The Sensory Animals of Ston Hill

Grace turned and ran back to the room to open the window, and they all heard the angry shouts of the demonstrators, and the torches of the stars.

"Why are they so angry?" Grace asked the guard.He yelled loudly because it was too loud outside.

The guard looked at the king falteringly, and the king ordered him: "Speak quickly!"

"The leaders are from the Levillon district." The guard finished speaking quickly, lowering his head to avoid eye contact with Grace.

"'From Le Villon,' what does that mean?" Grace asked the king, who knew he had been kept from something important.

"Today there was a massive worker demonstration at a wallpaper factory in the Levillon district... a Metropolitan Guard was stationed right next to that factory."

It took Grace several seconds to catch every word in the sentence. "Is anyone dead?" He asked through gritted teeth.

The king pursed his lips and nodded.

"How many!"

"It's not clear yet, it was chaotic."

Grace has the urge to tear things up, or smash something, "Why are the demonstrations suppressed! Isn't this already legal from the day we decided to restart the national conference?"

"It was the workers who used violence first. They tried to blow up the factory." Seeing that the king didn't answer the queen's question, the guard answered hastily.

"...why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

The king made no answer, but walked around him to the window.The shouts outside became louder, and could be heard clearly across such a large garden. They shouted: "We want to see the king! We want to see the king!" Someone climbed on the gate outside the palace garden, and from a height and The companions shouted together: "We want to see the king! We want to see the king!"

But the people gave way to the place closest to the door, and there stood the soldiers, the garrison of the Royal Prison, pointing their guns at the place where their allegiance was supposed to be.Inside the door, the palace guards had also lined up in two rows, pointing their guns at the outside.

"No more bloodshed!" Grace said to the king, "it will make things more terrible!"

The king stretched his front and walked out the door: "I'll go see them."

The guard advised him not to go, "Your Majesty, you can't get too close to them, they...they will hurt you!"

The king stopped and looked at him.The guard recalled some horrific scenes, his face twitched, "They cut off the head of the Castle Commander of the Royal Prison...and his adjutant...put it on the flagpole and paraded it as a trophy...it's already crazy Already!"

The king turned his head and took a deep look at Grace, before striding out the door.Grace was stunned for a while, and hurried to catch up.

They collided with two aristocratic ministers who came in front of the stairs, and one minister ran directly into the king's arms.The king supported him and scolded, "What are you panicking about!"

The minister shivered and pointed outside, "Head... the head of the Marquis de la Salle!"

Many aristocratic ministers were alarmed and ran out of the banquet hall, chattering around the king.Some people begged His Majesty to give an order to shoot, some people wanted to arrest all those people, some people suggested to open the door a crack and let some representatives in to hear what they were going to do.

This last suggestion was obviously impossible, because the crowd was already too excited, and if the door were opened a crack, everyone would rush in.And what they want has been shouted very clearly—

Grace found that they were still shouting "We want to see the king!", but now it has become "Give us the king!" Tear it to shreds.

The captain of the guard who was familiar with Grace galloped over from the garden, jumped off the horse and ran over in a hurry, first glanced at Grace, and then said to the king: "Your Majesty must not pass! Many people are trying to climb the door , it is difficult for the guards to stop them outside without shooting!"

"Absolutely don't shoot!" Grace said immediately.

From the other end of the garden continued: "Give us the king!" "Give us the king!"

"Stick your guns, boys, and come with me," said the king.

"No, you are here to protect His Majesty, I'll go!" Grace said.

"Grace!"

"Chris," Grace said, cupping the King's face in her hands.When he called him thus, great shock appeared in the king's eyes.Grace continued, "You have to stay here, you know how important it is. Sending a random minister will definitely not satisfy them. They can accept the 'Queen of the Commoners' for the king, and only I can calm them down .”

The ministers also agreed.

Grace ordered a reformist minister and two guards, "Come with me." Then she called the squad leader who was familiar with him, "Lieutenant, you stay and protect Your Majesty." He looked at the squad leader and His soldiers, with tough eyes, "Remember the oath you once made: be loyal to the king, be loyal to the country, and never betray."

"Yes, Your Majesty the Queen!"

The king shouted at him twice more, but the ministers and guards stopped him firmly.Accompanied by a minister and two guards, Grace turned and left.

The garden is so big, the shouts of the crowd beat on people's hearts like drums of war, and they were urgently urged.Grace walks up to a horse and touches its neck.The horses of the palace guards have been strictly trained and are very obedient, standing still.Grace tentatively stepped one foot into the pedal, then he simply got up, rolled over and rode on.

Grace didn't dare to gallop, but riding a horse was much faster after all.As they approached quickly, the voices grew louder, and the faces looked angrier, shaking in the firelight.

Grace stopped suddenly.

The minister who followed him asked him uncertainly: "Your Majesty, what's the matter..." He sounded very scared.

Grace stared at the two blood-stained heads on the flagpole, their chins illuminated by the light of several torches.He forced himself to look away and continue walking, feeling a little weak in his knees and ankles when he dismounted.

"Her Majesty the Queen has come!" The guards shouted, and they shouted many times.

The shouting finally died down, and Grace walked up to the guards with guns and ordered them to put their guns away.

The soldiers on the opposite side looked at each other, put away their guns, and stood aside.The position outside the door was gradually occupied by demonstrating civilians.

"Where's the king? We want a king!" Suddenly a man shouted.

"Yeah! We want the king! Give us the king!" the crowd immediately echoed.

"Your words are the same as the Queen's!" cried Grace.

The people became a little quieter again, and one person said: "Can you be the master?" He asked not so loudly, thought for a while, and added: "Your Majesty."

"I can." Grace said firmly.

"You are the 'Queen of the Commoners', are you really towards us?"

"Yes."

"People say that the king will hold a big banquet on Christmas Eve, with a lot of good food and wine, and dancing, but why don't you wear a beautiful dress?"

"It is a tradition in our country to hold a banquet in the palace on this day. I didn't wear a skirt because I don't dance. I was just about to go to the office to read your letter of petition."

People look at each other, waiting for a new question from a companion.

"Why are you here?" Grace took the opportunity to ask.

But as soon as he finished asking, the crowd immediately rioted, and the angry shouts started again, but there was no unified slogan. Grace couldn't hear what they were saying at all, and only heard some sporadic words: "factory" "wages"" Bread" "Shots"...

He spoke hoarsely, but he couldn't even hear his own voice.The guard behind him held his gun tightly, ready to point the muzzle at the front at any time.

Soon, the crowd gradually became quieter, and Grace could hear someone shouting: "The Earl of Arundel is here!"

The crowd immediately parted from the middle docilely like a lost flock finding a shepherd dog, and made way for it. The torches were held forward to illuminate the way, and joy appeared on their faces.

Grace saw Arundell riding down this road and thought, what is he here for?A person who did not regard Grace as an enemy, or a representative of the common people who stood on the opposite side of the king and the nobles?

And what role did he play in this bloody riot?Did he come to add fuel, or to quench his anger?

The Earl of Arundel looked at Grace, turned over and got off the horse.

"Your Majesty." He bowed to Grace.

"Master Earl." Grace nodded slightly.