© Kent Bonham
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count :100
The Beginning
Louis sighed as he sank into his lush velvet cushions. Thirty years of war had taken its toll. Religion had claimed many lives but France had prospered. His thoughts returned to the debacle at dinner. “I could sooner reconcile all Europe than two women.” How could he control his women, other members of the aristocracy and keep France great? His potent weapon came to him in his dreams.
“King Louis XIV has issued an edict. All the aristocracy are to live in Versailles. They must only wear the highest of fashions. The entire world will trak to Paris.”
They did.
In response to Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers and the photo prompt supplied by Kent Bonham. Visit Rochelle and by hitting the blue frog be linked to other participants and an array of wonderful 100 word stories. You may even want to participate yourself.
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About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
What an interesting dilemma, solved in a dream.
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And has kept Paris at least on the fashion map for centuries.
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That Sun King was quite a totalitarian, though Christianity, rightly understood, can, by definition, never be the enemy. The problem comes in when Catholics & Protestants get power crazy. That can happen to anyone though.
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You are right of course Larry. It is the people in command who in the name of religion doing it for their own power hungry reasons and occasionally their own fanatical misguided reasons. I don’t know of any religion that preaches violence but rather peace and harmony.
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Clever and funny!
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Thanks Sharon
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Great solution! Dreams are a well-known source of inspiration! Well done!
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Thanks Norah
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The humor is subtle, but oh so funny!
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Thanks Charli glad to give you a laugh.
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They really did all move there! I think this is a true story! Very clever.
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Thanks. You are right. It is true in fact. In fact I’m feeling guilty because it is actually a Louis XIV quote “I could….women” which I didn’t exactly acknowledge apart from having him say it in the piece. It is fiction the rest of it. Well at least him sinking into his cushions and the dream.
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Enjoyable glimpse!
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Thanks Barbara.
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Ha, Ha, “They did.” says it all. Nicely done.
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Thanks Mike. I only had two words left so I had no choice. Glad you think it worked.
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and the rest is history. very clever. 🙂
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Thanks 🙂
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Good idea: so much easier to round up the guillotine fodder.
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Have them under your own roof and know what’s going on.
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I agree with Mick above. An efficient relocation.
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Yes the best way to know what is happening and sort out any plotting promptly.
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Genius!
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Wow that is big praise. Thanks Dawn.
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Stories like this are always the best way to preent history.
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Liz I totally agree. I think story is the best way to present anything. It is what humans are hardwired to remember. All the facts and figures are meaningless without it. Thanks
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Yes, they did. I’d love to go there myself! Great take on the prompt!
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Yes I’d like to go also. I’ve never been to Paris. Thanks
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Ha.. that’s a great solution.. maybe that really happened..
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I believe that is what happened although whether it came in a dream, who knows?
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Very cool solution and I heard the Sun King did indeed build Versailles in part to keep the nobles happy and off his case. When are you and I going to be invited?
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Yes he thought better to have them under his roof worrying about fashion rather than in the countryside plotting his demise. I’d love to be invited but I don’t think the invite will be coming any time soon. 🙂
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That last line sums it all up very well.
Very interesting take on the prompt!
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Thanks Francesca.
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Dear Irene,
Nice glimpse into history. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle. Cheers Irene
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Love it.. And for a moment, I believed as to that is why Fashion originated in Paris.. Beautiful… Cheers..
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Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for dropping by and reading. Cheers Irene
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Simply brilliant.
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Thank you so much.
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An intriguing way to approach the issues of his day. How amazing that it worked. I love the edict regarding fashion. Well portrayed.
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Thanks Margaret. Certainly those things happened in his reign but whether via a dream we will never know.
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And trak they did! 🙂 Nicely done!
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Thanks Lorna
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Hehe. It could have happened just like this. There are other tales of famous people having an idea in their dreams. And so they trak on happily. Great story.
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Thanks. Yes it could well have been the way it happened but that we will never know for sure.
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