Chapter 6: Faith Can Moves Mountains

Matt 17:20
20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
NIV

Juliana awoke with the bright setting sun of twilight blinding her and to find that she was not where her brother had knocked her out and with a slipping headache. Her ankle had a shackle on it and was chained to a spike in the ground outside a tent; it was a long chain so she could walk around the camp with some ease, but still could not run. She had no concept where she was, she was in a grove in the woods some where near the city, and she knew who ever had taken her and they could not have taken her far. There were two canvas tents pitched the remains of a fire from the morning and a posted with a set of shackles hanging from the top. She knew who had taken her: Montoya.

She did not have sit long till when she saw her captors ride in on horses with Siroc tied up and being half pulled and half walking behind them; he had a black eye and bloody lip; it tore her heart out to see him like that.

"Ah, my dear you are awake, I hope your are comfortable. I am very sorry about the shackle but it is necessary evil, my love." Montoya said to her as his men removed, no more ripped Siroc's coat, vest and shirt and shackled him to the post. Juliana knew that they were going to flog him, but she could not help to think what a beautiful man he really is even with scars on his back. His shoulders were not too broad but just right; his arms where strong, powerful and muscled , and his amazing hard abs going down to his slim waist, he was wonderful to look upond.

"You know what will happened to him, but I'll stop it and let him go if you come to me or you can sit and watch it happen." Montoya asked her.

Juliana did not want watch, but the alternative was out the question. So she will watch, the only man on the earth she has ever loved, be wiped and try not to cry out for them to stop, for she knows it will only make it worce for him.

"You, will never have me you pompous pig." Juliana spat at him.

"Fine, make sure she see the slave's face as he is beaten and when you're done just leave him there to rot." Montoya said as went in a tent.

"Well let's get this started, hold her still." Montoya's priest said to the fellow priests as they took hold of her arms and brought her ten feet from Siroc and their eyes locked.

With what seem to come out of no where came a

…CRACK…

Siroc did not flinch only kept his eyes locked with Juliana's and prayed.

…CRACK…

Though his face showed no pain, Juliana could only feel each lash, as if it were her being whipped.

…CRACK…

(Father, give me strength, you went through worse for me, shield Juliana; place your angels around her.) Siroc prayed.

…CRACK…

(Let me take his pain Father, place your angels around him shield him from death.) Juliana prayed and she felt a great tug on her heart as the next strike came and her tears came.

…CRACK… …CRACK… …CRACK… …CRACK… …CRACK… …CRACK… …CRACK…

It went this way for a half-hour more as the light of day left the world and darkness of night came out. Though it seemed to be an eternity for Juliana, though nether cried out, until one of the men who was holding Juliana went to work up the coals from the fire up again and placed a branding iron in the blaze.

"No… no… no… please don't … no…" Juliana whispered .

"David, come and hold him still." The Priest with the whip said to the one who put the iron into the fire.

David did as he was told and took hold of Siroc and turned him to face the Priest with the iron.
Siroc had not finch when he was wiped, but now he fought like a mad man, but it useless as David had a strong hold on him, and then Siroc let out a resounding blood curtailing scream as the red hot iron was pressed in to his shoulder.

Not to far in the woods the Musketeers heard the scream of their comrade sent chills down their spines, as they made their way through the forest.

"We're stopping here, for now; we'll move out at midnight." Duvall said to his band of eight men. "Put together two stretchers , I don't think Siroc will be able to walk and I don't know about Juliana." Duvall order,

"If he lays a finger on her I'll kill him." Ramon said more to himself.

"Ramon, don't let your feeling rule you, think." Duvall told him.

"Si, Sir." Ramon answered, but he was still fuming inside. This was his fault he knocked out Juliana and for that he can't forgive self for that.

It had been hours; it was almost midnight and Siroc had been in and out of a consciousness all night, Juliana sat at his feet, she had tried to stop the bleeding as best she could, but it was still very bad.

"Why, did you do this?" Sheasked aloud.

"I thought it was obvious, why I did. I won't stay quiet, I won't hind who I am and part of that is the fact that I love you." Siroc said to her.

"I know, it still does not make it any easer to watch." Juliana said as she stood to look at him.
"You're burning up." She said as she felt his face.

"They'll be here soon." Siroc said as he tried to comfort her.

"I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around." She said to him.

"Maybe, but I know you better then many do and that though you may act big and tough, but you are very timid on the inside and need to be held, comforted, and cared for, I hope to do that." Siroc said her as she took his hand.

"Is that an offer?" Juliana asked coyly.

"No, not yet, only a promise." Siroc answered her.

"Then, I am going to hold it to you." Juliana said as kissed his lips.

"Ahhh…" Siroc softly cried.

"Sorry I didn't mean to..." Juliana answered.

"It's fine, a little pain to taste your sweetness is worth it." Siroc said to her.

"Please don't start talking like my brother?" Juliana asked.

But before Siroc could answer, Montoya came out of his tent with Ramon holding a pistol to his head and D'Artangon with a blade to his neck. Out of the other came Jacqueline who had blood coming from her side. Duvall and few others that Juliana didn't know come out of the other tent.

"Where are the keys?" Ramon asked.

"What Keys?" Montoya spat.

"You know my friend here has lousy trigger finger and you never know when he might let it slip." D'Artangon told Montoya.

"Where are my men?" Montoya asked.

"There a little tied up right now." Jacqueline said to the man.

"You have lost, Montoya, so don't fight it." D'Artangon told him

"My left pocket." Montoya answered.

"I have him go help Jacques." Ramon told D'Artangon as he pulled the keys out and threw them to Juliana. She didn't need to be told she went to unlock Siroc's shackles.

"You first." Siroc said to her.

"But…" Juliana started.

"I don't think I could stand on my own…" Siroc said as he passed out.

As Juliana went work on her own shackle she saw Montoya pull a knife out of his sleeve and move to her brother whose head was turned to see if Jacqueline was all right.

"RAMON!" She shouted as she pulled on her chain and trip Montoya.

"What!" Ramon said as turn quickly to find Montoya on the ground in a pool of his own blood. "He's dead, he fell on his own blade." Ramon went on, as did the sign of the cross on him.

"May he rest in peace." Juliana said as she got her shackle off.

"We have to move, Siroc is already running a high fever and has loss a lot of blood." Juliana said as started on his shackles. "Someone help me, Please?" She begged as she felt Sirocs dead weight fall on her.

"Jon get the stretcher, Ramon help Juliana." Duvall orders.

They move as quickly as they can and get Siroc back to head quarters an hour before dawn they make it.

"Put him on the table, get me some brandy he's gona going to need it, start some water boiling and get that fire going and someone go and get my bag now." Juliana shouted as she put the lady a side and became the healer and midwife.

She worked for almost two hours cleaning and sewing up Siroc's back with silk thread using tiny stiches as well as making balms out aloe Vera, lemon balm for his burn and cuts. She made stong tea out of white willow bark, queen of the meadow and sage to bring down his fever ,to ease his pain and to bring down the swelling ; most of all she prayed.

"How is he?" Duvall asked when she was done and they had moved him to a bed on the floor in front of the fire.

"He has fever and that means infection, so all we can do is keep his wounds clean and keep him comfortable and pray, pray hard." Juliana said to him.

"We can have faith, with just a little you can move mountains." Duvall said to her.

"Amen, to that." Juliana answered.

Siroc came in and out of consciousness for three days and Juliana almost never left his side.

The firelight flickered across the large kitchen of Musketeer head quarters. Juliana sat by the fire and cooled the brow of man she had some how come to love in little more then a week, but in truth it had been four years since their love had taken root, for their love to grow where it had come. As her thoughts flew back to a time that she in many ways wanted to forget but in truth could never. To a the home of a healer midwife that had taught her all she knew and when she cooled the same brow; for he had taken the whip for her then as had? He did the other day, then over what seemed to be a silly book on science?

"Why did you do this again, take the blame for me. It was me he wanted not you and because of that you took the flogging that was meant for me and now I might loose you and know now that I can't live with out!" She whispered in to his ear, as her tears began to cool his brow instead of the cloth.

"I believe we have spoken these words before." Said the young man, who had just opened his eyes.

"Siroc! Your awake!" Juliana said as she wiped her tears away. "Please stop talking like my brother?" She beseeched.

"Alright." Siroc answered as he tried to sit up.

"Let, me help you." Juliana offered as moved help him.

"Thank you." Siroc thanked her when he was sitting up.

"Giovanni, there is some thing that I have wanted to tell since that night in the church, when we… well I love you, I always have." Juliana told him.

"I know." He answered.

Epilogue:

Juliana stood in one of finest room she had seen in years, with high ceilings, the walls were a warm white on top and on the bottom half where warm mustard yellow and gold trim on everything. She had on a new gown, or almost new. Jacqueline gave her one of her own, but being much smaller woman then her new friend, they brought it dress maker and ended up changing almost everything about it. So now it only had red skirt that was the same even that they darkened; it had the full puff sleeves of Spanish court in a sunny yellow same as top skirt that was pulled back to a train and then the gold center piece with green embroidery. She felt like a royalty in this gown that thought still did not calm her nerves.

(This not first time you have metroyalty, why are you so nervous? Because you never had prove you were related to them either.) Juliana thought as she heard the door open behind her Queen Anne and her son King Louis.

When she turned around and curtsied. Saw her blood aunt and was amazed at the resemblence, from the color of their skin, to the color of their hair, thought she was smaller and a little thinner the shape of their bodies where the same and the Queen saw it to.

"You are Josphina and Phillip's child, I would know you anywhere." Queen Anne said right away when she saw Juliana.

"Si' your majesty." Juliana answered.

"Well then, now that settled what can we do about getting you work and a place to stay and so you use your gifts as a healer and a midwife…. Uwww I know you can work with the Musketeers as the Head Physician for them and with Lieutenant Petrie retiring you can have his quarters and his office, there should be room for you and your nice to live, I think this will do very well." Louis told her.

"Your majesty, this is to much to do for a blood cousin." Juliana said in shock at Louis 's generosity.

"Nonsense… your family and any family is family no matter the conditions of ones birth." Louis said to her.

"Thank you your majesty." Juliana thanked him.

"Please call me Louis, we're family after all." Louis said with a laugh.

"Thank you Louis." Juliana thanked him.

With in a week Juliana and Olivia were moved into their own quarters and their new lives.

A/N: If you think this is the end of Juliana story, you would be wrong there is more, but for now we will end it.

Here are three clues for ya for the next part 1:Sargent squeaky 2: Captian Duvall 3: Gypsies