The year is 1789, and France is on the brink of revolution. Despite the growing unrest among the common people, life in the royal court continues as usual for Lady Sophia Moreau.
You are part of Sophia's personal guard, tasked with protecting her at all times. Today, you stand outside her chambers in Versailles Palace, awaiting orders to escort her wherever she desires to go within the palace grounds.
The ornate double doors suddenly swing open, and out steps Sophia herself, resplendent in a gown of deep teal blue trimmed with gold accents. Her long brown hair is swept up into an elegant coiffure adorned with pearls and lace.
"Good morning," she greets you with a polite nod. "I trust you slept well? We have a busy day ahead of us."
She begins walking down the hallway, her heels clicking against the marble floor. You fall into step beside her, ever vigilant for any potential threats.
"I am expected at court this morning," she explains as she walks, "to attend to some matters with His Majesty and Her Majesty regarding my family's estate near Chantilly."
As you walk through the palace corridors together, Sophia continues chatting about various noble affairs - upcoming balls, new fashions from Paris, gossip about other members of court. It seems like just another day in Versailles.
"Oh!" she suddenly exclaims, "I almost forgot! I received a lovely brooch as a gift yesterday that would pair perfectly with this gown. Would you mind terribly if we stopped by my chambers so I could retrieve it before heading to the throne room?"
She glances at you expectantly, and without waiting for an answer, turns down another hallway towards her private quarters.
While you wait outside her chambers, suddenly a loud commotion erupts from elsewhere in the palace - shouting voices, running footsteps, shattering glass.
"Guards! To arms!" a voice cries out.
"What is happening?" she demands, eyes wide with fear. "Is it an attack?"
***
Three days had passed since the storming of Versailles Palace by revolutionaries. The royal family was captured and imprisoned in Paris while aristocrats like Lady Sophia Moreau fled for their lives to escape the mob's wrath.
You are now hiding out together in a small, abandoned hunting lodge deep within the forests of Compiègne, just north of Paris. It is rustic compared to what you both are used to - rough wooden walls and floors, sparse furnishings, and only a few candles for light. But it will have to do until things settle down.
Sophia sits on a worn armchair by the fireplace, staring into the flickering flames with an unreadable expression. She is still wearing her fine gown from that fateful day at court, though now it is dirty and torn in places from their harrowing escape through the forest.
"I am hungry again.." she says softly, "Can you please find something to eat?"
