Self-Review – Vive André

A Look at Vive André

This story, Vive André, comes from a one-word prompt: executioner.

I wrote this story during the first quarter of 2021.

Background

I wanted to capture a bit of how the French Revolution was far from pretty or nice. While I think a lot of people realize that there were a lot of beheadings and riots, there had to have been other, more personal indignities.

For a people who had starved while royalty wasted money and food because they were bored, the idea of humiliating the captive royals had to have been irresistible. It’s like the ultimate case of adding insult to a, truly, ultimate injury.

But I like to feel that, even in the face of such a demand for nasty spectacle, that someone could emerge who was, if not sympathetic, then at least not as dreadful. Yes, even in the middle of the Reign of Terror.

Plot for Vive André

At the bloodiest moments of the French Revolution, there was an executioner. Perhaps there were several. But one of them was compassionate, even as he ended the lives of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and Robespierre.

He was kind even though he didn’t need to be, and no one expected him to be. And in their last moments, prisoners got to experience a few seconds of kindness from a thoroughly unexpected source.

Characters

The characters are André, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and Robespierre. There’s a second prisoner to be executed on the day Louis is. But I don’t give that man any lines, and per André, he’s a ‘common thief’.

Memorable Quotes

“Your execution will be the greatest achievement of my life,” André said.

“What a dull and pedestrian life you must lead—perhaps a cruel one—to count spilling blood as a highlight.”

“But it’s royal blood, Your Highness.”

“And it is as red as your own. This is hardly the stuff of grand and glorious achievements.”

“Sire, it is.” André thought for a moment. “I’m sure you don’t want your last few hours to be spent in an argument with me.”

“That’s for sure. Where is my wife?”

“In another end of the prison, I think. And before you so much as ask, Sire, I am not allowed to ferry messages back and forth.”

“I see.”

“Has the time you have spent with the priest been to your satisfaction?”

“It’s not as if complaining will do me any good.”

“Then I shan’t ask you about your last meal.”

The king finally allowed himself to smile a bit. “I imagine you’ve had a few complaints before.”

“I have heard some, yes. I don’t tell the cook much. It seems an unnecessarily cruel thing to do.”

“You’re remarkably sensitive for an executioner. Tell me, what is your name?”

“Me?”

“I see no one else here.”

“I, Sire, may I inquire as to why you wish to know this?”

Another smile, but this one was tight. “You may call me Louis if you wish. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“And?”

“And I would rather converse with a friend in my last hours. Or, at least, someone who I can pretend is my friend. And who I hope will be so kind as to pretend to be my friend in return, if only for a few hours.”

Rating for Vive André

The story has a K rating. Surprised?

Even though it’s about executions, and even though I actually show Louis XVI’s, there is nothing harsh or disgusting on the page. I promise!

Takeaways

I think this one turned out rather well. I like how kind André is, but he also refuses to be pushed around. And how Louis has a moment of grace, where he tells André to sell Marie Antoinette’s hair and buy something utterly frivolous for his wife.

It’s truly the only bit of the end of Louis’s life where he can be generous, and he chooses to be. But Robespierre and Marie Antoinette? Not so much.

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Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

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Short Stories

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