Episode 9- The Story of Joan of Arc, Part 2

In which Arthur Kirkland plots against Joan of Arc and Francois Bonnefoy tries to save her life.

Music: "Hellfire" (from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame")

On the night after Charles VII was crowned King of France, in a Parisian castle, there lived a now 18-year-old Englishman named Arthur Kirkland. You see, even though Joan had liberated the Valley of the Loire, Paris was still under English occupation. As the choristers at Notre-Dame sang in Latin, Arthur, in his nightshirt, gazed into his fire and sang:

"Beata Maria, you know I am a righteous man.

Of my virtue I am justly proud.

Beata Maria, you know I'm so much purer than

The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd.

Then tell me, Maria, why I see her dancing there,

Why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul.

I feel her! I see her! The sun caught in her auburn hair

Is blazing in me out of all control!"

As Arthur gazed into his fireplace, he thought he saw Joan of Arc, Francois' girlfriend, in the fire. The very thought of that "witch" filled his blackened heart with cruel hate.

"Like fire, hellfire,

This fire in my skin;

This burning desire

Is turning me to sin!"

Just then, some faceless, red-hooded spirits rose up and stared ominously at Arthur. The young Englishman was startled.

"It's not my fault! I'm not to blame!

It is that Frenchie's girl, the witch who set this flame!

It's not my fault, if in God's plan,

He made the Devil so much stronger than a man!"

With that, the spirits escaped and Arthur continued to sing:

"Protect me, Maria, don't let this siren cast her spell!

Don't let her fire sear my flesh and bone!

Destroy Joan of Arc now and let her taste the fires of Hell,

Or else let her be mine and mine alone!"

That's right; the young Englishman would rather kill Joan than not have her. But his awesome song was interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door. Why, it was his messenger.

"Lord Kirkland," said the messenger. "The Dauphin has been crowned King of France."

"What?" asked Arthur in disbelief.

"The tide has turned against us. We're doomed."

"But, how? I…" Just then, Arthur had a thought. He turned and told the messenger, "Never mind. Get out, you idiot." He then muttered to himself, "I'll find her. I'll find her and then I'll put her to death!" And he continued to sing:

"Hellfire, dark fire,

Now, Joan, it is your turn.

Choose me or your pyre.

Be mine or you will burn!

God have mercy on her.

God have mercy on me.

But she will be mine,

Or she will BURN!"

Music: Dance of the Hours- Elephants (from "Fantasia")

The next day, Arthur's soldiers noticed that their leader was just waking up.

"I say, general, are you feeling alright?" asked one of the soldiers.

A drowsy Arthur explained, "I, um, had a little trouble with the fireplace."

"I see," said the soldier. "Your orders, sir?"

"Send for my Burgundian mercenaries, and quick!" shouted Arthur to the soldier.

And so, the soldier rushed off to find Arthur's Burgundian mercenaries.

You see, around this time, some nobles in Burgundy decided that Arthur's king, Henry VI, was rightful heir to the French throne. And so, they collaborated with the English during this trying time.

Finally, one night in 1430, three of Arthur's Burgundian mercenaries came to him. "Bonjour, monsieur Kirkland!" they shouted to him. "We have come to serve you all the way!"

"Excellent, men," said Arthur in a honeyed voice. "Now, find Joan of Arc, kidnap her, and bring her to me. I will give you your reward once you've done the deed."

Well, these faux-French collaborators were ever-willing to work for money, especially English money. So how could they not accept the sordid task? "We will find the girl, monsieur Kirkland!" they exclaimed. And off went the three traitors to capture the girl, while Lord Kirkland smirked smugly.

He knew that once Joan of Arc was captured, he would try her and burn her as a witch.

Music: Dance of the Hours- Alligators (from "Fantasia")

Meanwhile, Francois Bonnefoy, now 20 years old in appearance, was sleeping in his tent near Compiegne, while Joan of Arc, still awake, was praying near the tent.

It was then and there when the three Burgundians, hungry for money, snuck through the forest towards Francois' camp. As they snuck behind a bush, they could see this red-headed teenage girl. Then, they realized why their master, Lord Kirkland, believed her to be a witch. They thought, "Well, she's a redhead. This is pretty much conclusive proof that she is a witch."

Meanwhile, Francois was dreaming of a long life with Joan. He dreamed of marrying her, having children with her, and, of course, growing old with her. These sugared thoughts filled the young Frenchman's heart with gladness. But he was unaware of what was going on outside.

Outside the tent, however, Joan of Arc was praying, "Lord, I just want Arthur Kirkland to leave dear Francois alone." The Burgundians were somehow moved by this simple prayer, but they knew one thing: duty first, no sentiments.

Music: Dance of the Hours- Finale (from "Fantasia")

Francois' sweet dreams were interrupted by a scream. That scream belonged to Joan of Arc. She had been captured by the Burgundians.

Francois was furious, and he hopped onto his white horse Achille to chase after the Burgundians and reclaim Joan.

Now, at first, Francois was getting closer and closer to the Burgundians, catching up with them. Finally, he scooped Joan into his arm and, taking her out of the Burgundians' hands, he kicked Joan's captors to the ground.

"Do not worry, Jeanne, I've got you!" Francois declared to Joan. "You're safe now!"

But then, the Burgundians got up, stole a big, black horse, and took Joan from Francois' arms again.

Now, this really raised Francois' hackles. As the Burgundians zoomed past him, he just raced after them, as though to catch Joan again.

But this time, it was the Burgundians who got the upper hand. No matter how fast Francois could race his horse, the Burgundians' horse ran much faster.

Finally, neither Francois nor Achille could keep up with their enemies. Achille seemed to go crazy and bucked Francois like a bronco.

"Whoa! Steady, Achille! Steady, boy!" screamed the Frenchman. But the white bronco could not listen and after a few seconds, thrust his owner face down into the dirt.

Francois had lost this battle.

Music: Night on Bald Mountain (from "Fantasia")

Oh, how miserable Joan was in that prison in Rouen. Months dragged on. She had no idea what was going on, or what was in store for her.

But then, one day, in 1431, she saw a silhouetted figure. But it was not her boyfriend Francois who had come to save her. No, it was the evil Arthur Kirkland! The Burgundians had successfully sold her to him and received the money too.

This now 19-year-old Englishman said to her, "You are going to be given a fair trial, my dear." And with that, he told his guards, "Take her to the courtroom!" And they followed the sordid order.

Joan had never been so frightened in all her life. She didn't want to betray herself, her voices, or her country, but she just didn't know what to do.

Finally, she was taken to the courtroom. There, the throng jeered and booed as the guards threw Joan into the accused's chair.

At that moment, a judge resembling Judge Claude Frollo stepped up to the judge's seat.

"Court is now in session," announced the judge, Pierre Cauchon by name. "Will the prosecutor question Joan?"

"Yes, sir," replied Arthur, who also happened to be the prosecutor. The 19-year-old Englishman then stepped up to Joan and said this in a honeyed voice, "Joan of Arc, you think you've outwitted me, eh, what? Were those voices you heard truly those of the saints? If so, what language did they speak in?"

"Yes, they were saints, and they spoke in a better language than yours, mister," Joan remarked dryly.

Arthur chuckled, "Such a clever witch. Judge, whatever shall we do with her?"

Cauchon thought about it a little, but then he got it. "Burn her," he said. "She is both a witch and a heretic and must be made an example of."

Joan was terrified, while Arthur was pleased. "Oh, thank you, sir!" he said. "But when should I burn her?"

Cauchon answered, "On May 30, this year."

"Yes, sir," Arthur chuckled, an evil smirk coming to his face.

Now Joan could do nothing but bury her face in her hands. Now she must die for her cause? What could she do now?

That night, Francois, now 21 years old, was not having a good time with his king Charles VII.

"What do you mean she doesn't MATTER?!" he shouted at the king. "LET ME SAVE HER! YOU HAVE THE OPTION, POUR L'AMOUR DE DIEU!"

"Calm down, Francois," said King Charles. "We can reason with Arthur."

"Reason?! With ARTHUR KIRKLAND!?" Francois cried out in shock. "Oh, non! I shall go rescue ma cherie Jeanne!" And with that, the 21-year-old Frenchman dashed to his horse Achille and raced him to the prison in Rouen, much to King Charles' dismay.

You see, King Charley had done nothing to save Joan, much to Francois' disgust.

By the time Francois came to Rouen, it was already the day before Joan would be burned to death.

He came to Joan's prison room. Joan, upon seeing Francois, was delighted. "Francois!" she cried out, to which Francois shushed her.

"I have come to rescue you, ma cherie," he said to her. And with that, he tried to open the prison bars. "Mon Dieu! These bars are tougher than ever, non?" he thought.

But then, who should enter the prison but…ARTHUR KIRKLAND!

Francois was petrified! Arthur, looking at his older brother with hate in his heart, told the guards, "Take him away! I want him to see his 'dearest' Joan of Arc die at the stake." From there, both Francois and Joan knew that it would not end well.

The next day, May 30, 1431, was a day that would live in infamy. Joan of Arc was tied to a stake as Arthur exclaimed, "The prisoner Joan of Arc has been found guilty of the crimes of heresy and witchcraft! The sentence: DEATH!"

And with that, cries of protest rang from the crowd. But the loudest came from Francois, who had been in love with her for two-and-a-half years now.

Arthur then took a torch, stepped up to Joan, and said to her coldly, "The time has come, Joan. You stand upon the brink of the abyss, yet even now, it is not too late. I can save you from the flames of this world and the next. Choose me, or the fire."

But Joan would not betray her country, Francois Bonnefoy, and so turned her head in disgust.

"The heretic, Joan of Arc, has refused to recant! This evil witch has put the soul of every French citizen in awful jeopardy!" Arthur declared in spite. "It is therefore my sacred duty to send this unholy demon back where she belongs!" And with that, he set the stake on fire.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" Francois screamed as he stretched out his hand and watched the flames devour his beloved Maid of Orleans.

After the crowd had left, Francois, the guards having let him go, trudged to the smoldering remains of the pyre and, with tears in his eyes, he dug for some last sad remains of his beloved Joan of Arc.

He found nothing but a little cross that Joan had been wearing in her moment of death. He clutched the cross to his chest and walked sadly away. Tears were streaming down his face. He knew that he could never see Joan again until Heaven, which was a long ways away.

But the murder of Joan of Arc at the hands of Arthur Kirkland would not go unavenged. Oh, no. In 1453, Francois successfully drove Arthur out of France for good. At long last, the Hundred Years' War did end, albeit in a shambles. In Paris alone, 24,000 homes went to ruin. Limoges had only 5 townspeople left. Wolves roamed everywhere in cities ravaged by battles and the plague.

Francois Bonnefoy was weary from over a century of war, but he had won, thanks in part to the courage of a red-headed peasant girl named Joan of Arc.

Music: Ave Maria (from "Fantasia")

But the story of Joan of Arc does not end there. In 1456, three years after the Hundred Years' War ended, Joan of Arc's surviving family members (her mother and two brothers) pressed for her name to be cleared. Charles VII, at Francois' own request, then proposed a retrial.

On July 7 of that year, Joan of Arc was re-tried and unanimously found innocent. In the Rouen town square, where Joan breathed her last, the king erected a stone cross in her memory. Every year, on May 30, Francois would visit the cross to pay her homage. And there, he would weep over the loss of his beloved Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc.

Oh, Francois Bonnefoy could not forget the good times he shared with Joan. Those would be some of the happiest times of his life.

The young Frenchman could still remember the time he first met her in that lowly village called Domremy. He could remember the time he showed her to the Dauphin, the time she was fitted with custom-made armor. He could remember the Battle of Orleans and the Loire Campaign. He could remember the time he and Joan stood hand-in-hand as the Dauphin was crowned King of France. Again, Francois allowed his tears to flow freely. He missed his Maid of Orleans that much.

"Oh, if only I came to rescue her in time," he thought as he wept bitterly. He would not forgive Arthur for killing Joan, but at the same time, he would not forgive himself for arriving too late to rescue her. With that, he bowed his head in sorrow.

At that moment, a bright light shone down from Heaven. And a voice sang:

"Ave Maria! Heaven's Bride.
The bells ring out in solemn praise,
for you, the anguish and the pride."

Pretty soon, the light shone down onto Francois himself as the voice continued singing:

"The living glory of our nights,
of our nights and days.
The Prince of Peace your arms embrace,
while hosts of darkness fade and cower."

Finally, the young Frenchman gazed up into the heavens. He smiled through his tears when he saw that it was Joan of Arc, his Maid of Orleans, singing:

"Oh save us, mother full of grace,
In life and in our dying hour,
Ave Maria!"

Francois could not take his eyes off the sky. His face glistened with tears. He knew that one day, he would be with his Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc.

Coming up next, Francois poses as a Renaissance dandy.