War of the Wings III

Excerpt from The Book of Stone, pp. 301

Et voilà, il advint que, dans la troisième année de
la Guerre des Ailes, que la baronnie de la Pierre
Sainte (or “Sacré) a été assiégé de tous cotés(or a
été assailli) des Personnes qui la souhaitent du mal.
Grandes étaient les pertes des deux cotés, mais la
baronnie et ses peu d’ alliés étaient malheureusement
entourés, et leurs pertes plus difficiles à remplacer,
alors que les pertes de l’Ennemi étaient remises
apparemment du jour au lendemain.

[The entire passage is translated hereafter from the original French, for the unlettered. –ed.]

and lo, it came to pass in the third year of the War of the Wings, that the Barony of the Holy Stone was besieged all round by Peoples wishing her ill. Great were the losses on both sides, but the Barony and her few allies were sore beset, and their losses harder to replace, whereas the Enemy’s losses were replaced seemingly overnight.

And in the darkened and blasted lands all around there was Despair, and the people cried out for a champion to save them. But for long months none came, and the people were downtrodden and defeated, and many spoke of surrender.

But on the dawn of the first day of the third year, when all seemed hopeless, and the remaining troops of the Sacred Stone girded themselves, and pledged their lives to the final, futile defense of that battered land, there came a sound as of distant thunder.

And the ordinary people of the Stone, who had resigned themselves to finally being overwhelmed and conquered, turned their heads to the East, facing the rising sun, for thence did the thunderous noise come. And they turned one to another, and spoke with eagerness, saying, Surely, this is our salvation come at last.

And the noise grew louder. And the Enemy’s troops looked at each other, and feared.

And the sound came closer and louder yet, and finally a shape became visible, and lo, it was but one person on a horse, and when that one person removed its helm, that one person was a woman. And the people spoke one to another, saying, Surely there has been some mistake.

But the woman rebuked them, saying unto them, get thee up, and find courage, and take arms beside me. And the people heard her words, and found their courage, and stood their ground, and prevailed. And such was the magic of her words that they found themselves asking that she lead them; and only then did they think to ask her name. For, they said, kneeling before her, surely this is Joan of Arc come again to save us from the English hordes.

And the lady smiled upon them with a kindly face, and said, call me Alianor of the Swan.