The immortal love

"They are going to burn her!" Someone cried and ran off.

Francis felt a shock run through his body as he heard the cry. The English were not going to?…No, they couldn’t! No way, they can’t do this to her! Francis snapped out of his trance as he saw people run towards something.
He followed the people, really hoping that it wasn’t she who was going to be executed.
He saw a crowd of people gathered around a pole with hay surrounding it. And then some guards walked towards the pole while holding someone tight. As Francis saw who it was in the middle of the guards, he felt panic and anger and rushed towards her. Many other people clung into the guards, either trying to help her escape or kill her themselves. As Francis reached towards her, he was held back by two other guards. Francis tried to free himself from their grip but there was no use, he could only watch his beloved be chained to the pole and see more hay be put by her cuffed feet.
He really didn’t want to watch this but he had to watch her as long as he could if this was the end.
“Hold the crucifix before my eyes!” She exclaimed.
Francis looked at her face. She was dirty and has become slightly malnourished after this long time of being held in captivity. He tried all he could to free her or at least have a moment with her during that time, but that was so hard. He kept looking at her and she looked back, now having eye contact with each other. She smiled to him and formed words with her lips. Although there was no sound, he knew what she said:
“Je t'aime…”
The executer set fire on the hay and the fire spread fast.
“Jesus, Jesus, JESUS!”
That was her last words before the fire was all over her. Francis wriggled, trying to break free but there was no use. He was stuck watching her burn and listen to her sorrowful cries.
“No, Jeanne!”
`
With a start he rose up from the couch. Breathing heavily he looked around; he was in his living room slowly remembering that he took a nap not a long time ago. Francis shifted to a normal sitting position, putting his elbows on his knees, cowering his face with his hands and started crying.
Although it all was just a dream it felt so damn real, almost like if it all happened all over again! Today was May 30th, the day the English took her away from him.
“Papa?”
Whenever this day came, it never failed to break his heart.  This woman was very special to him, she was the one who fought for him, led the French army to victories. Without her, who knows how it would have ended for Francis?
“Papa?”
It has been so many centuries, but she could never be forgotten. He loved every single thing about her. Her big sapphire blue eyes, her short hair, her laugh, her determined nature to never give up, and the bravery that was within her even during her execution.

“Papa?”
`
Francis snapped out of his thoughts and removed his hands from his face. Down by his feet, Matthew and Michelle looked at him with tearful eyes. Francis dried his tears and then the children’s tears, lifted both of them up and pulled them onto his lap. Francis really wanted to hold them real close and cry his heart out. However, he couldn’t despite being over the edge. He felt bad for breaking down crying and not noticing his children.

“Why are you crying papa?” Michelle asked him.

“Don’t worry mon petit, papa is just having a bad day” Francis sniffed and smiled lightly.

“Why? What happened? Has someone been mean to you papa?” Matthew asked.

That was one way of saying it; it was Arthur who took Jeanne away from him. But although Arthur was the one responsible for burning her, none of the French did anything to rescue her and Francis didn’t try hard enough. Besides, Francis didn’t want to involve Arthur in this since he is the one raising Matthews brother and he didn’t want to worry Matthew in any way.

“All this was my fault anyway…” France thought while new tears ran down his cheeks.
Matthew rubbed Francis` tears away with fear and worry in his eyes.

“Someone very special to papa passed away on this day and he gets sad by it” Francis told them.

He wasn’t sure if talking about this to his children was a good idea. But he hated seeing them get sad because of him and he didn’t want to lie about why he was sad. And talking about her might help relieve his sadness…

“Who was it?” Michelle asked.

“It was a very brave young woman; she led an army that fought many battles for papa’s sake”

“Didn’t she get hurt?” Matthew asked astonished.

“Sometimes she got hurt, but she never gave up” Francis took a deep breath “She was very determined, you could never get her out of any situation. Once she decided to do something, nothing could stop her”

“How was she like?” Michelle asked.

“When papa met her for the first time she was very stubborn and never wanted to talk about other things than the battles and God”

Francis hugged Michelle and Matthew closer to him.

“But as the time passed she opened up more, revealing that she was kind, loving and really cared a lot about the people around her”

“Was she pretty?” Matthew asked blushing.

“She was a beauty beyond compare, she was short, sweet like candy, had big blue eyes shining like sapphire, short hair and a smile that made it feel like getting butterflies in your heart”

Francis put his hand to his chest; smiling as he saw an image of the very first she smiled at him.
“How did she die?” Michelle asked.

That question stabbed Francis` heart. This was something he really wished he could erase from his memory. He was practically forced to watch her burn, when Jeanne was unconscious as the flames took her the guards didn’t let him go, they tighten their grip.

“Well” Francis started. “Many feared her for what she did, so they ended up..b-burning her”
Matthew and Michelle’s eyes widened.
“That was very mean of them!” Matthew exclaimed.

“Oui, it really was…”  Francis lowered his head crying again.

Michelle stood up on Francis` lap wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.
“Do you know what I think papa?”

“Non, what mon ange?”

“I think that she is an angel in heaven now”

Michelle dried his tears with her tiny hands
“She fought for you and now she is protecting you”

“Yes” Matthew said standing up hugging Francis too ”She is with you forever and ever”.

“We are here too papa and we will also always be with you” Michelle said.

Francis hugged Michelle and Matthew as tightly as he could; slowly swinging them from side to side while shedding tears of happiness.
“Mon Dieu, I love you two so much”
`
It has been a long day, but it finally ended as Francis put his little ones to bed. He knew that children tended to ask a lot of questions, especially his children. The question they usually asked were usually weird, Matthew once asked Arthur why his eyebrows were thick and Michelle once asked a random man on the market why he was so fat. Francis always answered there questions no matter how embarrassing, stupid or hard. All those question asked today were certainly hard, but it was worth going through them, Francis felt so free and less sad talking about Jeanne.

When the children were fast asleep, Francis went out to the garden. He had to watch the dark, star filled sky and talk before midnight arrived.
“I really hope mon enfants are right, I don’t want any other guardian angel then you” Francis said up to the sky.
“No matter how many centuries go by, I will never forget you”

Je t'aime Jeanne