The Gold Watch
By ME(Whatomic)
My named is Louis de Coutes. Born into a peasant family, I never really understood the suffering we withstood. My family was never truly happy, but we came close despite our misfortunes. Days were spent in the fields, scraping the dusty dirt for any vegetation that had survived the scorching war sun. Living our lives in the city of Reims, I had heard far off about a maid that had rallied the French troops against the English at Orleans and miraculously won. Apparently all the French citizens were all energized after this victory and had put her as some sort of unbeatable idol. My parents were energized to, however I remained somewhat unmoved. I had no idea what any of these things had to do with me. What was a few far off victories if it didn’t affect me? A month later, in June, I heard she had won a few more victories in places like Jargeau and Patay. She claimed she won because of God. I was rather skeptical. Would God really take sides in a human war? Well.
I scuffed the dirt and pushed a tiny seed into the crevice I made. Perhaps this one would actually sprout instead of just dying like the others. Feeling overheated, I retreated over to the shade of a tree and shook in a gulp of water. The water ran over my tongue and took my temperature away. I laid there for awhile; watching idly as a dragonfly flitted back and forth in a cloud of gnats. I just stared at it. In a way it was appeasing and infuriating to sight something as indecisive as you were. I only sat there. I believe I dozed off, for the next moment I opened my eyes with a sharp pain on my cheek. A man stood over me; a tall man in his middle ages, wearing a uniform with a sword in his hand. I realized that he had just slapped me with the flat end of his sword in order to wake me up. He opened his mouth. “Hey, brat where’s your folks?” It wasn’t a question, but a demand. I just stared at him. The man played with his sword. “I don’t have time for petty jokes; let me see what’s on ya’.” And with that he grabbed the scruff of my neck with his left hand, and with the other started rummaging around my waist coat pockets. He pulled out the golden watch I had received only a month ago for my birthday from my father. I bit my cheeks. “Oh? Not something you would expect on a peasant boy would you? Well then, I’m off.” He let go of the scruff of my neck and walked off swinging it in circles with his hand. I was thrown on the ground. That man was a French soldier. Why was he here, in Reims, when the area was controlled by Duke Philip? It didn’t make any sense, but I knew one thing. I had to get my watch back. That watch had been passed down in my family for generations. I couldn’t just simply let it go.
I ran towards him and grabbed the swinging chain from the surprised soldier. But when I turned to run back, he grabbed the back of my collar, choking the breath out of me. “Hey, brat, what do you think you’re trying to do?” He grabbed the watch chain and threw me to the ground. “Think twice before you challenge an adult.” He walked off and disappeared between the trees. I was left there, feeling desolate. What would I tell my father? He had given me that watch as a symbol of growing up. My family had kept that watch for over 150 years. I had lost it in only a month. Useless.
My six-year old little sister came running over to me before I could fully realize the loss of the watch and anguish over it. “Come quick, Louis, come quick! There are people in the streets! Mommy and daddy are there too, they were asking for you. Come on!” I rose to my feet and dusted off the dirt on my pants. “People in the streets?” Annabel tugged on my shirt. “Yes, yes, and we need to see, now!” My curiosity got the better of me, and we set off running down to the main street. I dared not raise my suspicions, but was that man one of the “People”? And what was going on? I hadn’t heard anything about this, where were the old hag gossips when you need them?
We rounded a corner and a sight awaited me. All the faces I had grown up seeing, dirty, clean, rich, poor, were crowded on the sides of the street cheering. The noise was immense. Men and horses paraded in the middle of the street, proudly showing off their swords and uniforms. The uniforms, I noticed, were French; the same as the soldier who robbed me. My hunch had been right. I looked around at the soldiers faces; none of them was the robber. Some of the citizens were waving French flags.
Annabel tugged me to the left.”Mommy and daddy are over here.” I allowed her to guide me over to the parents who had given birth to me, and the father that had trusted me with his watch that I had just lost only minutes before. I tried to act natural. “So what’s going on, father?” I had to yell to get my voice over the noise. My father turned around with an extremely glad look on his face. “Ah! Louis we were looking for you! What were you waiting around for? It’s the coronation of the Dauphin!” He turned back to the parade of soldiers and resumed his cheering.
Well, I’m sure you could imagine my confusion. Coronation? Dauphin? In Reims? While Reims was under control of Duke Philip? Why hadn’t anybody told me what was going on? I was practically bursting at the seams with questions, but I couldn’t override the crowd’s noise with my own, so I just stayed quiet and watched. At a point where my eyes were swimming with in time feet and bright reflections off metal, the crowd got louder. It was the type of loud that is pointed directly at a certain person, the person we were all crowded around the street for. I looked around for the receiving personage of all this noise and excitement and found him.
A rather ugly man with a honking nose and drooping eyelids rode into view on a beautiful white horse. I wouldn’t have recognized him unless it was for the finery he was dressed in. My mother turned to me. “That’s the Dauphin, darling, do you see him?” She pointed at the figure I had just recognized. I nodded yes and she turned back around, picking Annabel up in her arms so she could see. I looked at the Dauphin again. This was Charles VII, the new king? It was a bit hard to believe. I glanced at the people riding behind him. They were all clad in armor, except… Was that a woman? I squinted my eyes. Yes, it was. Clad in men’s armor, riding behind the Dauphin with a confident smile on her face; Joan of Arc! I realized suddenly. As if it could be another person. A seventeen year old girl in men’s armor, and behind the Dauphin. That place would be reserved just for her.
Two soldiers were riding by her sides. I glanced at their faces. One of them had a scrubby chin and looked around forty, while the other one… The man on her right side caught my eye and smirked. It was the man who robbed me! The look on my face was probably something to behold, as Somer (our old neighbor), asked me if I was alright. I sort-of just looked at him and nodded as I ran over everything in my mind. I got robbed, coronation of king, Joan of Arc, Soldiers, Robber next to Joan of Arc. What was going on?
My best friend, Jean d’Aulon, ran over to me waving another one of those small banners. “Hey Louis, they’re moving into the church for the crowning, wanna go see?” I glanced at the soldiers parting ways at the entrance to the church to let the Dauphin inside. “How? We’re not allowed inside.” Jean grinned. “I know a way.”
Jean led me to the back of the church and looked around for soldiers. There wasn’t any. He turned around and put a finger to his lips, then reached down and pulled on a chain stuck in the dirt. To my amazement, the dirt lifted, and revealed itself as a trapdoor. There were steps down into a deep dark tunnel and it was filled with dirt and cobwebs. Jean looked at me, then started down into the tunnel. I watched after him for a minute, then followed after.
It was hard going, but after a while of groping along in the dark with our hands, we came across a small beam of light and heard talking voices. Jean stopped in front of me and motioned upwards. Another trapdoor entrance sat above us, a set of stone steps like the ones before leading up to it. This was where the voices came from. We squeezed our ears to the back of the trapdoor and listened.
“So regarding the absence of a page or squire for the Maid, where is the next place you reason you could get them?” A man’s voice appeared first. Papers rustled, and then a woman’s voice came in. “Is it really necessary?” I’ve fought all my battles without the need of them, why should I need some now?” The man’s voice again. “It’s mostly for the public, as a page and a squire require that you are an important figure, however the use of them will go far also.” More voices came in, though we couldn’t hear them. Jean turned to me. “I think the coronations already over, this is just boring adult stuff, wanna go home?” I nodded yes, and we turned back from the trap door to go back through the tunnel, when my heart stopped cold. A soldier was standing right behind us. He was grinning. We scrambled to get away, but the soldier grabbed us by the back of our collars. He slipped something cold and metallic into my pocket, then with us in tow, jumped through the trapdoor and into a sea of unrecognizable faces. The blast of light revealed the soldiers face as the man who robbed me. “Hey missie, I got your page and squire.” Through the beating of my own heart, I could hear the ticking of my watch in my pocket.
FIN
I found this song, and even though Christmas is long over, I just love it. I love the vid the best though. It's too hilarious for my life. 96Neko, I freakin' LOVE YOU!
This song is a remix of Jingle Bells(Japanese version of COURSE), sung by 96Neko, Tenchou, and Kogeinu. Anyway, I love this. These two things are so random put together, it's perfect!
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