Rêve un peu de moi
"Mort au Roi! Vive la République! Mort au Roi! Vive la République! Mort au Roi!"
Jacques ran his thumb on a small stack of francs as a crowd marched by, staring at the empty space on the table. It was still early in the morning, just a little after sunrise when they had started chanting and parading along the avenue. The news that the former king was to be executed in three days had invigorated the masses and made it difficult to go anywhere without needing to be careful. He glanced up and saw several members of the crowd throwing their pins and waving the revolutionary flag and raised his glass to them, murmuring inaudibly as he took a sip.
His contact was late, at least later than she promised. With the city going crazy, he wasn't surprised that she wasn't here yet and he doubted that she would show at all. Nobody felt safe here, not even those with nothing to hide, but for people like himself, it was nearly suicide to be out in public like this. The witch hunts were growing worse as the month went on and more people were disappearing, lost to the prisons of the new République. It seemed now that anyone who did not avidly support the new regime was a traitor to the Revolution. The guillotine in the Palace de la Revolution seemed to be used all day and night now, consuming an endless stream of victims.
"Monsieur! Monsieur!" someone called out. Jacques looked up from the stack of francs to see a woman push herself free of the crowd. She was older with wispy gray hair and one arm full of pamphlets. "Monsieur, a moment?"
He smiled and waved a hand. "No, not right now."
"But monsieur! The Revolution needs us now more than ever!" she shouted as she waved a pamphlet at him.
"Madam, I do not have the time," he replied calmly, waving his hand at her.
Her eyes widened as a mad look crossed her face. "But monsieur!"
"Pardon, madam!" came another woman, shoving the older one away. She set herself down at the table with a huge sigh and fanned herself while the pamphlet lady was lost among the parade again.
Jacques sighed deeply and a smile touched his lips. "Madam Langlais, it is wonderful to see you."
"Likewise, though I am surprised you wished to meet here of all places," she replied as she removed her simple white bonnet. She was an older woman, not nearly as old as the one waving the pamphlets, but she was dressed modestly in a simple blue day dress and a white apron. "My orphanage would have been much more preferable."
Jacques smiled wider, though his stomach twisted. "I believe I've already discussed with you why I cannot meet you there, madam."
Madam Langlais locked her eyes with him and she leaned onto the table. She pursed her lips and narrowed her gaze. "I do recall you mentioning this girl was of great importance, but I don't seem to remember why you can't come by."
His face betrayed no emotion while his heart gave a small jolt. "My employer requires me to stay near at all times. Rarely do I get the chance to travel to the northern part of Paris."
She leaned back in her chair, staring at him quizzically before her chair was bumped by one of the parade marchers. The marcher drunkenly apologized and staggered off, giving Jacques and Madam Langlais a reason to chuckle.
"Fools think they're going to change the world one cask of wine at a time, do they?" she murmured.
"I would think so," Jacques replied, still chuckling. "So, I was informed you had seen this girl?"
Madam Langlais blinked once before nodding. "Yes. One of my night cleaners said he saw a girl just like the one you described lurking in the alleyway not too far away."
Jacques raised his eyebrows. "He did?"
"Yes, it seemed odd to have a child wandering that area without the Revolutionary Guard apprehending her," she replied. "I thought most children had been moved to the outskirts of Paris."
Jacques nodded. "So had I."
"In any case," Madam Langlais pushed on. "If she is still there, she won't be for long. The Guard is sweeping those homes again."
He tilted his head. "Oh?"
"Apparently there's a rumor some noble families are still in Paris trying to smuggle out their belongings the Republique seized," she said flatly as she picked at her fingernails. "Just a silly rumor, though. Anyone who even had a trace of nobility in their blood is long gone by now. She's probably just scavenging for something to trade for bread."
Jacques was glad she had stopped staring at him. The twisting in his stomach was almost unbearable.
"Sister, if you'd just—”
"No."
"But sister—”
"No."
"Luna!"
"I said no!"
Celestia sat at a small white table in the Royal Gardens, staring blankly at her sister. A half eaten banana oat muffin sat facing her, almost pleading to be finished, but her mouth hung open as Luna scowled down at a cup of coffee.
"You can't still be mad about—" She began.
"Of course I'm still mad!" Luna said, turning her scowl to her sister. "Nothing was accomplished last night and it seems to be getting worse!"
Celestia's mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to speak, but she couldn't see a way to speak about last night without upsetting her dear sister. Eventually, she sighed and hung her head. "Yes, sister. You're right."
Luna rolled her eyes. "And you think that will make up for your actions?"
"No, and I am truly sorry for the trouble I caused," Celestia mumbled.
Luna snorted and took a sip of her coffee. "That is not the first time I've heard that, sister. Last time, we had a disagreement that led to me being banished for a thousand years."
Celestia flinched, but looked back up. "You know better than I do that what happened was needed, but I have apologized for my actions and we both know that event is beside the point."
Luna scowled once again, but set her coffee down and straightened up. "You're right. I may be out of line by comparing last night to that, but you need to understand the gravity of this situation. Until we can find and stop whoever this is, you are in just as much danger as I was back then."
"I'm not going to turn into a tyrant sun-queen, sister," Celestia replied in a bitter tone.
"And do you think I was planning on becoming an enraged moon-harlot?" Luna asked, narrowing her eyes. "But I was tricked by the nightmares inside my mind. They were just as sweet to me as this intruder is to you. Did you ever consider that, sister?"
A tense silence filled the air, cut only by the soft breeze through the leaves and birds chirping. Celestia's stomach twisted uncomfortably behind her stoic mask. Could this really be a ploy to trick her into becoming another Nightmare Moon? How could Jacques be so wonderful to be around, and yet possibly think only of an endgame where she would most likely burn all of Equestria to the ground? She had seen the turns some ponies made throughout the course of history by allowing themselves to be deceived and had vowed to never follow the same path. But still, could she be just as easily seduced by something so sinister like her sister?
Thankfully, Luna placed her hoof on the table, snapping Celestia from her thoughts. "Sister, you know I am only saying this out of concern for you."
"I know, Luna. I know," Celestia replied. "I just... I don't sense any malice when I'm with him."
"Sister—"
Celestia plunked her own hoof on the table. "I understand your concerns, Luna. I know the risks and what happened to you, but please don't treat me like a filly. I didn't take the decision of banishing you lightly, nor do I take your warnings in ignorance."
Luna's mouth hung open as she thought of what to say, but she eventually closed her mouth and slid her hoof off of the table. "Very well, sister. I will relent on my urgings and not push you like I have if you answer one question for me."
Celestia looked Luna in the eyes. "Yes?"
Her brilliant sapphire eyes turned to ice. "How long have you been hiding your ability to travel the dreamscape from me?"
Jacques shuffled along the roadway, doing his best to squeeze past the gathered crowds without attracting any attention. The overpowering stench of red wine filled the muggy air as dark clouds gathered in the sky. Across the street, a man stood atop a cart, wearing a powdered wig and yelling with all his might at the crowd before him.
"This revolution was pre-ordained by God himself!" He roared triumphantly. "Not even the corrupt king and his harlot wife could escape the coming wrath of God, for he had sinned most gravely against his purpose for the people of France!"
A shout of approval came from the crowd, causing even more of a mad light to shine in the man's eyes. Jacques pulled his coat collar closer to him and kept walking as the man shouted more and more nonsense to them, each line of his ramblings becoming more and more outlandish. Clutching his own cross around his neck, Jacques scanned the faces around the crowds near Notre Dame until a smile split his face. Huddled over a dirty peasant with only one leg, Brother Haugen was handing him pieces of bread from a silver plate while offering a goblet of water.
"Brother Haugen!" he shouted, pushing himself past a group of women. "Over here, Brother!"
Haugen looked up and smiled as Jacques ran up to him. "Jacques! How good to see you again."
"I have had another vision, Brother," Jacques replied, panting. "I must speak with you as soon as we can."
Haugen nodded. "And speak we shall, but first, this poor soul must eat and drink."
"No, eet's alrigh'" the peasant said, drunkenly waving his hand before looking at Jacques. "Spare a franc for wine, friend?"
"Come now," Haugen replied. "God himself supplied an entire nation with bread and water while leading them to the holy land. I am offering you the same they lived on."
"No, wine!" the peasant shouted. "Water is for children! Wine!"
"Here," Jacques said, hastily reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handful of francs. He tossed them to the peasant, littering him with shiny silver coins. "Buy all the wine you want. Brother, we must speak. Now."
The peasant's eyes lit up as he hurried to collect the coins, but Brother Haugen shook his head and stood up. "That was very generous of you, Jacques, but the doctor said he has an ulcer on his stomach. He cannot drink wine."
"Tha doctor was a fool!" the peasant shouted, pushing himself up and stinking of wine. "Wine for me, hee hee!"
He hobbled off on a crude looking crutch to the store Jacques had passed, leaving the two of them alone against the wall of the Seine. With a sigh, Brother Haugen set down his plate and goblet before leaning on the wall and looking out to the river. Jacques followed suit and said, "I'm sorry for my impudence, Brother."
"Don't be, my friend," Haugen replied, smiling to him. "Not everyone takes the open hand of God. Many are focused more on their desires."
Jacques shifted. "I cannot dispute that."
"But what one man chooses to do is not why you wanted to speak to me, was it? You had another vision?" Brother Haugen said with a kind smile. "I'm most excited to hear it."
"It's not a particularly pleasant one, though," Jacques replied, looking away from Haugen. "There was... someone else in the dream."
Haugen raised his eyebrows. "There was?"
Jacques sighed. "Yes, some other being like Celestia. She wore dark blue and had large wings. She also demanded I stay away from her sister."
"Her... sister?"
Jacques nodded. He dared not say anything else about this other entity until Brother Haugen had confirmed what he suspected, but the memory of the dream flitted through his mind. There was the joy of seeing Celestia again, the happiness he had simply talking with her and the fear he felt when the dark being threatened him.
"Jacques, I... I don't know what to say about this," Brother Haugen replied. "This being... claiming an angel as her sister... Are you sure she said 'her sister'?"
Jacques' mouth went dry. "Yes."
He felt a clap on his back and a laugh come from Haugen. "My son! You've met two angels?"
"I, er, what?" Jacques asked, turning to the smiling face of Haugen.
"Jacques, you've met not one, but two angels! The hand of God must be leading you to something great!" he said, the excitement barely contained in his voice.
Jacques paled. "Y-you think so? The other sounded so cruel..."
Haugen nodded. "Most often, we misinterpret God's messages due to our own lack of understanding. Perhaps the other meant no harm, or perhaps she was there to maintain the chastity of you and the angel Celestia. Before the Flood, angels were quite smitten with humans. But do not be discouraged! Did the angel say anything new to you?"
"Sh-she did, actually," Jacques said, smiling again. "She showed me her kingdom. A city of almost pure white and at peace with all those around them."
Haugen's smiled grew even more. "It must've been heaven! Tell me, what did she say?"
"She told me about her family, that she ruled the land as a princess along with her sister, niece and student! I'm afraid I didn't get to speak more with her, but I promise that next time—"
Haugen held up his hand at that, silencing Jacques. "Jacques, I do not know what the Lord is leading you to do, but I feel this angel is guiding you to something grander, especially if she mentions her relatives."
"Actually," Jacques said. "I think she's renewing my faith in finding someone."
"Oh? Who would that be?" Haugen replied, lowering his hand.
Jacques sighed and looked back at the water flowing past. A few shouts were echoing across the river from the men tying a barge to the banks. Turning back to Haugen, he sighed and said, "If I tell you, you must swear to secrecy about this."
"I swear, on the very name of God, I will not betray your secrets," Haugen said, tracing the cross on his body.
Jacques swallowed. "I'm looking for my cousin, the last living heir to my family's name."
The excitement in Haugen's face melted into confusion. "The last living heir? But you're the successor to your family, aren't you?"
Jacques looked back at the crowd and said, "I need to make sure no one is listening if I tell you this."
Haugen glanced at the crowd and back to Jacques. "Eavesdropping is a form of greed. Knowing secrets not meant for them is a sin that God will punish any listener for."
Jacques sighed. "Do you remember my last name? Desmarais?"
Brother Haugen nodded.
"It's a noble's name. My grandfather was a count in the northern country, and he had blood ties to the nobles in Austria. My mother was his daughter, and my cousin is the firstborn daughter of her brother, the heir to my grandfather's land and title," he said.
Brother Haugen was silent for a few seconds, but coughed. "If I may ask, what happened to your cousin and her family?"
"They were ambushed," Jacques said with a shiver. "My family was attending a gala for the diplomat of Spain when the crowds of the Revolution broke in. My parents and I fled, but my uncle and aunt were caught. I was told later their heads were placed on pikes."
"May their souls find the peace of God," Brother Haugen said, drawing the cross once more.
Jacques looked down at the stone below his elbows. "I hope they do as well, but as we fled Paris, we searched for any sign of my cousin. When we heard the fate of my aunt and uncle, my parents fled the city and country. I volunteered to stay and find out what happened to her."
"And have you?" Brother Haugen asked.
Jacques looked back out at the water. "I know she wasn't killed in the ambush, and I've been paying the orphanages around my uncle's former home to inform me if they see her. I met with one of the matrons today who said she saw her."
"Then that is wonderful news!" Brother Haugen said, clapping Jacques on the back again. "Perhaps this is why Celestia has come to you! To lead you back to your family!"
"Perhaps," Jacques replied. "But as this Revolution continues, it's only a matter of time until someone notices the Desmarais line is alive."
"Then I shall pray on your behalf, brother. For both your safety and your relatives," Haugen said, bowing his head.
A smile spread across Jacques' face. "Thank you, my friend. You truly are a man of God."
"I do only as the Lord commands. Feed the hungry, visit the sick and infirm and shepherd his flock. Come to me again if Celestia visits you in your dreams," Haugen said, placing his hand on Jacques' shoulder.
"I will," Jacques said, placing his own hand on Haugen's.
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Glad to see this story on the move again.
IT LIVES!!!!!!!
Another great chapter. Even though Celestia didn't get to contact Jacques, this showed great character and motivation for them both.
Can't wait for the next chapter, but I fear I must!
liking ti so far. i feel as if luna is over reacting though .
I Invoke the card return of the fimfic! Success! Please, don´t let die!
Really enjoyable.
Yay it's back got to find a way to get Jacques to Equestria. The next few decades on Earth really are worth skipping
Yay!
WE HAVE AN UPDATE!!! I hope to see you again good sir.
Yes!
Good chapter, very interested to see where this goes.
Time to wait for more months
Just read this and I have to say it's interesting but my desire to follow this is hampered by 2 things, 1 major and 1 a minor annoyance. The major one is that the updates are so infrequent. I only realized afterward since my mobile doesn't show update dates for specific chapters. That is a major turnoff because I've forgotten about more interesting stories in the amount of time it takes for some of these updates. The second more minor annoyance is the fact that you never translate the accursed chapter titles into English so I know what they actually mean. Most authors at least translate them in an author note if they're going to purposely use a foreign language for a story written in English. Otherwise you might as well write gibberish as the chapter title because it'll have as much meaning.
great to see an other chapter of this great story, I can't wait to see the next chapter.
8085760
If you read some of the comments from earlier, the chapter titles are all song about dreams translated into French.
As for the updates, I'm sorry you're turned off by my updating schedule, but I can't make promises on exactly when I will find the time and the will to write this story. I don't want to rush it and destroy the quality of the story I'm trying to tell, but I don't think it's something I want to just give up on when I can't seem to write what I want it to say. I wish I could promise more often updates in the future, but I want to get this story done right rather than fast.
If you find more interesting ones along the way, then I won't tell you not to read them, but if you like this one, then all I'm asking for is patience while I work on it and tell the interesting story you want to know correctly that doesn't bore or become jumbled.
8085760 I'd say keeping the chapter name in french is part of the style. It is not uncommon for an autor to put titles in a foreign language and not give the translation.
If you are annoyed by it, do the same thing the author seemingly did: use google translate
But if you are so insistent on knowing what it mean:
"The Beginning"
"The most beautiful dreams are made of those"
"Along the nigthmare"
"Do not forget me"
"Only in the dream"
"Dream a bit of me"
It is an awful coincidence that this came out of Palm Sunday, but meh, still very good.
I hate how eache chapter leads to the next, leaves me thirsting for more!
Mnf! I love this story~ So different from anything else I've seen, and it grips me with worry for everybody within!
Yeeeezzzzzzzzz I am very happy
I like this story much o so keep her up!
I like how things are turning out
Looks like someone activated Return from the dark dimension. I'm glad this is still active, and an still greatly enjoying it.
Noooooo!!!!
I need more!!!!!
I like this a lot. Please keep it up.
WOO
I love this story
And now it's being continued :D
Glorious update!
I just saw this in the popular bar and I am really liking it so far and when I was reading its description I came to think of this song.
I couple chapters in, it doesn't fit as good anymore but they have still the basic connections witch is that both is about a person falling in love with someone they met in there dreams.
I'm glad that this is still going; even if it's not the fastest updating story out there.
Calm down, this is historically accurate stuff.
No one in their right mind would hate you for that. If they do, well, they aren't all there.
Obligatory "it is alive" post.
Seriously though, I've missed this story and it's great to see an update. So, Luna's furious, Jacques is afraid and confused... well, that'll be fun.
It really makes me wonder how long will it truly take for each others' true nature to shine through. And how little comprehension will be there, since everyone sees the other as their own species.
8088011
I agree
8088732
And I agree
Not dead! Y
Y
Always had this thought, that Heaven would look something like a mixture of Equestria and Asgard. Love this comparison here for that reason.
Madame Langlais?
MISSUS ENGLISH???
8134247
8134487 ... pffft omg
Yeah, I somehow don't think Jacques' and Celestia's next encounter will turn out all that pleasant.
I like the story very much and I would love it if you update it I need to know what happens
Enjoying this story please continue!
Hopefully this is not dead
Art thief. At least give credit! Damn.
100 out of 10 yeets
Love the fic, love the plot
r/ChoosingBeggars. Literally.
Just found this story...I am intrigued.
You, uh gonna finish this? Or go anywhere?
8085321
lol
Really do hope this updates again some time.
I like it, what a pity that this fic was abandoned
More plz, I know its been like 4 years but I am STILL hoping for another chapter
This is a fun read.
Update pls?