Chapter 18: Joan of Arc - part 1

Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere in the Scottish Highlands

November 23rd, 1992, 1:21 AM

Watching the last Unspeakable disappear into the tall green flames, Erik turned to his girls and smiled.

"So, how about you all go check our chambers while I activate the rest of the wards?"

He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Selena, Joan and Leona giggled at Erik's insinuation, and Selena guided the girls out of the room. Erik followed them, and as soon as he exited it, Leona and Selena took each one of his arms, hugging them between their breasts. Joan frowned at that. Her sister-wives were always quicker than her to show their feelings. It has been more than five hundred years that she stopped being a knight and pretending to be a man, but the behavior expected from her at the time was still kinda ingrained in her. She could still remember the first time that she saw him… Appearing out of nowhere, and changing her life forever.

Rouen's Castle, City of Rouen, France

May 30th, 1431, 0:01 AM

In the dungeons of Castle of Rouen, a lone figure could be seen seated in the corner of one of its cells. The figure was a woman. She was wearing a linen dress that had certainly seen better times. If not for the gunk that now marred it she could have once liked to wear it, but that was in her past now. A past where she had not yet donned an armor and taken a sword to defend her home. But that didn't matter now. Even her hair didn't matter anymore. Her hair, that once was short, because of the armor and sword, had now grown past her shoulder. She would have liked it in the time before the armor and sword, but then, before that time, her hair was longer, and cleaner too. Now, it still had the same color as before, black, but it was marred with the same gunk that marred the dress. But it didn't matter. Not even her modest chest being noticed under the dress. It once had, in the time of armor and sword.

But now? It didn't matter. She was going to die tomorrow. Heresy, witchcraft and violating divine law for dressing like a man. Those were her offenses in accord to the trial that she received. She had managed to defend herself very well. Even while being an illiterate peasant, she had managed to evade the theological pitfalls that the tribunal had set up to entrap her. But then, again, it doesn't matter. The tribunal was composed entirely of pro-English and Burgundian clerics. They all wanted the same thing, to erase the shame that was to lose battles to trops with a woman in command. That, and the fact that the influence that she had gained through all her victories was dangerous for some people. It all came to politics. And because of it she would have to die. Burned in the stake.

How did she know about it? Her visions. The same visions that helped to guide her hand to victory, had revealed it for her. Well, not exactly the same visions. The last one was not from Archangel Michael. It was a different person talking to her. The person's gentle voice still echoed in her head, explaining to her what was happening out there, how the people received the news of her execution, and mainly, asking that she didn't lose her faith, because help was coming to her. The heavens have not forsaken her, the maid of Orléans, Joan of Arc.

And now here she was. Silently praying to her Lord while looking to the starry sky through the very small barred window of her cell. Waiting for her helper, without losing her faith. And while she was praying, it happened. Maybe not in the way that she expected, but it happened. Her cell was suddenly illuminated. She took her eyes from the small sky to see what was happening. A circle made of blue light appeared on the ground before her cell, and a tall figure appeared in the middle of it.

'He is handsome…'

Strangely, that was the first thing that passed by her head seeing the man's face bathed by the blue light. And as the light dimmed and died, Joan panicked when she heard the sound of footsteps. The light had alerted the warden that quickly came to investigate. The prisoners in the nearby cells had woken up too. Things were going to get messy. But then the man just clicked his tongue, and made a wave gesture with one of his hands followed by saying a phrase to the warden that appeared with a torch in hands, while looking at him.

*tsc*

"Everything is fine, it was just a prisoner having a nightmare."

'That will not work.'

It was what she thought. But it did work. The warden turned back and went to his post, and at the same time the other prisoners in the neighboring cells went back to sleep. Joan was staring at the man with wide eyes. He then turned to her and approached the door of her cell. Without stopping his walk, the door clicked and opened allowing the man direct access to her. He stopped at the middle of the cell, the door closed behind him, and with a click, it locked back. A small globe of white light then started floating near the ceiling, illuminating the cell. The man then looked at her with a smile on her face and said.

"Hello, you must be Joan, right? I'm here to get you out."

Joan still had wide eyes while looking at the man that just entered her locked cell like it was nothing. She managed to give a nod, and replied to him.

"Yes, I'm. Are you an Angel?"

"Me, an Angel? No, no. I'm not an Angel, Joan. I'm human."

He chuckled at her confusion.

"But… How?"

Joan tentatively asked, looking at the door.

"Magic, of course."

"Witchcraft!"

She said with wide eyes again. Her rescuer chuckled at it again.

"Yes and no, at the same time. You see, Joan, Witchcraft or wizardry, that is the correct term used for males, is when a person utilizes magic through a magical focus, normally a wand or a staff. Since I don't need to use a focus anymore to use my magic, it's called magecraft."

He corrected her.

"Ohh."

Joan 'smartely' said. He was still smiling at her.

"You have a lot to learn, Joan. But don't worry about it, you will have the rest of your life to learn about anything you like. So, are you ready to go?"

He said to her, offering her a hand to help her get up. She liked that idea. Of having the rest of her life to learn whatever she wants.

"Yes, I'm ready."

She said while taking his offered hand and standing up. The moment that her hand touched his, the manacles on her feet clicked and opened, freeing her.

"Good. We will just have to arrange your stuntman."

He said, making Joan cock her head to the side.

"Stuntman?"

"Yes, stuntman. Joan of Arc will be executed."

Joan was shocked. She still had to die.

"... Why?"

She asked in a weak voice.

"Because just with your 'death', can you really be free. If you escape from here, the same people that imprisoned and judged you, will hunt you. But if you die, there will be no one looking for you, and you will be free."

"But how about the war?"

She understood why Joan of Arc had to die. But there was a war going on.

"The war can continue without you. Gabriel said that you had done more than necessary, and Michael agreed. 'Her job is done, she can enjoy her life however she wants.' That was what Gabriel said to me."

"You spoke with Lord Gabriel?"

She answered his reply.

"Lady Gabriel, Joan. Gabriel is a female Archangel. She said that she had talked with you..."

"Ohh… So the gentle voice in my last vision was Lady Gabriel's."

He corrected her. And she put a name to the voice in her last vision that asked her to keep her faith.

"But where will I go? If I'm going to die, I can't go back to Domrémy."

"That was already arranged. Gabriel asked me to take good care of you. To teach you about the big world out there, a world much bigger than just France and Britain. You will live with me and my wives."

"Wives?"

"Yes, wives. I have three beautiful, intelligent and strong wives."

"But polygamy is heresy!"

Joan said. At least that was what she was teached. A man must have one woman, until death do them part.

"Really, Joan? Heresy? King Solomon, son of King David, had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. I have three wives. And I love each of them a lot, and they love me back. God would not have a problem with that. Gabriel and Michael don't see a problem with it either. It's that simple."

Joan lowered her head in shame of her behavior.

'How could I pass judgement?'

"Sorry…"

She thought and said in a low voice.

"Don't worry too much. You will see what I mean while living with us."

"But I can't! I could not impose on your home and invade your lives."

"And I already said that is already arranged, Joan. The girls already know and are waiting to meet you. They even prepared your bedroom and got new clothes for you."

He said to her with a tone that meant that he would have none of it.

"But…"

She tentatively tried to say, just to be cut by him.

"No 'buts'. After you are completely recovered you can argue again, but until then you will stay with us."

"... Thank you."

She ended up thanking him.

"Your welcome~"

He replied to her with a big smile, and snapped his fingers. And out of nowhere, a pig appeared in the cell, making Joan's eyes go wide again.

"A pig?"

"Yes, a pig, Joan. He will be your stuntman."

"But it's… a pig."

He chuckled at the look that she was giving the pig.

"Not for long."

*snap*

And with another snap of his fingers, the pig changed to an identical copy of Joan. The just transmuted pig was looking around, and with another snap of fingers, its eyes dulled a little and it went still. The 'new' Joan then went near the wall and layed down. The manacles slithered to 'her' feet and snapped in place. And then it went to sleep. Joan was watching all of that with a shocked expression on her face. She had just seen a pig appearing out of nowhere. Then it, the same pig, changed it's body to an identical copy of her own. Same clothes, same hair, same face. Even the dirty that marred the dress was the same. She was scared. Her 'helper' had just created another her.

"Don't think about it too much, Joan. It is still a pig. It has your appearance and will follow simple orders, but inside, it is still a pig. And if you are thinked about it being burned alive, don't worry too. I fed it a special medicine that will make it not feel pain for the next two days and it will die the moment the fire touches it's skin."

He said to her, after seeing the faces that she was doing while looking at the 'other her'. Joan slowly nodded her head.

"Say, Joan. Do you want to see it? Your execution, I mean."

He asked her. Joan had to admit, the idea of witnessing her own execution appealed to her. And she slowly shook her head, looking at her 'helper' eyes.

"Yes, I would like to witness it."

He smiled again at her.

"Ok then, let's get out of here. We have plenty of time for you to meet the girls, have a good warm bath, and eat a good meal."

*snap*

He said to her and snapped his fingers again. The small globe of white light floating above them disappeared, another circle made of blue light appeared, this time under them.

"Wait, I don't even know my helper's name. What is your name?"

"Erik, Joan. My name is Erik Ravenclaw."

And with a bright light, Erik and Joan disappeared from the, now dark again, cell, leaving behind a sleeping 'Joan'.

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