The Rose of Versailles #5 "Oscar's Suffering" by Riyoko Ikeda Translation by Emily Horner 2001 Oscar : Stop, Black Knight! Do as I say if you don't want me to shoot you! <> Knight : {Now I see! How careless of me!} <> Oscar : Andre! Andre! Andre : Don't worry about me, Oscar! What are you doing? Chase after him, Oscar! <> Oscar : Follow me slowly, Andre! {That fool! Just as I thought, he's trying to escape to my house!} --Can't you sleep, Rosalie? Rosalie : I thought I heard the sound of horses' hoofbeats... --Go back to your room, you'll catch a cold. I'll talk to you until you feel calmer. Rosalie : Thank you. --Andre! --No, it isn't! Rosalie : The b-black... Knight : Be quiet! --Wait, Black Knight! If you want a hostage, take me instead! Knight : A fat lady will only weigh me down! --I won't put up with such insults! <> Knight : Don't get any closer! Can you see her? Oscar : Rosalie! <> Oscar : Rosalie! Rosalie! <> Andre : My eye feels like it's burning up... --Don't take off his bandages until I tell you to do so. He may lose the use of his left eye forever. Oscar : Andre, do you recognize me? Please, forgive me... Andre : {I'm glad that it wasn't your eye.} <> Andre : One eye isn't too much to give for you, Oscar. --Oscar? Oscar : {Andre! Andre!} Marie : Oscar, is it true that Rosalie has been kidnapped by the Black Knight? Oscar : I was careless. I swear, I will save her. --Your Highness, the King's cousin, the Duke of Orleans, is here to visit the Crown Prince. Oscar : {Here to visit him? Don't make me laugh. No one wishes for his death more than the Duke of Orleans; it would put him closer to the throne.} Orleans : I hope you're training the royal guards well, captain Jarjayes. Things are dangerous these days. <> Oscar : In accordance with Finance Minister Brienne's policies, I have reduced the number of guards by 300, but both now and before, the men have been excellent soldiers. For some reason, things have been especially dangerous in the area of the Palais Royale. Joseph : Oscar Francois, I'm a bad kid. I make Father and Maman Reine so sad... <> Oscar : Crown Prince... Joseph : But God will forgive me, won't He? I'm trying really hard to bear my pain. Oscar, will you please give me a gun? Oscar : That sounds very brave. What kind of gun do you want? Joseph : I'd like two rifles with fleur-du-lis designs on the hilts. But I probably won't live to be strong enough to shoulder them... <> Oscar : Lady Antoinette! Marie : {Fersen, Fersen, save me! My love, my joy, my life! My little child is slipping out of my arms! Save me, Fersen!} <> --I've come back, Sir Oscar. Oscar : Good work! What was the Duke of Orleans's answer? --He said that he would welcome your official visit to the Palais Royale. Oscar : He will? {He has courage! I'm certain that the Black Knight disappeared to the Palais Royale that night! I'll take my chances that my intuition isn't wrong.} <> Andre : Hm? Grandma, was Oscar in the carriage that just left? --Oh, you're up? He was in a hurry to pay an official visit to the King's cousin, the Duke of Orleans, at the Palais Royale. Andre : {The Palais Royale?} Andre : That damned fool! --Andre? Andre : Let me go, grandma! --But you can't even walk straight, with just one eye! Andre : Oscar's in danger! Get me my Black Knight disguise! --Captain Oscar Francois de Jarjayes is here to see the Duke of Orleans. --Ah, please come in. Oscar : {I had heard that Orleans was a liberal, but I had no idea there were so many people of the 3rd Estate coming and going.} --Welcome, Captain Jarjayes. Did it surprise you? My house is a salon for young lawyers and newspaper reporters, without regard to their status. <> Oscar : {Without regard to their status? What a free, youthful, passionate atmosphere! If not for Rosalie and the Black Knight, I would like to befriend them and join in their debates! Politics, the economy, literature, theatre, and music...} --This was truly enjoyable, Oscar. --I had never dreamt that the Captain of the Royal Guards would pay a visit to our castle. --I would like to continue this discussion with you sometime, Captain Jarjayes. --Your Latin is very good! <> --And your knowledge of the classics as well. You should read Jean Jacques Rousseau! Oscar : Rousseau? --Haven't you read "Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Men"? It shows how the world isn't made only for noblemen. Oscar : {In the end, I wasn't able to find out anything. I didn't see any men that looked like the Black Knight, or any sign of Rosalie.} <> Oscar : {Hm, what's that? Is it a piece of Rosalie's clothing? Yes! It is Rosalie's!} <> Oscar : {But I have to be careful. It could be a trap.} <> --Put your hands up! Come quietly. I'll take your sword and pistol. Oscar : {Damn! It was a trap, after all!} <> --I'm afraid you'll have to stay in here for a while. Oscar : Rosalie! Rosalie : Oscar! <> Rosalie : Oh, Oscar, I'm so sorry! I'm always getting in your way! I should have been killed! Oscar : It's all right, don't cry any more. They probably won't kill us. {Probably...but will we be able to come out of here alive? People aren't allowed to enter the Palais Royale without permission, no matter how much influence they may have.} <> Andre : So this is the Palais Royale...the place where the King's cousin, the Duke of Orleans, lives. {It's risky to enter without proof. I could be jailed for contempt. The Black Knight could be able to get in there... I guess I'll just have to take a 50% chance.} <> Andre : {"Don't take off his bandages until I tell you to do so. He may lose the use of his left eye forever." It's for Oscar! I have no choice.} <> --That was quick, Black Knight! You're just in time. The Captain of the Guards has been caught. She's in the same room as the girl. Just as we planned, she was drawn by the scrap of clothing. We took all her weapons. Andre : Good! Let's transfer them to another place right away. --Are you sure? They could be seen! Andre : Don't be ridiculous! --Black Knight? Andre : I'm all right. I just slipped. <> Andre : {I've lost all depth perception! If they find out now, that'll be the end! I have to be careful.} --Ah! Andre : You sleep there for a while. <> Oscar : Andre! Andre : Oscar! Oscar : Don't say a word! Knight : How did you-- Oscar : Don't talk! This time, you'll do as I say, Black Knight. If you try anything funny, I'll pull the trigger. Oscar : I'm serious, I'll kill you! You took out one of Andre's eyes! Andre : Take care, Oscar. I'll follow after you, just like we planned. Oscar : All right. Be careful, Andre. Once we get outside, ride a horse beside me. Say you're transferring us to a different place and go through the gate. <> --The Black Knight! --What are you doing with them? Knight : Open the gate, I'm moving them to another place. --Why? This is really sudden! Oscar : Now, run! <> --What? --There's another Black Knight! Andre : Why did you open the gate? Couldn't you tell that one was an impostor? <> --An impostor? Andre : Useless fools! Can't you tell the difference between the real one and an impostor? Do you have any idea how hard I worked to catch him? --We'll go after him! Andre : I'm fine by myself! If you come along, you'll just get in my way! Think of an excuse to give the Duke! Andre : Thank God! Knight : {Is she going to take me to Versailles? I have to do something, or all my efforts will have been in vain.} <> Knight : Why won't you remove my mask, Captain Jarjayes? Don't you want to see my face? Oscar : I won't fall for that trick. I'll have time to look at it once you're at my house. A carriage! <> <> Oscar : Black Knight! Are you all right? {That was a carriage of the royal family! Has something happened to the Crown Prince?} Oscar : Nice try! <> Rosalie : This is the trigger... Rosalie : Sir Oscar! <> Knight : You...you shot me? Oscar : I'll take off your mask, Black Knight! <> Oscar : I'll do what you did to my Andre! Rosalie : Sir Oscar! <> <> Oscar : Andre! Let me go, Andre! Andre : No! <> Oscar : Let me go! I'll do to him what he did to you! Andre : That's meaningless! What will it accomplish? Oscar : One of your eyes has been taken forever, Andre! One of your eyes! Let me go! Andre : Calm down, Oscar! Forget about your private grudges. An officer must never act on emotion alone! Oscar : {"An officer must never act on emotion alone."} --Oscar! What happened last night? The Crown Prince took a turn for the worse, and a messenger came to get him, thinking that a change of climate might do him good, but... --Andre! Andre : That's not Andre, that's the Black Knight. --Oh, Andre, Andre! Bernard : {"Maman!"} You're... Rosalie : You shouldn't talk. You don't have anything to worry about, because the bullet's been removed. Rosalie : I'm sorry. I couldn't believe you were the Black Knight. Please forgive me. I'm very grateful for what you did when my mother died. Oscar : Are you awake? You're Bernard Chatelet, aren't you? We met at the tavern. You called me the Queen's dog. Was Robespierre in league with you? Bernard : Don't insult Robespierre when you don't know anything! If I'm a thief, then what are you nobles? <> Bernard : You don't make anything! You eat what other people grow and wear what other people make, while the poor citizens are living no better lives than insects! Is that any better than being a thief? Oow! Rosalie : Bernard! Bernard : I'll tell you this, so listen closely, Queen's dog! Robespierre... <> Bernard : Robespierre's mother died when he was only six years old. Then he and his three little brothers and sisters were abandoned by their father. He was only six years old! He and his siblings were thrown out into the world all alone. All love and kindness had been snatched away from him! Because of his intelligence, he received a scholarship to go to Louis le Grand academy. He was always lonely. Unlike the other children, he didn't even have his parents' affection. He wore worn-out clothes and couldn't go out on trips because he had no money. <> Bernard : Studying was the only joy he had. The only way Maximillian Mari Isidore de Robespierre could forget the endless tears of sadness that filled his heart was to turn towards school and knowledge. Can you understand how lonely he must have been? How ashamed his young heart must have been of his poor clothes? How would someone from a noble family know how it feels to be an 11-year-old boy abandoned by his parents, dressed in rags? Rosalie : Bernard, Bernard, please calm down. You shouldn't talk so much. Oscar : Being a noble is a shameful thing, isn't it? --Sir Oscar, you've been called to court. The Crown Prince is being transferred to Moudon castle, and you've been asked to lead the way. Bernard : The Crown Prince...he has something like spinal caries, right? Spoiled brat... Oscar : Perhaps. But parents who love their children exist in every social class! Bernard : You damned soldier! You ornamental doll of the court! Oscar : {Ornamental doll of the court?} Andre : Be quiet! You'll make your wounds worse! Bernard : Don't touch me! Leave me alone, I'll be executed anyway. <> Charles : Oscar, where are you taking my brother? Oscar : Prince Louis Charles, your brother is going to Moudon castle to recover from his illness. Joseph : Oscar, will you please come to Moudon castle sometimes? Oscar : Crown Prince, I will visit you and bring you the guns I promised you. Marie : Oh, Louis Joseph! Versailles will be like a wasteland where flowers never bloom without you! Joseph : Please forgive me, Maman Reine! Oscar : {"Ornamental doll of the court..."} Jerodelle, do you have confidence in your skills? Jerodelle : A great deal of skill is necessary to become one of your men, so I think that I may have a little confidence. Oscar : Maybe I really am just an ornamental doll. Jerodelle : What? Jerodelle : Captain, over there! The carriage! Oscar : How are you, Miss Sophia? Sophia : As you can see, I'm on my way to Italy, but one of the carriage wheels has gotten stuck in a ditch. I was thinking of sending a servant back to my brother, but I can't, with the horse like this. Oscar : Gerodelle, go to Count von Fersen's residence on Matignon Street and ask to borrow a carriage. Jerodelle : Very well. Oscar : Then you may return home. Sophia : Thank you very much, Sir Oscar. That was a great help. Oscar : Shall we have some tea before the carriage arrives? The famous Franscotti Cafe is nearby. Sophia : Do you think my brother is ever going to come back to Sweden, Sir Oscar? My father is very worried about him. I'm sure you know this already, but my father occupies the highest position in the Swedish army, except for the King. My brother must like the Queen very much. If he came back to Sweden, he could have any rank or title he wanted. Oscar : Miss Sophia, just like for women, there are things men cherish above their rank or place of birth. <> Sophia : Then, are the rumors about him and Marie Antoinette true? Oscar : I think that I know Count Fersen better than anyone, and as long as Marie Antoinette is here, he will not leave France. Sophia : Sir Oscar, have you ever been in love? <> Sophia : I'm sorry for asking you that so suddenly. If I hadn't found out that you were a woman, right now I would be so much in love with you that I might die for it. Oscar : So I hurt a charming and beautiful lady just because I was born as a woman! You may not believe this, but since the time I was very young, I have thought of myself as a man. <> Sophia : Even now that I know you're a woman, my heart beats faster when I look at you. I wonder what kind of man will have his heart pierced by your arrow. Fersen : Sophia! Sophia : Brother! Fersen : Oscar! Sophia : Good-bye, my brother! I will not forget you, Oscar Francois de Jarjayes! Oscar : Stay well, Miss Sophia. <> Oscar : Today the Crown Prince moved to Moudon castle. He was very sad that Lady Antoinette would not come with him. Fersen : Oscar... Oscar : Yes? Ah! Oscar : Let me go! Fersen : It really was you! Fersen : How insensitive I've been! <> Fersen : Why did I never realize the words in your eyes, the heart buried deep inside your chest? In all this time we've been together, why did I never realize how you felt? <> Fersen : We'll never be able to see each other again, Oscar. Please forgive me. If I had known you were a woman from the first time we met, then something different may have happened between us. But by now my life has already been given to Lady Antoinette. <> Oscar : I would not have loved you, otherwise. Fersen : I've hurt you so much without realizing it, Oscar. Now that I know it, I'll never be able to talk to you again as I did before. But believe this, Oscar! You are the best friend I've had in France! We've talked together and suffered together, and I deeply respect you and don't want to lose you. I'm glad that I met you! <> Oscar : I knew this day would come someday, inevitably. Fersen : Oscar, this is the end of our ten years together! Oscar : {God! Why did you take away my youth, and him, at the same instant? Why were the three of us, born in distant countries from each other, brought together in France?} <> Oscar : {Goodbye, Fersen! Goodbye, beautiful, shining dreams of my youth! Goodbye, goodbye, to those distant days!} Bernard : The Duke of Orleans? Yes, he pretended not to notice what we were doing. But I cannot truthfully say that he was our ally. He wants to dethrone the King and become King himself. For that, he made those of us in the 3rd Estate his allies. That's all. Oscar : That doesn't sound prudent. Bernard : His real motives aren't important. We, too, were just using the Palais Royale as much as we could. <> Oscar : What was your purpose? Bernard : Do you think I'll tell you? You'll save time if you just drag me to court right now. I'll only give you this warning! Your corrupt noble society will be destroyed at the hands of the common people! <> Oscar : {The corrupt noble society? There, too, is a swirling tempest of love, hatred, and dilemnas, and living people...} Bernard : Oscar? Oscar : It's nothing. I'm just a bit tired. Rosalie : I'll change your sheets, Bernard. Bernard : You don't have to do that! Rosalie : But you've been sweating a lot, and sweat isn't good for wounds. Bernard : I'm fine! Go away! <> Rosalie : No! Now, be quiet! Bernard : Don't do that! --Oscar caught the Black Knight? --Welcome home, master! --This is very sudden! <> --Well done, Oscar! You'll have a promotion for sure! It won't be long before you follow in my footsteps and become a general! Oscar : Father, I'm terribly sorry for making you happy for nothing, but it was a mistake. --What!? What happened, Oscar? Why are you lying to me, Oscar? Are you trying to protect the Black Knight? Oscar : It's the wrong person! --Out of my way! I'll see for myself whether or not it's the real Black Knight! Oscar : There's no proof. --Oscar, are you going against your father? Oscar : It was a mistake. He isn't the Black Knight. I wanted to let him stay here until his wounds heal, then let him go. Bernard : Where is she? Rosalie : Sir Oscar? In her room, I think. Bernard : Even though she looks like a man, she's a woman, isn't she? She trusts me too much. I might take you hostage again and escape. Rosalie : Bernard...Oscar said that you couldn't kill me, so you wouldn't be able to take me hostage either. <> Bernard : {Oscar Francois...a woman, indeed.} Andre : Oscar? You don't have any lights on. I'll bring you some candles. Oscar : Leave it like this! <> Andre : Oscar? Oscar : Leave it like this, and come to my side. Andre, do you remember the first time we met? Andre : Of course I remember. My mother died when I was 8 years old, and my grandmother took me in, into the Jarjayes household. <> --Be on your best behavior, Andre. The master brought you to this mansion to be the playmate and protector of a girl one year younger than you. She's a very pretty girl, so you have to protect her to make sure she doesn't get hurt. Wait here. Andre : {A pretty girl one year younger than me! Heh heh heh...} <> Oscar : What's your name? Andre : Andre Grandier. Oscar : Oh, it's you! The kid who was brought here to play with me! Andre : A gi--a gi--a girl? Oscar : I don't want a playmate. I want someone to fight with swords with. Let's go out to the garden! Andre : No way! This is a nightmare! A mistake! Let go! --Andre! Andre : Grandma, you lied! You said he was going to be a girl! <> --That's Oscar, the youngest daughter. Your playmate. Don't hurt her pretty face! Andre : Oscar? Oscar : Why do the years pass so quickly? Why do children become adults, and suffer so? Andre : Did you see Fersen? You did, didn't you? Did something happen? Oscar : Andre! Let me go. Andre : No! Oscar : Let me go, Andre! Andre : No! Are you scared of me? Then cry out! I don't care if I'm killed! I love you! <> Andre : Oscar! Andre : Oscar, every time your blond hair waves in front of your face, every time I see your eyes reflecting Orion in the winter sky, framed with silky eyelashes the color of night, every time a sweet-smelling breath escapes from your icy lips, passion that I couldn't extinguish rose up from deep within me. Oscar, don't move! Just listen to me. <> Andre : For ten years I've loved only you. I've never once looked at another woman. I never thought that I could marry you or make you mine, but I would rather be killed right here than let another man have you! Please, Oscar. I'll do anything for you, even die. <> Andre : So, Oscar... Oscar : Let me go! I'll call someone! Andre : I love you! I love you! I love you! Oscar : No! Oscar : Someone...Fersen! Oscar : So...what now, Andre? Andre : I'm sorry. I swear to God, I'll never do anything like that again. <> Andre : But I love you so much I feel as if I'm going to die. Oscar : Andre... Andre : I'll tell my grandmother to bring you some candles. <> Oscar : What's wrong, Andre? Andre : It's nothing. I was just blinded for a second. {Everything went black for a second. Was it just my imagination? There shouldn't be anything wrong with my right eye.} <> Bernard : How long are you going to keep me here? And why? I can't tell you anything. I know I'm going to be executed, so bring me to court right away! Are you listening, you dog of the Queen? Oscar : The Ace of Spades: many difficulties on the road ahead. Don't complain. I still have something to bargain with you for. Bernard : Bargain? When did I-- Oscar : Don't forget, you stole the 200 guns the army ordered. It doesn't seem a fair trade to take the merchandise and give nothing in return. I'll take 1000 livres for them. Bernard : Don't be ridiculous! I'm a thief! Do you really expect the Black Knight to pay you? Oscar : The Black Knight? I've never heard of him. Bernard Chatelet, you bought those guns from us. We'll take 1000 livres for them. You can pay at the barracks. <> Oscar : Ace of Diamonds: completed negotiation. Bernard : What is she going to do? Oscar : {Many difficulties ahead...or, many things to do.} Rosalie : Roll over, Bernard, I'll change your gauze. I'm glad you'll be better soon, since I'm the one who shot you. Bernard : You look like my mother, Rosalie. Rosalie : Your mother? Bernard : She died when I was small. She threw herself into the Seine. <> Rosalie : Bernard! Bernard : I'm half noble. My mother was the daughter of a poor merchant, but she caught the fancy of a nobleman. He had a wife and children already, but he used his influence to get her. My mother moved into a luxurious mansion in Paris, and I was born. I don't know whether my mother was happy as a mother. As I remember her, she was always singing with a voice like a dragonfly's wings. <> Bernard : It happened when I was five. A number of men threw open the door and took us from that house with obsidian tables and crystal chandeliers. My father, the nobleman, had found a new lover, and we were being chased out. My mother cried and held me in her arms. We were homeless...she wept and wept. Bernard : Holding me, she threw herself into the Seine river. Rosalie : Bernard! Bernard : It was cold, so cold! It felt as if the water was tearing my limbs from my body. Rosalie : My mother was run over by a noblewoman's carriage. It seems as if nobles kill everyone we care about! Bernard : You still remember that, even after all these years. Bernard : Would it be all right if I fell in love with you? <> Bernard : Rosalie... Marie : Oscar, what are you saying? Oscar : I would like to be discharged from the Royal Guard. Marie : But why, Oscar? Oscar : I let the Black Knight escape! I must be punished, Lady Antoinette! <> Marie : No, Oscar! You cannot resign from the Royal Guard! You have no responsibility towards the Black Knight. Do you think I can punish you for that? Oscar : Your Highness! Ever since I accompanied you from Austria as the Crown Princess, I have never been worthy of serving you, but I tried my best to do so. I have never asked for an official rank. <> Oscar : Please indulge this first and last expression of my selfishness, Lady Antoinette! Marie : Don't misunderstand me, Oscar. I would make you a general right now, if that was what you wished. But you're the first person who's ever asked for a lower rank. Oscar : At least let me out of the Royal Guard, or I will never again attend the palace as a military officer. <> Marie : Oscar? Well, the position of leader of the part of the Garde Francaise stationed at Versailles is open... Oscar : That's all right! As long as it's not in the Royal Guard. Garde Francaise: established in 1563 to keep order within the palace and protect the royal family Marie : Oscar Francois, all the soldiers in the Royal Guard are excellent soldiers from good families. That won't be true of the rest of the army. They're not all from noble families... Oscar : Very well. Marie : General Buiet, the commanding officer, does not get along very well with your father. Oscar : Very well. Marie : {Oscar, what happened so suddenly? What are you thinking of?} Marie : {Oscar?} --Master! <> --Oscar, what do you think you're doing? Without even letting your father know about it--when did you start reading these? Jean-Jacques Rousseau? Voltaire? These are rebellious books for peasants! <> Oscar : Excellent books transcend class and rank, to reach all people. I want to read these books because I'm human. --Oscar! Oscar : I'd like to be left alone while I'm in the library. <> --Oscar, the Royal Guard! Oscar : I'll carry out the final inspection the day after tomorrow. --Do you know why your father brought you into the Royal Guard? Oscar : I will continue to fulfill my duties in the French army. I am not a puppet! --That fool doesn't even know her own strength! Even if a woman can get into the Royal Guard, she'll never be fit for the regular army. Flowers raised in a greenhouse always want to see the world! Andre! Is Andre there? Call Andre! --Master, your blood pressure... --Quiet! Andre : What is it? --I want you to join the French army. Don't leave Oscar's side. Protect her until she gets her pride wounded and comes running back. <> Andre : Yes, sir! Bernard : What? Oscar : Didn't you hear? I'm having a carriage prepared for tomorrow night, so go back to Paris. Bernard : You're letting me go? But--Major Jarjayes... <> Oscar : Stop your burglary. I don't know what your purpose is, but you have to find some other way. Bernard : Are you giving me orders? It's none of your business! I'm only taking back what the nobles have stolen from us! Oscar : I understand what you're saying, but I can't let you go as long as you keep stealing. Besides...you can't bring Rosalie to a house of thieves as your wife. <> Rosalie : Sir Oscar! Oscar : Rosalie, I think Bernard Chatelet has a 'mother complex' and he needs your gentle love. Will you go with him? Bernard : A 'mother complex'? I do not! Rosalie : Sir Oscar, I... Oscar : He's leaving tomorrow night. Rosalie : Bernard! <> Bernard : Will you come with me? As the wife of the newspaper reporter, Bernard Chatelet? Rosalie : Oh, Bernard, Bernard...I'll be so happy. --Over here! Are you ready? --Be quiet! Andre : Quick, get in. <> Oscar : I'm sorry that I won't be able to see you in your wedding dress. Rosalie : Sir Oscar... <> Rosalie : Oh, Oscar! <> Bernard : Major Jarjayes, if you were a man, I would challenge you to a duel. Oscar : Bernard Chatelet, give my little sister all the love she deserves, and make her happy. Bernard : I promise that I will. Bernard : Since I found out that there were people like you among the nobility, I believe that France can be saved. Don't forget that 96% of France's 20,000,000 citizens live in poverty. Rosalie : Sir Oscar, Sir Oscar! Oscar : Please be happy, Mrs. Chatelet. Andre : She's gone. Oscar : Yes. <> Oscar : My spring wind, filled with light, is gone. Andre, we'll be busy starting tomorrow. Order everyone to assemble on the parade ground at 2:00. Andre : All right. Oscar : Andre...I've been so selfish and caused you so much trouble. <> Oscar : I understand that it's only because you follow me around like a shadow that I can do as I wish. I couldn't do anything by myself. Andre : Oscar... --Captain, everyone has assembled on the parade ground. Oscar : {Come on, you ragtag soldiers of the French army!} Andre : Oscar! Oscar : What is it, Andre? Oscar : Aide-de-Camp! --They were here just a minute ago. <> Oscar : Come on, Andre! Andre : Where? Oscar : The barracks, of course! <> Oscar : What is all this? --Captain, even those of us who must serve under you have some pride. We will never take orders from a woman! We're not the same as the Royal Guard, which is around for nothing but decoration! <> --Women aren't allowed in the barracks! --We'd welcome such a pretty one sneaking in at any time, though! --Aaah! Oscar : Don't talk to me that way. <> Oscar : You can talk after we fight as equals! What have you been doing since noon? Come to the front--you, and you too! If you disobey orders, you should be ready for the consequences! Is the French army made of hoodlums and drunkards? --Do you think we're scared of being punished? What could we do, if we were scared of some noble who became a commissioned officer without ever knowing battle? Oscar : Take roll, squad leader. --Yes, sir. --Melchior Sharon! --Jour Roseroi! --Francois Armand! --Michel Verre! --Allan de Soisson! Oscar : Allan de Soisson...a noble? I'm calling off tonight's party in celebration of my new position. We'll start drilling properly tomorrow. Dismissed! --The party's canceled? So we won't be able to drink any wine? --Drills? But we don't even have any new recruits! --Not many of us have terms of service that end next year, Allan. Allan : I'll chase her out soon. Just you watch. <> Andre : Aren't you going to punish them, Oscar? They disobeyed a commanding officer. Oscar : Punish all of them? That won't solve anything! Charles : Maman Reine, take me with you next time you go to Moudon Castle to see my brother! Marie : Will you be good and quiet like Marie Therese? Charles : Look, Maman Reine! Marie : It's Count Artois and Count Provence! <> --Is the Crown Prince still alive, Count Artois? --We already know that he won't get better! --With spinal caries, he won't last all of next year. --The King's brother is getting closer to the throne. --But Prince Louis Charles is still... --Louis Charles? I'm not even sure whether or not he is my brother's son! <> --I'm sure he's Fersen's child. --He won't let Louis Charles have the throne! Marie : Come along, Marie Therese, Louis Charles! {It isn't just members of the 3rd estate! Even the King's brothers Count Artois and Count Provence believe that slander!} <> Marie : {I had no idea! It's not just the common people who are my enemies! It was nothing but a political marriage, without any love. But because I was Queen, I had to try to resist the way Fersen, my first love, made me feel. I tried and tried to give up, knowing that we could never be together forever in this world, no matter how much we loved each other, and yet that awful slander...} Why can't I even fall in love just once? <> Charles : Maman Reine? Marie : {No! I mustn't cry! I musn't cry! Louis Charles, your mother will protect you. You are the King's legitimate son. I swear, I will protect you from all the people who are planning to take the throne.} Oscar : How are you feeling, Crown Prince? I brought you the guns I promised you. Joseph : Oscar! Oscar : Were you studying? What are you reading? Joseph : French history. It's full of heroes and it's really interesting. Oscar : Excellent. Have you been reading from the front, without skipping forward? Or just reading the interesting parts? Joseph : From the front, without skipping. I don't know enough that I could pick and choose. I need to study some more. <> Joseph : I'll study some more and find out a lot of things...if I can, Oscar Francois. Marie : It's time for our meal, Louis Joseph. Joseph : Please, Maman Reine, could you bring up a table and have your meal in my room? Joseph : {My beloved mother, and Oscar...I want to look at you, even if it's just a minute or a second longer, so that when I go to Heaven I won't forget you.} Marie : Joseph, if you keep looking at me like that...I'll start to cry... <> Oscar : Lady Antoinette... Joseph : Oscar, don't protect me. Protect my mother, forever. Oscar : Halt! March in file! <> Oscar : Wait! In the first squad, Allan de Soisson and his neighbor to the right! No, it's not just you...where are your swords? Why aren't they at your hips? --We lost them. Oscar : Lost them? Oscar : This isn't preschool! A soldier needs to pay attention to his uniform, hat, gun, and sword! If it was just one or two people I might not have noticed, but-- Allan : If we lost them, then there's no point in yelling at us about it! Oscar : I see. So the French army has soldiers that lose their swords. I'll keep that in mind. Those who don't have swords should state their name at the armory to be issued new ones. --March in file! Shoulder your rifles! <> --Hey, didn't you hear me? Shoulder your rifles! <> --It's a rebellion! A coup d'etat! Oscar : Wait, Dagout! <> --Yes? Oscar : This isn't the time to panic. Squad leader, close the gates and don't let anyone take one step inside. --Yes, sir! Oscar : I will listen to your requests. I'll talk to a representative from your squad, unless he's too much of a coward. --We want the captain to be discharged! We won't work under you! --That's right! --Don't make fools out of us! --We'll never follow a woman's orders! --Women should get out of the military! --Are we going to let a woman order us around? --It will unravel military discipline! <> Oscar : Maybe I should be glad that you keep calling me a woman. No one treats me as a woman except you, the French army. Allan : You don't have to show up even at drills! You should be acting as an aide-de-camp to the general, acting as arrogant as you want inside headquarters! Oscar : If I were so arrogant, I would never have quit the Royal Guard in the first place. You complain so much about my being a woman, but is there a single one of you who's as strong as I am? Do you cowards have any talents besides bravado? Allan : I won't let you say that to me again! <> Oscar : Then, will you fight me? Allan : I'll make you regret that you joined this regiment. --Do it! --Show that upper-class weakling! --You don't know the greatest swordsman in the French army! Oscar : Andre, give Allan de Soisson a sword. Andre : Oscar... Oscar : Listen, Dagout! No matter what happens, no one will be punished. Even if I die, the soldiers must not be punished. <> Andre : Don't move! If you take even one step forward, I'll shoot! --Go ahead and do it, you've only got one eye! Andre : Even with just one eye, I can see better than you can. <> Oscar : You're very short-tempered. But you let your guard down! <> Oscar : {I'm trapped!} Andre : {Oscar!} --Look at her! She's gone all pale! --Now she sees how god Allan is! --Don't laugh now, look at Allan! He's just as pale. <> Oscar : {I've never fought someone this good. I might lose.} <> <> Oscar : Don't move! I doubt you can move anyway, though. {I'm deeply impressed, Allan. I've never fought against someone as strong as you.} <> Oscar : I've stopped the bleeding! Take him to the infirmary now. Andre : Oscar! Oscar : He fought two-handed. My only advantage was my speed and agility. Were you worried, Andre? <> Oscar : Do your wounds hurt? Allan : Don't act like my commander! I'll kill you someday! Oscar : I would not be ashamed to be killed by you. By the way, Allan de Soisson... <> Oscar : What did a nobleman and military academy graduate like yourself do to be demoted to the rank of an ordinary soldier? Allan : You knew about that? I punched my previous commanding officer square in the face and broke his jaw. Oscar : You're lucky you weren't executed by firing squad. Allan : It was his fault. He tried to hurt my little sister when she came to a meeting. He tried to drag her back to his office! <> Oscar : I see... Allan : Why did you purposely leave your position with the royal guards to come here? Oscar : Maybe it was because I wanted to meet men like you... <> Marie : The sound of drums...it must be time for the changing of the guards. When can I see you again, Fersen? Fersen : I will come to see you this time next week, if I can. Marie : Why did I have to be born a Princess of Austria? Why could I not have been with you, as the daughter of an ordinary noble family? Why? <> Fersen : Please, say no more. It was my destiny to fall in love with the Queen of France. No matter how we had met, the truth of my love would not have changed. That is enough to satisfy me. Marie : Fersen, if I am ever reborn, please make me your wife in that life. Fersen : I will. I swear it! <> Fersen : Hurry! The guards are coming! Marie : Be careful, Fersen! --Halt! --You're under arrest! <> --State your name! Fersen : Let me through. I'm not doing anything wrong. --If you refuse to state your name, I'll take you to the station. Fersen : I'm telling you to let me through! Andre : Oscar! Oscar : What? <> Oscar : Fer... <> --We arrested him because he was acting suspiciously and he refused to state his name. Oscar : Let him go, I can vouch for him. --But Captain! He's out here at this time of night... Oscar : I'm ordering you as the captain of this regiment! <> Fersen : Thank you, Oscar. Oscar : Andre, there aren't many guards at the South gate. Make sure that he gets home without being seen. Andre : I will. --That woman has it in for you, Allan! --She shows up at night, shows up on time, doesn't even drink-- and she calls herself a captain? <> Allan : Lend me your ears. --What? That's--that's... Oscar : {Fersen...then Lady Antoinette must have been there as well. I pity the Queen, to be forced to sneak out in this darkness...to have been born as a Princess and forced to marry without ever knowing love. She gave birth to an heir to the throne, for the sake of her country...I would never have been able to do that!} <> Oscar : Aah! Andre : Oscar, I'm back! Oscar! Oscar! Where are you? Answer me, Oscar! <> Andre : Could it be? They kidnapped Oscar? Those bastards! Oscar! Oscar! I should never have left your side! If anything happens to you, I'll die! <> Andre : I'll die! Oscar : You must have gone to a lot of trouble to pull this off. What do you want? Allan : We aren't thinking of taking your life, but merely... <> Allan : Of making you realize that you are a woman, and thereby making you flee from the army. Oscar : I have no interest in younger men! Allan : Did you hear that? As if she's in a position to be talking about older or younger men! <> Allan : You're beautiful. You'd be a very fine noblewoman if you put on a dress, and a little makeup. I really think that it's a waste to see you in an army uniform, Major Jarjayes. Oscar : Scum! Allan : I don't mind being scum. We're scum anyway! We must look like mere insects to nobles like you. But remember this! Even an insect has a life to live! <> Allan : Leave the army, or we won't let you go now! We're all hungry for women. Andre : I'll kill you all, you bastards! <> Allan : Go ahead and try, you one-eyed freak! --What was that? --There was a gunshot, from the mess hall! --I'm on duty this morning! --Never mind your duty! This is outrageous! What is the night patrol up to? There isn't a single soldier in the station or the courtyard! Oscar : It's nothing, Dagout. Go back to your room and rest. Allan : Nothing? Why don't you punish us? You're a general's daughter! <> Allan : If nothing else, you should at least have enough influence to be able to punish us! Oscar : I won't punish you! Return to your post. Andre : {Oscar!} Oscar! Oscar : Mother...mother... <> --Please report to the conference room: Jules Roseloi, Pierre Mauroi, Louis Mareaux, Allan de Soisson. --Allan's sister Diane will be there! --Dianne is coming? --Let me see, let me see! Allan : You idiots! Do you think I'll let you get close to Diane? Oscar : The soldiers always get excited on these days. They have families too, Dagout. <> Andre : Whether they have families or not, next time they try something like that, I'll kill them all! --They're especially excited on days when Allan's sister, Diane de Soisson, comes. She's very gentle and quiet, unlike her brother...look, she's coming back. Oscar : {Her clothes seem so coarse...and she's a noble girl without a single servant? What's that bag she's carrying?} Charles : Come on, daddy! I found a duck in the pond at Trianon! Louis : Wait! I'll get out of breath if you run so fast! --Excuse me, Your Highness. A certain gentleman entrusted this letter to me. He wishes you to read it. <> Marie : I'll take the children to Petit Trianon and come back later. Louis : All right. Would you all leave me alone for a while? --Yes, Your Highness. Louis : Let's see now... "When will you open your eyes, Your Highness? Do you not realize that your wife the Queen has been having an adulterous relationship with Count Hans Axel von Fersen of Sweden? The Queen and Count Fersen have been deceiving you for ten years, meeting each other in secret at Versailles..." <> Louis : Meeting each other in secret? And there's more...? 'Louis Charles, Fersen's son, will succeed as the false heir to the throne...' Louis Charles, Fersen's son? Marie : I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, dear. The children were playing, and Charles pulled on Marie Therese's dress... <> Marie : What's wrong, Your Highness? What was in that letter?