Two days before the coronation, Favre's family arrived at the Imperial palace. Perhaps, arrived is a wrong word, since two out of six of them were already in the capital. Marquise, who was like usual there on business, and his daughter Gabrielle who returned shortly after he sent her home, she has resided there in the capital along with her court lady Maria in secret. The only way her plan of being in the capital without her father knowing was for her mother to vouch for her. Gabrielle used all her charm to convince her poor mother to hide her absence from Marquise by answering his letters addressed to her in her name. To act as if she is spending her time at home locked in her study writing letters to The Empress like she had promised him. Gabrielle did write her letters, three of them, just not from home.
Maria and her resided in The ducks, same inn where she had waited for her father to find her when they kicked her out of the palace.
It was hard to convince Maria to come with her, but what use did she get from staying home without her mistress? The obvious choice was to come with Gabrielle, like she did.
Still it didn't sit right with her.
Lady Gabrielle, upset by the actions of Her Majesty the Empress, and her father's anger towards her, made her desire for revenge awake. She was quite known for it from a young age, her parents suffered much due to her behaviour, Gabrielle was known as the revengeful daughter of the Marquise not only since childhood, but since birth. She was born with that characteristic and is yet to grow out of it, perhaps she never will. The time this has affected her life the most, but more the life of those around her, was in her teenage years, when she attended the academy. Only a dash of weird look given to her by some other girl she went to school with would cause her to get mad, that same poor girl would suffer tormentingly the whole following semester, or until Gabrielle felt satisfied enough to let her go. To Gabrielle, everything was personal and nothing was accidental, so even if her own actions of revenge were unjustified she would not feel remorse. She never regretted anything in her life.
Maria knew most about it, and also knew best not to mess with her mistresses.
The scheme she is now on, Maria is against it, but if she were to speak up, nothing would change. She would only inflict harm on herself. It was best to just go along with the plan.
The worst way you could hurt a person is by tarnishing their image in society, no matter the status of the said person, nobody would want their name to be in the mouths of gossiping ladies at tea parties, or busy maids doing laundry. Word spreads like fire, and like fire it can suddenly burst and become something much bigger from what it started us. The more it catches the greater the damage.
It was easy to start gossip, there was not a person on earth who you could tell something with certainty they wouldn't carry it to someone else. Now the matter of truth was not important, but you could not just make up a story and call it a day, people don't bite on to that, they get bored of fiction really quick. Truth is much more enjoyable, it is real and that makes it closer to them. You enjoy something much more when it is real, when you can point your finger at it and say that is what I was telling you about.
Everyone had gossip about them circling in the society once in their lives, those who haven't, will have it. The word can not be avoided, especially with the amount of so-called People's chronicles being written during the social season. They were small sections that could be found in every newspaper sold, it was usually the whole third page, sometimes double sided, right after the article speaking about political events in the Imperial palace. Now those articles are getting active with the beginning of the social season being closer, especially since the opening event is the coronation of the young prince Iyan. Everyone is writing about the grand celebration the Empress is preparing, who is going to attend, what are the rumors about decorations, dresses, food being served at the event. The main reason everyone was writing about it is because the coronation is a nation wide event, and that meant that all nobility will be in the capitol. Dukes, marquises, viscounts, lords, earls, barons, every important and rich person, along with their sons and daughters. Sons and daughters who live in the countryside closed off from the world, eager to mingle amongst society full of lust and desire.
Gossip will be top teared after this event.
Gabrielle has spent days in her room at the inn, reading every single newspaper that had People's chronicles in them. She was searching for one, a specific one that will be of use. The one that didn't write about what Baroness Tugot is going to wear at the coronation ball, and instead wrote about real things happening behind the curtains during the preparations. Maria was also reading them with her, but their search got long simply because there are too many newspapers being published in the capitol. It was hard reading them one after another and staying concentrated on the search for the special one.
Lady Gabrielle would come down in the bar every morning and send Indrig's son to buy her every newspaper he could find in the town. He also never returned with the same amount of newspaper and so it was hard to keep up with those that were worth reading and those that were not.
That is until one day, the boy came back with a copy of Son's paper in his pille, he brought them maybe twice before, they are rarely sold, usually filled with old news because they didn't have enough stories to write about. But that day, four days before the coronation, there was an article talking about a lady kicked out of the palace on the day of the High court meeting in the Imperial palace.
This was the only time Gabrielle saw her story in the newspaper, nobody talked about her banishment from the palace because it was overshined by the announcement of an heir being chosen and The Empress falling ill shortly after that. It was pure luck that saved her reputation, but now there it is, a lady kicked out of the Imperial palace for breaking the rules of the Queen's palace. There was no mention of her name anywhere, and the paper was obviously rarely read by anyone, so it was highly unlikely for the story to start circling around now, especially with the upcoming coronation.
It was like the paper picked her, like it waited for her to find it in just the right moment.
It took her and Maria an entire day to find where the Son's paper was printed and who wrote it. The printing shop was in the deep part of the town, almost at the south entrance where the material shops would usually be, it was odd for a printing shop to be there instead of the east side where most of them were. This particular shop was merged with one of the material shops that was called Son's. There was only a small sign that indicated that there is also a printer shop there. The building was wooden, with a nice look from the front, even if it was grey, inside there were rolls and rolls of cotton and silk in many different colours, as well as various colour threads in wooden baskets. There worked a small woman in age, too skinny for the yellow dress she was wearing. Her hair is gray, tied in a neat bun, around her neck in a silver chain for glasses that were falling apart, the chain was tied only on one temple since the other one was missing alongside the glass, so the other end of the chain was just tied around the rim where the missing lens is supposed to be.
"Hello lovely lady, how may I help you today?" The old lady asked Gabrielle as soon as she entered. The woman was sitting on a braided chair next to the counter.
"I am looking for the one who wrote this paper." Gabrielle showed her the newspaper she had brought with her. The woman put on her glasses and took a look at what Gabrielle was holding without getting out of her chair.
"Gurtha writes that." The woman said. "Are you looking for Gurtha?"
"If she is the one that writes it then yes."
The woman looked at her for a moment and then raised her grey eyebrows. "I have told her that a paper of hers would cost her one day." She got up from her chair and approached a bright red curtain on the other side of the counter. The woman revealed a semi dark hallway behind it. "Oh there are two of you." The woman said when she finally noticed Maria who was behind Gabrielle this whole time.
"Hello ma'am." Maria said.
"Down the hallway, she should be there." She pointed her long finger down the hallway where a short orange door could be seen on the right.
Gabrielle didn't hesitate, she entered the hallway not checking if Maria is following her, not stopping to question if the person she is looking for is really there. The hallway was colder than the shop and much shorter than it looked. When she reached the orange door Gabrielle stopped for a moment, there was no door knob, the door was slightly open and light seeped through the draft.
Gabrielle didn't knock, she slowly entered. The doorway was short so she needed to bow her head, but there also was a doorstep down leading in a big room with a tall ceiling.
There were candles lit on the walls and a big printer in the middle of the room. A woman in a grey dress sat on the table in the corner, writing.
She turned around when Gabrielle entered.
This is Gurtha as the old woman said.
She is young, very young, barely over twenty years old. Her eyes are big and blue, but her hair is dark brown, tied in a very well done bun. Her beauty is not extraordinary, she is quite common looking, same goes for her height. But her posture is excellent as a high class lady.
"Hello." Gurtha said. "Can I help you?" She looked at the paper in Gabrielle's hand and before she even showed it to her said. "You are Lady Gabrielle, if I am right."
"Yes. I am Gabrielle, Gabrielle von Favre. Marquises daughter."
"My name is Gurtha, it is a pleasure to meet you my lady." Gurtha got up from her chair and curtseyed.
Gabrielle didn't return the gesture, but Maria did, however she didn't introduce herself.
Gurtha wore a simple long sleeved gray gown, around her neck was a silver cross, as well as a rosary around her waist. She was dressed like a nun.
"Pleasure is all mine." Gabrielle said. "You wrote this, is that correct?" She showed her the paper but Gurtha didn't even take a moment to look at it.
"Yes I have."
Gabrielle turned to Maria, "Maria, watch the door." She told her and Maria listened. She went out of the room and stood beside the door.
"Can I help you with something?" Gurtha asked again, this time more carefully.
Gabriella smiled and looked around the room. It was quite dark even with all the candles lit up, the room had no windows, and the ceiling was tall so all the shadows got trapped above them. The old printing machine was in the middle, the way it look under the candle light was rather tormenting, it seemed more like a torture device then a printer. The table in the corner where Gurtha stood was old and worn out, same goes for the chair, there were ink stains on the wood, several scratched spots and places where wood started to crumble. There were a few pieces of paper on that table, all empty, as well as an ink bottle with a feather in it.
There was no other paper in the room, the one used for printing the newspaper, like the one she held in her hand, which was weird for a print shop.
"Miss Gurtha, you wrote this column, is that correct?" Gabriella asked again.
"Yes, I have written that, Lady Gabriella." Her answer was calm, carefully, she kept looking Gabriella up and down.
"And it is about me? Correct?" Gabriella came a step closer, Gurtha stud still in her place. The distance between the door, which was in the middle of the room, and the table where Gurtha studied, was not great.
"It is."
"But this event, Miss Gurtha, happened more than two weeks ago." She came another step closer. "It is old news."
"The time when a story took place does not matter. The event matters." Gurtha answered while trying to decide if she should step back.
"Good gossip doesn't pick a time." One more step, and now she was so close that even a whisper could be heard clearly.
"Right."
"This is," Gabriella brought the article up to her face. "Good gossip."
"Lady Gabriella, if you are furious by the story-"
"How do you know what happened?" Gabriella asked and suddenly stepped back.
"Excuse me?"
She began reading from the article. ""In the early afternoon of the High court assembly day, The Empress had an uninvited guest visit her Great gardens, this particular guest was lady Gabrielle von Favre, who was by quick work of Imperial guards escorted out of the palace banishing her from returning for life." You are not the greatest writer Miss Gurtha, but you do know a lot."
"It was heard through the city that The Empress had kicked out a young lady from the palace and that she was wandering around the city."
"No, no," Gabriella pointed a finger at her. "That part I do not care about. Many saw me wandering around the city, I even gave my full name to the inn woman, the word travels fast. Only the Empress's illness saved me from being tormented by society. But, how do you know where it happened."
That is what intrigued Gabrielle the most when she stumbled across Son's paper. It is true that the article was not written well, that it was quite blunt and boring, to the point where the story almost seemed made up, but the information about the place the event took place, that was intriguing.
Nobody outside the palace could know where it happened, especially since that was the inside part of the Empress's Great garden, the one in-between the Queen's palace and the King's. There were no servants present, only Maria who was hiding in the hallway, the Empress, her daughter, and two guards that took her away. Even the time this event took place was very on point, if this was a word spread by someone from the palace that got to Gurtha's ears, the story, even if simple, would not be so accurate.
"I have my way with information." Gurtha took a cocky stance, after realising this girl did not come to confront her.
"I can see that." Gabriella came closer again, she placed the paper on the table and stabbed her finger at it. She placed her finger at the particular word on the paper.
Empress.
One more thing Gabrielle noticed in the article is the way Gurtha addressed the Empress. Usually when people write about Her Majesty they use her official, full title. Her Majesty the Empress Katherine or, Her Holiness the Holy Maiden Katherine, if they talk about religion. That was the case for official news, as well as the gossip articles when the author is brave enough to name the person, especially the Empress.
Gurtha called her the Empress.
But her, Gabrielle, she addressed with the whole title. She wrote it as if she was more important in that story, like she was a victim of Empress's behaviour.
That article of hers felt personal, it felt like a call, something Gabrielle needed to see in order to come and confront Gurtha for spreading gossip about her, with her whole name in the paper. This woman wanted to meet her.
It was like they were looking for each other all along.
"Who's side are you on Gurtha?" Gabrielle whispered. "Do you believe in our Holy Saviour?" She looked at the cross around her neck. "One that calls herself, The Holy maiden?"
Gurtha looked her in the eyes, then she smiled, touched the cross around her neck. "I am on the side of the simple man. God obeying man."
"I believe we have something in common." Although, very rare and very quiet, there were people who disliked the Empress, the way she became one, the way she acted, the things she does, they hated all of it. But even if there was no punishment for speaking ill of the Imperial family, they kept quiet, suffering with their truth in silence. They didn't have a problem with the Emperor, only his wife. In fact they usually adored the Emperor, saw him as a saint. Only the Empress they were displeased with. To them she was flashy, rubbing in their noses how she, an immigrant with no mother and father, who was destined to grow up like a temple orphan and probably serve the Imperial family as a palace worker and die as one. She is the one that got away from them, the chosen one that got away from destiny they all shared. A woman that, besides her beauty, had nothing special to give. They even lived with a belief that she did not translate the Holy books, that that is a made up story told in order to make her special. They believe it is the High priest who translated the books. or stole them from somewhere. These people believed in Gods, they were religious, but usually avoided going to temples and churches with other worshipers.
"That woman is weird, isn't she?"
"She is indeed." There was a spark in Gurtha's blue eyes.
"It wouldn't hurt to tarnish her reputation then, would it?" Gabrielle straightened her back. "I am not a woman of God Miss Gurtha, so I do not know, would that make us sinners?"
"One that serves justice does not sin by serving it."
"Then," She took her hand. "We would do a good thing. I happen to be like you. I do not trust that woman and she has scared me deeply with her actions."
"She had no right to kick you out of the palace lady Gabriella."
"Of course she had not. But we have a right, a duty, to tell the truth about her. People need to know not to be swayed by her beauty."
"The most beautiful things hide the most horrific ugliness of this world."
Gabriella smiled once again. "I knew we would understand each other, miss Gurtha."
"I did so too lady Gabriella."
That is how it all became, the downfall of the Sun.