Vanity

Chapter 1

Hey guys, my story is set in 1789, in the court of Versailles just before the french revolution. I'll try to update every week or so. I"ve already written quite a bit because this has been a longstanding project but i'll let you kn ow when i start uploading the recent things i've bee nwriting. PLease vote and comment so i know if you like it !!!!

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Fabienne crept through the cobblestone streets of France in the year 1789, her mother didn’t know she was out, but beyond the dangers of her mother in a rage, was the fact that the streets were a very dark dangerous place, especially at night time and for someone in the royal family’s inner circle walking around town at this time without protection was a death sentence. Suddenly she heard the bell from the tavern she was standing in front of give a series of chirpy little dings as four grubby drunken men cam spilling out of dirty little apartment which had been turned into a so called tavern. Golden light flooded the street pouring out of the open door to the tavern as Fabienne dissolved back into the darkness, wrapping her black cloak more tightly around her and brushing her golden blonde hair out of sight.

After the men had passed, taking the foul stench of alcohol and body odour with them, Fabienne was suddenly aware of the feeling that someone was watching her, though as soon as this thought popped into her head she brushed it away with impatience, she’d learnt to ignore thoughts like this because she was almost always wrong and all they ever did was frighten her to the point where she had to retreat back to the palace. She took a deep breath and stepped out into the street; she forced all her strength into her legs, and started to run. She ran past houses huddling together with shutters closed and doors locked, dodging stray cats, sleeping beggars and the odd contents of a Chamber pot sloshing onto the dirty cobble streets from a window above. She finally came to a stop and slid carefully into a concealed alley between a bakery and a large apartment from inside which you could hear the cries of mourning women, the sound made Fabienne cringe. After taking a quick break in the alley she tried to step back out into the street but was tripped over by her enormous amount of under garments which she had layered on to keep out the chill, she had neglected to wear the usual overskirt or corset that was part of her every day wear because it was close to impossible to run anywhere in them. On her feet were a pair of soft, fur-lined boots which her cousins had given her a few months ago, they were sleek and made of soft flexible leather and lined with cushioning puffy wool, they were perfect for running. After she got up, brushing the grime off herself, she noticed a dull throbbing emitting from a spot on her head where she’d hit it on a cobblestone in the street which protruded by a few centimetres, she gave the spot I gentle rub but when she pulled her hand away she saw that her fingers were covered in blood. This shocked her and she sat down In the middle of the street slightly dazed with a faint ringing in her ears, she didn’t hear or see the carriage until the last second when she heard the rumble of the wheels on the rough stone street and the frantic shouts of the driver and neighing of spooked horses as the carriage collided with her tiny form.

When she became conscious the first thing she noticed was an ache that covered her whole body. She was finding it difficult to even form thoughts through the veil of pain that throbbed through her body, starting at the place on her head where she had hit it on the street and blossoming down to her toes, she felt like every bone in her body was broken. At first she was unsure of why her mind had pulled her out of her drugged slumber until her ears began to detect tiny noises surrounding her, muffled crying and the concerned mumbling of the court physician saying “her skull is cracked, she has a high fever and she is heavily bruised but apart from that she is unharmed, I’m surprised, they say the carriage that hit her was a four horse carriage. Anyway I must get back to the queen she is keen to know of the girls condition” and the in an even more hushed voice he added “the Queen favours her, she plans to make her a lady in waiting when she turns fifteen”.