The next day, Thérèse was once again on the floor of her room. She held the heavy grinding stone from the kitchen in the palm of her hand. The mixture from the night before was now a thick, compressed mound in the bottom of the pot. It had the texture of sand. Thérèse rolled up the sleeve of her clean, light-green dress and reached into the pot. She started to scrape at the gray-green poison with the stone. It broke apart easily, and it only took a few minutes to grind it into a fine powder. She rolled a piece of parchment into a funnel so she could pour the powder into a glass jar. After shaking the pot to ensure all of the mixture was out, she sealed the jar tightly. Thérèse wrapped the jar in a piece of dark blue fabric and clutched it tightly. She headed down towards the kitchen. In order to get the poison added to Claude's plate tomorrow, she would need to find the servant responsible for his plates and wine.
After a bit of asking around and a few suspicious looks, Thérèse figured out who would be responsible for seeing to Claude at the banquet. It was a young boy, only eleven or twelve years old. Thérèse gently explained to him that the jar was full of a special spice for Sir Claude. She told the boy it had been sent to her by a friend in the East, and that it was only to be consumed by the finest, bravest of men. The boy nodded excitedly and took the jar in his grimy hands.
"It's a secret, though. We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." The boy shook his head to tell Thérèse he wouldn't say anything.
"Good boy. Now run along." She patted the boy on the back as he scampered off and was lost in the whirlwind of the kitchen.
A few hours later Thérèse found herself talking with Brigitte. They were in Brigitte's father's parlor. He was gone for the day on business, so his chambers were unoccupied.
"I'm just so excited, I feel like I'm going to burst!" Brigitte exclaimed.
"Yes, I'm sure it will be a wonderful wedding. Your fiance is a charming young man. You're lucky that your father found such a good match for you. I'm sure all the other ladies of the court are insane with jealousy." Thérèse said. She raised her cup to her lips and took a drink of the warm blueberry tea Brigitte had made for them.
"I'm thinking of having the ceremony sometime in the fall. There will be a break when all the farmers are harvesting, so he'll have nothing to trade during then. He'll be staying here, with me." Brigitte was smiling from ear-to-ear.
"Have you had the dressmaker start your wedding gown yet? That takes a while, you know. Better sooner than later."
"We've been drawing up a few ideas, but I haven't chosen a final design yet. Although, nothing we come up with will be as beautiful as the dress you wore the other night."
Thérèse blushed.
"Yes, it was very nice, wasn't it?" She said. "It wasn't something I'd usually wear, but I was happy with how it turned out in the end. The dressmaker did a wonderful job as always."
Brigitte put her teacup back on its plate and crossed her legs over the arm of the chair.
"I saw you and Henri dancing." Brigitte said. "He stole you from Claude, everyone thought it was hilarious. Claude was absolutely volatile for the rest of the night. Especially when you two left together! Oh, you should have heard the things the court was saying! Your mother was suspicious, I could tell." Brigitte smirked.
"It was a very nice night. Henri is a good man. I really enjoy spending time with him." Thérèse said. For a second she thought about telling Brigitte everything that had happened. The drugging, the plot to kill Claude, the fact that she slept in his room last night. She bit her lip and decided against it.
"You say I've found a good match. But I wouldn't sell yourself short. That Henri, he would make quite a good husband. Imagine the benefits for both the kingdoms!"
Thérèse rolled her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself now." Thérèse scolded.
"Well you have feelings for him, do you not?" Brigitte insisted.
Thérèse traced the rim of her teacup with the tip of her finger. She sighed and stared into her cup. She looked down at the leftover tea leaves. They were a stark contrast to the perfectly white porcelain they laid on.
"I don't know." Thérèse said quietly. "He's a wonderful young man. Strong, smart, handsome, caring. Yet I'm so conflicted."
Brigitte nodded silently. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Your heart has a way of telling you exactly what you need. You just have to be willing to listen."
"I know, I know. There's just so much going on right now. I feel so overwhelmed. It's like I don't have time to even breathe." Thérèse said.
"You'll make it through." Brigitte said comfortingly. "You always have and you always will."
Thérèse smiled at her best friend. She set her cup down on the table and said, "I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight. There will be lots of excitement tomorrow, and I need to be well rested."
"Take a biscuit for the road?" Brigitte asked, holding the plate out to her. Thérèse smiled and took one of the pink-frosted pastries. "Sleep well." Brigitte said. Thérèse smiled and began the journey back to her room.
Once she got in, she laid in bed and opened a book she'd taken from the library. She finished the biscuit Brigitte had given her and turned the page. After about half an hour, she changed into her nightgown and got ready for bed. As Thérèse washed her face she looked into her mirror. Usually she saw an average-looking girl with dark hair and big eyes looking back at her. Tonight she saw nothing but a murderer.
—
The next evening, Thérèse was dreading getting ready for dinner. The usual girl had come by in an effort to help her, but Thérèse was too anxious and all but pushed her out of the room. So now she stood with her back to the mirror, looking over her shoulder and trying her best to lace up her corset. She couldn't see well at this angle, and the mirror wasn't much help. The laces kept slipping when she tried to pass them through the loops. When she did manage to get them through, Thérèse couldn't pull them tight enough and had to start all over. She was on her third try when she heard knuckles rapping on the other side of the door.
Thérèse jumped at the sound. Her heart began to beat fast and her mind raced. She had been this tense all day. The thought that, in less than two hours, Claude would be dead, and her kingdom would be safe from an evil she didn't even know existed. Unless something went wrong. Then everything she knew would shatter. It had kept her up all night, and she was anxious.
Thérèse pulled a robe over her shoulders and tied it at her waist. Her untied corset laces batted against her legs as she walked to the door. At first, she pulled it open just a few inches. She poked her head out and saw Henri's handsome face smiling back at her. Thérèse rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath.
"Damn it, Henri. You scared me half to death." She pulled open the door the rest of the way and he stepped into the room.
"Good evening to you, too." Henri jeered. He looked her up and down and a confused expression came across his face.
"It's almost time for dinner, why aren't you dressed yet?" He asked.
Thérèse responded by pulling her robe off and turning her back towards the mirror again.
"Because of this damned corset. I can't lace it up on my own, and I already drove off my help. I've been trying this whole time." It was wildly inappropriate for her to be dressed like this in front of Henri. All she had on was her stockings, bloomers, and corset. Neither of them seemed to care too much.
Henri stood behind her and took the corset laces from her slim fingers.
"What are you doing?" Thérèse asked.
"Breathe in." Henri commanded. Thérèse complied. "Hold it." Henri ran the laces through the loops as though his hands had done it a million times. When he was finished, he tied the laces at the bottom.
"Now get dressed." He gave Thérèsea a serious look. She was taken aback by his sudden change in mood.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"I'm nervous, Thérèse. What we're doing tonight could get both of us hung if we're found out."
"We just have to go and act as if nothing is different. It's a regular dinner with regular visitors. There's no reason to worry." Thérèsesaid. She gave him a comforting smile. He remained stonefaced.
"Well, I'm glad you're optimistic." Henri snapped.
"Henri, it will be fine. You have to calm down." Thérèse said sharply. She stepped towards him and moved to put her hand on his shoulder. He jerked away and pushed her hand back.
"You don't understand, do you?" His voice rose. "This isn't a game Thérèse. I know you don't see it because you've been sheltered here your whole life. You've never had to deal with any real problems. I'm trying to save my father's life, and the people of Bayonne's lives! If I fail, everything falls apart. My father's life is over and our kingdom is destroyed. But you just don't understand that, do you?" Henri yelled. His chest was heaving and he had gone red in the face.
Thérèse was shocked by the sudden aggression. She stood up straight and looked him in the eyes.
"Henri, you're being irrational. I have lived through events that would make your head spin. Argence is at risk, too, in case you forgot. If Claude lives, my home will surely be in a state of political upheaval, the likes of which we have never seen. I-"
Henri cut her off. "Although, I suppose you wouldn't be able to understand, would you? I'm trying to save my father and everything he's created, but yours already succumbed to his weakness."
Thérèse stepped forward and slapped Henri across the face.
"You will not disgrace my father's memory like that." Her voice was frigid.
" Thérèse, I'm-"
"Get out." Thérèse demanded.
"Please, Thérèse." Henri pleaded. "I didn't mean it."
"I don't care if you meant it. You said it. Now leave. Leave!"
Henri jumped when she yelled, and he walked quickly to the door. He pulled it open and quickly left.
As Thérèse finished getting ready for dinner, she once again donned the necklace her mother had given her. It had become a memento of her father. She was determined, now. Determined to prove to Henri she had just as much love for Argence as he had for Bayonne. Both of their kingdoms were at risk, and she refused to let him accuse her of carelessness. She would ensure the night went according to plan. Claude would die. Argence, and her father's legacy, would live.
—
When Thérèse entered the dining room, she was unaccompanied. She could tell right away that her mother disapproved. The seating arrangement was quite different than it had been last time they all had dinner. Instead of three tables, now there were only two. They were facing each other. Thérèse's mother sat at the center of one of them. Blaise was on her right, and two men Thérèse didn't recognize were on her left. Next to the strangers was Claude, with two more unknown men next to him. All of the strangers wore black pants and dark blue shirts. They were large, muscly men. None of them looked as if they had ever smiled.
Next to Blaise was King Charles, Queen Lucie, and Prince Henri at the end. At the opposite table, Thérèse was seated in the middle. Brigitte was on her left and Bernard was on her right. Next to Brigitte were a few of the men and ladies that had come with Henri's family. To the right of Bernard were a handful of the higher-ranking advisors on the court. It was a smaller congregation than Thérèse had expected.
As Thérèse crossed the room and took her seat, she locked eyes with Henri. His eyes seemed to scream, "I'm so sorry." She nodded and gave him a small smile, telling him all was forgiven. The first course was served. Bread and jam with fruit. Servants filled their glasses with fresh cider. The cider's spices made the room smell sweet. The air felt heavy. Henri leaned in and struck up a half-hearted conversation with King Charles. He was hearing his father speak, but not listening to his words. Instead, Henri was staring down the table at Claude.
When the grisly old man was still breathing after a few bites, Henri looked at Thérèse. She subtly shook her head. The servant boy was told to put the "spice" in the main course. It would be on his next plate. Henri nodded a silent understanding. Thérèse looked down at her untouched plate. As she picked up her fork, she saw that her hands were shaking. It's like she was watching herself from another person's point of view. All of the courage and fire she'd felt in her room had been sapped from her body. Her knuckles were white. Her whole body felt hot. Blood pounded in her ears. Thérèse's stomach was on fire with suspense. It wasn't too late. She could find the boy and tell him to leave out the special ingredients. This didn't have to happen. She was no murderer. She could find another way. Henri would understand. Right? Yes. No. He-
"You alright?" Bernard asked gruffly. His mouth was full of bread and his elbows rested on the table. His beard prickled as he chewed. Thérèse stared at him blankly. He swallowed. The fabric of his red satin shirt wrinkled as he turned towards her.
" Thérèse?" He said again. He sounded as though he was underwater.
Thérèse felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned slowly, like she was in a dream. She saw Brigitte's concerned eyes. Her lips were moving but there was no noise. White spots flashed in and out of Thérèse's vision. She looked back down at her hand. It slowly set her fork back on the table and rested in her lap with its partner. The servants came milling back in. They whisked away the old plates and replaced them with the main course. Chicken and gravy, with vegetables and rolls. An elegant meal plastered onto a porcelain background. Thérèse looked down at her plate. It was a smear of colors, nothing distinct about it. She felt her body sway and turned back to Brigitte. She looked more confused now, and was speaking faster. Thérèse still heard nothing. She watched Brigitte's pretty lips and neat teeth form words that didn't reach her ears. Thérèse's mouth hung open, her face blank, a cold sweat forming on her forehead. Suddenly, the pretty lips and neat teeth stopped. Brigitte's head snapped suddenly towards the other table. Now, Brigitte's mouth was also hanging open. No, not hanging open. There was something more. Thérèse had a notion of a thought.
Open? No,no. Yawning? No.
Reality suddenly came rushing back to Thérèse all at once. She coughed hard once and found herself gasping for air. She looked again towards Brigitte.
Not open. Screaming.
Panic set in. Thérèse jumped up and looked at the other table. Her mother's face had gone stark white. She tore at her throat. Two guards came rushing in. The Queen foamed at the mouth. Her body began to shake and seize. She twitched violently and her limbs contorted. She looked up at Thérèse. Thérèse watched as her mother's eyes started to bleed. The Queen coughed hard once and dark, black blood squirted from her throat. The guards grabbed her shoulders and started to yell for a doctor. The Queen's eyes slowly tilted upward towards the guards. Her body went limp. She was dead.
The room was in chaos. The advisors were being whisked out by more guards. Bernard jumped to his feet and drew his sword. Thérèse stared at Henri, dumbfounded.
"Now, men!" Claude cried out from across the room. All eyes were suddenly on the strangers. Two of them ran towards King Charles and Queen Lucie, dragging them out of the room.
"No!" Henri yelled. He moved to run after them. One of the men turned and punched him directly in the face, knocking him to the floor. Bayonne's rulers were dragged out of the dining room and into the hallway. Guards were everywhere now. People were screaming and running, toppling chairs, tapestries, and whatever else stood in their way.
Bernard grabbed Thérèse by the shoulder and started pulling her towards the door. Brigitte held on to Thérèse's wrist as they tried to escape.
"We need to go!" he yelled over the hysteria. Just then, two more of Claude's men jumped over the table, knives and swords drawn. They killed all the men and women from Bayonne's court in a matter of seconds.
"Run!" Bernard yelled.
Thérèse felt Brigitte's hand slip from her wrist as she started to move. Thérèse looked back, confused. As she did, she saw a sharp metal point sticking out of the front of Brigitte's slender frame. A crimson stain was blossoming on the young friend's cream-colored dress. The man behind her pulled the sword from her ribcage and Brigitte fell to her knees. Her shaking hands paused briefly over her midsection before her lifeless body collapsed on the floor.
"There's no time!" Bernard yelled. He shoved Thérèse in front of him and towards the door. He turned to face the man who killed Brigitte. Thérèse heard their swords clashing as she ran for the door. She burst into the hallway and was nearly knocked off her feet by the crowds of running people. More men, dressed similarly to the ones with Claude, had invaded the castle. They were ruthless, slaying everyone near them. Through the sea of bodies, Thérèse saw Claude's haggard frame stumbling towards the castle gates. He was going to try to escape on horse. Thérèse had to stop him. She lifted her skirt and bolted after him. She kicked off her shoes as she went. She felt a wetness seeping into her stockings, and tried to push out the idea that it was the blood of her friends and family sticking to her skin.
As Claude reached the courtyard, Thérèse had nearly caught up to him. She heard footsteps pounding behind her. She looked over her shoulder for a few steps. Henri was behind her. They were both now in pursuit of Claude. The traitorous advisor had reached the stable and was mounting a horse. The horse reared and nearly threw him off its back, but he managed to hang on. Claude spurred the horse and broke into a gallop. Thérèse climbed atop Bisou, and Henri mounted a chestnut brown mare. They took off at breakneck speed, pushing the horses to their limits in an effort to catch up with Claude.
They followed him through the forest, dodging tree limbs, ditches, and boulders as they went. Soon enough, Henri and Claude's horses were side by side. Henri held the reins with one hand, and pulled his dagger out with the other. The cold winter wind blew his disheveled hair every which way. Claude's long leather cloak flapped in the wind. The sound of hooves pounding into cold dirt exploded through the forest. Henri pulled his arm back to plunge the dagger into Claude's side. Just as it was about to come down, Henri was thrown off the horse. The mare had run him straight into a tree limb. It caught him in the side and sent him flying. He tumbled onto the hard, frozen ground. The wind had been knocked out of him. Black crept into the edges of his vision. The sound of the horses faded into the distance.
Thérèse saw Henri fall, but kept going. He could wait. Claude couldn't. Thérèse pressed hard into Bisou's sides, pushing her to go faster and faster.
"Come on, old girl." Thérèse whispered. "Come on, come on, come on."
After a moment, she was in the same position Henri had been in. That's when she realized she had no weapon. She had no way to defend herself, or to strike against Claude. Suddenly, she had an idea.
Thérèse jerked on her reins. This caused Bisou to lean to the side, headbutting Claude's horse. Claude's horse was touchy, and not fully broken in yet. When Bisou headbutted him, the horse reared again on his back legs. This time, Claude couldn't stay on. He fell from the horse onto the ground. Thérèse quickly dismounted and pinned Claude to the ground. She had one knee in his chest, and was holding both of his wrists with her hands.
"My dear Thérèse." Claude said sickeningly. "How I've longed for a moment like this."
"Save it, Claude." Thérèse spat. "You're done. You're over. You've betrayed my kingdom. My home. My…my mother." Thérèse felt a lump in her throat.
Claude used her emotional pause to his advantage. He brought one of his legs up behind her and used it to vault her over his head. Thérèse somersaulted over and landed on her stomach in the snow. Claude stood over her now. He placed one shiny leather boot on her lower back.
"It doesn't have to end like this Thérèse." He hissed. "Come with me. We'll lead together. I'm an easy man to love. You'll learn." He reached down and pulled gently at a few loose strands of her hair. "You'll learn."
"How did you know?" Thérèse asked. Her voice was full of fury. She steeled herself. "How did you know your plate was poisoned? How did my mother end up with it?"
Claude chuckled. "Your little stable boy friend isn't as trustworthy as you thought." Thérèse jerked and squirmed under Claude's foot.
"Olivier wouldn't betray me like that! You're a liar!" Thérèse shrieked. She balled her hands into fists and pounded the ground. "You're a liar!" She repeated.
Claude clicked his tongue. "Would a lair know exactly where you got the ingredients? From sweet, old Genese? Would a liar know you had promised she would be rewarded?"
Thérèse went still. Claude was telling the truth. No one else could have known what she said to Genese, or where she got the ingredients.
"And as for Genese, well…she won't ever be able to supply ingredients like that again."
"What do you mean?" Thérèse's mouth went dry. "What did you do to Genese?" Her voice shook with panic. The words wavered in the air. That loving, elderly woman had only been trying to help. Whatever happened to her was Thérèse's fault.
Claude began to laugh. It was a sick, twisted sound. "I'll always know what her hands are up to now."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I'll always know what her hands are up to now. They won't be giving out any more poisonous ingredients. At least, not while they're nailed to the wall above my fireplace."
Thérèse screamed. "You monster! How could you do that? You're disgusting, dismembering an old woman like that! You're sick!"
Claude pressed his foot harder into her back. After a moment, he stepped off of her and clasped his hands behind his back. He turned away from her and began to speak again.
"Now, let's discuss your options here."
Thérèse looked up ever so slowly. She needed some way to kill him. She needed to end this. She spotted a large rock a few feet from her, half-buried in the snow. Claude continued talking as she crept toward it.
"You can come with me back to Bayonne. We will be married, and you will lead Bayonne with me. I would take it over myself, but the others involved with the mutiny refused to help unless someone of royal blood would be reinstated. For the purpose of heirs, you understand."
Thérèse had reached the stone and was almost finished digging it out of the snow. Just as she had released it from the cold ground, Claude turned around. He took three large strides towards her.
"Why, you little-" He didn't finish the sentence. Claude tried to grab her by the arm, but Thérèse was faster. She summoned all of her strength and heaved the rock directly at Claude. It caught him in the nose and forehead. Thérèse heard a sickening sound of bone and cartilage cracking and snapping. Claude fell backwards, clutching his nose. He wailed in pain. Blood drenched the twinkling white snow around him.
Thérèse wasted no time. She climbed on top of Claude and sat on his chest. He tried to swat her away, but to no avail. She held the rock over her head and plunged it towards Claude's face. She did this again and again and again. She released all of the pain she had. All of the fear. All of the emotions she'd bottled up after his years of advances. Her fury from him killing her mother. Her pain from Olivier's betrayal and Brigitte's slaughter. She smashed and broke and crushed for what felt like an hour. When she was finally done, she threw the rock away from her and stood up. Looking down at the remnants of Claude's visage, she was almost disgusted. His face was destroyed. His features were demolished beyond recognition.
"You're lucky that's all I did to you." Thérèse spat on his body and began to walk away. She left his corpse to rot. Claude was over. Claude was gone.
It took Thérèse a few minutes to find Bisou. Henri and Claude's horses had disappeared into the dense woods. Thérèse began to ride back, doing her best to follow the hoof marks and retrace their chase. When she found Henri, he was still mostly unconscious. She was able to pull him to his feet, and laid him gently over Bisou's rump. They rode this way until they were back to the castle. Thérèse returned Bisou to the stable and helped Henri walk inside.
The guards had eventually managed to fight off the traitors. There were many dead. The bodies were being cleared and brought outside. A priest would come tomorrow morning to bless them and see that the bodies were taken care of in the appropriate fashion. Blood and carnage was splattered on the usually immaculate floors and walls. The storm had paused.
Through a window in the hallway, moonlight shone into the interior of the castle. It was this window that Thérèse often paused in front of on her way to sneak out. The grandeur of the moon would envelope her body, and she would gaze upon it before continuing to her special place. It was in this light that Thérèse finally broke. She let Henri's arm slip from her shoulders and sat him on the ground with his back to the wall. She sank to the ground beside him. Thérèse pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. Leaning into Henri, she began to cry. Thérèse sobbed in the moonlight. She cried for her mother, her friend, and her future. Thérèse cried for the children that were now without parents. For the fiance that would never have a wife. For the floors that were drenched in blood. For the courtyard littered with bodies. Thérèse cried, and cried, and cried.