"The problem of reflexions, it is that they tell the truth." "God chose me to be the King." "However, I am continuously put to the test." "The world does not see you as it should, Sire." "This will do." "What do you expect from me, Montcourt?" "When rainstorms come down, we run up under the biggest tree." "In the North, nobody is so strong, so powerful, so determined than the powerful oak Cassel." "I am a refugee of the royal wrath." "I need protection, my Lord." "I am your servant." "My servant." "Consider the right divine of the kings and its fruits." "It is the new law of your King which strips a true nobleman of his dignity and taints the reputation of those which were pillars of this nation." "Not so long ago, we knew where we stood." "And then we must clear ourselves and earn our fare." "The King pretends to be France." "I argue with him that France, it is us." "The fate of our dear friend Montcourt is a message." "And the King will have his answer." "He is haunted by his new playground." "He only thinks about Versailles." "He forgot who built this country." "If we took away from him this entertainment, he could come back to reason." "Versailles would fall again into neglect the King would go back to Paris we would go to our lands and to our lives." "Noble reason, indeed." "Do you want to persuade him by force?" "He lost mind." "They cannot any more make him to listen to reason." "The future of France rests in our hands." "Do you want my protection?" "I shall serve you at the risk of my life." "You will have the opportunity." "Which type of man do you think that I am?" "Excuse me?" " Am I merciful?" " If you choose to be." " Repressive?" " If it is necessary." "Both, therefore." "Towards all?" "Equitably and without condition." "As a king." "But as a man?" "You are both." "It is not possible to separate one from another." "The king who I am sends his brother to the war." "If he dies, it is the man who will mourn him." "It is the man who can earn the respect of others, and not the king." "You will always have our respect." "Do you think that Montcourt is of that opinion?" "A king will always be criticised, for his successes and for his errors." "Your clothes are enrapturing, Sire." "I do not like this mirror." "Translated from French to English by Glen16" " Oh well!" " Your Majesty!" "Dear Rohan, you are back." "I always do what you say." " I missed you." " Me too." "There are more pretty women than I remember." "Your memory fails you." "It is the age." "I stay myself." "It is so true." "But I've learnt the lesson." "I come back repentant, cheered up and I am at your service." "I saw the plans of the building." "And?" "Either you are envisaging big hunting parties..." "Or you are constructing something completely different." "A palace, perhaps?" "A villa." "Good luck, messieurs." "France thanks you." "How is my Queen?" "Much better, thank you." "Change clothes." "Your mourning has ended." "Take back your official functions." "As you want." "We are going to welcome a guest." "You will have to receive him." "Dedicate all your attention to him and show him a hospitality." "Who is it?" "I shall get ready to make a conversation with him." "Is it a Spanish?" "Prince Annaba." "You have my word." "Well, I count on it." "Sire, can I afford a remark?" "I think that Her Majesty the Queen has already met our visitor." "Yes, in Paris." "Why then do you enjoin the Queen to discuss again behind closed doors with him?" "The lands of Africa are closed to us." "And the prince Annaba could keep the key." "Our missionaries came back from the river Senegal." "These regions are full of prodigious treasures." "These inhabitants and exchanges with them will be foundations of our future and will finance thousands of wars and hundreds of palaces." "We must conquer Africa." "Question is to know how to." "And the Queen?" "She is going to help us there." " How do you find me?" " I dressed you." "How do you think that I find you?" "On this subject, who would put a dwarf in a drainpipe?" "What do you speak about?" "If he was unhappy, he could make it himself." "Did the Queen get bored by him, perhaps?" "Perhaps he tried to repair the fountain of the King, and got jammed as a cork, to reappear finally on the surface and to frighten young people." "You have too much leisure time." "You should accompany me to the front." "Do you invite me to go to the war?" "This is so romantic!" "Are you mad?" "It is not important which war it is." "Mine." "Your brother always changes his mind." "In your place, I would not count on that too much." "But if you had to go there, I would stay here, of course." "To keep your place in the court." "Really?" "How generous it is to want to keep my place!" " You are beautiful." " I have already said that to him." "It is wrong." "My spouse, do you have news?" "Not yet." "Bontemps!" "I have a sword, an armour and a horse." "Why to wait?" "When shall I leave?" "The King has not decided on it yet." "Am I supposed to be waiting?" "Will it be you that he sends, perhaps?" "I would be honoured." "Of course." "Do you think that he does not see you as you are?" "He sees me well." "And it is what he appreciates" "Unlike you." "In the absence of your husband, I shall know where to find you." "The door of my apartments will be closed to you." "It is not where I will look for you," "As I will not look for the King in the apartments of the Queen." "I know how much you like to swim." "I shall be able undoubtedly to find you in the pavilion of baths..." "They say that the place pleases the lovers... of the nature." "Be prudent, monsieur." "I am always, dear." "Nice building." "Honourable guest of the King," "Annaba, prince of Assinie." "Son of the king of Eguafo, heir of the Ivory Coast, lord of the sky." "My brother, Kobina." "Prince Annaba, please follow me, alone." "Your brother will accompany Monsieur Marchal." "And my friends?" "They will be reap all the benefit of the hospitality of the King." "Are you sure?" " It is superb!" " Thank you!" "How handsome he is!" "How can he be handsome if he is black?" " And why wouldn't he?" " You are so strange!" "It seems that rivers of gold run in his lands." "At which distance are we from these trees?" "Majesty, everything takes place according to your plan." "The prince Annaba is destabilised." "Very well." "Make him wait." "It has been said to me that my dear friends Parthenay arrive at Versailles from the South." " Does little Françoise also come?" " With her husband and her family." "How quickly the time passes!" "Parthenay are respected in the South." "They come to honour me to produce their title of nobility in order to show the example." "Make sure that "La Gazette" mentions it." "You also make sure to stamp a medal." "The political arithmetic forebodes big things." ""The grand noblemen of the South produce their titles to the King."" "Does this please you?" ""The King receives the titles of grand noblemen of the South."" "It sounds better, don't you find?" "This is a lot of shit!" "The most refined shit which is, that of horses of the King in the Louvre." "I..." "Speak." "What is it about?" "Returning across the woods," "I found an old man who cooked a rat near a ditch." "I thought that it was a vagrant." "Have you recognized him?" "Of the court of your father." "He fought against him." "During Fronde?" "If they had succeeded..." "You would have died." "One day, I would like that you speak to me about my father." "Good morning, prince Annaba." "Good morning, Majesty." "It is a pleasure to see you again." "What is it?" "You tremble." "For several reasons." "You, us, him." "Chevalier." "Does Chevalier make you tremble?" "He frightens me, the way he looks at me, the way he speaks about you and about my spouse..." "Do you remember when you were 16 years old?" "You walked on a rose and your foot bled." "You embraced my toes." " Have I removed pain?" " In the instant." "Nothing has changed." "I shall always watch over you." "Your arms protect me, but when I am alone..." "You have not to worry in regard to Chevalier or your husband." "I am your haven of peace." "Will you protect me against waves?" "Even if we will be immersed by them." "Even if the tide takes me!" "He is ready to receive you." "Here, please." "Prince Annaba of Assinie, welcome to my court." "Versailles is more beautiful than I imagined it." "I introduce you to my brother, Philippe, duke of Orléans, her wife, Henriette of England," "Colbert, prime minister of my office, mademouselle La Vallière..." "You have already met my wife." "I gave a reception here a few years ago and we could not accommodate my friends." "They had to rent rooms in the city." "So I build 400 apartments to welcome them." "Where are your workers?" "They work on the installation of a very perilous stage of the building." "We will be able undoubtedly see them working tomorrow." "It would please me very much." "Tell me about countries of Africa." "When will we negotiate?" "Prince Annaba, in France, we do the things in a different way." "Had I made a mistake?" "Should I speak to the Dutchmen, to the Spanish, to the Englishmen?" "All are inclined to discuss the future." "Don't you appreciate our hospitality?" "How can I not appreciate it?" "And it is not finished." "You will see it this evening." "What will happen?" "I will sit down with you." "I have no explanation." "I am sorry, Monsieur Marchal." "Half of the cargo is lost and four men died." "The King is missing of the gold, of the marble, stones and wine." "This becomes a habit." "The appearance is essential." "Essential!" "Have you understood me?" "Have you listened to a word of what I have said to you?" "It is my guest, and he shows more grandeur in his clothes than I do with my palace." "A cargo of marble and of stones has disappeared on the road." "The workers cannot work without materials." "This marble volatilized itself in the woods?" "There are thieves, Sire." "This did not start yesterday." "It is not because of a petty larceny." "It is an organised theft." "The sabotage!" "The more we construct, the more goods circulate on the roads of Versailles, and there are more chances of theft." "It will encourage an uprising and the country will be fast drown in fire and blood." "Nothing is built without foundation!" " Sire..." " The roads of the King are sacred!" "An inviolable territory, protected and watched." "If it is not the case, the stitches of this country will come undone, and nobody more will have a landmark." "It is a war statement." "I will establish patrols along roads." " Immediately." " Yes, Sire." "Wait." "Have you contradicted His Majesty?" "With war, we lack men." "You must protect the King." "I will secure the roads." "Make sure to assign quality men there." "They will be my eyes and my ears." "My name is madam de Beauvais." "It is your mother who sends me." "I am your new tutor." "What will you teach me, Madam de Beauvais?" "Call me Catherine." "Should I order the workers to go up back on scaffolding?" "Yes." "Of course." "Even if they have to pretend." "Sire?" "Where is my brother?" "Our visitor inspired me." "I need a little of colour." "How do we get dressed for the war?" "The violet or the red?" "The red, of course." "I like the violet." "Me, too." "It is because of that I have said red." "Philippe, when you leave, please return safe and sound." "I cannot promise it." "Say it however." "If I died, your life would be simpler, no?" "You know well that my problems will be never regulated." "And whatever happened, I would prefer you not to die." "You say very nice things." "I think about that." "Since we were children, I dreamt about war," "and you dreamt about my brother." "Do you see how lucky we are?" "Perhaps one day we will accomplish our dreams." "We can wage war or fill hearts with wonder, but we do not have means to do both." "We must wage war." "All those who encircle you would smile at you and would obey you," "But they would prefer ruin you from a distance." "You are the monarch of the future." "It remains only to determine which future it will be." "As you dream about paradise, you must build yours." "I was dressed just like that since the age of three months, for I should not have casted a shadow on the sun." "I thought that by preparing my departure, I would get your agreement." "I think that you have blessed me enough." "Thank you." "I do not understand." "I wait for your order, my brother." "When I cannot wait any more, I ask God to free me." "Which are you?" "I think that I am a horse." "At least, it is what was said to me." "My brother." "You want me to be serious?" "Never move away from your guards." "You leave today." "I will bring you glory." "I promise it to you." "God watches over you and brings you back safe and sound." "Go there now." "I am going to join." "You have my blessing." "You do not need a priest for this." " Sophie, dear." " Yes?" "You must help me to solve a moral dilemma." "I will make in the best possible way." "If somebody whom I love kisses somebody else without my permission, is it not simpler to restore balance by kissing somebody else myself?" "I have asked the bishop Bossuet, but he was not very receptive." "Sophie, do not answer." "I know what she thinks!" "It is written on her face!" "Enough teasing!" "Let us thank our good star." "So many families were evicted from the court." "They did not have their titles." "I imagine that they had nobody to vouch for them." "These are laws, we must submit to them." "Fortunately, we have our Chevalier." "Why so much kindness?" "By pure madness!" "When you have finished it, you will throw off us, too." "Indeed." "Be sure yourselves." "I will be there to protect you against this madness." "Especially you, my pretty." "Sophie, hurry up!" "Her name is Sophie." "You are riding for your fall." "I will have at least a reason to die." "Remind me your name." "Benoit, monsieur." "Jacques." "What does a gardener do here?" "The view helps me to visualize the garden." "And the women who walk there." "Be careful with this story." "Think about your future." "It is what I do." "If Parthenay are as influential as I believe it and that they prove their fidelity, we will persuade the noblemen of the South to do the same." "Who will remain there?" "The North and the East." "Who defies me there?" "In my opinion, it is the duke de Cassel." "He has a lot of influence there." "Many noblemen is indebted to him." "His family always occupied these territories." "It is our key of firmament." "If it is taken away of the wall, all building will collapse." "If it is not be done, we will fall." "He does not answer to our letters, Sire." "Send him my portrait as a present with a messenger, who will give him an order to submit to our laws." "He will show his titles or will suffer consequences, and whole France will be a witness to that." "A messenger of the King." "He brings a present." "How kind it is." "Do you want some champagne?" "Louis the Grand demands your presence in the court." "You must produce there the proof of your nobility." "Really?" "I tell you, Kobina." "The King organises a reception in our honour, but we are not here to entertain." "As long as we leave being alive, this is suitable for me." "Chevalier had more influence than I would have thought." "But these apartments are much smaller." " Do you know what I like here?" " What?" "All noise and agitation of the court." "An air of that?" "You cannot go out like this, girl." "Please do not do it too much." "Too much?" "It is not a game." "It is my duty to assure that you get the attention of the King." "Look in the mirror." "What do you see?" "I see myself, me." "Our epoch is that of men, and not of women." "But even the wisest King can lose his reason in front of someone so beautiful." "Perhaps, you will never be queen, but with this, you will be able to live as a queen." "I believe sincerely that you are the most beautiful of all." "Good luck, everybody." "I love your perfume." "I do not wear it." "It must be difficult to bring up the only child." "I do that in the best possible way." "You must suffer to be so far from your husband and your children." "Their absence is not painful when nobody speaks about it." "It is a delightful dress, weared by a very pretty creature." "Thank you." "The King wants to sit down with me to negotiate." " You will be sitting, indeed." " Will we negotiate publicly?" "Should we send them all to the bed?" "If it is needed." " Do you have a woman?" " She lived in Paris." " With you?" " I lived beside the King." "I do not understand." "I sleep where the King sleeps." "I stop here." "He must have a lot of people in his bed." "We are not welcome." "We should leave." "Negotiations have just begun." "Please, do not play with him." "I think that I am suitable for this game." "It was said well, yes!" "Unfortunately, the luck is not on our side this evening." "Oh well, let us play!" "What do you do?" "I win." "You have not been very tender with him." "And anxious faces on my way." "Your Majesty, an urgent affair requests for your attention." "I hope that your recent success will lead you fast to our bed." "Cassel answered to your message, Sire." ""Here is your proof:"" ""a contribution to your noble plan."" "Can I answer him in person?" " I would favour detention." " In the face of insolence?" "Do you allow me?" "If you stop him, your plan will fail." "If you put him in prison, it will be necessary to put all the noblemen in it." "Let me correct it at least for the affront which he made to you." "If a head is cut, he will grow other one." "Destroying him would lead us to the civil war." "The Englishmen have showed us what he costs." "I am not ready yet." "I do not come to carry out my duty, but to thank you." "You have kept your word by receiving our guest warmly." "You have been at the height and I am grateful to you for that." "I would like to give you a present." "I accept it!" "It will be a secret." "Even better!" "Your daughter is alive." "My brother, wake up!" "The King asks for you!" "Tell him to wait." "Say that to him yourself." "Get dressed." "We do not have a lot of time." " Where do we go?" " You will see." "Sire, we know that Parthenay will arrive this morning." " With my goddaughter Charlotte?" " Yes, Sire." "A small ray of sunlight." "Do we arrive soon, mom?" "You stay here." "Do you appreciate my wine?" "What do you have to give me?" "The Dutchmen are not so hospitable, but they have money." "Where are we?" "We stop in an instant." "My gardener found this man." "This nobleman fought against my family during Fronde." "He imagined himself to be in security hidden in this wood." "Oh, my God!" "Your valuables, please." "I recognize this voice!" "Montcourt!" "No, I ask you!" "No!" "Kill her." "I am charging." "Come, we need to leave!" "Montcourt, it is necessary to leave." "It must be late." " She disappeared." " Come!" "What does that mean?" "The Dutchmen have money, but they have no power." "We have both." "Why to bring me here?" " To finish our negotiations." " We do not have..." "We were negotiating since you had arrived." "You do not give the choice to me." "I give you security and equitable incomes, as well as cannonry to protect your harbour." "You left a long time ago." "Your enemies threaten your capital." "My father will protect it." "Do you see this creature, full of life, in front of you?" "A friend said to me that God brought me this child for a reason." "I have understood it so." "Her existence itself is a mystery as in other countries, in England, in Spain, in the Republic of the Netherlands, she would have died long ago, just as her mother." "And however, here she is." "And here you are." "Be sure of one thing:" "negotiate with the Dutchmen, the Englishmen, the Spanish, they will smile and will acquiesce to your requests." "But their armies will come back to burn your lands, assassinate your families and to get all from you that you hold dear, be assured of that." " You would make the same thing!" " Not me!" "Make your decision fast." "A country without king will be torn by war." "King?" "We have just found out that your father is dead." "You are King, now." "My condolences, Your Majesty." "Majesty..." "Bless me, my father, for I have sinned." "We leave." "The Venetians have worked at a new mirror, Sire." "They hope that it will please you." "It is better." "Burn it." "Translated from French to English by Glen16"