Rose of Versailles 1. Prologue

**Farewell**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own the characters in this story, except I empathically mention it at the end of a chapter._

* * *

_Hello everyone!  
First of all, thank you for your interest to read my fanfic. The idea of this fanfic isn't completely new; you know there are many fics dealing with Oscar & André being part of the French Revolution. But anyway I want to try to create something new in the fanfic-universe of RoV!  
Before you read, please note that:_

_Surprise, surprise! Oscar & André survive the 14th of July ^^_

_André is not blind_

_My fanfic is based on both: the anime __and__ the manga (so some facts may be taken from the anime while others are taken from the manga)_

_I basically refer to historical facts, but some events or conditions are the results of my own imagination_

_There will be violent and brutal scenes, so do not read on if you're younger than 16!_

_I'm a very slow writer^^_

_Criticism is always welcome _

_And now, enjoy reading! :)_

* * *

Prologue

_He was hit. Slowly, very slowly he sank to the ground, trembling and pressing his hand against his chest. No! What had he done? She was the one to be hit by the ballet! "André…" she murmured, not being able to believe what she saw. She kneeled down in front of him when also Alain noticed what had happened. "Since when does a commander leave the battlefield…?" André said weakly. "You have to go back… Oscar…" "Don't talk, André! Don't talk…" Her hands were trembling, she wanted to do something, she needed to help him! "Commander…" She felt Alain's hand on her shoulder. André's eyes were closed._

Suddenly, there was a loud bang. Oscar woke up abruptly and looked around in her bedroom to find out what had provoked the noise. A window had been broken by a stone. "Commander!"  
She quickly got up and went to the broken window.

"Alain! Have you gone mad?" she shouted angrily.  
"You have to wake the others and escape! Hurry up!"  
"What the hell…? Alain, do you want to fool me?"  
"They're coming, commander, they're coming!" Alain roared.  
"Who's coming?"  
"The mob! They're burning down the castles!"

She felt her heart stopping for a moment. _Burning down…? _Far away, she could see smoke and the horizon had turned orange. "HURRY UP!"

It was the night of 20th July 1789. Because of the crop failures in spring, farmers weren't able to pay the taxes to the manorial lords. So they set out to burn down castles and monasteries to destroy the documents of the feudal rights. This phenomenon was called _La Grande Peur _(The Great Fear).

Oscar got into a panic as she heard the first people arriving at the mansion. She had already woken everyone in the house and now they were packing their most important things.  
"We don't have any time! Leave the other things!" she shouted.

They were assembled in the ground floor, one after other leaving the mansion through the rear entrance. The last one left at the moment when the main door was kicked down and the roaring mob flocked into the house.

They weren't already far away when the mansion went up in flames. Oscar stopped, looking back to the house where she had spent her childhood. The times had changed. France was different now. It felt as if a war began who was already demanding his first victims – the war between the third class and the nobility. Her eyes filled with tears. "Come, Oscar…" André said, taking her hand.


	2. Chapter 1

**Farewell**

Chapter 1

It was very hot outside. The sun shone onto the roofs of the mansions which were word-for-word burning. However, they weren't burning due to the heat but because of the angry rabble setting fire to mansions, castles and monasteries in order to destroy the documents of the feudal rights. This event took place from 20th of July 1789 until 6th of August 1789, being called_ La Grande Peur_. The 5th of August 1789, the National Assembly finally gave in and abolished some privileges of the nobility and the clergy.

Oscar had excitedly been observing these happenings after having lost her home herself this way. She was conflicting as she could comprehend the people's motives while she was disappointed because she had fought for the commoners during _La Prise de la Bastille_ (The Storming of the Bastille) and nearly lost André as well as her own life.

The news about the abolition of the privileges surprised though also reassured her. Certainly, she knew very well that this big thing people would later call _La Révolution Fran__ç__aise_ (The French Revolution) had just begun.

At the same day when the privileges were abolished, Oscar received a letter from her father who lived with her mother at Versailles since the Jarjayes' Mansion had burned down.

_My son,_

_I am writing to you in order to inform you about the fact that your mother and Madame Grandier are going to leave France together with your sister Horthense and her husband. They will go to England because in the meantime it is too dangerous here for people like us. I will stay here so that I will be able to protect the royal family if this damned rabble will lose the composure again. If you wish to say goodbye to your mother, you will have the chance to do so on 10__th__ of August. _

_Reynier de Jarjayes_

Oscar, sitting on the steps in front of the barracks, looked up from the letter and turned her face to André who was standing next to her and had brought the letter to her.

"My mother and your grandmother will leave France."  
"And your father?"  
"He will stay at Versailles. He's weary of life."  
"You mustn't say that."  
"Oh yes! It's a fact he is!" Oscar said, getting furious.

She stood up. "But that's not my problem anymore!" she added and entered the barracks. André stayed outside, gazing after her. Since_ La Prise de la Bastille_, it was quite easy to make her furious. In fact, she was cute when she got furious, he thought.

The 10th of August, Oscar and André rode to Versailles. The palace and the gardens weren't as crowded as normally. Some nobles had already decided to escape from France, but there were still many of them who didn't want to believe in the storm brewing over France. They tried to continue living in their dream world of Versailles. Being there, no one would ever have the idea that in Paris, people were dying due to the poverty and the revolts.

The Jarjayes family met at the _Grand Canal_. The carriage for the departure was already there, ready to leave.

"My dear child!" Madame de Jarjayes said, embracing Oscar and finally kissing her on the cheeks.  
"Bonjour, mère" Oscar answered and smiled. "Bonjour, père"  
"Bonjour, mon fils*" General de Jarjayes simply replied.  
"We're going leave immediately. I'll stay with Andrés grandmother and Horthense's family in London until the situation here has calmed down"  
"I know…"  
André's grandmother was crying. "No, no! I can't believe I'm leaving my two children behind!"  
"Calm down, granny… we'll be well" André tried to calm her.  
"That's a lie! You can't be sure about it!"  
"We won't be alone, granny. Everything will be fine, I promise" he said.  
"Please, Oscar… come with us" Madame de Jarjayes murmured.  
Oscar shake her head. "You know I can't"  
Madame de Jarjayes sank her head. "Then take care of yourself, my daughter…" she said, kissed Oscar on the cheek again and added "See you soon… hopefully…"  
"Au revoir, mère…"

Going back to their horses, André and Oscar met Marie Antoinette who was taking a walk in the gardens of the Trianons. Both, Oscar and Antoinette, stopped when they saw each other and didn't know how to react at first. They had said goodbye to each other as Oscar didn't want to support Antoinette's political decisions anymore. Finally, Antoinette was the first one to speak.

"It's longtime ago that we've met" she said, almost unimportant.  
"That's true"

André stood there, observing both and being perplexed about this coolness of their conversation. They had once been friends, hadn't they? It seemed as if Antoinette had heard his thoughts. Her face turned sad.

"Oh, what is happening to France, Oscar? It seems to me as if the world goes down. I feel that something terrible will happen."  
When Oscar just sank her head, thinking about what to say, Antoinette added "You were right, Oscar. You've always been right. And I didn't want to hear what you said. I've been foolish, I wished I could turn back the time, but I can't!" A lonely tear ran down her cheek.  
Oscar felt sorry for her, though everything she said was right. But she couldn't say that.  
"If you come towards the people now, you might prevent the worst" she managed to say.  
Antoinette nodded silently.  
"There's just one more thing, Oscar"  
"Yes, your majesty?"  
"Please promise that you'll never forget our friendship."  
"Your majesty… even if I tried to, I never could."  
"Is it the last time we meet?"  
"You've already asked it the last time"  
"So it's not?"  
"I don't think so…"  
"Goodbye then, Oscar…"  
"Goodbye, your majesty"

* * *

*fils: French word for "son"


End file.

Rose of Versailles, Drama, Tragedy