary: Sophie de Clermont has fled Versailles, with nowhere to go and only her memories for company.
The whole fic on AO3
When the door closed after Fabien, the sudden fear seized Sophie that he would not stable his horse. Instead, she could easily picture, he would sit up and ride away, abandon her to whatever fate a moneyless girl among strangers could await. Breathless, she ran to the window, but only saw Fabien untying his horse and then leading it toward a nearby inn where Sophie’s dwindling purse still paid for her own horse’s upkeep. Only then did she remember Fabien had left his mantle and gloves with her; he wouldn’t go without his clothes.
Feeling a little calmer Sophie washed her face and arranged her hair which the day had left much too tangled for her liking. She looked into her small mirror, turning her head this way and that as she scrutinized her features. Her adventures had left dark smudges under her eyes, and in the hollow of her cheeks, making her look too haggard for her liking. Sophie pinched her cheeks and bit her lips to bring colour to her face, and then guiltily stopped. What did Fabien care of what she looked like after all?
Her landlady did not reappear, but the maid turned up to change the sheets, and by the time Fabien returned she was busily fetching trays and plates for the best meal Sophie had seen since she left Versailles. Despite this, she didn’t feel hungry, and she couldn’t eat much. There was too much on her mind to find an appetite. She looked at Fabien at the other side of the table. He was taciturn under the best of circumstances, now he seemed even less inclined than usual to speak, but Sophie found the silence almost unbearable. She gave him a quick glance from under her lashes. He did not seem very hungry himself, but his face gave away nothing of what was on his mind, and Sophie wondered what he made of her earlier confession. If he wasn’t angry or sick of her, then what was he feeling now?
Abruptly Beatrice’s face rose in her mind. What had Fabien felt for her? Had he loved her mother? Sophie couldn’t believe so. Beatrice had been very attractive; beautiful and charming, but there had been a cruel streak to her character which had made her hard to love, even, sometimes, for her daughter. And she had possessed none of the qualities Sophie knew Fabien truly admired, and whatever he had felt before Beatrice tried to kill him, Sophie didn’t believe it was love. Not like Claudine; when it came to her, Sophie was sure Fabien had been in love. And Claudine had deserved it.
Feeling the need to change the direction of her thoughts, Sophie abruptly spoke. “Do you think the King will forgive me?”
Fabien thought about it for a while. “I think it’s likely. The Princess will speak for you, and so will I. And you are not accused of any crime. I told the King you had been seduced by Thomas and fled out of fear of being blamed, and not by any guilt of your own.”
He looked at her directly. “As is the truth.”
Sophie looked down on her plate. It was clear she would never be accused of the crime she had really committed, not when Fabien was so determined to protect her. Soon, perhaps, she would be back to her old life. Filled with clothes, balls, gossip, and flirtations; until the King decided to marry her off to someone else. A shudder went through her at the thought of another unwanted marriage, but she would have to endure. And, after all, there could be no man as vile as Cassel. But she would never be allowed to choose for herself, and it was not her wishes which would be fulfilled.
The meal proceeded in silence and no one spoke until the maid had cleared away the mostly untouched food. Fabien rose, and Sophie rose with him. A thought had slowly formed in her mind, it both horrified and excited her, but she was not ready to speak out yet, and now she was afraid Fabien would leave too soon.
“Where will you sleep tonight?”
“In the stable. It’s warm enough, and near to here.”
He picked up his mantle; he was ready to leave, and there would be no more chances for Sophie to speak. So when he turned towards the door she stepped after him, stepped in front of him and put a hand on his chest to stop him from leaving.
“Stay with me tonight instead.”
Fabien went very still. “What?”
“I’m not trying to bribe you. Tomorrow I will follow you back to Versailles, and I will go willingly. But I’m tired of being afraid and alone. I only want to know how it feels to be with someone you are not afraid of. I may never have that chance again; you know I may not survive if I don’t get the King’s forgiveness. I’m not asking for you to love me, Fabien. Just pretend you want me a little, just tonight.”
Fabien frowned and Sophie instantly regretted her words. They were rash and desperate, and her husband had taught her well of what speaking in haste may entail for her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said this. I know you cannot want me.”
She took a step back, but Fabien caught her hand before she could move away.
“I don’t need to pretend to want you, Sophie. You have held my respect and admiration for a very long time. Your intelligence, your courage, oh yes, your beauty too; you are so easy to desire. But you have to understand you were always unattainable for me.
“Because of who I am,” Sophie said bitterly.
“No, because of who I am. I never dared to imagine you would care for me. By any rights, you should hate me.”
Fabien was still holding her hand. Had he moved? Had she? Suddenly they were standing so much closer. His thumb brushed over her knuckles, and the small gesture sent a wave of warmth through her.
”I did once, but it was a long time ago.”
“Why did you stop?”
“Because you are true. The only honest man in Versailles. You never lied to me, even when the truth hurt. You let me stay-”
”Only because I could use you.”
”Everyone I have ever known has used me. You were the only one sincere about it. And you were the only one who tried to protect me in return.”
”And failed.”
”It doesn’t matter.” Sophie took a little step closer to him, just a fraction, but now when she looked up his face was so close they almost touched. “Only tonight matter now. Do you want to stay with me, Fabien?”
He closed his eyes for a moment, Sophie thought he would pull away, but when he opened them again, there was a fire in them she had always known was there, but never thought could burn for her. Now its intensity made the tingling warmth his touch had brought, flare up inside her.
“More than anything.”
Fandom: Versailles
Rating: Explicit
Chapter: 6/8
Word Count: 1199
Characters Sophie de Clermont, Fabien Marchal, Claudine Masson??, Duc de Cassel
Pairings: Fabien Marchal/Sophie de Clermont, Fabien Marchal/Claudine Masson
Warnings: Non-con and abuse, which reference events in the show. Rape recovery. Suicidal thoughts.
Summary: Sophie de Clermont has fled Versailles, with nowhere to go and only her memories for company.
The whole fic on AO3
When the door closed after Fabien, the sudden fear seized Sophie that he would not stable his horse. Instead, she could easily picture, he would sit up and ride away, abandon her to whatever fate a moneyless girl among strangers could await. Breathless, she ran to the window, but only saw Fabien untying his horse and then leading it toward a nearby inn where Sophie’s dwindling purse still paid for her own horse’s upkeep. Only then did she remember Fabien had left his mantle and gloves with her; he wouldn’t go without his clothes.
Feeling a little calmer Sophie washed her face and arranged her hair which the day had left much too tangled for her liking. She looked into her small mirror, turning her head this way and that as she scrutinized her features. Her adventures had left dark smudges under her eyes, and in the hollow of her cheeks, making her look too haggard for her liking. Sophie pinched her cheeks and bit her lips to bring colour to her face, and then guiltily stopped. What did Fabien care of what she looked like after all?
Her landlady did not reappear, but the maid turned up to change the sheets, and by the time Fabien returned she was busily fetching trays and plates for the best meal Sophie had seen since she left Versailles. Despite this, she didn’t feel hungry, and she couldn’t eat much. There was too much on her mind to find an appetite. She looked at Fabien at the other side of the table. He was taciturn under the best of circumstances, now he seemed even less inclined than usual to speak, but Sophie found the silence almost unbearable. She gave him a quick glance from under her lashes. He did not seem very hungry himself, but his face gave away nothing of what was on his mind, and Sophie wondered what he made of her earlier confession. If he wasn’t angry or sick of her, then what was he feeling now?
Abruptly Beatrice’s face rose in her mind. What had Fabien felt for her? Had he loved her mother? Sophie couldn’t believe so. Beatrice had been very attractive; beautiful and charming, but there had been a cruel streak to her character which had made her hard to love, even, sometimes, for her daughter. And she had possessed none of the qualities Sophie knew Fabien truly admired, and whatever he had felt before Beatrice tried to kill him, Sophie didn’t believe it was love. Not like Claudine; when it came to her, Sophie was sure Fabien had been in love. And Claudine had deserved it.
Feeling the need to change the direction of her thoughts, Sophie abruptly spoke. “Do you think the King will forgive me?”
Fabien thought about it for a while. “I think it’s likely. The Princess will speak for you, and so will I. And you are not accused of any crime. I told the King you had been seduced by Thomas and fled out of fear of being blamed, and not by any guilt of your own.”
He looked at her directly. “As is the truth.”
Sophie looked down on her plate. It was clear she would never be accused of the crime she had really committed, not when Fabien was so determined to protect her. Soon, perhaps, she would be back to her old life. Filled with clothes, balls, gossip, and flirtations; until the King decided to marry her off to someone else. A shudder went through her at the thought of another unwanted marriage, but she would have to endure. And, after all, there could be no man as vile as Cassel. But she would never be allowed to choose for herself, and it was not her wishes which would be fulfilled.
The meal proceeded in silence and no one spoke until the maid had cleared away the mostly untouched food. Fabien rose, and Sophie rose with him. A thought had slowly formed in her mind, it both horrified and excited her, but she was not ready to speak out yet, and now she was afraid Fabien would leave too soon.
“Where will you sleep tonight?”
“In the stable. It’s warm enough, and near to here.”
He picked up his mantle; he was ready to leave, and there would be no more chances for Sophie to speak. So when he turned towards the door she stepped after him, stepped in front of him and put a hand on his chest to stop him from leaving.
“Stay with me tonight instead.”
Fabien went very still. “What?”
“I’m not trying to bribe you. Tomorrow I will follow you back to Versailles, and I will go willingly. But I’m tired of being afraid and alone. I only want to know how it feels to be with someone you are not afraid of. I may never have that chance again; you know I may not survive if I don’t get the King’s forgiveness. I’m not asking for you to love me, Fabien. Just pretend you want me a little, just tonight.”
Fabien frowned and Sophie instantly regretted her words. They were rash and desperate, and her husband had taught her well of what speaking in haste may entail for her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said this. I know you cannot want me.”
She took a step back, but Fabien caught her hand before she could move away.
“I don’t need to pretend to want you, Sophie. You have held my respect and admiration for a very long time. Your intelligence, your courage, oh yes, your beauty too; you are so easy to desire. But you have to understand you were always unattainable for me.
“Because of who I am,” Sophie said bitterly.
“No, because of who I am. I never dared to imagine you would care for me. By any rights, you should hate me.”
Fabien was still holding her hand. Had he moved? Had she? Suddenly they were standing so much closer. His thumb brushed over her knuckles, and the small gesture sent a wave of warmth through her.
”I did once, but it was a long time ago.”
“Why did you stop?”
“Because you are true. The only honest man in Versailles. You never lied to me, even when the truth hurt. You let me stay-”
”Only because I could use you.”
”Everyone I have ever known has used me. You were the only one sincere about it. And you were the only one who tried to protect me in return.”
”And failed.”
”It doesn’t matter.” Sophie took a little step closer to him, just a fraction, but now when she looked up his face was so close they almost touched. “Only tonight matter now. Do you want to stay with me, Fabien?”
He closed his eyes for a moment, Sophie thought he would pull away, but when he opened them again, there was a fire in them she had always known was there, but never thought could burn for her. Now its intensity made the tingling warmth his touch had brought, flare up inside her.
“More than anything.”
