Un Souvenir d'Événements

July 1848

Dappled sunlight fell upon my closed eyelids as the following morning broke and sent its rays cascading through my window. It's warmth and light roused me and I woke to find I'd fallen asleep, fully clothed upon my bed. A sparrow chirped outside my windowsill, hopping about and pecking at the crumbs of bread I'd left for it in a leisurely manner.

As it pecked at its breakfast, I observed it, knowing that this would likely be the last moment of peace I'd get for the next week or so. If Erik was involved in anything, a man could never be at peace, the two simply did not coincide.

Once the bird flew away, I rose and changed before going to pray for a time. As mentioned before, I'm not one to be particularly religious, which goes to show just how much weight that day in my life held for me. I do believe Erik has been the only reason for me to ever pray, I've done it plenty of times since as well, always when he's involved.

Visiting the palace and reporting to the Shah was my first business of the day. I told him of my discoveries and the leads that I would be following, restoring his own hope, which I did not enjoy seeing as his murderous glint returned to his eyes and his hands clutched at his knees at the faintest possibility of bloodshed. He'd postponed all tortures and executions, his theory being that he would gain more enjoyment from his death if he abstained from it all until that point.

What would he do to Erik once he had him? I dreaded to think, but I knew that my family came first. I could only picture my lonely mother losing each and every one of her children and grandchildren before being put through torture and dying herself. It would be a slow process too, especially if the Shah had successfully abstained for so long.

That done, I was granted a break for the day- a very rare occurrence- and I took the liberty to explore the new palace. I had only been able to see a very select portion of it before that day, and I'd been itching to see the rest of Erik's elaborate masterpiece; and by the Gods, it was nothing less than magnificent.

Grand staircases twisted their way about the main foyer and extended high into the many floors above, all of which were draped in the finest materials and made of marble, quartz, bronze, silver and gold in places, all mixed with finest woods and Parisian limestone, which I didn't doubt was Erik's own subtle signature as the architect from France.

I remember it had surprised me immensely to find that he was French. Upon meeting him for the first time, he'd spoken to me in faultless Persian, then again in Italy, I could have mistaken him for a native.

Only when he mentioned a little of his past to me and told me that he had been born in a French village not far from Rouen, (though he refused to specify just where he came from), did I realise this. I soon came to find that any note he wrote for himself would be written in French, though he could of course write and converse in any language he pleased, it seemed that way at least, which again hinted at his origins.

I continued to wander the vast halls and corridors aimlessly, passing through each and every room and stopping to gaze in awe at them all. Every single room was impeccably thought out and executed, right down to the details on the door panels and in the masonry.

Onwards I wandered, becoming hopelessly lost, but caring little about it. I heard faint sounds now and then, such as the soft voices in the distance that mingled with my footsteps, or the gushing of water that came from a man made water feature outside, a genius little contraption that I'd marvelled at for a while before losing myself in the labyrinth again.

It was as I was exploring that I saw the most miraculous thing. As I approached the grand dining hall, I heard a heavy scrape as something was moved across the floor, and when I turned to see what had caused it, there was nothing there. But what I did see made me question my own eyes. The Shah, who had left the throne room, his business done, walked across the hallway and continued directly through a solid brick wall.