February 2025, Versailles Palace (Louis)

Subject: February 2025, Versailles Palace (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:50 pm

Having left on their trip to Germany shortly after New Year, the Lord and Lady Clement were due to return on the tenth of February, just in time to see the palace decorated for the season and inhale the scent of hundreds of thousands of dahlias that adorned the inner palace as well as the grounds this time of year. However, their trip had been cut short towards the end of January when news of Lord Thomas' ailing health had arrived.

As a result, Louis and Vanessa had returned to Versailles to be with the former Lord Clement as he took to his bed. The Maesters were reporting that his cold had turned dangerous but that they were doing their best. The man that now lay hidden in his blankets looked nothing like the towering Uncle Thomas Vanessa had grown up with, and it just went to show how time sapped everyone of their strength and power.

Most days, His Lordship was too weak to sit up, merely confined to his bedchambers and murmuring the words "Lynnette" when his breath would allow.

For the first week of her return, the Lady Clement had done her best to try and coax her Good Mother to come see the dying man. For there was no doubt about it, even if Lord Thomas survived this particular battle with the cold, there would be others, and he would be more tired the next time.

Maman did not see it that way too, merely complaining about her own aches and pains when asked to accompany Vanessa to the man's chambers. The witch would have found her good mother's refusal to see her good father odd had she not realized that she hadn't seen the former Lord and Lady Clement in the same room since... since she and Louis had inherited their titles.

So Vanessa had done the next best thing, she had taken to spending her days with her father in law, having brought to her paperwork, embroidery, her quills for letter writing and even r a decent piano into the room so she could play him songs from his own youth and adulthood. Some days the old wizard was awake enough to listen and appreciate, other days he simply remained still. But the company was helping him and the Maesters now looked more hopeful than they did a week ago.

Of course, just because a member of the household was taken ill did not mean the work had to stop. Elenore was now of age and it was past time the Clements implemented the new inheritance laws to their own succession that were already in practice across Europe. While the older generation of Clements designated a more subtle role to women of the family, that had ended with Louis' insistence that his lady wife be included in all decisions made with regards to palace business. Elenore too had proven ehr considerable talent in the field with her successful trip to Italy last year.

With proper education, a few years of experience and some tutelage, Jacques and Elenore would be ready to take over the business as needed. The assets of House Clement were their birthright and it was time to make that official.

Of course, there was one other Clement, but Vanessa had not spoken of her. And she never would. That decision belonged to only Louis no matter what. She had borne him true heirs, and she would never suggest on compromising their rights in favor of...

"Lynnie..." The aging wizard rasped from his bed, rousing Vanessa from her reverie. The needlepoint he had been working on hadn't been designed for anyone specifically upon inception but now that the witch looked down at it, the clearly elaborate "E" was complete and the beginnings of an "L" were forming. Gently laying down hr work, the Lady Clement moved towards the bed, finding purchase over the soft covers as she reached for a towel to wipe the sweat of her good father's brow.

"I'm here Papa," she reassured him as he continued to mumble something she could not hear. The mumbling continued for a few moments and then Lord Thomas lay still once more, his breathing even and perhaps a little bi more peaceful then before.

Vanessa decided to visit Maman once more the next day, to insist she come see Lord Thomas. I was his only wish at this time. Maman had to understand it was no common cold. She would understand if Vanessa explained properly, the brunette was sure of it.

The Lady Clement remained sitting by her father in law's bedside until the Maesters arrived to give him his evening bath, at which point she excused herself from the rooms to give the man his privacy. It was not quiet Valentines day yet, there were a few hours until the clock rang midnight but after a day of watching over Lord Thomas's sick bed, she needed the comport of Louis' protection more than ever. Absently, the Lady of the House found herself headed to the music room.

Louis's meeting with the lawyers may have conclude by now, or they may have not, she supposed as she stepped into the lavish, room, the silk of her deep purple gown whisper soft against the plush carpeting. Making her way to the grand piano, the witch took her customary seat before opening and closing her slender palms, exercising her fingers for the melody she would never need to read from sheet music to play.

As her fingers danced over the black and white keys, the notes she had composed into a full sympathy over twenty years ago for their wedding rounded like a hundred different bells, all coming together to form the perfect union of sounds. Her eyes gently lowered and ehr fingers dancing over the keys, Vanessa smiled softly. It wasn't just the flawless nature of the composition that made her smile however, it was the quiet conviction inside her telling her the man she had composed it for was on his way.

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

February 2025, Versailles Palace (Louis) Rsz_ve10

Subject: Re: February 2025, Versailles Palace (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:52 pm

The world around them was changing, quicker than any of them could ever imagine, and in all these changes, the Clements did not become unaffected. They were, of course, holding the reigns of the changes in the most part, in control of where most of Europe was heading (and therefore in control of where almost all of Europe went). Their most recent of targets was the Förstner homeland, a country that had been threatening to act in much the same manner that America was of late. Such a threat had to be thwarted, and Vanessa had seen the way as much as he had in their movements across Europe.

Germany had to be taken, it was too close to home.

Which had been where the Lord and Lady Clement had travelled to the moment their children had left the Palace after the Winter Break. Germany had always been a country of beautiful scenery, breathtaking at times, but the country was always let down by the harsh accents of the mother tongue, making even the most enjoyable of backdrops pale when their hosts spoke. Each evening when the Lord and Lady Clement retired to their room after a long day in meetings, evenings at events hosted in their honour, and outings to see the country that would be their children's in the months to come, Louis had pulled his wife close to him as they settled beneath the plush covers. Softly murmuring in her ear how much he disliked this country, because he knew that the reassurances would come from Vanessa in the beautifully melodic sounds of home that could only ever come from her softly spoken words.

Perhaps it was fate cutting Louis a break, or perhaps it had always be destined to happen, but as they closed in on their last two weeks of their visit, word had come from the Palace to denote that Louis' father was not well. The letter had been passed to Vanessa in that moment, silently, because she would already know from the ashen features of her husband that things were not okay. As he waited for the letter to be read, Louis had tried to find a way in which a compromise could be set, but remaining in Germany would be much too ruthless, if something were to happen... Asking Vanessa to go in his stead was an idea Louis could not bear, neither was asking her to stay whilst he returned home. If he were going home, he would need her by his side, the thought of returning to the unknown alone much too daunting. Vanessa, as always, of course, had read him like a book, moving to take his hand and putting forth the notion they both return instantly. That those they would be leaving would understand because this was out of their control.

When they had arrived back at the Palace, Louis had placed the softest of kisses upon Vanessa's knuckles, a clear apology for his next actions that was never spoken, before the Lord Clement left every inkling of proper behaviour at the foot of the stairs and dashed up them to his Papa's chambers like a small boy. The concern had not touched Louis' features until they'd made it back to the Palace, and the man knew Vanessa would forgive him as he hurried to his father's side. Whatever might have happened in the past, no matter what their family had done, family were still family, and Louis was not yet ready to lose one of his parents.

The Healers of the Palace had explained that it was only a cold, something Louis had pressed almost instantly with a 'then why can't you fix this?'. Age, it seemed, too its toll on even the strongest of families, and Thomas Clement was getting on now. Colds could take him, and the Healers had denoted they would do everything they could, but there was nothing to promise that he would recover fully.

Louis had sat with his Papa for the rest of the day, barely noticing others coming and going as he sat waiting for his Papa to recognise that he was here. The older male was intent on only one thing, though, his wife's name leaving his lips infrequently as he slept on. The only presence the Lord Clement noticed was when Vanessa waited by the door for a moment, he hadn't heard her, nor had she made her presence known. But as always, Louis had known, and held his hand out to the witch without turning his eyes from his Papa in that moment. The long slender fingers of the Lady Clement had joined his, her over hand resting upon his shoulder in a manner so comforting the tension in them had dissipated in an instant. For the longest time, nothing was said between the two of them, both of them simply content with the presence of the other, knowing that no matter what happened, they would always have each other.

"You've not eaten, have you?" Louis had asked after many a minute, perhaps an hour had passed. The softest of answers -- perhaps not even spoken -- had been given, denoting that Vanessa had not eaten without him. The Lord Clement had bid his Papa good night in that moment, before holding out his arm to Vanessa, ready to escort her downstairs for the food they both needed. After all, one Clement falling ill was bad enough, three Clements falling ill would be unthinkable.

***

Work for any Clement, though, did not cease. Whilst his Papa was ill, and they had seen it fit to return to the Palace, the Lord and Lady Clement still had much to do before the works in Germany would be complete. As they'd eaten the night of their return, Vanessa had denoted that she would see to Papa's health, ensuring he had everything he needed, whilst he continued with their work. They couldn't be everywhere, Vanessa had reminded him softly, and Louis had relented to her wisdom. They couldn't, of course, Vanessa was right, and so they had worked tirelessly in their given areas over the next couple of weeks, trying to ensure everything worked as it was supposed to.

By the tenth of February, the paperwork concerning Germany had been finalised, heading off for the final review with the lawyers as Louis placed his pen down in exhaustion. Taking countries over was a lot of hard work, work that would be worth it, of course, but a lot of work no less. With the ailment of his Papa drawing on Vanessa's time, Louis had come to acknowledge that if he had been faced with this all on his own from the start, the accumulation of countries would never have progressed as much as it had with the Lady Clement by his side. Once again another reminder that without Vanessa, he wouldn't have amounted to half the man he was today.

That, at least, had brought him some comfort as the Dahlias had arrived within the Palace. This year, though, Louis had asked that the presentation be muted with the flowers. Not because he loved Vanessa any less than he had last year, or the many years before, but because in such a time that the former Lord Clement was confined to his rooms, celebrations were not appropriate. They would, Louis had explained to the Head of the Household, celebrate properly when his Papa was well again. The Dahlias had, therefore, been kept to the the Lord and Lady Clement's chambers, Vanessa's withdrawing room, the music rooms, and... any such space that Vanessa enjoyed to spend her time. Many would not be seen, with his wife taking it upon herself to sit with the former Lord Clement each day, but she would know.

She always did.

But just because one form of work was complete, it did not mean that Louis' work was over. No, the Lord Clement had capitalised on the fact Vanessa had been drawn away from his side during the day, calling in the lawyers and sitting with them in her absence as the whole idea formed. There had never been a doubt they would have to draw up such papers for their own children, ensuring that Elenore and Jacques received their inheritance in a fair manner. Elenore might be the second child, she might be a woman, but Louis and Vanessa had always agreed that there would never be a difference between the children. They were both Clements, they would both inherit from their family.

What had never been discussed, however, was the final piece that Louis had put in to place.

A piece he had never given Vanessa an inkling of wanting to put in to place.

The lawyers had looked cautiously to the Lord Clement when he had spoken of it, waiting to see if the man would break in to a laugh before they moved to working through the paperwork. Louis had always been serious in the request, though, and had sent the lawyers off to make it happen. The men had worked tirelessly, and late on the thirteenth of February, the bound papers had come through for Louis. After dismissing the lawyers with the final check that it was all airtight, that there was no way in which a loophole could be put in to place, that if... something very unfortunate happened, this would work, Louis had been sure that the present for Vanessa was perfect.

Once he'd been alone, Louis had withdrawn his wand, and carefully transfigured a piece of string in to a purple bow, which wrapped itself around the bound papers, denoting the legal titles a gift.

Standing from his desk, the Lord Clement left his study, finding the hallway filling with the sound of a song that would never stop making him feel giddy. Twenty four years... Louis reflected, following the sound of Vanessa's composition. Twenty four years and still the composition sounded as beautiful as it had the day he'd married the woman he could not live without. The smile upon the Lord Clement's lips was a replica of the smile that he had shown on the day he married Vanessa, changed only by the ageing of the man.

As he moved to the door, a staff member stepped forward, but Louis waved him away, denoting that not only was he not needed, but Louis wanted every member in the vicinity of Vanessa's music room to be gone. The door of the music room opened only a fraction, noiselessly, the Lord Clement slipped inside, closing the door without a sound behind him. His eyes befell the witch who sat before the grand piano, playing their wedding song so effortlessly it felt like he was falling in love all over again as he watched on from the door way. He would never, in a million years, dream of distracting Vanessa from this song, and so, the man did not.

His feet were silent as they moved across the room, moving to stand behind the witch as she played, watching each intricate movement with awe as he was transported back to another time. Back when they had been children, Vanessa had been playing for Dominic's birthday, her playing as beautiful then as it was now. The fond memory where the childishness of the young Louis Clement had not liked being left without Vanessa at his side. A glass had broken, Vanessa had stopped playing in the commotion, and the two of them had spent the afternoon down in the Dahliantelle...

Vanessa's hands never faltered from their work, coming down upon the keys so elegantly, so controlled...

Until they finished the piece, the last note holding softly in the room until the witch withdrew her hands from the ivory keys. Louis' left arm gently wrapped itself around her waist once she was settled away from the keys, his lips moving to leave the softest of kisses below her ear. "Ma chérie..." Louis whispered softly against her skin, allowing a few moments to pass in the small embrace he'd offered, allowing a few more moments to reminisce their wedding day, their life together... Just a few more moments to pretend the world did not exist, and it was only the two of them...

Moving gently away from the witch, Louis sat on the piano bench beside her, facing the opposite way as he placed the bound copy of the lawyers work upon his lap. "Your composition grows with beauty each time you play it," Louis told her softly, the smile upon his lips easily mistakable for that of the young man who had stood beside her on the wedding day. How could something so beautiful not make you feel so young again.

"I have a present for you," Louis confided, lifting the bound inheritance document from his lap and holding it out to the witch. On the front of the papers sat everything that Vanessa would ever need to know, because at the bottom of the front page denoted those who would become the beneficiaries to the Clement estate.

Jacques Louis Phillip Clement
Elenore Lissette Clement
Mimosa Azalea Harrington-Clement

"Bonne Saint-Valentin, ma chérie," Louis managed softly, waiting to see how Vanessa would take the news that he had recognised their granddaughter, officially.

Bonne Saint-Valentin, ma chérie ~~ Happy Valentine's Day, my darling

________________________________________________

~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

Subject: Re: February 2025, Versailles Palace (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:52 pm

The smile on her face only grew more radiant as Louis's presence drew closer. The Lady Clement had never needed the aid of her eyes to see her husband, she had never needed to hear him enter a room to know he was there. All she really needed was to listen to her heart, because it sang with joy when his heartbeat was near. Even after more than half a century spent with the man she needed more than oxygen to breathe, his affects on her had yet to dim.

"Ma chérie..."

Even today, his soft touch made her heart flutter and her entire being fill with warmth. Nothing in the world could ever stay wrong as long as as he was by her side. And there would never, ever be a time when he was not by her side. In a world of uncertainty, it was the one thing Vanessa was absolutely sure of.

For a small moment in time, all her worries melted away. The hard won fight in Germany, papa's dwindling health, Elenore's lack of ambition, none of it mattered as Louis arms enveloepd her safely, whispering into her ear.

"Your composition grows with beauty each time you play it,"

A soft pink touched her features at the compliment, not a blush. The Lady Clement was far too old. No, the slight color was simply an acknowledgement of her husband's compliment. He would always be the secret behind her glow, the reason for all her qiuet smiles, the space between all her heartbeats. And none of it ever needed to be said because he knew it all.

Her composition grew in beauty because the love with which she played it grew every day. What had began as a childhood bond had now truly matured into a love that could sustain them through lifetimes. it had grown to envelope their children, their granddaughter, their country and it kept them bound to each other in a way so sacred, it was hard to imagine existing any other way.

"My inspiration for this piece never wavers," she simply replied as he sat bide her, his long legs stretched out on the other side of the bench. They way they sat now reminded Vanessa all too much of when they were children, Louis pretending to be bored as the then Clement ward worked diligently on her keys. Louis always sat that way so he would be able to run out of the music room faster, or so he claimed. Even the most bored form of Louis Clement had always waited for Vanessa to catch up, recognizing that she was not allowed to run indoors.

Or when Grandmere and the staff were not looking, simply hoisted her up and ran himself. After all, Vanessa wasn't the one running indoors.

"I have a present for you,"

Her grey eyes left his to survey the rolled up scroll she was being presented with. It wasn't Valentines' day yet, but that had never mattered.

"Another present?" she asked, amusement dancing in her eyes as she reached to carefully undo the purple ribbon that matched the shade of her gown perfectly, almost as if it had been conjured from the same fabric. His presence was the greatest gift she would ever receive, but he saw fit to bring her something else to.

Her nimble fingers made smooth work of he ribbon, laying it to the side and reaching to unfurl the document. The heading showed it pertaining to matters of the estate, the signatures at the bottom showed it had been notarized and completed. Her grey eyes scanned the document carefully as they were used to, never reaching quickly to read the more fancy words first. One of Vanessa's trade secrets in business was to always read the text that wasn't highlighted by the documentators.

So when she arrived at the names of the beneficiaries, her lips parted slightly in surprise, no sound coming out as she read the words a second time, then a third.

Vanessa Clement had never felt it prudent to ask Louis for the one thing she constantly prayed for. But of course he had known, he always knew. As she took in the letters spelling out the name of the third person in their line of succession, Vanessa couldn't help the profound feeling that overtook her.

Louis loved her enough not only to embrace her mistakes, but to give them a place in his world. in their world. After this document, no one would ever be able to question Mimosa's presence at the palace or in their lives ever again.

A single tear crept into her eye as she reread the young witch's name for the dozenth time, sure it was there but unsure if she could believe it was there. The tear clung to her eyelash as she looked up at the man who had finally given her everything she had and hadn't asked for.

"I don't know how to thank you.," she managed, the tear finally giving up and rolling down her cheek as her eyes returned to his. "Let alone offer you a gift of the same magnitude."

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: February 2025, Versailles Palace (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:53 pm

The rhetorical question of the Lord Clement bringing her another present brought a smile to his features as he simply gave but one nod to show that he had done so. Unnecessary though it was, Louis had done so anyway to ensure she knew that above anything else in the world, the present was a necessity in this moment.

Because this gift, Louis knew, would bring not only the witch beside him an innumerable measure of happiness, but that happiness would also be passed to him. Valentine's Day brought forth a need for only one gift in the world for the Lord Clement, and that was to see his lady wife smile, to feel her happiness beside him, because that would be all that he would ever need from the world.

Watching Vanessa's hand make light work of the bow he'd tied around the papers, Louis waited patiently, quietly, eyes upon hers as she read through the document. A small, fond smile touched his lips as he waited, knowing Vanessa was reading each and every word with care. It was one of the many things that made her so beautiful, her dedication to them, her work, everything she decided to work with. Where Louis' eyes would have raced to find the important part of the documentation, Vanessa did not rush through. Where he would have been looking up in disbelief in a matter of moments, Vanessa's body slowly grew with anticipation in a manner only Louis would notice.

Her eyes stopped towards the bottom of the page, reading once... twice... thrice, the names that denoted the inheritance of the Clement family. It was in that moment that Louis held his breath, waiting for the reaction from his lady wife to the news he'd just presented her...

"I don't know how to thank you.,"

"You don't need to," Louis told her softly, his hand reaching up to very softly wipe the tear from her cheek before it descended too far and fell to her dress. The next sentence cause a soft smile to touch his cheeks as his eyes moved from the tear that had perished upon his thumb back to Vanessa's eyes.

"You've given me more than I could ever give you, Ven." Louis pointed out, motioning to the scroll in her hands with the silent understanding that he was referring to not only the children named upon that, but also Azalea. Their small family had grown larger in the last eleven years, past just the children he'd sired. How could he ever repay such things of the witch sat beside him? He would spend the rest of this life, and all their lives to come repaying such a magnitude of debt.

"Will you play our song once more, please?" Louis asked softly of the witch, knowing it would bring them through to midnight if she did so. Not that he expected her to deny him such a request, of course, Vanessa had never denied him anything she had the power to give him.

________________________________________________

~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

Subject: Re: February 2025, Versailles Palace (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:53 pm

"You don't need to."

The words were expected, and yet hearing them filled her with warmth once again. Because try as she might, she could not give him anything he did not already own. Everything that had once been hers was now his by right and there was no other way Vanessa would have it. He had always had first claims to everything, ever since she had decided a long time ago that nothing she couldn't share with him was worth having.

"Our family is now legitimized on paper," she mused when he said she had given him more than he could imagine. Anyone else of their stock would have held her mistakes against her forever. It was only Louis' love and courage that had taken that mistake, given it so much pure adoration and turned it into something to show off to teh whole world with pride. A long time ago, an inconsequential American had turned up shouting that Louis would hate his wife if he knew what she'd done.

And the Lord Clement's answer hadn't changed in over twenty years.

"Will you play our song once more, please?"

The Lady Clement rolled up the scroll once more, reaching for the purple lace it had been tied with and redoing the knot. "On one condition,' she suggested, no sign of refusal on her features. There was nothing she would ever refuse the man siting beside her. "Would be please make me taller?"

The sparkle in her eye was not just from the unwashed tears of happiness but also from the memory dredged up from long ago. At four and five and six and ages far before to Bremen, when she had wanted to practice on the grand piano but wasn't tall enough to sufficiently reach the keys nor high enough on the bench for her feet to rest comfortably. It was in those moments Louis had scooped her up into his lap, adding a few scant inches to their combined height. But to Vanessa, it had felt like being on top of the Eiffel Tower.

With Luis as the string foundation she rested on, the child had managed to play with the confidence that remained to this day.

"My pleasure' the Lord Clement replied, a matching smile on his face as he moved on the bench to face the piano. A moment later and he'd gathered her securely into his lap, almost as if that was how they'd always been. As if that was how they would always be.

With his arms around her and his gentle breathing synced to hers, Vanessa began the song anew, closing her eyes to better focus. But on the melody she played, no, the music would remain etched in her motor memory forever.

The brunette closed her eyes to better concentrate on the man she played for, pouring all the love, gratitude and devotion she could into the song to let him know how much she loved him.

And how inadequate every gesture in the universe was or ever will be when it came to expressing that love.

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

» February 2024, Palace Grounds, Versailles (Louis)
» Versailles Palace - June 1st 2025 (The Clements)
» Versailles - November 2025 (Louis)
» The Palace of Versailles, 2001 (Louis)
» The Palace of Versailles, 2009 (Louis)