บท 119: Chapter 119: Gabriel’s Request

Raven's Fort, South of Norway

May 29th, 1431 - Sunday

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Erik, Selena, Serafall, and Calypso were relaxing while sunbathing by the side of an outdoor pool that Erik had built. The season was slowly progressing from spring to summer and they finally had some natural sunlight available for them here in Norway and they intended to use it well. Suddenly, Erik and the girls felt someone knocking on the wards. It worked just like a doorbell, but for friends that were allowed to teleport to their home. And the list of allowed people was a very short one.

"It seems that we have a guest."

Erik said lazily while waving his hand. Some simple cloths were conjured around him and the girls, who, just like him, were naked.

"From the energy signature, I think it is Gabriel."

Selena said while she watched in the corner of her eye her husband, Erik, getting up and going to receive their friend. Erik entered the house and walked through it until he reached its front door. He opened it and found an anxious-looking Gabriel waiting for him.

"Hey, Gabriel, how are you?"

Erik said, greeting the buxom angel.

"Hi, Erik. I'm good. Anxious, but good. And how are you? I hope that you and the girls are fine."

Gabriel greeted back. While still anxious, the Seraph managed to give Erik a big smile.

"I'm good too. The girls and I are relaxing in the back while sunbathing. It is the first day of 'open' sun here in Norway."

Erik replied to Gabriel.

"Wanna come and talk with everyone?"

Erik continued and asked Gabriel. The angel shook her head before answering.

"I would love to, but I can't. I don't have much time today."

Gabriel replied to Erik. Her anxiousness appeared to have come back.

"I came to ask you a favor, Erik."

Gabriel said after steeling herself. Erik nodded his head and gestured to Gabriel to come inside. He guided the Seraph to the lounge room of the house and gestured again for her to take a seat.

"Now tell me, Gabriel, with what do you need my help with?"

Erik asked after both of them were comfortable sitting. Gabriel nodded her head slowly before starting to talk.

"You know about the war going on between Britain and France, right?"

Gabriel asked Erik, who nodded his head in confirmation.

"Yes, I know about it. It is going on for almost a hundred years already. Luckily I managed to keep my mercantile group out of it. None of the sides were happy with it, but they respected my position since I was allied with a lot of other powers."

Erik replied to Gabriel. He, as his mercantile group, had received requests and even orders to do some shady things for both sides of this war. He denied the requests and ignored the orders. People were not happy about it, but when Erik made subtle threats to have his company leave the country completely, they shut their mouths up. Ravens' Mercantile Group was the biggest in the world right now and it offered the best goods together with the best prices. Any country that lost its presence would see its markets receiving some serious blows.

"Yes. An ugly conflict that one, like all of them."

Gabriel commented. The Seraph didn't like wars at all.

"Well, to end this war sooner, Heaven had chosen a saint to act on our words."

Gabriels started.

"Oh, the Joan girl? The one that they are calling the Maiden of Orléans?"

Erik asked Gabriel. Of course, he knew about the French female soldier. She was making waves on the battlefields. That is until she was captured. Joan of Arc was, after all, a famous heroine and saint from France even in his past life. Gabriel smiled and nodded her head, confirming to Erik that she was the one she was talking about.

"I heard that she got captured some months ago and would receive trial over the accusation of heresy by dressing like a man."

Erik said. At that, Gabriel let out a tired sigh.

*sigh*

"Yes. She was captured and was sentenced to death in a bad excuse for a trial."

Gabriel started. Erik could swear that he had heard some edge on the Seraph's voice when she talked about the trial.

"That is the reason for me to come here today. I want to ask you to save her. Can you, please, save Joan?"

Gabriel said while looking totally serious. Erik smiled at the Seraph.

"Of course, Gabriel."

Erik replied and Gabriel smiled radiantly at that.

"But for her to continue to live, she will have to die first."

Erik said, frightening Gabriel a little.

"What do you mean with 'die first', Erik? You don't want to let her die and then revive her as a Piece for Serafall's peerage, right?"

Gabriel said to Erik. She didn't like that the Devils found a way to reborn people as Devils. Correction, she didn't like that some Devils forcefully revived people as Devils. If a person agreed with being transformed into a Devil, it was their choice. Her father gave all humans free will so they could make their own choices in life. Erik smiled back at Gabriel.

"That is an option, but not one that would be acceptable right now since I doubt that Joan would agree with being revived after dying. What I meant is that we will have to forge her death. Everyone will believe that Joan of Arc was executed. That way, she can freely live her life without the fear of someone coming after her."

Erik replied to Gabriel, who now had a smile on her face.

"That is an excellent idea! She already did more than enough in this war. It's time for her to rest and live her life. And what better place for her to live than with you and the girls!?"

Gabriel said happily. She believed that Joan would be very happy while living with Erik and the girls. She needs some people in her life that would not want to use her. Joan needs to learn how to live. Erik's eyes went wide when he computed what Gabriel had just said. But in the end, he only let out an internal sigh and accepted it. He knew that his wives would be ok with that too.

"Yes, Gabriel, we will love to have Joan here with us for all the time that she wants."

Erik said to Gabriel, who smiled again at Erik.

"Wonderful, I have to go back and let her know. Brother Michael said he would let me give Joan the good news if I managed to find help to her."

Gabriel said and got up from her seat. Erik got up together with her and accompanied the Seraph to the front door. Before leaving Gabriel gave Erik a quick hug. She then activated her magic transportation circle but was interrupted by Erik.

"Gabriel, are you not forgetting something?"

Erik asked Gabriel, who cocked her head to the side and looked at Erik in confusion. Erik let out a sigh at that.

*sigh*

"Where can I find Joan?"

Erik asked Gabriel, who now had a look of realization on her face.

"Hehehehe, sorry. I forgot to tell you about that. She is imprisoned in Rouen's Castle. They scheduled her execution to happen tomorrow."

Gabriel said sheepishly to Erik, who nodded his head in understanding. He knew where Rouen's Castle was. Gabriel then waved to Erik and teleported away back to Heaven.

After Gabriel left, Erik walked back to where his wives were and found only Selena and Calypso still sunbathing.

"Where is Sera?"

Erik asked. He had felt Serafall teleporting away while he talked with Gabriel, but he couldn't know to where she teleported or why she was gone.

"Sera received a message from Sirzechs. Apparently, some foolish young master messed with someone that he should not mess with and now they had an angry god wanting the guy's skin."

Selena replied to Erik, who while she was talking had taken his seat again.

"So, the usual."

Erik replied to Selena, who nodded her head together with Calypso.

"Yes, the usual. What did Gabi want? I saw that her visit was a short one."

Selena asked Erik.

"She wanted my help rescuing Joan of Arc."

Erik replied to Selena, who, together with Calypso looked at Erik.

"The Maiden of Orléans?"

Selena asked Erik, who nodded his head in confirmation.

"Yes, after her capture, she was judged under a sham trial and found guilty of heresy. She is scheduled to be burned on a stake tomorrow morning."

Erik replied to his wives calmly.

"And?"

Calypso asked, prompting Erik to continue talking.

"And Gabriel asked me to rescue her and let her live here with us for a time. I don't know if you girl would mind it or not, but I accepted both of her requests."

Erik said to his wives. Selena and Calypso looked at each other. After some silent conversation between the two friends/sisters, they nodded at each other.

"We don't mind at all, dear."

Selena said while getting up from her seat.

"Yes, hubby. We will go now and check if we have everything to receive Joan."

Calypso said to Erik while getting up from her seat too. Erik looked at both of his wives but shrugged at their behavior. Inside his head, he was already planning how he would fake Joan's death. While Erik was planning, Selena and Calypso walked back inside the house and to their bathroom. Both sisters then turned their bathtub on to start to fill it and went under the shower to take out the excess filth from their bodies. Five minutes later, when they both entered the bathtub and took their seats in it, they started to talk between them.

"New sister?"

Calypso asked Selena.

"It will depend on both of them."

Selena replied and Calypso nodded her head slowly.

"What do you know about this Joan of Arc?"

Calypso asked Selena. This sister of his was the one who normally knew a lot of things since she was always reading the reports that Erik wrote down.

"Hmm… Nothing much, really. Just that she received a vision when she was seventeen and then started to fight in the war between France and England. She saved the city of Orléans from the English, and was then captured by Burgundian troops and exchanged with the English."

Selena replied, telling Calypso the little that she knew from what she had read about Joan in Erik's reports. Calypso nodded her head at the information. It really didn't say much about the woman's personality.

"And how old is she now?"

Calypso asked Selena.

"She should be nineteen."

Selena replied to Calypso.

"Oh, she didn't stand a chance so."

Calypso said and Selena nodded her head in agreement. Soon enough, both women were out of the bathtub and had put on their clothes. They then teleported together to the magic shopping district. They had some clothes and supplies to buy for a possible future sister.

While this was happening, Erik was still thinking about his plan to save the Maiden of Orléans.

'Now where do I find a big pig?'

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a/n: To understand/remember what happens between this chapter and the next, you can re-read chapters 18 and 19 from this fanfic. They are the 'flashback' of Joan remembering her first encounter with Erik.