The Days and the Seasons
In the time of the _ancien régime_ most of the french aristocracy lived in a state of decadence in versailles, but in this respect the vendéan nobility was an exception, preferring to remain at their remote country estates, far from courtly intrigue.
Avolon: Os-Nadarra Prime Volume 1
These were not guards of the avolon security forces; they were members of the king's guard -the elite trained warriors that answered only to the king and the aristocracy.