Memories of Versailles was a virtual representation of one of Arno Dorian's genetic memories, relived by the Helix Initiate in 2014 through the Helix Navigator.
Description[]
Arno accompanied his father Charles Dorian on a business trip to Versailles. While waiting in a corridor, he was distracted by a young girl.
Dialogue[]
Charles and Arno walked through the Palace of Versailles. Arno became momentarily distracted by a servant carrying a suckling pig.
- Charles: Arno!
Arno sat down on a chair.
- Arno: Can't I go with you, Father?
- Charles: Courage, my boy.
Charles showed Arno his pocket watch.
- Charles: You wait just here. I will return when this hand reaches the top.
- Arno: That's forever.
- Charles: Not as long as all that. And when I get back, we'll see the fireworks. And Arno? No "exploring", hmm?
- Arno: Yes, Father.
Arno saw a girl running away.
- Élise: You'd rather sit with that old prune? Come on!
Too slow...
Aren't you coming?
This way!
Arno followed the girl, bumping into a waiter.
- Waiter: My suckling pig! Gardes! Gardes! Arrêtes-les! (Guards! Guards! Stop them!)
- Citizen 1: Where'd they come from?
- Citizen 2: Isn't that the de la Serre girl?
- Citizen 3: You're going to get such a thrashing!
Don't even think about moving!
Just you wait until the guards get here! - Élise: Quickly, quickly!
Aller! (Hurry!)
Are you trying to get caught?
Hurry, before the guards come!
Élise pointed out a bowl of apples.
- Élise: Bet you can't steal one!
- Guard: Thief! Put that back! These are for his royal highness, not the likes of you!
Aw, hell... What happened?
Damn it. What the hell's going on?
Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?
Put that away now!
Got you now!
Arno was caught. He was forced to explain himself and return the apple.
- Guard: What have we here, a thief?
- Arno: N-no sir. Sorry.
Arno tried again but was caught a second time.
- Guard: You! Drop that! Now!
- Arno: I... thought they were for everyone?
Arno tried a third time and successfully evaded the guard. He then returned to the girl.
- Élise: Hurry, through here!
She rounded a stopped, behind a pillar, and pulled Arno to her before he could pass.
Élise introducing herself to Arno
- Élise: Did you see their faces when we stole those apples?
The two laughed.
- Arno: I'm Arno.
- Élise: Élise.
- Arno: I'm here with my father.
- Élise: So am I. He has "important business with the king".
- Arno: What should we do now?
They heard a commotion nearby.
- Élise: Shhh. Listen.
Élise looked over Arno's shoulder at the guards and saw they were headed elsewhere.
- Élise: Don't worry, they'll never think to look for us in here.
Arno confronted the guards.
- Arno: It was my fault, I'm the one who took the apple.
The guards ran by, ignoring them.
- Élise: Let's see where they're going!
Hurry! Something's happened!
Hurry up!
Keep up!
They're getting away! - Citizen 3: Monsieur (Mister) Franklin, I sincerely hope this unfortunate affair does not darken your opinion of our nation.
- Franklin: Monsieur (Sir), if we judged nations by the character of their criminals, we should all be called barbarians.
- François: Élise!
Arno looked at the pocket watch.
- Arno: Father?
- François: Come here, girl! Now!
- Arno: Father!
Arno found his father's body, surrounded by a crowd. Shocked, he dropped his father's watch, breaking it.
Arno discovering his father's body
- Citizen 4: Come away, boy!
As the man tried to reassure him, Arno quickly picked up his father's watch and silently stared at his father's body.
- François: Arno. Arno. Look at me.
Arno slowly looked at Élise, her father, and his broken watch, after which there was a thirteen year time skip. Arno stood in a sparse house staring again at his watch while the barricaded front door was battered from the outside. The chair blocking it broke and the door swung open, revealing a furious Victor in the doorframe.
- Victor: Can't win fairly at cards, so you stoop to thieving, you bastard!
He rushed at Arno, who evaded capture by keeping the room's dinner table between them
- Arno: Calm down, Victor! I've only come for my watch.
- Victor: It's my watch! I won it fairly!
- Arno: Well, in a just world, Victor, I would agree with you. But this is not a just world. This is France.
- Victor: You're a dead man!
Victor reached across the table to grab the watch, but Arno avoided him by stepping back.
- Arno: Step lightly there! You'll hurt yourself.
Victor overturned the table in a rage, forcing Arno against the back wall.
- Victor: Rragh!
Arno jumped through a window, but Victor tripped him on the way.
- Arno: Oof!
Arno dropped his watch, which was picked up by Victor's brother, Hugo.
- Arno: Just had a nice chat with your brother...
- Victor: Hugo... fetch the marshalls.
- Arno: Hold on a minute! Diable. (Hell).
Hugo ran off, and Arno chased him.
- Hugo: I've got it, Victor!
I won't let him get it!
Arno bumped into a citizen.
- Citizen 5: I say!
- Arno: Sorry!
- Hugo: Shove off!
Arno slid over a table.
- Citizen 6: How dare you?!
- Arno: Pardon, madame.
- Hugo: Get out of my way! Move it!
- Arno: Gentlemen, please! We can come to an understanding!
- Victor: You're dead!
- Hugo: Rragh!
- Citizen 7: What's the meaning of this?
- Hugo: Shut it!
- Arno: Please excuse him, he's not housebroken.
Arno eventually tackled Hugo.
- Arno: Thickheaded blacksmith like you probably can't even read a watch...
- Victor: Come over here and say that!
- Arno: Ah... no.
- Victor: Get back here!
Au voleur! Emparez-vous de lui! (Stop him! Thief!)
I'm going to smash your skull into paste! - Arno: Ah. Yes.
Keeping up? Shall I call a break?
A wise man knows when to admit defeat, Victor!
Arno escaped and returned to the de la Serre estate.
Victor accusing Arno of thievery
- Olivier: And where in God's name have you been?
- Victor: Hah! Got you now, you little shit!
- Arno: Just a little misunderstanding, nothing to—
- Victor: Your master is harboring a common criminal! In broad daylight he broke into my home and stole my watch!
- Olivier: Did he indeed? Well, I'm sure the Marshalcy would be more than willing to sort this out.
François de la Serre approached the group.
- François: Sort what out, Olivier?
- Olivier: Er, a most serious accusation against your ward, sir.
- Victor: He robbed me!
- François: Of what, precisely?
He spoke aside to Arno.
- François: Wait for me in my library.
Arno made his way to the library. While there, he spoke to a painting of Élise.
- Arno: Don't give me that look. Victor cheats when he plays Pharaoh, everyone knows it.
- François: Arno? Who are you talking to?
- Arno: No one, monsieur. (sir).
François walked to a nearby writing desk and searched it. Arno casually walked over.
- François: You'll be happy to learn I persuaded Olivier to leave off calling the Marshalcy. Again.
- Arno: Je vous remercie, monsieur. (Thank you, sir).
François scolding Arno
- François: What is this, the sixth time? Seventh? Perhaps a new hobby might be better for your health.
- Arno: Well, I find playing cards affords many opportunities for fresh air and exercise.
François found a sheaf of papers and stuffed them in his suit jacket pocket. He picked up his hat and made his way out of the room.
- François: We'll talk about this later. I have business in town, and must collect Élise before I can attend to it.
- Arno: Élise is here?
- François: Only for the night. She returns to Paris first thing tomorrow.
- Arno: She'll need an escort, won't she? With you so preoccupied?
- François: One of you running amok is quite enough. Remain here and see if Olivier has any chores for you.
- Arno: I'm sure he does.
- François: What was that?
- Arno: Give my regards to Élise.
Outcome[]
Charles Dorian was assassinated, leaving his son an orphan under the care of François de la Serre, Grand Master of the French Templars. Years later, Arno recovered his watch from the blacksmiths Victor and Hugo, then learned that Élise and François would attend a private function that evening.
References[]
