Mysterious Destiny Bright Lights and Thunder Part I

by D. J. Holmes

  ***

  In her tent, Jehanne walks around her makeshift war table, deep in thought. “Pierre, you have helped me prepare our battle plans at the war table many times now; you now know the layout of our country. Since we have taken Orleans, where do you think the English will assume that we will go next?” she asks.

  “If I were the English, I would think that the logical conclusion would be that you would lead your troops to Paris, or Normandy.”

  “Really, why would you think that?”

  “We could ride from Orleans to Paris in one day or to Normandy is about two and a half day’s travel. Either place would be a relatively short distance to travel to battle, for an important strategic area.”

  “Paris is northwest; Normandy is to our direct west right?”

  “You are correct.”

  “Then I will head northeast to Reims.”

  “Jehanne, Reims is four days travel, deep into English territory. We will be surrounded by the English.”

  “Exactly, but we must think of it as French territory that we will be taking back from the English, Pierre,” Jehanne says with emphasis, pointing her index finger in his direction.

  “All right, Jehanne. I can tell that you have your mind made up.”

  “Yes Pierre, we will take Reims, and everything in between.”

  True to her word, she heads northeast. With her troops, she stops just in sight of the next castle. Sticking her standard into the ground she gets off of her horse.

  Jehanne assigns several of her soldiers to guard duty giving instructions, “You heard their warning bells announcing that there is danger in their area. They have heard that the French were coming and now they see our standards. You heard them as they ran to the castle for safety, they know that we want our land back, so be watchful for their spies or even groups of English coming to do us harm.”

  Jehanne commands all of her troops “Take your instructions from Pierre as I gather some information.” While everyone else prepares their camp, Jehanne walks over to the castle. Walking around the outside perimeter, she studies its foundation and walls.

  Inside the castle a guard walks up to the Lord of the Manor. “Sir, there is a French soldier walking around outside looking at the walls of the castle.”

  “Just one soldier…”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “That has to be one courageous soldier, I’ve got so see this guy. Maybe I’ll even introduce myself to him.”

  “Sir, be careful! It could be some kind of a trap.”

  “Don’t worry. While I watch him I’ll also scan the area for any sign of his troops, just to make sure that he is alone.”

  The Lord of the Manor walks up the stairs to the top of the wall. Standing on the parapet walkway he looks over the wall and watches Jehanne walking back and forth trampling the grass under her feet as she looks at the foundation of the outside castle wall. After a while, he feels it would be safe to find out who this man is and what he is about. “I’ve never seen an enemy with so much courage, he says to himself. Looking over the wall and down to the ground he yells, “Hello…Hello down there!”

  Looking up toward the sound of the voice, Jehanne shades her eyes trying to locate the owner of the voice. Finally she sees a man looking over the tall rock wall, “Hello there,” she calls back.

  Taken back by the sound of her voice he asks, “Are you a woman?”

  “Why, yes I am,” she answers, wondering to herself, “Why does everyone ask that?”

  “Why are you walking around my castle? Is this what the French have their women do now? Shouldn’t a commander be doing that?”

  “Actually, I am the commander,” she says with her hands on her hips.

  “A woman commander…. Let me save you a lot of time, there is no way that you will be able to penetrate this castle.”

  “Oh, really?” she questions. “Let me tell you a secret that you may not be aware of. You see this corner… this buttress here?” she points to the rock corner.

  “Yes.”

  “You might be interested to learn that it wasn’t put in correctly. And with all of the stones that you have been dropping on it during your battles, either by accident or on purpose, it now has a huge crack in it. From my observation, I would think that by using a battering ram, it wouldn’t take too long to see all of the stones above it,” pointing to the higher stones, “come tumbling down to the ground.” Her beautiful hands make a tumbling motion.

  “You must be wrong. I had all of my soldiers check the foundation. The reports that came back said that everything was in excellent shape.”

  “I’m sure that you have superb soldiers, Sir. Maybe it split just after they walked past it. Let me look at it again.” Walking over to the buttress for a second look she adds, “Well now, it has a lot of wear to the split. That tells me that it has been here for quite a long time.” Looking up at the owner, she adds, “Maybe your soldiers are losing their eyesight?”

  “They aren’t that old,” he responds in a frustrated tone.

  “Maybe they aren’t as superb as I thought that they may be. I am sorry that you won’t have time to fix it, which is bad for you. What’s good for me is that I have just found your weak spot. If you will excuse me, it’s time to get my troops ready.”

  The Lord of the Manor watches Jehanne walk away with a great deal of surprise and with his mouth open. Having an enemy turn their back without fear is something that he has never seen before. Finally he closes his mouth and smiles after thinking through their conversation. “I know what she is going to do. Women just can’t keep anything to themselves,”

  While the Lord of the manor is preparing his troops for a definite attack, Jehanne walks back to her camp and tells Pierre what she has just done.

  “Why would you tell him exactly where you plan to strike, Jehanne?” he questions.

  “Pierre, do you know what he is doing right now?” she asks.

  “What?”

  “He’s bringing most of his troops from the front gate over to the corner I pointed out to him. He has just split his defenses! I’ll take most of my forces to that area and put on a good show. You go around to the front, scale the wall, and open the drawbridge. Once you let me know that you are in, I will lead our troops through his front door.”

  “As always, Jehanne your plans are unique,” Pierre says with a crooked smile.

  Gathering her troops with the battering ram at the corner of the castle, Jehanne and her troops begin to put on a masterful presentation.

  High on the parapet walk, inside the castle, the Lord of the Manor watches their determination to break the outer wall of his castle.

  “That stupid woman told me what she was going to do. Can you imagine? She told me! So of course I brought most of my troops over here, and look, they’re not making any headway!” Full of pride, he tries to show his soldiers that he is the better commander.

  Jehanne and her soldiers are putting on such a good show as they continue to hit the weakened buttress with all the weaponry they have brought, that the Lord of the Manor begins to laugh to himself. In his pride he signals for all of his soldiers to come to where he is, so that he can show them how stupid the French commander is.

  As soon as the English soldiers leave their posts, Pierre scales the rock wall signaling one of his soldiers to let Jehanne know that her plan has worked.

  Now that the drawbridge is down, Jehanne signals to her troops to follow her.

  “Look, they are departing,” cries the Lord of the Manor slamming his fist on the top of the rock wall. They can’t bring this corner down, and they are finally going away. Look, they are so beaten down that they are even leaving the battering ram.” Laughing he adds, “Can you believe how stupid the French are?”

  All of his soldiers begin to laugh with him. Even with all their laughter, he hears a familiar sound.

  “Hello. Hello up there.”

  “I can hear that woman’s voice.” The Lord of the Manor looks back over the
wall to the buttress.

  “Turn around I’m down here….”

  The laughing stops and the Lord of the Manor and his troops look down in shock, to the castle grounds.

  “Ah, there you are, you finally heard me! I came to visit you, but everyone was looking outside to that buttress.”

  “How did you get in here?” he questions still in shock.

  “I came in through the front door…. You really shouldn’t leave your front door wide open like that,” Jehanne says with a smile, and her hands out to the side.

  Embarrassed that he was beaten by a woman, he says to himself, “A woman. How could a woman outmaneuver me?”

  Looking at his expression Jehanne quips, “You English are going to have to get over your pride. Women have the same thought capacity as that of men. And contrary to popular belief, we are very capable of figuring out the strategy of war just as well as you do.”

  Looking back at her soldiers she asks, “What should we do with our newly acquired castle and its people?”

  Hundreds of swords are raised to the sky, while deafening shouts of “Fight… Fight….” fill the castle grounds.

  Looking back at the Lord of the Manor, Jehanne continues, “As you can see, my soldiers are ready to fight. But, I will give you two other choices. You and your people will either have to swear allegiance to France or I will allow you and your people to leave this castle in peace, as long as you promise to never come back to France again.”

  Thinking for a moment the Lord of the Manor states, “I will not swear allegiance to a woman.”

  “You are welcome to leave then, Sir. Go back to England and on your way take all of the English with you. All that will not swear allegiance to France are no longer welcome here.”

  “I won’t give up to a woman.”

  Moving her horse closer to the inside wall, she looks up at the Lord of the Manor. “Pierre would you and a few soldiers bring him to me?”

  Following Jeanne’s instructions, Pierre and his soldiers run up the stairs to the parapet walkway. The Lord of the manor is suddenly surrounded by Jehanne’s soldiers. When he is brought before she demands, “I will take your sword, Sir.”

  “…My sword?”

  “Yes. With each battle that we win, I ask for the sword of the person in charge.”

  Reluctantly, he hands his sword to her.

  “Within one day you and your people are to vacate this castle, or we will come against you and I will show you no mercy!”

  “What is your name?” he asks.

  “Jehanne d’Arc.”

  Softening his attitude he says, “I have never seen a commander as kind as you.”

  “Don’t ever equate my kindness as a weakness, Sir. I will do what needs to be done to get the English out of France.”

  “I can see that you mean what you say. My people and I will leave in peace.”

  Jehanne and her troops stay in their camp watching as the English leave their place of refuge, to make sure that the English are true to their word.

  “They’re gone, Pierre. Are you ready to move on?”

  “Yes Jehanne. I’m ready for our next conquest.”

  “Good, ask our fellow French patriots that follow us to move into the castle and to protect it from future English occupation.”

  “I have all ready.”

  “So you knew that I would ask this of you?”

  “Yes, Jehanne you have with all the other castles that we have taken.”

  “You know me so well don’t you, Pierre?”

  “Many times I never know what you will do, but with our people I know that you want their land given back to them.”

  “We are of one mind Pierre. Thank you for being by my side.”

  “It is always my honor, Jehanne.”

  As Jehanne and her troops move to the next battle they come upon an English regiment sent to turn them back.

  “Pierre and I will take the center.” Pointing to two other captains, she says, “You take the right wing, and you take the left wing. Send messengers to your primary tactical units, your archers, heavy cavalry and your ground troops. Tell the archers to shoot their arrows into the English making sure they mark the longbowmen, they are treacherous! Have your heavy cavalry ride in next making sure that they cut and dissect this English regiment.”

  As the messengers leave, Jehanne continues addressing the remaining Captains. “Follow up with your ground troops. They will take care of whoever is left. While your ground troops are cleaning up, bring your Cavalry around, surrounding the English. Good luck, my Brothers. As soon as we finish this, we will gather together and continue on to our next castle.”

  Jehanne’s troops spread out to their assigned positions, with their standards signaling their area, ready for the battle to begin.

  The English continue their charge toward them. Jehanne’s archers shoot at the English, with many arrows finding their mark. Shortly, Jehanne and Pierre charge toward the English, as do the captains on the right, and left wings.

  Pierre’s horse runs with great ferocity toward an English commander. As they come within striking distance, the English commander raises his ax. Pierre leans down the right side of his horse, holding on with his left leg, and strategically positions his bow and arrow just under his horse’s neck. Marking the body of the English captain, Pierre’s arrow hit’s the English man and he falls to the ground. Since their leader has fallen, the English troops scatter.

  After the skirmish is over, Jehanne remarks, “Pierre, I saw you shoot the English commander. Your style was magnificent. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

  “I remember seeing my father practice shooting his bow and arrows that way.”

  “You’re going to have to teach me that one,” she says with a smile.

  “You have enough tricks up your sleeve, Jehanne. Do you think that you need another one?”

  “That’s not a trick, Pierre, it’s a necessity….”

  “Oh. You see me do something new, and it becomes a necessity?”

  “Of course, it’s a necessity. I am your commander, Pierre. I am asking you to teach me how to do that.”

  Looking down at his horse, and then up at the sky, Pierre answers, “I don’t teach commanders. I only teach friends, Jehanne.”

  “Then, I will ask you as a friend.”

  “What are you asking?”

  “I all ready told you….”

  “I can’t say that I heard anything from a friend, Jehanne. Maybe you’ll have to say it again.”

  Knowing that Pierre is playing his games again, Jehanne rides her horse next to his. Gently touching his arm, and looking into his eyes, she says, “Pierre, would you please teach me how to do that maneuver?”

  “Oh, so it’s a maneuver now, huh?”

  “Yes, and I’m asking you as a friend.”

  “Well, then your request is granted, friend.”

  Smiling at each other they continue their march to Reims.

  Battle after battle the English continue to retreat from France as Jehanne moves forward to her goal. In the middle of one of those battles, an English noble begins to question the position in which they find themselves.

  “How did we get into this situation? We took Rouen, Paris, Reims and all the towns in between. We lost Orleans, which was supposed to be the staging area prior to taking over the South of France. And now the French are marching to Reims? This isn’t the agreement that we have with the French. We are the supreme army! We are supposed to win every war. In return, we pay the French nobles for their time out of the revenues that we receive from the sale of war weaponry.”

  The English noble continues, “The only difference is Jehanne…a woman. I heard many of the French nobles say that they had no control over her. That’s what happens whenever women get involved in war. They want to have it over with, because they care for their men. But this game has to continue! If there is no one left to whom we can sell our weapons, we will run out of money. The result will b
e that nobles, on both sides, will have to live like the commoners do.”

  Faced with the possibility of living like a commoner, he points to one of his archers and commands, “TAKE HER OUT!”

  “But, Sir, she is a woman!”

  “TAKE HER OUT OR YOU WILL BE WITH HER.”

  “Yes Sir.” Raising his 6-foot long bow, the 3-foot long arrow with its narrow tip capable of piercing through armor, sails through the air at 125 to 150 miles per hour. Cutting rapidly through the air, the arrow heads directly toward Jehanne’s standard, which marks her place on the battlefield.