by D. J. Holmes
With the heat of the hot afternoon sun beating on their backs, Jehanne and Pierre are grateful as a cool wind finally comes from the north, helping to make their long ride bearable. Their French standards of sky blue cloth and gold fleur de lis’ flap back and forth with each gust of wind as they travel from their King's Coronation, to their next place of battle with the English.
Minutes later, behind them on the hill and to their side, the sound of horses hooves can be heard riding toward them in great haste. In war, one can never feel safe until they know who is coming in their direction. Looking behind them to see if they are friend or foe, they quickly notice a dark red cross in the middle of white cloth strapped to the side of each horse. All riders are poised with their bows and arrows ready to shoot.
“The English, how did they get here, I thought that we had secured this area?”
“Apparently they slipped through, Jehanne. Let’s get to our troops where we will be safe.”
Kicking the sides of their horses their speed increases, but not enough.
“JEHANNE, GIVE YOUR HORSE ITS FULL STRIDE!!!” Pierre yells as he keeps his horse’s stride controlled not wanting to leave her behind.
“I AM, PIERRE!” she yells, looking up and over to her right.
“THE ENGLISH ARE CATCHING UP TO US. WE NEED TO GO FASTER!” he continues.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO, PIERRE? MY HORSE DOESN’T HAVE THE STRIDE THAT YOURS HAS!”
“GET UP HERE BEHIND ME,” he says patting his horse’s back just behind his high back saddle.
“AND JUST HOW DO I DO THAT?” She quickly asks, thinking that he is a bit crazy.
Extending his left hand, Pierre demands, “JEHANNE, TAKE MY HAND AND STAND UP. GET BEHIND ME.”
“BUT… WHAT ABOUT FATHER’S HORSE?”
“MOVE NOW! WE HAVE NO TIME TO LOSE.” Watching the English from the corner of his eye, Pierre notices that they have begun to come up on both sides. “JEHANNE…NOW!” he desperately yells.
Still galloping, Jehanne quickly stands up on her saddle. Pierre positions his horse slightly forward so that it will be easier for Jehanne to get up behind him. Instantly letting go of the reins, Jehanne makes the transition. Swinging her right leg over to sit down behind Pierre, she feels the excruciating pain of an arrow finding its place in the flesh of her thigh.
Many more arrows pass them as they race towards another grove of trees trying to evade their pursuers. Not realizing that Jehanne has been hit, Pierre kicks his horse again giving it full rein and finally the freedom to go as fast as it can. With their speed accelerated, they effortlessly leave the English behind.
As Jehanne and Pierre disappear over the ridge and through the trees, out of frustration the English commander signals with his right hand for his troops to stop, shouting, “I PUT MY BEST ARCHERS IN THE FRONT AND YOU MISS BOTH OF THEM!”
“What do you mean?” An archer speaks up, “I got her. I know that one of my arrows hit her right thigh.”
“Are you sure?” the commander demands with a half smile.
“I’m positive. Just as she was swinging her leg over, my arrow, found its mark.”
“If you are right, they will be stopping soon. All we have to do is to scour the countryside to find them.”
“But, we will be going where more people are loyal to the newly crowned King.”
“When has that stopped us before?”
“It hasn’t, but since we’ve stopped anyway, can we rest before we journey any farther?”
“No! That was Jehanne. Do you know how much money we could get if we captured her?” their commander reminds them.
With renewed vigor, the soldiers begin to ride as fast as they can, yet even with all their eagerness, the English horses are still no match for Pierre’s ‘Charger’, a beautiful black stallion that Jean de Metz had given to him when they first met.
Coming to the outside of a small village, Jehanne finally says, “Pierre, I need to rest.”
Still looking forward and pressing his horse to go as fast as it can, Pierre answers, “Jehanne, we don’t have time to rest. I told your Mother and Father that I would protect you. The English will be looking for you…. They will be looking for both of us.”
Feeling her slump to his left side, he quickly moves his left arm up and behind him catching her. Realizing that something must be wrong, he pulls back on the reins to slow his horse down, and rides to a nearby cottage.
“HELLO, IN THERE,” Pierre yells. “WOULD YOU HELP US?”
Barely opening the front door, the occupant yells back, “WHAT DO YOU NEED?”
Pierre cautiously states, “To whom are you loyal, the English, or the French?”
“I and my household are loyal to the new French King. Why do you ask?”
“Because this is Jehanne, and I need your help…. But I must warn you, the English are just a short distance behind. If you help us, it could bring great harm to you and your family.”
“Are you saying that this is Jehanne, the great commander of our French soldiers?” he questions as he opens the door wider and walks out.
“The very same Sir, the English are looking for us. Would you be frightened if they found us in your home?”
“In times like this, everyone is frightened. But it is better to stand for what is right, even though we are afraid of our enemies. Jehanne has done so much for France, it would be wrong to turn her away.”
Calling his family members, the man of the house asks them to help. As they gently take her down from his horse, Pierre, little by little, let’s go of Jehanne, watching as they carefully take her into their cottage.
Finally seeing the arrow in her thigh, pangs of sadness fill his soul. Looking to the ground, Pierre says, “Had I known, Jehanne, I would have stopped long ago.” Taking a breath and finally getting a hold of his emotions, he dismounts his horse. The man of the house and his son-in-law come out of the cottage, leaving Jehanne with his wife and daughter.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Juste, and this is my daughter’s husband, Adrien. My wife’s name is Eloise and my daughter is Delphine.”
“I’m glad to know you. My name is Pierre.”
Juste asks Adrien, “Would you please take the saddle off of Pierre’s horse and put it in the shed? Then I’ll take his beautiful black stallion and let it run with our own horses.”
Walking back to Pierre, he says, “There, everything is taken care of.” He adds, “We don’t have much, but you are welcome to what we have. Are you hungry?”
“I am, but we must take care of Jehanne first.”
“My wife is already seeing to that.”
Walking into their cottage, Juste introduces Pierre to his daughter. “Pierre, this is Delphine. As you can see… it is almost time for my daughter to give birth to her first child.”
“Congratulations,” Pierre states, as he looks in her direction.
Jehanne has been placed in the back bedroom just off of the main room and front of the cottage in a bed, large enough for one person, pushed up against the wall.
“This is Pierre, Eloise,” Juste introduces his new friend to his wife.
Looking up for a short moment with a smile on her face, she greets him with “Hello,” as she continues to care for Jehanne.
Seeing the concern on Pierre’s face Eloise begins to describe what she has done for Jehanne, “The arrow went almost completely through her thigh. I felt the best thing to do would be to carefully push it through the rest of the way, break off the arrow and slowly pull out the shaft.”
The pained look on Pierre’s face initiates a response from Eloise.
“Oh, don’t worry, she is still unconscious. I think that it’s her way of healing. But she’s lost a lot of blood and is still quite weak. Her leg is completely bandaged. Now all I have to do is to clean up the bedding.”
The sound of many horses can be heard quickly riding toward their cottage. Pierre instantly stands up and looks through the window. “It’s the English. Do you have a back door
?”
“Yes, but Jehanne is too weak, and still unconscious.”
Delphine quickly walks over to her father. “I have an idea. I will pretend that I am in labor. Put Pierre and Jehanne under the bed and I will be on top, making it look like the baby is coming. They won’t bother to come close to me. That way they won’t see the blood on the bedding, and they won’t check under the bed.”
“There is only room for one person under the bed!” her father states with concern.
“Not if one is on top of the other,” Delphine points out.
As if a light goes on in his head, Juste quickly starts giving instructions. “Adrien, quickly, help me move the bed. Pierre, lay down on your back on the floor, we’ll put Jehanne on top of you. That way you can hold her still and if she wakes up, you can keep her quiet.” Pierre quickly lies down on his back on the floor in the corner, and Jehanne is placed on her stomach on top of him. “Quickly now, put the bed over them…Delphine they are at the door. Get on the bed…Eloise, help Delphine… Adrien, come with me. We will answer the door.”
“Father, Pierre is longer than the bed. It doesn’t cover him,” Delphine says, as her eyes widen and her face flushes with concern.
Quickly walking back into the bedroom, Juste points to a trunk just under the window on the other side of the room. “Adrien…pull that trunk over and place it at the end of the bed so that his feet won’t show.”
Walking to the front door Juste looks back toward the bedroom door before Adrien closes it, to see if anyone could see Pierre’s feet, in case the soldiers become curious and decide to open the bedroom door.
“Quiet, everyone,” he whispers.
With everyone in their place, Juste opens the cottage door. “Hello, Sir, what can I help you with?”
“Have you seen any strangers around here?”
“No, Sir, we have been enjoying our time as a family.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am very sure, Sir.”
Opening the door and pushing his way in, the English soldier begins to look around. Walking toward the back bedroom, he notices a few drops of blood on the floor. Bending down to touch it, he says, “This is fresh blood!”
Shocked that there is blood on the floor… but not missing a beat, Juste answers, “Oh, yes it is. My daughter is in labor and we haven’t had time to clean it up. Everything is happening so quickly.”
Hearing commotion coming from the back room, the soldier opens the door to see what is happening.
“Sir, allow us some privacy. My daughter is birthing her first child,” Eloise pleads.
While the soldier stands at the threshold of the bedroom door, he quickly looks around the room. Finally shutting the door, he walks back toward Juste, “I’m sorry to have bothered you and your family. May your daughter have an easy time or it. I remember my wife’s first child it was so hard for her.”
“It is nice of you to be kind to us, Sir. Would you like something to eat?” Juste asks.
“I would. We have been riding for such a long time. It seems good to be in a cottage.”
“Do you mind if I check on my daughter, and ask my wife what there is to eat?”
“I don’t mind. I’ll wait right here for you.”
“Please make yourself comfortable, Sir.”
“Thank you,” he responds as he sits down.
As Juste walks into the back room, he tells his wife what he has done.
“Why did you do that? Wouldn’t it have been better to get them out of our cottage as soon as we could?” she whispers.
“They would have gone just a short distance away and watched our every move. This way they will think that there is no one here. And when they leave, they will not look back.”
Eloise comments, “I’m sure you know what is best, Juste.”
Looking at his daughter, he quietly says, “I am sorry. You will have to pretend a little longer.”
“Father, my pretending has turned into the real thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that the baby is coming.”
“…Now?”
“Yes, now!”
Under the bed, Pierre can hear everything that is going on, while Jehanne is still in a deep sleep. Having her head on his chest, just under his chin, feels so natural. Feelings radiating from his heart continue to grow, just as they had the first day he met her. Now having time to think his mind wanders remembering how he first came to Jehanne’s family. “What a strange way to meet such a wonderful woman.”
Soon, Pierre hears Juste say to his wife, “I had better go back to the main room, before he begins to think that something is going on. Please, sweet heart, if there is anything that I can help you with, call me.”
“I will. But for right now, this is a woman’s world,” Eloise states emphatically.
After Juste walks back into the main room, the soldier states, “I appreciate your kindness, but I have been thinking, this is a time when only family should be gathered, not a bunch of strangers. So, my soldiers and I will go.” As he walks to the door, he turns around. “This whole situation makes me miss my children.”
Opening the door and looking out at his men, he says, “They’re not here. We’ll have to look in other places.” Turning back to Juste, he says, “Good luck to you and your family.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as the soldiers are a safe distance away, Juste runs into the back room. “They are gone…the soldiers are gone.”
“Good timing, Juste. The baby’s head is showing, ask Adrien to come in here, please.”
“So soon… this is her first baby, shouldn’t it take a lot longer?”
“Apparently not….”
“Adrien…. Adrien, come. Come quickly. Your child is being born.” Soon the baby is heralding his entrance into the world with a healthy cry.
Startled, Jehanne’s eyes open. Looking around at her surroundings, and finally up at Pierre she asks, “Is that a baby?”
“Yes, Jehanne, it is. Are you ok?”
“I’m fine.” Lifting her head off of his chest, she realizes that there is something above her. “Where are we?”
“…Underneath a bed.”
“Have I been unconscious?”
“Yes.”
“…For how long?”
“Long enough for the English soldiers to come here looking for us, and for a baby to be born.”
“Darn…I missed all of the excitement!” she says with disappointment.
Eloise can hear Jehanne and Pierre talking. “I’m sorry. As soon as I clean the baby and take care of my daughter, we will move the bed.”
From the moment Jehanne and Pierre first met, they have had a connection that neither one of them understood, but enjoyed immensely. With an excuse to be close to each other, Pierre says with a smile, “Don’t worry about us. We’re fine…. Take care of your family.”
Jehanne adds, “You don’t need to hurry. We’re both comfortable.” Laying her head back on Pierre’s chest, she can hear his heart beating faster and faster. Within her own body, she can feel her heart beating at the same pace, keeping time with his.
“KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.” The sudden shock of that loud sound startles everyone.
Walking to the door, Juste sees the same English soldier that had just been in his cottage a short time earlier.
“Hello again, Sir, I didn’t hear any horses approaching our home. Is there something that I can do for you?”
“Did I hear voices coming from your back room?” he asks.
“Why, yes, you did…my wife and I, and my daughter’s husband are so excited. The baby was just born. We just experienced his first cry.”
“A boy huh…your daughter had a boy?”
“Yes, how did you know?” Juste answers with his eyes widened.
“You said, ‘his’ first cry.”
“Yes Sir, a boy. A fine boy,” he responds, relieved that the commander hadn’t heard his earlier conversation with Je
hanne and Pierre.
“Well, I just had to come back. Something was bothering me. Over there with your horses,” pointing his finger in their direction, “as I was leaving, I noticed a ‘Stallion’. It’s rare that a peasant has a ‘Stallion’, particularly a ‘Destrier,’ in with his other horses.”
“What makes you think that it is a ‘Destrier’? I was told that it was a ‘Charger’.”
“It is a ‘Charger’, but it is the highest quality ‘Charger’.”
“And how do you know that?”
“By the way that it stands.”
Looking in the direction of Pierre’s horse, Juste says, “Oh looking at it now, I can see what you mean…. As I am a simple peasant, I didn’t realize that there was any difference in ‘Chargers’. All I can tell you is that I did some work for a Knight. He was short on what he owed me, so he left one of his ‘Chargers’ with me. When he gets enough money to pay his bill, he will come back here and pay me in full. Plus, what it costs to feed his horse.”
“I knew that there had to be some explanation for it to be here. Thank you.” The commander turns around and walks to his horse. As he rides away, he says to one of his soldiers. “He’s lying. I want to leave you here with three other soldiers. Stay over there out of sight,” pointing to a grove of trees, “and watch this cottage. Just in case I’m wrong, I will take everyone else with me and we will continue to look for Jehanne. We can all use that reward!”
“Yes Sir.”
Inside the cottage, Juste says, “They’re gone…again.”
Everyone smiles, quietly laughing to themselves.
Eloise announces, “Mother and baby are finally ready. Juste, will you and Adrien move this bed so that Pierre and Jehanne can get out from under it?”
“Oh, that’s right. They are still under the bed,” Juste comments with a smile.
After the bed is moved, Pierre rolls over allowing Jehanne to lie on her back on the floor. He gets up bends back down and picks her up in his arms, so that she won’t have to walk on her leg. “Jehanne, why didn’t you tell me you had an arrow in your leg?”
“I wanted you to concentrate on getting us away from the English.”
“Well, you scared me when you slumped over. I didn’t know what had happened to you.”
Looking at him with a smile, she says, “Well, now you know what happened. And now you know that I am fine. As long as you are by my side, Pierre, I know that I will be all right.”
Looking deeply into her eyes, he pulls his arms tighter around her for a moment. This is his way of agreeing with her, letting her know that he will always protect her. Walking over to the side of the bed, he sits her down in a chair.
Juste looks at both of them. “So this is Jehanne, the Commander that has done so much for us?”
“Yes, and Jehanne, this is Juste and his wife Eloise. The mother of the child is Delphine. Her husband is Adrien.”
“Hello, to all of you,” she says. “Thank you for everything that you have done for both of us.” Looking over at the baby, Jehanne asks, “May I hold this wonderful child?”
Pleased that she would ask, Delphine states, “I would be honored, Jehanne.”
“I have never seen anything so beautiful in all my life,” Jehanne says, as she holds out her hands. Pulling the child closer and looking down at him, she states, “I will make a promise to you little one. I will do everything that I can to end this hundred years war. During all these years it has destroyed too many families, and taken too many lives; I don’t want it to take yours, little man.” She continues to hold the child as it looks up at her, reaching with its small hand to hold her finger.
