LLL wrote: ↑Sat Oct 29, 2022 11:08 am
A little foreword: I am well aware that 100% of you would still enjoy JD's pics without my narrative, while maybe 1% would enjoy my text without his pics. But today all you will get as pics is this recycled one. This because the few remaining pics would immediately spoiler my attempts at a couple of final twists. So here we go...
God save the future queen
Just one moment before the torch touched the hay, a voice roared through the square.
“Halt! Stop this farce at once!”
A man, old – as testified by his white mane - but still physically imposing, had entered the square. At his side, another man more or less of the same age, but a lot frailer. The old Ludovicus, Merida realized, who had crossed himself when told about a captured witch at her arrival, but absent at her trial. And behind them, about twenty soldiers, clearly better armed and of way higher quality than the baron’s riffraff.
Voices rose in the square. “The Duke! Our Bishop has come!”. Many went down on their knees.
The baron came up to the newly arrived, and said “My Lord! What an honor! You are just in time to watch this confessed witch burn at the stake!”
“Confessed witch?? Do you want to start a war, you fool? That woman is Merida, the daughter of King Fergus, heir to the Scottish throne, you idiot! Men, take this moron into custody. Free the girl, and for heaven’s sake give her some clothes!”
Elegant talk
That afternoon Merida, bathed, fed and finally again clothed – she refused some noble clothes reclaiming her own simple garb from three days before – was joined by the Bishop-Duke, whose name she learned was Geralt. He apologized profusely to her, telling her that as soon as old Ludovicus had reached him, and described to him the supposed witch, he had hurried to avoid a disaster.
“Please, your Highness. What was done to you is unforgivable. I beg you to spare me the details, but I can imagine. I already know a member of the church abused you, and another sanctioned your torture and execution. Anoures is a depravate swine and will hang for what he did. Iucundus… well, he is a fanatic. He honestly believed to be doing God’s work. I cannot have him executed for his desire to burn witches, but I’ll make sure he spends the rest of his days in a monastery, in solitary meditation. Gareth, alas, the woodsman who acted as chief torturer, has eloped. In the confusion following my arrival he reached the woods. No one knows them better, so there is little hope of catching him. That leaves us with the baron. I promise you he will be beheaded. He has no heirs, so I will even erase his name from all official documents, like the old Romans used to do with their worst criminals. But I beg you, do not tell your father of what happened. He would invade England for sure. Thousands would die. After all, it would be better if he did not know what your, well, somewhat reckless decision to roam about on your own started, would it not?”
Merida stared at him for a long moment. Then she said: “I agree. But on two conditions”.
“Ask, and I shall provide, your Highness”.
“First, I want to know what happened to a servant girl named Emily. The baron had her tortured on the rack just to spite me”.
“She lives, your Highness. Probably they intended to further abuse her after your death. She is however in terrible shape. It is unlikely she will ever walk again, and uncertain if she will recover at least partial use of her limbs”.
“Then I want to take her with me to my father’s castle. I’ll provide for her, for the rest of her life. Don’t worry, I’ll make up some excuse to explain it to the King”.
“And… the second condition, your Highness?”
“The baron will not be beheaded.”
“Your Highness is to be praised for her Christian disposition to forgiveness, but…”
“Let me finish. I will decide the means of his execution. And I will execute him myself”.
“This is… most unusual. I do not know if…”
“Maybe a WAR would be even more unusual, what do you say?”
