#invictax

As the first flowers of spring bloomed across Paris, Charles-Henri took up his rifle, packed a light lunch, and bounded into the forest with his trusty hunting dog. This was his favourite time of year. The weather warmed considerably, enough to forgo the need for furs, and the earth was fragrant with a new coat of grass. Life flourished after a hard winter. Birds sang as they flew between the trees. The sky was so broad, devoid of the oppressive shroud of rain clouds. Trotting along a small creek, Charles-Henri smiled, and took in the beauty of the woods with a twirl on his feet.

“What a wonderful day!” He exclaimed. “How about a few pheasants, Eden? If we catch one with beautiful tail feathers, I will give you its legs for dinner.”

Eden barked, tail waggling in excitement.

Rare was a day where the Prévôté de L'hôtel shirked her duties. However, on this sunny spring afternoon, Marie-Joseph Sanson nestled comfortably against a tall fir, and hid away from the gossip and perfumed fans in preference for the woodlands surrounding Versailles. There was another banquet in preparation, and it was one too many. There was only so much backhanded compliments she could handle before she needed to chop a head off, and in these days, executions couldn’t come soon enough.

She stared at the book in her hands, and realized she really didn’t care whether or not Étienne stole Anaïs away for a frolic under a canopy of roses. In fact, that sounded like a terrible time full of thorns in delicate places, but what did she know? Tossing the book away, she sighed, and pushed to her feet. Dressed in a shirt half tucked into a pair of breeches, she appeared more like an unruly garden boy than an executioner.

A figure caught her attention. She turned, and watched as a woman strolled down the manicured lawn closest to the woods. Judging by the woman’s attire, she was probably a guest for the party in the evening. What was she doing so far out in the garden? Shouldn’t she be in the palace, entertaining some rosy-cheeked duke with a glass of champagne?

send 🔺 + a color for a color board of our muses // accepting

it’s unreal to think about the fact that we’ve known each other for probably years now. you’ve been with me through the thick and thin, and we’re still able to go back and discuss the same things with the same excitement we had when we first talked about them, and it’s a beautiful thing tbh. 

[ txt ] : BUT I WAS THIRSTY