Post by Aiguille on Aug 1, 2019 10:40:29 GMT
The carriage jolted to a halt without warning, finding himself flung forward the young nobleman flung a hand forward to protect his hat from being crushed. His object achieved he murmured a trite apology to the merchant's wife whose face he had slammed, consoling himself privately with the fact that she had been quite ugly anyway, so no damage there! As the passengers started to rearrange themselves on their seats and curse, the coachman roared out that the journey had ended. Gervaise banged his cane sharply on the carriage's floor to help empathsize the polite cough the followed it, the other occupants ceased their gabbling as they remembered their station.
"It has been a...pleasure" he addressed them with a nod, flicking his palm out as a sign for them to wait their turn before disembarking. He waited for someone to climb down from the coaches exterior, at least he'd drilled this courtesy into them. "Mon Dieu" he reflected to himself, it had been a hellish journey across half the length of the realm, winter was not kind to any traveller on the King's roads, whatever their breeding. Still here he was, free from being his father's errand boy and scapegoat. No more watching the local petty nobility try to foist their daughters on his brothers whilst ambitious, but tedious, merchants tried to parade their boring offspring in front of Gervais. No more walks to churches that were perched on lofty peaks of volcanic rock that, whilst picturesque, left the worshippers cursing God as they toiled up the red hot slopes on blazing summer mornings. Now, a new world awaited him outside; luxurious quarters, the company of men of honour and refinement, the love of beautiful women, the chance to lead doughty soldiers in the service of his sovereign.....
The door was thrown open, he gazed at the lofty, window pierced walls of the looming buildings, Paris at last! Looking downwards his thoughts where suddenly pulled back to other matters as he spied a dung stained puddle that posed a vile threat to the scarlet heels of his Cordovan boots.
"Driver!" he bellowed "Take this d***** contraption forward!"
"It has been a...pleasure" he addressed them with a nod, flicking his palm out as a sign for them to wait their turn before disembarking. He waited for someone to climb down from the coaches exterior, at least he'd drilled this courtesy into them. "Mon Dieu" he reflected to himself, it had been a hellish journey across half the length of the realm, winter was not kind to any traveller on the King's roads, whatever their breeding. Still here he was, free from being his father's errand boy and scapegoat. No more watching the local petty nobility try to foist their daughters on his brothers whilst ambitious, but tedious, merchants tried to parade their boring offspring in front of Gervais. No more walks to churches that were perched on lofty peaks of volcanic rock that, whilst picturesque, left the worshippers cursing God as they toiled up the red hot slopes on blazing summer mornings. Now, a new world awaited him outside; luxurious quarters, the company of men of honour and refinement, the love of beautiful women, the chance to lead doughty soldiers in the service of his sovereign.....
The door was thrown open, he gazed at the lofty, window pierced walls of the looming buildings, Paris at last! Looking downwards his thoughts where suddenly pulled back to other matters as he spied a dung stained puddle that posed a vile threat to the scarlet heels of his Cordovan boots.
"Driver!" he bellowed "Take this d***** contraption forward!"