Chambre du Anne Bassett

Louis tilted his head and watched how she approached him. The carefree sway of her body and way the candlelit made her skin appear warm in tone, "Less than I suppose I should. My brother is a better player than I."

She raised an eyebrow at him "Perhaps I should learn you at some time?" she asked him with a small smile and she took her goblet of wine off the table as she stood in front of him and she took a sip, watching him with her beady eyes.

He nodded, "Very well, if you like. I'm quite assured you shall be an excellent tutor."

She smiled at him and sat down her goblet slowly "From what my papa learned me, the Queen must always protect the King." she said to him and she turned away, her hair swinging around as she turned and she walked over the pole of her bed and she leaned against it, her head leaning on it softly before turning, her back resting against it "I will learn you in the future."

Louis smiled and glanced at the fall of her hair. He shifted in his seat and took another drink, "I always thought it should have been the other way around. Although, I think often, queens are far greater and stronger than kings."

She raised an eyebrow at him "It seems that its only you that thinks that." she said to him and she bit her bottom lip before grinning "What makes a great king is the Queen in his life, to guide him in every way."

Louis nodded, "I agree. Queens are often self made-kings are born with their power, it is the women who have the wit to rise."

Anne smiled at him, her eyes lightening up with a different light and she nodded "Indeed." she said to him and she took a deep breath before walking back over and she sat down on her chair and she stared at him for a moment before looking down "I wonder at times what it would be like to travel from court to court." she admitted and she smiled at her own thoughts "My papa says that as well as education, it could be unhealthy to travel around all the time." she looked back up at him "And although I have knowledge, I thirst for more."

Louis sighed wistfully, "I love to travel. It gives you such freedom and the people you meet! I want to travel to India but I think that would be a personal voyage and I doubt the French crown would pay for it,"he joked.

"My occupation is such a gift. Meeting the best people from countries, travelling at no cost other than my time. I'd live my life no other way."

He then scratched his beard, "I suppose your father is somewhat correct. It can be dangerous-ship wrecks and violent pirates...but I have been lucky. You must take me as your guardian if you travel and you shall be safe."

Anne grinned and nodded "I have no doubt that my father will be happy with a gentle man, such as yourself, being my guardian." she said to him, almost teasingly and she took a deep breath "Although I say that I wish to be like Lucrezia, I wish to be... more than the women flopping about, paying due to the rules." she admitted to him and the passion and fire was alive in her dark eyes "I wish to an equal, or more, to the men of this world as women are always thought of as....third class citizens."

He grinned at her words, he noticed the passion in her words and admired her spirit.

"Then you had better marry well Anne, choose a man who loves you and not your dowry. I doubt the state of affairs we are in right now are a very long way from changing."

She raised an eyebrow at him "It doesn't take marriage, to get me where I want." she said to him and she took a deep breath and she smiled "I can do it without marriage."

He raised an eyebrow, "So you wish to be a lone traveller? No children or husband? How modern of you."

He reclined into his chair again and took a drink of the wine, finishing the cup, "I would never stop travelling but even I one day want a wife and a family."

She looked thoughtful "I want to experience life first." she said to him and she had passion in her voice "I want to..rebel against my mother and father, learn the ways of love and passion!" she had a smile on lips as she thought of such "I will marry at one stage...but I want to experience everything first."

Louis laughed and looked at her, pausing for a moment to admire the warmness of her smile, "You seem more of a vagabond than I. And I thought I was so adventurous," he chuckled," I must have been wrong!"

Anne smiled at his words and she nodded "I simply love new places." she said to him and she looked around the room before looking back to him "And by seeing new places, I will educate myself in the different ways of life from different courts." she said and she shrugged "Then when I marry, I will settle down in the court I love the most."

Louis smiled and commented, "You have your life planned very neatly."

She raised an eyebrow at him before nodding slowly "I guess I do." she said simply and she shrugged "Although, I do not mind if some surprises pop up here and there.."

He grinned and finished off his plate of food.

"This was delicious,," he said deeply and finished off his wine, "Thank you."

Anne looked at him and she nodded "You're most welcome." she said honestly and she shrugged "Sometimes it is nice being in the company of those whos views are much different than your own." she admitted and she laughed a little at her own words.

Louis smiled and used the serviette to dab the corners of his lips, "I would say to speak to a woman with her own mind is a great pleasure. Often women...in my experience, simply say what they think I want to hear."

Anne shrugged a little and she smiled "Well." she said simply "If we are to be friends, you should expect for me to say things that are against your beliefs, your ways of thinking." she said with a small grin.

He glanced down as she said friends and nodded, "Indeed-I would expect nothing more."

She raised her eyebrow at him with a small smile "You have no objections to is being friends do you?"

He glanced up at her and smiled reassuringly, "Why should I? Of course not."