by D. J. Holmes
Throughout the next few months, Jehanne continues to rally her troops as Pierre continues to protect her. Oblivious to the plans being made by the English to take her out of the war, Jehanne and Pierre continue day after day, to do as the French King has asked them to do.
While setting up tents for a new battle, the evening is extremely dark and quiet. Jehanne walks to a secluded place in the woods, puts branches on her head and around her body attaching them with strings of leather. She blackens her face and arms with mud.
Pierre finally finds her as she is finishing her preparation and asks, “Where are you going, Jehanne?”
“I need to go out to where we will do battle, I will be able to lead my French brothers better, if I get a feel for this land.”
“I’m going to go with you.”
Grateful to have Pierre by her side, she says “Let me help you put the mud on your body while you put the branches on.”
“Thank you,” he says.
Grabbing a whole handful of mud she slaps it on his back.
“Jehanne, could you please put that on a little softer?”
“What’s the matter did I hit you too hard?” she says trying to hide the teasing mood she is in.
“I think that if you look at my back not only will you see mud, but it will also be red, with a huge hand print where you hit me.”
“Come on now, let’s have some fun. We’ve been too serious for much too long with all this war.” Standing in front of Pierre, facing him, Jehanne puts mud on his face making sure that some of it gets into his mouth.
“Jehanne….” He spits it out. “What are you doing? I can hardly talk with all the mud that you just put into my mouth.”
“I thought that you might be a little hungry.”
“Well I am, but not for mud.”
“Would you like me to find some worms and a few leaves to add to it?” Jehanne smiles as she continues her teasing.
“No!” Pierre says as he begins to show the anger that is building within him wondering what she is doing. Grabbing her arms and looking directly into her eyes he continues, “I want you to concentrate on helping me to get ready to go with you, to scout out the battlefield.”
Looking down to the ground, Jehanne says, “I just wanted to have a little fun.” Looking back up and into his eyes, “We haven’t laughed for a long time, Pierre.”
“I know. I miss our fun times.”
Jehanne and Pierre are once again caught off guard by the feelings that they have for one another. Looking into each other’s eyes a feeling of oneness, fulfillment and love fills their hearts. A connection that neither one of them has ever felt for anyone else.
Wanting to stay focused on surviving all of these never-ending battles, and his pledge to bring Jehanne back to her parents, Pierre states, “Let’s get this war over with. Then we can laugh until our stomachs hurt and our eyes are filled with tears.”
Looking into his eyes, knowing that they must keep their concentration on the future of France, Jehanne agrees, “You’re right, Pierre.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Jehanne sees some type of movement further over in the woods. “Quiet. Hold still,” she whispers. “Look over there. The French nobles are leaving their tents wearing their dark robes so that they won’t be seen. Let’s follow them and see where they go.”
Pierre follows Jehanne as she quietly walks a safe distance behind the French nobles, following their every move. As soon as they stop, she extends her right hand out with her palm up, signaling for Pierre to stop, while bending her knees and lowering to the ground. Pierre stops next to her, following her example.
Whispering, Jehanne states, “They are walking toward the English encampment, Pierre. Why would they be doing that?”
“I don’t know. Let’s see if we can get close enough to hear their conversation.”
Suddenly one French noble stops again. “Did you hear anything?” he asks.
“No. I was just listening to you,” the other noble answers.
“It sounded as if it came from over there,” he says pointing in the direction of where Jehanne and Pierre are crouching.
“It’s nothing. Come on, we need to get this over with. My cousin is waiting.”
Within a few minutes the French nobles are sitting by a fire across from the English nobles, quietly talking. Covered with mud and branches, Jehanne and Pierre are able to position themselves where they can hear the conversation and not be seen.
Whispering, Pierre says, “They’re making plans for tomorrow’s battle, Jehanne.”
“I find it very amazing that enemies would be talking about a battle that will take place the next day.” Jehanne says with a smirk.
“Very funny… Jehanne! We both thought that this went on, now we have proof. For now though, let’s just continue to listen.”
After a while the voices of the nobles become even quieter, but Jehanne’s name can be heard once in a while.
Jehanne and Pierre begin to wonder what they are saying about her. They have heard enough of the plans for the upcoming battle, but decide not to confront the nobles as they follow them back to their tents. Jehanne and Pierre have decided to wait and see what happens in the morning.
Anxious for the next day, Jehanne and Pierre are up and ready before the light of day begins to shine on their camp. Wondering why their soldiers have not gathered for battle she rides up and asks one of the French nobles, “Where are my soldiers?”
“I gave them the day off.”
“What? You gave them the day off? What type of war is it when the nobles give their soldiers the day off? Are you finally going to do battle yourself?”
“No. I think that we’ll all take the day off….”
Angry, Jehanne turns her horse around and rides to the tents of her French brothers.
Facing the soldiers she says, “Today there is a battle…. Who will join me?”
“The nobles gave us the day off,” is the answer she is given over and over again.
Finally, Jehanne asks, “Tell me. Was there ever a day off when the English came and ravaged your villages?” Jehanne asks.
“Never…. But they won’t pay us if we go to battle.”
“Do you battle for the nobles or for yourselves?” she questions.
“We battle for the money that they pay us.”
Sitting straight and tall on her horse, Jehanne calmly states, “Let me tell you this. If we don’t battle the English today, they will rest. As a result, tomorrow the battle will be even more violent. They are tired now. You are stronger than they are. You can beat them today if you go to battle with me as your leader.”
“What about our money?”
“Every time that you go to battle there is a chance that you will not return. When you are dead, what good is money?”
“Money is of no use when we are dead.”
“Then I ask you once again to go with me into battle. DON’T FIGHT FOR MONEY. FIGHT FOR YOURSELVES. FIGHT FOR YOUR WIVES, YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR GOD, AND TO DRIVE THE ENGLISH OUT OF FRANCE!”
The truthfulness of Jehanne’s words finally resonates with each individual soldier. Cheers of “Jehanne…Jehanne…Jehanne,” can be heard for miles around.
Hearing the noise, the nobles wonder, “What’s that?”
Within a short time they watch Jehanne as she approaches them leading a full fighting battalion. As she rides by she points her sword at the French nobles and shouts, “WHEN THIS BATTLE IS OVER I WILL BE COMING FOR YOU TRAITORS! I SAW BOTH OF YOU IN THE FOREST LAST NIGHT TALKING TO THE ENGLISH!”
As soon as Jehanne passes, one French noble says to his companion, “She has got to be eliminated! She doesn’t know and refuses to learn, how this game is played. If I don’t do as the English tell me to do, when this is all over I won’t be able to have all the lands and castles that they have promised me.”
“Well, if anything is going to be done to stop her, I can tell you that none of your soldiers will do anything to harm or betray her. And I personal
ly won’t hurt a woman,” the second noble states.
“I’ll do it then!” In a rage, the second French noble marches into his tent to put on his armor.
The battle goes well for the French Army. Approaching the castle, Jehanne slides from her horse on to a ladder and begins to climb, determined to be the first onto the castle grounds.
While fighting with an English soldier, Pierre sees the noble enter the battlefield riding his horse and clad in armor. “Well, wonders never cease, finally one of the nobles is coming to help us.” Finishing his sword fight Pierre turns to see where Jehanne is. Noticing that she is safely on the ladder, he also notices the French noble swinging a flail high above his head and riding in Jehanne’s direction. Feeling a sick desperation in his soul as he realizes the noble’s intention, Pierre sprints a short distance through the battlefield to protect Jehanne, as the Noble continues to ride in her direction.
As she nears the half way point on the ladder, the French noble rides by on his horse still swinging his flail; it hits her directly on her right jaw. Fortunately Jehanne is wearing her helmet. Unfortunately, the force of the blow knocks her out, causing her to fall to the ground.
Pierre arrives just after Jehanne falls to the ground. Aware of what has happened several of her soldiers circle around Pierre and Jehanne, protecting them from the English soldiers in the middle of battle. Pierre picks her up and carries her to a safe place a short distance away. He whistles for his horse and mounts it. With the help of a few of her soldiers Jehanne is lifted up to Pierre’s arms as he sits on his horse.
Looking at the men that surrounded them as Jehanne was lifted to him, Pierre says, “Fight on my brothers. We will both be back as soon as we can. Be strong! Remember the cause you are fighting for and it will give you strength to continue on.”
“We will be strong, Pierre. Take care of Jehanne and we will encourage our brothers until you are back.”
“But hurry, Pierre,” another soldiers adds, “I don’t know how long they will fight without Jehanne here.”
“God willing, we will be back soon,” Pierre promises.
Riding to their tent he puts Jehanne on her bed, inwardly thinking, “I will take care of the French traitor, when Jehanne is recovered!”
The noble that hit Jehanne with a flail continues to ride away from the battle as a coward, not looking back to see the outcome of his deed. Finally making sure that he has not been followed, he returns to his tent.
“It’s done.” He says to the other French noble. “Did you see what I did?”
“No. I couldn’t watch. So I went inside our tent.”
“Look out on the battlefield. Do you see her standard?”
“I’m not going out there to look. I want no part of this deed.”
“For your information, with as hard as I hit her she should be dead. I’ll bet that the soldiers will be coming off the battlefield as soon as they notice that her standard isn’t flying among them.”