Mysterious Destiny Bright Lights and Thunder Part I
Page 33
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Back in Domremy, Jon and Julia have just found the cottage where, Isabelle and Jacque live.
Finding Jehanne’s parents outside doing the chores, Jon and Julia walk up to them.
“Hello. We are looking for someone. Would you be so kind as to look at this locket, and tell me if you have ever seen this little boy?”
In shock while looking at Julia, they barely hear her ask them to look at her locket. Finally, as she opens it so that the picture is visible to them, Jacque and Isabelle look at the picture and then at each other softly saying together, “Running Deer.”
“Would you mind speaking a little louder?” Julia asks.
Jacque finally looks directly at her. “It is, Running Deer.”
“You know his name!” Jon says with relief.
“Yes. He came here two years ago,” Jacque states.
“Two years ago?” Julia questions. “Where is he? We would like to see him.”
“A month ago he left with our daughter, Jehanne. They have gone to battle with the English.”
“Battle with the English, isn’t he a little small to go to battle?”
“Actually, he’s not so small. When he came to our village, he was almost as tall as I am.”
“As tall as you are?”
“Yes, I’m almost six feet tall and since he’s been here, he’s grown to be over six feet.”
“What year is this anyway?”
“Why it’s 1429.”
“And what country is this?” Jon continues to question.
Looking at them strangely, Jacque answers, “France. You are in France.”
Jon looks sick. “Please excuse us; we need to walk over here for a moment.” Taking Julia by the upper arm he turns to walk back the way they had come.”
“Jon, what is the matter?” Julia asks.
“Just come with me, Julia. I need to walk over here.”
Walking a short distance away, he sits down.
Repeating her question, Julia asks again, “What’s the matter, Jon?”
“Julia this is a dangerous time of history. We need to find Running Deer as quickly as we can. Stand in front of me. I need to talk to Daniel. I don’t want to scare them while I talk into the flat crystal bracelet that he gave to each of us.”
Julia nonchalantly moves in front of Jon as he taps the bracelet three times. “Daniel, are you there?”
“I am, Jon. How are you and Julia?”
“Julia and I are fine. We found a cottage. This couple says that, Running Deer arrived here almost two years ago. Can that be possible?”
“Yes. Remember I told you that time is different in every dimension.”
“Daniel, I’m very concerned. We’re in France and the year is 1429.”
“You have every reason to be concerned, Jon. What I can tell you is that, Treysen is following, Running Deer. So far he is fine.”
“Can you tell me where he is?”
“I’m sorry, Jon. The only thing that I can tell you is that he is doing well. You will have to find your own way.”
“We will do our best, Daniel.”
“See you soon, Jon.”
“See you as soon as we can,” Jon says with concern.
“Remember, Jon, Running Deer will be fine until you are able to find him. Then it will be your job to protect him.”
“I understand, Daniel.”
“Good bye, Jon.”
“Good bye, Daniel.”
Julia asks, “Jon, if Treysen is watching Running Deer, why can’t Daniel tell us where he is?”
“I don’t know. Daniel just said that he can’t, we have to find our own way. I’m feeling better now, Julia, but we have to make time count. We need to leave as soon as possible.”
Walking back over to, Jacque and Isabelle, Jon offers an apology, “I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly, I’m feeling better now. Getting back to, Running Deer, could you tell us where he is now?”
Jacque responds, “He is with our daughter and she is now on her way to Reims. We could start there.”
“…We?” Julia asks.
“Yes. My wife and I have decided that we would like to see our daughter. And they are both together. Why don’t we travel together?”
“We would appreciate your company. If you go with us, we will be able to find him quicker since you know this country better than we do,” Julia states.
“We also have a wagon that we could use. It would be a lot faster than walking.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“When would you like to leave?” Jacque asks.
“As soon as possible….”
“Since it is late in the day why don’t we all get a good night’s sleep and leave first thing in the morning.”
“That would probably be the safest thing to do.”
“Isabelle, would that give you time to gather food for us to eat on our journey?”
“Yes, it would give me plenty of time. The last two days, I have had a feeling that I needed to do a lot of cooking. I have been busy baking bread, and cakes. I also made butter while I gathered potatoes and vegetables. All we have to do is to make sure that we have enough water for ourselves and food for our horses.”
Jacque looks at Jon, “Why don’t we gather the water barrels and food for the horses?”
“Julia and I can gather the food that I have cooked for the last two days,” Isabelle states.
While, Isabelle and Julia are gathering the food, Julia notices that both, Jacque and Isabelle continue to look in her direction. “Is there something about me that bothers you and your husband?” she questions.
“Oh no, there is nothing that bothers us. It’s just that you look so much like our daughter, Jehanne.”
“I look like, Jehanne?”
“Yes. If she wasn’t my daughter, I would think that you were her. The only thing different, is the color of your hair and eyes. Where your eyes are blue and your hair is blonde, her eyes are green and her hair is black. One other thing is that your voice is a little different. You have a different accent.”
“That’s interesting, Isabelle.”
“Jon, did you hear what Isabelle had to say?”
“No, I’m sorry. What did I miss?”
“Isabelle just told me that I look like, Jehanne.”
“That’s interesting, Julia.”
“That’s exactly what I said to Isabelle, Jon.”
“There’s never a mistake, Julia. There must be some reason other than Running Deer that we are here at this time in history.”
“Do you think that we should tell, Daniel?”
“I think that he probably already knows, Julia. We can talk about this as we travel to find Jehanne and Running Deer. For now, I had better continue to help Jacque so that we can leave at first light.”
After what seems like a very long night, morning finally arrives. Walking out of the cottage as, Jon and Jacque, are putting the last items into the wagon, Isabelle looks at Julia and says, “Look, the rays of the morning sun are bidding us safe journey.”
“How wonderful… what a beautiful sunrise, Isabelle.”
Traveling to Orleans, Jon, Julia, Jacque and Isabelle begin to experience the excitement that now surrounds, Jehanne. As they follow the same path that Jehanne has taken, stories of her greatness are spoken of in each town they lodge in. The people are excited that France is now winning wars against England. A new French patriotism is the only thing that everyone can talk about.
The names of the towns ring in Jon’s head as they continue their travel. When he was a small boy he was told of someone with a name similar to Jehanne’s and everything that she was able to do for France.
“Jacque, what is your full name? What do you go by?”
“Jacque d’Arc is what everyone calls me”
“What do they call, Jehanne?”
“Why, Jehanne d’Arc,” Jacque answers wondering why Jon is asking him.
Jon asked the question, knowing the possib
ility of the answer that he would get. At the same time hoping with all his heart that he wouldn’t get the answer that he just got. “Your daughter, Jehanne…. Your daughter, who is with Running Deer, goes by Jehanne d’Arc?”
“Yes. She is, Jehanne d’Arc. Why do you ask?”
Feeling sick in the pit of his stomach and not wanting to answer Jacque’s question truthfully he says, “It is just that I have heard the name Jehanne so many times as we have gone from village to village, but I’ve never asked what her full name is.”
“Well, now you know, my friend,” Jacque responds with pride.
Now that Jon knew Jehanne’s full name, he began to remember what he had been taught as a young boy concerning the great French commander, Jehanne d’Arc. He becomes frantic to get to both, Jehanne and Running Deer, as soon as possible. “Maybe, just maybe there will be some way to change the way that her story ends,” Jon prays silently to himself.