Memorial Day (in more ways than one)
May 30: A family man, a father of fifty, was mounting little American flags in the graves of all who had given their lives to protect him. He was showing his fifty kids all that had happened in the wars, and he was taking them to the Memorial Day service.
This man was America, son of England.
At that same day over 2000 miles away, two elderly men, one with an eye patch and one with a wooden leg, were going to Rouen. There a certain something happened to a certain someone. The old man with the eye patch was France, and the old man with the wooden leg was England. They were brothers, and although they had shrugged off their centuries of bad blood by World War I, they still had their typical sibling squabbles over soccer, but that's not important now.
As the two nations went to Rouen, France looked up to the sky and thought of her.
1429: France, then nineteen in human age, led a 17-year-young shepherdess to the Dauphin's castle in Chinon. To test her validity, the Dauphin hid amongst his courtiers and put one of his nobles on the throne. But the shepherdess wasn't fooled. Instead, she went straight to the Dauphin, told him exactly what he was praying for: "All you want is a miracle to help France lift England's siege of Orleans and make you King Charles VII of France."
Charles was impressed. So he gave her a custom-made suit of armor and some of the finest Armagnac generals. Thus the siege of Orleans would be defeated.
By France's side, England thought of the same girl.
1430: England, then seventeen in human age, was grumbling, because his siege on Orleans had been defeated! And what's worse? He had been beaten by a girl! "This was no girl!" he muttered. "It should be God's will that I utterly destroy France while he is young! Only a witch would thwart God's will! And I must not suffer a witch to live!"
So England called on his little toady, Burgundy, and said unto the young man, who looked no older than fifteen in human age, "Burgundy, I want you to approach this maiden who defeated me in Orleans, capture her, and bring her to me. In return, I will give you lots of dosh!"
Of course, Burgundy loved being bribed, so he said, "Yes!" And off he went to capture the maid of Orleans!
Meanwhile, across the pond, America was gazing at all the headstones, thinking of all of the soldiers who would march fight and die for him, in the Revolutionary War, in the Civil War, in the Spanish-Amercian War, in World War I, in World War II, in the Korean War, in the Vietnam War, in the Gulf War, and now in the War with the Middle East. Which war was "the war to end all wars" again?
But let's go back to France. Finally, France and England had approached Rouen. As they toured the city, they felt a good sense of charm and companionship. But soon, they came across a cross standing in front of a church. First, France and England gazed up at the cross. Then they looked around.
England said, "This place. It looks familiar."
France looked up and said, "That one day."
May 30, 1431: Burgundy had captured the young lady who had defeated England at Orleans. England had given Burgundy the money, and now, here was the 19-year-old girl tied to a stake. To France's dismay, King Charles VII had not lifted a finger. Instead, the young girl had been tried and condemned.
England announced to the throng of Rouen, "Joan of Arc, the maid of Orleans, has been found guilty for the crime of witchcraft! The sentence: death!"
France himself protested, but England saw to it that Burgundy tie the young man up, so that Joan would not and could not be rescued.
England then approached Joan and, holding a torch, he lit the wood underneath her feet. At first, Joan was scared, and she asked, "Can I not at least get a cross?"
Although France's arms were too tied up to do the task for the woman he loved, an English archer felt some sympathy and, taking two branches, he fashioned a little cross for Joan to keep with her in her dying hour. As a priest came out with a crucifix, England gloated, "Now only Heaven itself can break me!"
Just then, Joan felt some peace, and as the flames engulfed her body, she muttered her last words, "Jesu… Jesu… Jesu…"
Many people didn't know what to think about what they had seen, but by the next morning, the crowd had left. England was staring into space, dumbfounded at what he had done, so that he at first did not hear Burgundy ask him, "Hey, boss, when should I let France go?"
England heard what Burgundy said, and he said unto his henchman, "Oh, yes. Go ahead. Untie him at one."
After Burgundy had untied France, the latter rushed toward the pile of ashes that was left of Joan of Arc. He looked down and saw a charred cross, the same one that the English archer had made as Joan burned. He picked up the cross and, weeping, he walked sadly away, thinking about his loss.
After France and everyone else had gone, England went away into the church, knelt by its altar, and began to weep. As he prayed, he groaned, "We are all lost, for we have burned a saint!"
In the present day, France and England, even in their old age, still weep for Joan of Arc as they stand by her memorial cross.
France then says to England, "They say the stronger a person's patriotism is, the more tragic their death is. And Jeanne d'Arc is proof of this."
England sighed, "It's been almost 600 years, yet I still regret burning her to death. Sure, I thought she was a witch at the time, but that's no excuse. There is no excuse."
"Don't punish yourself so harshly," France said to his younger brother. "I wanted to rescue Jeanne, but I was held back by my king. Jeanne made him my king, and in return, he abandoned her to your flame."
"And yet, he was the one who cleared her name, 25 years too late," said England as he again burst into tears.
France tried to shush England, but he too was in tears. "You know, Angleterre, I think I might be turning into a sentimental old man."
"Yes," said England to his older brother. "Me too."
And the old men sat by the cross of Joan of Arc, heads bowed in her memory.
The End