Chapter 97 Chapter 95: The Morning of the Duel

Paris is sunny.Not a single citizen heard of the duel.But the nobles of the royalists, and the nobles of the Gizists, who had not yet recovered from their panic, were waiting for this, and taking precautions so that they could congratulate the victors in time. As we have seen in the previous chapter, the king did not close his eyes all night, praying and weeping.But he is a warrior after all, especially experienced in duels. He left the palace with Xiko at around 3:00 in the morning, ready to do his best to help his friends for the last time. He went to the duel site to inspect the field. It was a sight so remarkable that, strangely enough, it was so little noticed.

The King, dressed in a dark suit, wrapped in a broad cloak, with a sword at his side, his eyes and hair hidden by the brim of his hat, walked about three hundred paces along the Rue Saint-Antoine to the Bastille; Later, he saw a large crowd surrounded by St. Paul's, and he did not want to venture into the crowd, so he took the Rue Sainte-Catherine and entered the open space in front of the palace of the Weinelle from the rear. We can guess what they were doing there with that large group of people: they were looking at how many people died in the previous night. Since the king avoided the crowd, he certainly didn't know what happened there.

Xiko, who participated in the quarrel or agreement between the lucky people and the Anjou guys eight days ago, told the king what happened at the duel scene, who should occupy what position, who will duel with whom, and the conditions of the duel. Before Henry finished listening, he immediately measured the site, observed the distance between the trees, and estimated the direction of the sunlight. He said: "Kaylus was positioned facing the sun, which was just to his right, over his remaining eye, while Mogiron was fully backlit, and Kailus should occupy Mogillon's position, and Mogillon should occupy Kelus's position, because he has a good eye. So far, the matter has not been arranged properly. As for Schonberg, he has weak legs, and it happens that there is a tree behind him to cover him if necessary. I am sure of him. But Kailus, my poor Kailus!"

He shook his head sadly. Xiko said: "You make me sad, my king. I don't think you need to be sad, hell! They should win if they should win, and they should lose if they should lose. Why worry?" The king looked up at the sky, sighed, and murmured: "My God, you see how blasphemous he is, but you must forgive him, because he is only a buffoon." Shiko shrugged. The king said again: "To be honest, I was very unfair to Epernon, and I didn't think about him; his opponent is Bisi, what a risk he is going to take!... My good Xiko, look Look at the terrain: there is a fence on the left, a tree on the right, and a ditch behind, but Epenon often needs to retreat, because Bixi is like a tiger, like a lion, like a poisonous snake, and his sword is very flexible. Suddenly down, suddenly stretched, suddenly retracted."

Xiko said: "Hmph! I'm not worried about Epernon." "You are wrong, he will be killed by Bixi." "Him? He's not a fool. He'll take precautions." "what do you mean?" "I mean he's not going to duel with Bissie." "What! Didn't you hear what he just said?" "heard it." "How about it?" "That's why I said he won't duel with Pissy because I heard it." "You are such a suspicious and contemptuous fellow." "I know my fellow Gascon, Henry. If you believe me, let us go, my lord, to the Louvre by daylight."

"Do you believe that I can stay in the Louvre during their duel?" "Damn it! You must stay at the Louvre, or they will see you here, and if your friends win, they will say that you have some sorcery to win, and if they beat them, they will say it was you." Bring bad luck to them." "What does it matter to me what people say? I love them forever." "I would very much like you to have a strong will, Henry. I should congratulate you on loving your friend, for it is a rare virtue among kings. But I do not want you to leave M. Anjou alone." Stay at the Louvre.

"Isn't there still Creon?" "Ah! Crillon is only a buffalo, a rhinoceros, a wild boar, or some other ferocious animal, but your brother is a poisonous snake, or a rattlesnake, or some other thing, though not very strong, but powerful in its venom. animals on the "You are right. I should have thrown him in the Bastille long ago." "I told you long ago that you shouldn't see him." "Yes, I was struck by his calm demeanor and his claim to defend my interests." "That's another reason why you can't trust him. Go back, my boy, and trust me."

Henry followed Hiko's advice, and after taking one last look at the future battlefield, they all took the road back to the Louvre Palace. When they arrived, everyone in the palace was up. A few lucky ones woke up first, and the servants were dressing them. The king asked the left and right what they were doing. Schumpberger was kneeling, Caylus moistened his eyes with grape juice, Maugiron was drinking a glass of Spanish wine, Epernon was sharpening his sword on a stone. The king actually saw Epernon, for he had a piece of sand brought to the door of the adjoining room to sharpen his sword.

Henry looked at Epernon with affection and said, "Don't you think this person is not another Bayar?" Shiko replied, "No, I think he's just a knife grinder, that's all." Epernon saw the king and shouted, "My lord!" Notwithstanding the king's resolution, and not having the strength to carry it out under the circumstances, Henry entered their chamber. We have already said that Henry was a majestic king with great self-control. His calm face was almost smiling, showing nothing of his mood. He said, "Good morning, gentlemen; I find you in good spirits and good spirits."

Cailus replied: "Thank God, it is so, my lord." "You look a little melancholy, Morgiron." "My lord, as your majesty knows. I am a very superstitious man, and I had a bad dream and had to drink a glass of Spanish wine to calm my mind." The king said: "My friend, I quote the words of our great physician Miron, and you must remember that if you thought yesterday, you will dream tonight, and this has nothing to do with what happened the next day. , unless God wills so." Eperonon said: "Therefore, my lord, look at my valiant appearance. I also dreamed many dreams last night. In spite of the dreams, my arms are still strong and my eyes are extremely sharp."

As he spoke he made a dashing motion against the wall, leaving a gash with his freshly sharpened sword. Shiko said: "Yes, you had a dream, dreaming that your boots were stained with blood. Such a dream is not bad. It indicates that one day you will become a victor like Alexander or Caesar." Henry said: "My brave men, you know that the honor of your lord is at stake in this duel, for you are fighting to defend his cause; but you must know that it is only my honor that you are defending, Don't think about my personal safety. I have consolidated my throne last night, at least for a while. No power can shake it. Fight only for my honor." Kailus said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, we would rather die than damage His Majesty's honor." The king continued: "Gentlemen, I love you and respect you very much. Please listen to one of my advices: don't make unnecessary sacrifices. If you want to satisfy me, don't die in battle, but kill yours." enemy." Epernon said: "For my part, I will never forgive them." "I can't make a guarantee, I'm just doing my best, that's all," said Kailus. Morgiron said: "As for me, I promise Your Majesty that even if I die in battle, I will fight back and kill my enemies." "Do you fight with swords first?" Schonberg said: "Use the sword as well as the dagger." The king put one hand on his chest. His slightly trembling hands were in contact with his beating heart, as if they were expressing their fears to each other, but on the surface, he had a haughty look, cold eyes, and haughty lips, putting on the airs of a king, in exchange for In other words, what he looks like now is sending soldiers to the battlefield, not sending friends to hell. Xiko said to him: "Really, my king, you look so great now." Several guards have been prepared, only to pay tribute to the king. Henry asked, "Are you going on horseback?" Kailus replied: "No, my lord, let's walk over. This is a very beneficial exercise that can clear the mind. Didn't Your Majesty often say that it is not the arm that wields the sword, but the brain?" "You are right, my child, hold out your hand." Caylus bent down and kissed the king's hand, and the others did likewise. Epernon knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, please bless my sword." The king said: "No, give your sword to your attendants, I have prepared better swords for you. Shiko, go and get the sword." The Gascon said: "Don't call me, call your captain of the guard, my boy. I'm only a buffoon, and a heathen at that, and if my friend the devil sees what I hold in my hand, God A blessing can turn into a fatal disaster in an instant." An officer brought over the ebony box, and Schonberg asked, "Your Majesty, what kind of sword are you talking about?" "It's a famous Italian sword, my boy. It was forged in Milan. You see, the guard of the sword is so well made. All of you, except Schonberg, have delicate hands. If you don't have a good guard to protect them, a whip will kill you." Can make your sword fall to the ground." The four young men said in unison: "Thank you, thank you Your Majesty." The king could not restrain his emotion, and said, "Come on, the time has come." Kailus asked: "In order to encourage our fighting spirit, will the Holy Majesty come to see us duel?" "No, it's inconvenient to do so. Don't let people know about your duel. This duel is not approved by me. Don't make it too grand. Make people believe that this is a private dispute between you." Then he bid them farewell with a gesture full of regal majesty. When they were out of his sight, and the last servant had crossed the threshold of the Louvre, and the clanging of the armor of the armed page was no longer heard, the king dropped down on the steps, saying: "I'm dying." Xiko said: "I'm going to watch this duel. For some reason, I always feel that Epernon is a bit weird today." The king said in a miserable voice: "Are you leaving me, Shiko?" Xiko said: "Yes, because if one of them cannot perform his duties, I can step forward to replace him to maintain the king's honor." Henry said, "Go ahead." As soon as the Gascon took leave of the king, he fled like lightning. The king then went into his room and closed the shutters.He ordered no one to speak or shout in the Louvre Palace, and only said to Creon who knew the inside story: "If we win, Creon, you come and tell me; if we lose, you only have to knock three times on my door." Creon shook his head and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."