#Richard coeur de Lion

[illustratus]

[angevinyaoiz]

Cœur de Lion

[histoireettralala]

Marie de France

For six years, from March 1181 to May 1187, Marie exercised the comital office as regent for her son Henry (II). She did so vigorously and alone, without restriction by a regency council. In the great hall of her palace in Troyes, which served as the political and administrative center of the county, as well as in her other castle towns, Marie sat with a small council of barons and administrative officers to discharge all the routine business of medieval rulers: receiving petitioners, arbitrating and settling disputes, making benefactions to churches, confirming private transactions, receiving homages, confiscating fiefs and granting new ones. Since her acts continued to be drawn up by the same chancery officials who had served her husband, they remained the same in form and content. With the notable exception of appointing a new marshal, Geoffroy of Villehardouin, in 1185, she made no discernible changes in her husband's officers or policies. Although feudal tenure by women apparently increased precisely during her rule, we cannot say whether she fostered that practice. Her court, however, was perceived as being receptive to women, several of whom sought her confirmations at critical junctures in their lives.

In 1181 Marie found herself widowed with four young children — Henry II was fifteen, Marie seven, Scholastique five or six, and Thibaut III only two. She considered marrying the recently widowed Philip, count of Flanders (1168-91), the son of her husband's old friend and crusade companion count Thierry. Philip and Marie were about the same age and well acquainted: a decade earlier he had sponsored the betrothal of her two oldest children, Henry II and young Marie, to the children of his sister Margaret, countess of Hainaut. Philip went so far as to seek a papal dispensation for his marriage to Marie, since they were indirectly related, but then, for unknown reasons, broke off negotiations. Marie, at thirty-nine, seems not to have sought another marriage. Thereafter she was preoccupied with completing the marriages between her children and the children of Margaret and count Baldwin V, who had renewed, broken, revised, then delayed carrying out the marriage contract between his only son and Marie's daughter. Countess Marie called on her in-laws to force the elusive count to deliver the groom; Gislebert of Mons describes the scene at Sens where the countess, the archbishop of Reims, the counts of Blois and Sancerre, and the duke of Burgundy cornered Baldwin, perhaps threatening him, if he did not follow through with the marriage, which finally did take place (January 1186). Marie then trumped Baldwin at his own game by ignoring the second part of the contract and arranging her own son's marriage to the infant heiress of Namur instead of to Baldwin's daughter.

When Henry II (1187-90) assumed the countship, Marie retired to Meaux, probably with her youngest son Thibaut, then eight. The forty-twoyear-old countess could not have imagined that she would ever rule again. But the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin on October 2, 1187 electrified France, and young Henry II was swept up by the wave of enthusiasm for a new crusade to recover the holy city. In May 1190 the unmarried count departed with a large contingent of barons and knights on the Third Crusade, leaving his mother as regent once again. Marie ruled in his absence (he died overseas in September 1197), then continued to rule until her death in March 1198 at fifty-three. In all, she had ruled the county over fifteen years — in her husband's absence, as guardian for her oldest son and then in his absence, and finally in the last months of her life as guardian for her second son, Thibaut.

Although she was countess of Champagne for over thirty years, half of them as ruler, we know little about Marie's life and personality beyond her official acts. She seems to have been close to her half-brothers Geoffroy Plantagenet, for whom she dedicated an altar in Paris, and Richard the Lionheart, with whom she shared Adam of Perseigne as confessor, as well as with her half-sister Margaret, who spent Christmas 1184 with Marie and queen mother Adèle. Perhaps Marie saw her sister, countess Alix of Blois, and her mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, after her parents were divorced in 1152, but there is no firm evidence of any meeting. For her husband Henry she ordered a sumptuous tomb placed in the center of the church of Saint-Etienne of Troyes next to the comital palace, but she herself chose to be buried at Meaux.

Marie's role as literary patron now seems secure. She could read vernacular French and probably Latin as well, given her education at Avenay, and she had a personal library, although its contents are not known. Chrétien de Troyes and Gace Brulé state that they wrote at her request, and she seems also to have patronized Conon de Béthune and Huon d'Oisy. The collegiate chapter of Notre-Dame-du-Val, which Marie founded in Provins with thirty-eight prebends, seems to have supported not only Chrétien but also his continuator Godfrey of Lagny, as well as the earliest known copyist of Chrétien's romances, Guiot of Provins. Perhaps Marie'sinterest in lyric poetry and romances dates from her married years, for the works she is know to have commissioned as a widow in the 1180s are all translations of religious texts: Psalms (Eructavit), Genesis, and possibly a collection of sermons by Bernard of Clairvaux.

Theodore Evergates - Aristocratic Women in Medieval France

[carryonsimoncarryonbaz]

New book rec! I don’t do this as often as I should but this has been a recent release that I loved and keep recommending to people.

Solomon’s Crown by Natasha Siegel. Philip of France. Richard of England. Historical fiction m/m romance, complicated families, intense political intrigue. And Eleanor of Aquitaine. The Lion in Winter vibes with enemies to lovers story line.

Great NYT write up recently too.

[stoportotouch]

about five weeks in. hodge makes a slightly disparaging reference to grétry's richard cœur-de-lion (or something similar). little immediately comes back with the next line of the libretto. (irving gives up all hope immediately, knowing what sort of person hodgson is and, critically, with which head he is thinking.)

little of course has a strong opinion on richard, on account of his father having been a clerk on board one of the ships that sent the response to the spithead mutiny. (Richard Coeur-de-Lion being a particularly monarchistic French opera written VERY shortly after the revolution.) hodgson does not know this at this point, on account of being a truly dreadful listener.

(regardless, hodgson skips this musicological assessment and goes straight to "talking to him about an opera featuring a love song between two men", of course. Johann Joseph Fux is a force far less powerful than wanting to fuck another man.)

[bedofthistles]

Resuscitate

The Coeur De Noir: How do you loose a woman???

Richard: You forget to cherish her

The little white horse went on and on, and Maria began to wonder if she was having delusions. 

It wasn’t entirely impossible that this was some kind of dream, but nevertheless, Maria followed after it. 

With Robin not far behind. 

He did not see the horse, so Maria had no reason to believe it was anything besides her imagination. Maybe that's what happened when you were locked up for too long without air and sunlight. Not that Maria lacked either of those things, but still, she wasn’t getting as much as she used to.

What Maria did not realise, and what you, of course, have already realised, is that this was the mark of a True Moon Princess. The Moon’s familiar, come to guide her directly to the Pearls. We, that is to say you, dear reader, and I, the author, know that those Pearls are mystical and magical and oh so critical to Moonacre Valley’s success or ruination. And, no matter how many different ways the De Noir’s liked to tell the story, none knew the truth of what happened the day the Moon Princess disappeared. 

Heartbroken, the poor girl took her lion, her unicorn, and her pearls before disappearing into the forest, never to be seen again. You knew that, of course, what you did not know was that each and every Moon Princess, every Lord Merryweather, and every Coeur De Noir was doomed to repeat the same incident over and over.

There was a long line of De Noirs who looked just like William De Noir, and plenty of daughters on both sides that bore the resemblance to the Moon Princess, not to mention the countless heartbreakers who carried Sir Wrolf’s bearings. Born far enough apart that no one remembered what they looked like when they came fresh out of the womb, and could not tell when one babe came out a copy of the last! 

That was the thing with tragedies, they tend to bear repeating, hoping, but never succeeding, for a happy ending. 

A Moon Princess that falls in love with a Merryweather. 

A Couer De Noir who loses his daughter to greed. 

A Sir Merryweather, with pride too great to bear. 

But, a chance to repeat history, usually ends poorly for those in the titular roles. 

That was why the Moon had graced Maria Merryweather with Princess-hood. 

Maria, with her autumn hair, instead of golden, and forest eyes instead of ocean. A shorter stature, a younger start, a fresh scene. 

Loveday was bound to fail, her face a mirror image to the original, but Maria was bound to win, her face pure of every past life. 

 So, when the Little White Horse led her through the forest, to the dark and twisting hollow, Maria laughed as she ducked inside. 

“Are you coming, Robin, or are you scared?” She taunted, when Robin did not immediately follow. 

Robin’s wide eyes flickered from the towering tree, back to her own, where she peered at him through the roots. 

“You can hold my hand if you are.”

Robin glared at her, though it lacked any heat, as he trudged in. “I’m not scared, it's just… Haunted.”

Maria scoffed. “You believe in ghosts as well? What next, vampires?” 

“No.” Robin pouted, but followed Maria as she travelled down the tunnel. “You know, there’s a lot of things that are unexplainable.”

“And yet to be explained by science.” Maria flashed him a smile - it was quite condescending, and a bit flirtatious, which just happened to be her flirting style, though she did not know that yet, as Robin was the first person she had ever flirted with! - before she came face to face with a door. “Robin, look at this!” 

“It's a door.” He said, stumped by the existence of such a thing. 

Maria pushed it open, and was surprised by how little effort it took, she sent him a breathless smile over her shoulder. This was an adventure she could get used to. Discovery, not fighting for one’s life! 

The air left Maria as she stepped into the little room, grey with dust, the sunlight dappled the floor in shadows and cast rainbows on the wall when they hit the glass prisms that hung from the ceiling like a disassembled chandelier. 

“Robin, I can't- ooh!” Maria tripped over a stray tree root, which had looped out of the ground just enough to catch her toe. Maria did not fall, as she caught herself on the wall with a single hand. She breathed in relief, as she did not fancy falling flat on her face. 

Robin, however, watched as the stone statue glowed, and the stone beaded necklace that statue wore transformed into glowing pearls. His eyes widened, and while he had in fact, been poised to lurch forward and catch her, he was transfixed. 

Maria straightened, and when her hand returned to her side, the necklace had come with. 

“Maria, the Pearls!” Robin’s face split into a grin, but Maria did not share his mirth.

She examined the pearls, looked back at the statue, and then back to her hand. “They’re quite pretty, aren’t they?” 

“Maria, those are the Moon Pearls, we can brea- I mean-”

But Maria rolled her eyes. “Are you still on that?” 

“Still on- Yes! Maria, you just followed a magical horse to the exact place where the pearls have been this whole time!” 

Maria blinked at him, she had almost forgotten he was crazy. That did put a bit of a damper on things, but Maria could look past it. “Here, help me put them on.”

She held out her hand, but Robin backed away, holding his hands up in warning. “No thanks, don’t really need my heart’s turth to be revealed at the moment! Who knows what will come out of my gob.” 

“Probably nothing intelligent. Fine I’ll do it myself.” And Maria gathered her hair over her shoulders and brought the clasp around her neck. 

They did seem to glisten as they settled over her collarbones, but other than that, they felt like normal pearls to her. No magic. 

“They aren’t revealing my heart, so perhaps they aren’t so magical after all.” Maria smirked and crossed her arms. 

“Maybe you’re too pure hearted, and there’s nothing to reveal.” He said, in an ‘a-ha!’ kind of tone, but Maria’s harsh smirk turned into a gentle smile. 

“Well, come along then, I’m sure there was more to the forest than just this creepy and haunted treehouse you wanted to show me.” Maria held out her hand, and Robin did not hesitate to take it. 

They left the treehouse together, without finding the bridal gown, or the secret entrance that would have lead them to the sea amphitheatre, but they had the pearls, and while only one knew of their importance, Maria had ready proved herself to the most worthy of all Moon Princesses. 

Now, it will do well to remember the exact words of the Moon Princess’ curse. As, clearly, the exacts of the curse have gotten lost in time. But once, many moons ago, the Princess said this: 

Hear me! You have spurned the gifts of Nature, and you shall suffer for it! Nature will wreak her revenge and put a curse upon this valley! One day, a pure heart will walk among you, and if she is not heard, when the 5000th Moon rises from the sea, this valley shall be plunged into eternal darkness! 

Couldn’t have said it better myself! 

But the Moon Princess was clear. She had one condition. 

To hear, and listen. 

☾

The Coeur De Noir tapped his fingers against the table. 

Everyone ate without him, as they had no manners and never waited for their Lord to take the first bite, save two. 

The seat to his left, reserved for his son, and his son alone, and the one to his right, which, without reason, now belonged to the Moon Princess, were empty. 

Not even Dulac had any claim over the seat, and he sat a few chairs down (as he did his best to avoid her and her sound scoldings) as he viciously tore into a leg of… something, the Coeur was never sure why Dulac remained so ravenous with the good food they had, but nevermind that. 

The Coeur De Noir was missing two very important people who were usually always here.

But then, even Robin's friends were missing, and they usually lapped up every little bit of exceptional treatment given due to Robin’s status.

“Pardon.” The Coeur said to no one in particular as he rose from the table and walked off down the hall. No one cared that he had gone off, of course, too busy indulging in their lunches. 

Odile flew to the Coeur’s shoulder as soon as he stood, and he stalked off to the family wing. 

He was lucky, when he stopped himself just before he rounded the final corner, as the boys - what were their names? He knew David, since he was distantly related, but then who wasn’t in the Clan? There were two others, the annoying one and the stupid one, the Ceoeur couldn’t be bothered to remember their actual names - arguing about what they were going to do. 

And the Coeur, who had once been just as sneaky as them in his youth, flattened against the wall so he could eavesdrop. 

“-anything bad, does it?”

“Of course it's bad!” David, the Coeur thought, called out. “She could have escaped!” 

“But why?” That sounded like the stupid one, well not stupid entirely, he just wasn’t the brightest. “She likes it here, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, as much as a bird likes being in a cage.” That was the annoying one, the Coeur knew because his voice was grating on his old ears even now.

“But, why would Robin go?”

“Maybe she tricked him.” Good David, always the brains. “Found a way to get him to take her out to the woods so she could escape.”

“The woods?” The stupid one. “But, tonight is the full moon! If they’re out in the woods…”

Oh, perhaps not so stupid. 

Why on earth would they go out into the woods-

But the Couer remembered his boy’s longing stares, the way he followed after her like a starving dog, how he stood by her rather than his friends whenever they all gathered, always too close, almost touching but not quite. Then, another memory came to him. He had been looking out over the forest, when a flash of movement caught his eye. The Coeur had turned his head and watched his son willingly do work. Willingly! It took every threat in the world to get Robin to get out of bed, and yet there he was, tending the garden. 

No, the Coeur realised, not tending the garden, harvesting. 

The guards reported to him about how the girl was not eating… 

So, the whole time… 

Lost in his thoughts, the boys had continued on, making plans to go out into the woods to search. The Couer chose to reveal himself then, stepping into the centre of the hall, with a frosty look to his eye that his father always gave him when he was not doing as he ought. 

“So, the girl escaped, has she?” He said coolly, his voice just loud enough to call them to attention.

The boys paled as they whipped around. 

“No!” They chorused. “Not at all! She’s just out on a walk!” The annoying one. 

“With Robin.” The stupid one. 

The other two glared at him, but then Daivd stepped forward, and the Coeur tightened his eyes. 

“Sir, if we may, we would like to go out into the forest to bring them back home before-” David’s mouth pursed before he continued. “Before the curse comes to pass.”

“Denied.” The Coeur said, and the boys began to argue with him right away, but he merely held up his hand. “I shall send my men out to collect them. It was foolish, for them to venture into the forest, but we will get them home safely.” 

The boys relaxed, before volunteering for the mission. 

The Coeur couldn't help but smile, however faintly and hidden by his moustache, Robin had chosen his friends well. “If you think you know where they have gone, you may offer that information now, but I have a more important task.”

They shut up quickly, though David had to elbow the annoying one.

“Should they return, you must send Odile to me.” The Coeur gently nudged her talons until she hopped onto his hand, he held out the bird to them, but they backed away. Good, the Coeur smirked, he had trained her to be a fearsome creature. 

David, of course, stepped forward and offered his arm, the leather of his jacket protection enough.

“Click your tongue twice, and she will know to take flight.” The Coeur instructed, before turning on his heel and marching back to the dining hall. The boys trailed behind him. 

As he looked down over the dining hall, he did little more than clear his throat for their attention. 

“Lunch is over! It seems our Moon Princess has disappeared into the forest-”

“Father!” 

And everything stopped. 

Across the Hall, stepping into the torchlight, was his once most beloved child. “My daughter.” He said, rather pathetically, as he was hit with the years of grief and anger he had suffered all over again.

“Where is Maria Merryweather?”

She was just like Odile, a vicious creature with talons sharp enough to kill, and she stood with hardened eyes. The Coeur once believed she was too soft to be his child, but he learned quickly enough what a proper De Noir she was. 

The Coeur did not want to admit that he had lost the Princess. Not that he had, of course, the truth was she and his son were out galavanting through the forest. 

“Yes…” He said, uncertain as all eyes looked to him. “About that.”

☾

The pearls had a lovely weight to them, the shorter strand sat perfectly at the hollow of her throat, and the longer strand hung just below her breastbone, but somehow didn’t bounce with each step. They were lovely, more lovely than any of the costume jewellery Ms. Heliotrope allowed her to wear, and Maria loved them. 

“Do you think I would be allowed to keep them?” 

“No, you should throw them into the sea.” Robin said, as he had been eyeing them warily all afternoon, waiting for the curse to come flying out of the beads, or some other horrible fate, like the string tightening around her throat until she couldn’t breathe. They were beautiful, and against her creamy skin sat beautifully, but Robin knew they were no good. They were the pearls, after all, that had wrought destruction! It was no wonder he didn’t trust them. 

He had half a mind to cut them from her neck and throw them into the sea himself. 

But Maria wouldn’t let him. 

She simply rolled her eyes. “I mean, I did find them, but they must belong to someone.”

“Trust me, Maria, no one lives in that tree.” 

Maria stopped in her tacks and twisted her mouth into a grimace as she looked at Robin. “You really don’t like these pearls, do you?”

“Of course not! They’ve caused us nothing but misery!” 

Maria rolled her eyes. “It is not these silly pearls, but pride that curses the valley! Honestly, look at yourselves! De Noirs versus Merryweather, and what for? Because of a fairy tale? You and I get along just fine! That in and of itself should tell you the long history between our families is nothing but worthless pride!” Maria shook her head, but stopped. “You said to throw them into the sea?” 

Robin nodded his head. 

“Very well, take me to the sea, and I’ll dispose of them.”

“Really?”

“If it makes you feel better, yes, though it's quite a shame to lose such beautiful pearls.”

Robin smiled in relief. “One day, Princess, I’ll get you a strand of pearls far superior to those.” 

“We’ll see about that.”

☾

“What do you mean you don’t know where she is!” Sir Benjamin shouted. 

“I meant exactly what I said!” The Coeur De Noir replied. “What I do know is we must find her!” 

“We?” Loveday and sir Benjamin cried out incredulously. 

“Yes! Tonight is the night of the 5000th Moon!” And The Coeur De Noir, for the first time in his life, looked fearful. “The Curse will come, and they will be in danger!” 

Sir Benjamin shook his head, filled with unadulterated rage, as he launched himself at the Coeur, Loveday and Henry were able to take hold of his arms and hold him back before he physically assaulted the Coeur De Noir. “Danger? Danger! It is your fault she is in danger! You who stole her-!”

“Actually, I had no hand in her kidnapping!” The Ceour admitted. “It was my son’s plan.”

Loveday blinked, as she put two and two together. “Robin?” 

In her mind, Robin had not grown up, he had stayed bright-eyed and loose toothed and chubby-cheeked, but it had been ten years for all of them. And Robin was a man now. 

A man capable of great evil just like her father. 

He had done this? Her little bird? Who could not go to sleep unless she sang to him goodnight? 

What kind of monster had he become while she was away? 

“Yes! And now they are in danger! Please, we must go at once! No one can be in the valley this night, and yet they are!” The Couer called out, and Loveday (all in attendance for that matter) were surprised to witness the single tear that had snuck past his careful watch and fell down into his beard. 

“We must away.” Loveday said she lifted a gentle hand to her Sir Benjamin’s cheek and tugged until he was looking at her, and not glaring at her father. “We must act! Before moonrise!”

☾

Robin led Maria down to the beach, it was hard to reach, as they had to climb down the cliffside, but they managed. It would have been easier without Maria’s dress, but what was the young lady to do? Strip down to her under things?

Once on the sandy shore, Maria actually took off her shoes and let the sand cover her feet. She gasped in delight at the warmth and the strange sensation of the millions of grains that trickled like water down her toes.

“Have you ever been to the ocean?” Robin asked, and Maria shook her head. “Well, maybe we can come back tomorrow and spend… the whole day here.”

Maria whipped around to face him and the almost shy smile he wore. “I would like that, Robin.”

“Good, now go get rid of those pearls!” 

Maria chuckled as she shook her head. Unbelievable! Such fine jewels, only to be wasted! 

Maria came to the edge of the water, and let the seafoam lap at her ankles, she giggled in delight as she let go of her skirt to unclasp the necklace. The hem of her dress quickly soaked, and the pearls fell into her waiting grasp. 

She pressed them softly to her lips, before tossing them out as far as they would go. 

Then, Maria watched as the pearls sank beneath the waves only to rise again. She furrowed her brow as the sea brought them back to her. 

She turned back, to face him, but he seemed just as confused as she. 

Maria tried once more, and again and again, until the sky had turned pink, and then blue with twilight. She plopped down in the waves, uncaring if she got wet, as she examined the strange pearls. 

“Do you believe me now?” Robin asked, as he squatted next to her. 

“No. They float, so what?”

“Maria, pearls don’t float! If they did, they’d be lining the shore!” 

Maria pushed him and he fell back into the sand, but he quickly scrambled back up. 

“Well, I can’t get rid of them, maybe I shouldn’t.” 

In her ear, Robin gasped sharply, before shaking her shoulder. “Look!” 

Maria tore her gaze away from the pearls to find just what Robin was telling her to look at.

“Oh! I’ve never seen the moon so large! It's beautiful.” 

“Maria! The moon is going to destroy us! The curse is coming true!” 

Maria huffed as she struggled to stand in her heavy dress. “Please, Robin! I know you’re smarter than this! You can’t honestly believe this- this-”

“Maria!” 

But, Robin was too late, the wave came crashing into her, and pulled her down. 

Robin was left on the beach, alone, with the Moon growing closer and closer.

☾

Wrolf was a dog.

He was a great dog!

Only, he wasn’t actually a dog. 

He was a mystical companion, a terrifying and rare black lion! 

But, as the magic faded from the valley, so did his magic. Wrolf didn’t mind being a dog. It was quite nice, and people weren’t as afraid of him. 

He was able to stay inside this nice big house, safe from rain, he was well loved, and oh - oh! - scratched right behind the ear, and sometimes a solid belly rub- 

Well, ahem, Wrolf had grown used to a life of comfort. 

He was rather happy, but every once in a while, some of that old magic returned, and he sprung to new life. 

It had happened, some ten years ago, and it happened once more, a month ago. 

It was as if he had woken up from a long sleep and filled with brand new purpose. 

Not brand new, no, as it was always the same. 

To love the Moon Princess.

It was easy, because no matter who the Moon Princess was, she was always kind, and smelled just as she was supposed to, and he always felt the most loyal to her. 

Renewed, Wrolf waited to meet the new Moon Princess, but she never came. 

Eventually, Wrolf went back to sleep, realising she must still be far away. That happened sometimes, and it would take a few years for her to come back into his life. This was just one of those times. 

But, this was different.

Wrolf had never felt more like himself than he had these past few weeks. That is to say, he never felt more like the ferocious lion he was meant to be, rather than the lapdog he had become. 

The old him, back from the dead, ready to serve his princess. 

Wrolf was sharper, and he could sense the distress from the man who took care of him. But, it wasn’t until the day of the 5000th Moon that Wrolf knew he needed to act. 

Rising from his bed, he raced out of the Manor, his paws carrying him farther than he had gone in a long time. 

Back to the place where it all began.

☾

“Maria!” Robin called again and again, he charged into the waves with little forethought, he had simply thrown his heavy jacket back onto the shore along with his hat, and dove in. 

But it was dark, and the waves were relentless, and he was losing hope. 

“Maria!” He shouted, only to get a mouthful of salty sea water. He spit it out and dove back in, opening his eyes despite the sting. It was too dark, however, and she was wearing a blue dress! 

He never felt stupider, from now on she was only allowed to wear red and white, and if this ever happened again, he would at least be able to find her.

Robin broke through the waves to get a fresh breath of air before going back under. He had swum past the worst and most brutal of the waves, and they no longer crashed into him, but the farther he went out with no sign of Maria filled him rising horror.

Robin kicked his legs, which burned from exertion, and held the air in his lungs as he refused to breath in the saltwater. The moon, so large in the sky, did seem to brighten the water a bit, so it was not pitch back. Robin was almost grateful to the Moon Princess for casting her curse. But, without the curse, they would not be in this predicament, would they? 

No, without the curse, it was quite possible that they would have lived in peace. 

That Loveday and Benjamin would have been married without issue. 

That the Merryweathers and De Noirs could have been great allies. 

That he and Maria could have spent their childhood growing up together rather than despising each other. 

As Robin continued to dive deeper and deeper, his vision began to blacken, though he did not realise it, as his world as so dark to begin with, then, with very little notice, Robin’s eyes did close, and his body, which he had pushed to the point of death, ceased moving, and Robin floated lifelessly in the sea. 

Maria was back on the shore.

The pearls, gone, and a horse was by her side. 

Maria had dismounted quickly, as she tried to find Robin, only to find him… not there. 

“Robin?” She called, and suddenly, he bobbed to the surface. 

Maria’s lungs seized, and she felt strangled. She called his name again and again, but he did not move. He moved, of course, with the waves that tossed him to and fro, but he did not lift his head, or row his arms, or kick his feet to get back to her.

Maria ran back into the sea, the water immediately weighing her skirt down, but she could not stop, she had to get him, lie him on the sand and make him breath.

The horse returned to her side, suddenly it was easier to move, and she cut through the water like a fish. Maria wrapped her arms around Robin’s sodden middle and hoisted him back to the shore. The water aided her, in its own strange way. It remained enough so Maria could drag his weightless body, but drew back, so she was not battling the current, the push and pull. 

Once she had drug him out as fall as she could, she rolled him onto his back, and pressed her ear to his heart. 

It still beat, but just so. It was faint, very faint. 

“Wake up, Robin, please, wake up!” Her lip began to wobble, and she held his face in her hands, cold to the touch and covered in the grains of sand that had once filled her with so much joy. “Please. Listen to me, please, you promised you wouldn’t hurt me! But- but if you don’t wake up, that will hurt me more than anything!” 

But Robin did not listen, and Maria could not stop the racking sobs that overtook her body. 

They started softly enough, her eyes, already soggy from the waves, did not need much more help to spill the saltwater her own body produced for such moments such as these. Then, her breathing began to shake, each one sucked in through her mouth, and out again, ragged and uncontrollable. Her shoulders shook, and her breaths turned into low wails, and her whole body was crying. She recognized this cry.

This pathetic, all-consuming cry. It came upon her when the ones she loved died. 

It happened when her mother passed (Maria had no memories of her mother, only the grief she remembered as her small body trembled) and again when her father was murdered. 

It was hard not to let the sobs consume her, and it was the completely wrong time to realise just how much she loved Robin. 

She pressed her forehead to his, she felt his shallow breaths on her lips until they stopped completely.

“Ro-?”

“Maria!” 

Maria raised her head, and there, coming out from the mouth of a cave, was the Coeur De Noir, as well as two other people she did not know. 

Maria threw her arms around Robin protectively, pulling his body into her lap. 

“How dare you!” She cried. “This is all your fault!” 

The three of them stopped, and while she did not recognise any of them outside of the Coeur De Noir, it was not hard to see her father’s face in her Uncles. And the Coeur’s in the woman’s. 

She had no doubt they were her Uncle, and the old Moon Princess. 

“Maria-” One of them began, but she would not have it. 

“You perpetuate old myths as fact! You live in fantasy! Pearls and Moon Princesses! It has destroyed you! Maybe there is a curse, but it has already come to pass!” She drew in a shaking breath, tears still streamed down her cheeks, but she was angry, perhaps angrier than the first ever Moon Princess. “You are all surrounded by darkness! The petty need to see one family destroyed in favour of the other!” 

The man who must have been her Uncle stepped forward. “Maria-”

“No! Don’t you dare come near me!” She tightened her hold around Robin’s shoulder, smushing his body to hers. “I have heard the stories! Of how you were supposed to marry the Coeur’s daughter! But you turned her away! And- and now look…”

“Maria, who is that?” Loveday asked, because who else could she have been? 

No one now. Maria thought, not a stupid boy wearing feathers, or the son of a lord, or even a horrible kidnapper. 

“You should all be ashamed of yourselves!” She cried out, and bowed her head to Robin’s, and rocked gently. 

Sir Benjamin breathed deeply, he looked to Loveday, and held her hand in his. 

“Coeur De Noir… I would like permission to marry your daughter.” 

“What?” Loveday popped, the question completely unexpected. 

“Maria is right, we have been blinded by foolish pride. And while we have yet to meet, I am afraid she has a greater understanding of my character than she has a right to.”

Maria sniffled, as she tucked her chin onto Robin’s shoulder. 

The Coeur De Noir, pursing his lips, looked to the young girl who had come in and spun Castle Black on its head. “Only if my daughter may forgive me my hatred.” 

Loveday ran to her father’s side and enveloped him in the first hug either had received in the past ten years. “Oh father, you have so much more love in you than you know!”

“Then… yes! Yes, I bless this union! In fact, I bless every Merryweather and De Noir interaction! From here on out, there shall be no more war! No more hatred, and… no more pride.” 

The Coeur De Noir reached out and shook Sir Benjamin’s hand. 

Maria squeezed her eyes, and once again missed the glowing light that came as a result of magic, as the Moon’s brilliant glow burst out across the valley. 

All she knew was one moment, Robin lay motionless in her arms, and the next, he had wrapped a single arm around her waist.

“Were you worried, Princess?” 

Maria tore herself away from him. “But-! How-?” 

“Magic.” He said teasingly, despite it being the truth. 

Robin hadn’t been all the way dead, as Maria assumed, only mostly- oh nevermind. 

His heart rate had slowed, and his breathing came so incrementally, that Maria could not feel it. Of course, if it had not been for the breaking of the curse, and the Moon returning order and all magic to Moonacre Valley, he would have been a goner! 

“Robin!” Loveday called, and she ran to his side. 

She knelt down on the other side, and touched his cheek. 

“Oh look, you’re still alive.” Robin remarked. “Hello.”

“Hello, Little Bird.” She said, and kissed his forehead. 

The Coeur De Noir came and knelt by Robin’s head. “What in hell’s name happened?”

Robin shrugged. “Ask the Moon Princess, she was the one I was saving.”

The three adults turned to look at her, but before Maria was finished rolling her eyes there was a mighty roar. 

“Hell’s teeth!” Sir Benjamin cried as a black lion ran out onto the beach. 

He bounded forward, a bit late, and came to rest besides Maria nonetheless, purring mightily in his throat as he pressed his head into her side. 

“Come on, Princess, you have to believe in it now!” Robin said, but Maria scoffed. 

“Black lions are not magical! They have an abundance of melanism!”

“Did you get rid of the pearls?” Robin asked, he was still lying in Maria’s lap, and yes he was more than well enough to get up, but you see, he didn’t want to. 

Maria whipped her head around the beach, looking to see if the pearls would wash up somewhere, but there was no sign of them. Perhaps she had done her job, and they had been returned to the sea. 

“Yes, I think so.”

“Good, let's go ho-” Robin blinked. He lifted himself up onto his elbows. 

He was going to say, let's go home, but remembered that Castle Black was not her home. 

If anything, it had been her prison.

And, well, there was no reason for her to be there any longer, was there? 

“Yes, Maria, let’s do go home.” Sir Benjamin said. “You have- you have no idea how long I’ve been trying to find you.”

Maria’s face softened considerably as she looked at Sir Benjamin. 

“I- I wanted so badly to meet you, I’m- I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come to you sooner.” And Sir Benjamin began to leak. 

Maria lifted herself out of the sand, using the lion’s back to help her stand, and found herself being tightly held by her Uncle. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Uncle.” At long last, Sir Benjamin was able to hold his niece.

The lion began encircling them, rubbing his head against them and purring loudly. 

“Well there we are then, nothing more to be done.” He said as he pulled back and smiled down at her. 

Sir Benjamin was lying of course, there was much to be done! But, there’s still one more chapter, isn’t there? 

[detournementsmineurs]

Katharine Hepburn et Peter O'Toole dans "Le Lion en Hiver" d'Anthony Harvey (1968) - d'après la pièce de théâtre éponyme de James Goldman (1966) évoquant les intrigues menées autour de la succession d'Henri II d'Angleterre (1133-1189) avec de son épouse Aliénor d'Aquitaine et leurs trois fils Richard Coeur de Lion", Jean Sans Terre et Geoffroy II de Bretagne - décembre 2023.

[rabbitcruiser]

Public Art, Vancouver (No. 2)

The Angel of Victory (French: L'Ange de la Victoire) is a statue crafted by London-born sculptor Coeur de Lion McCarthy (1881–1979), installed in Montreal's Windsor Station, in Quebec, Canada.

It was commissioned in 1922 in memory of the 1,116 Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) employees who died in World War I. Copies of the statue were also installed at CPR stations in Vancouver and Winnipeg, Canada. The Winnipeg copy has since been moved from the station, and is now located outside the Deer Lodge Hospital.

The bronze, seven foot tall statue shows a fallen soldier being carried up to heaven by a female angel. It is on a pedestal inscribed:

To Commemorate Those in the Service of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company Who at the Call of King and Country, Left All That Was Dear to Them, Endured Hardship, Faced Danger and Finally Passed Out of Sight of Men by the Path of Duty and Self Sacrifice, Giving Up Their Own Lives That Others May Live in Freedom. Let Those Who Come After See to It That Their Names Are Not Forgotten. / 1914–1918

After World War II, the years 1939–1945 were added to the inscription.

The Vancouver copy of the statue was used in a piece by Canadian street artist Richard Hambleton, who had instructed that it be released only after his death, in 2017. Created in 1974, the piece depicts the young artist in place of the fallen soldier, his body pierced by paintbrushes.

Source: Wikipedia

[ardenrosegarden]

With the planned marriage of his daughter who was to inherit the duchy, the future of his line was preserved and with Constance having to marry Geoffrey Plantagenet, hope remained to bring the county of Nantes back into the Breton fold. According to Barthélémy-Amédée Pocquet du Haut-Jussé, it was the abdication of Conan IV that allowed the subsequent return of the county of Nantes to Brittany, and saved it from being attached to Anjou. This arrangement therefore made it possible to avoid an outright absorption of Brittany into the Plantagenet empire.  It was probably the result of negotiations.  

In exchange for the renunciation of his ducal title, Conan IV therefore preserved what was essential. History proved him right, which escaped the great Breton nationalist historian of the 19th century, Arthur de la Borderie, so it is more appropriate to speak to the skill of Conan IV who, although subject to a totally unfavorable balance of power, managed to preserve the future of his lineage and duchy, allowing Brittany to avoid suffering the same fate as Normandy in 1204: outright absorption by Philip Augustus.

Eric Desbordes, Constance de Bretagne (1161-1201): Une Duchesse face à Richard Coeur de Lion et Jean-sans-Terre

[histoireettralala]

"A legend almost in her own lifetime"

Like her grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine and her uncle Richard the Lionheart, Blanche became a legend almost in her own lifetime. For Philippe Mousquès, writing within her lifetime, she was a formidable presence: she was the wise queen, whose son loved her more deeply than any other son could love his mother, and obeyed her in all things. The Ménestrel of Reims wrote in 1262, a mere ten years after her death and long before the image of Blanche became caught up in attempts to declare her son a saint. The Ménestrel has several striking anecdotes featuring Blanche. He tells the story of Blanche blackmailing Philip Augustus into releasing monies to rescue Lord Louis's English campaign by threatening to pawn her children. He tells too the unforgettable story of Blanche disproving the slander that she had been made pregnant by Cardinal Romanus, by jumping on a table in full council and throwing off an enveloping mantle to reveal herself in nothing but a flimsy chemise. "Lords, look at me, all of you: someone has said that I am pregnant with a child", she challenges them, as she twirls on the table to show off her svelte figure. When she died, Matthew Paris called her the "Lady of the ladies of this world", and compared her to the Persian empress Semiramis. Matthew had developed into one of her most ardent admirers, and it is clear from the context that the highest praise is intended.

Lindy Grant- Blanche of Castile, Queen of France

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

by Jock Purves | Sanquhar Town, 12 June 1680. A band of about twenty horsemen are clattering up the High Street to the Town Cross. People are running to see them. ‘It’s Richie!’ they cry, ‘it’s Richie Cameron! Here are the Hillmen!’ It is Richard Cameron, Lion of the Covenant, a Richard Coeur-de-Lion, indeed, with some of the faithful remnant…

[castratedvader]

In the Middle English romance Richard Coeur de Lion (XIIIth century) Richard is captured and imprisoned by Modard, king of Germany. While in captivity, he kills the king's son in an exchange of buffets and enjoys a brief affair with his daughter Margery. Modard is resolved that Richard should die for these wrongs and starves his lion for three days before having it released in Richard's cell. But Margery warns Richard, and he prepares himself for the lion's assault by requesting forty silk kerchiefs, which he winds round his arm. When attacked by the lion, he thrusts his arm down its throat and tears out his heart. With the heart still warm in his hand, Richard makes his way to the king's hall and there before the assembled company he squeezes the blood out of the heart, dips it in the king's salt and devours it raw.

Richard the Lionheart in German Literature of the Middle Ages, M.H. Jones

[ayliffe]

no yeah you’re right. nothing whatsoever happened in oxford during henry ii’s reign. 1167 passed by without incident.

Passing by Henry II’s Reign, as a Time which promis’d no Good to Learning, by reason of the Contests between him and his Clergy, I descend to the State of Affairs here, under King Richard, from his Lion Heart called Coeur de Lyon, who being born at the Royal Palace here, had good Inclinations towards Letters; and hereupon he added many Privileges and Immunities to this Place, by Charters since lost and destroy’d, and now only appearing by Letters of Inspeximus, as the Lawyers stile them.

[percehaies]

 Fuite de Richard Coeur de Lion.

[detournementsmineurs]

Katharine Hepburn et Peter O'Toole dans “Le Lion en Hiver” d'Anthony Harvey (1968) - d'après la pièce de théâtre éponyme de James Goldman (1966) évoquant les intrigues menées autour de la succession d'Henri II d'Angleterre (1133-1189) avec de son épouse Aliénor d'Aquitaine et leurs trois fils Richard Coeur de Lion", Jean Sans Terre et Geoffroy II de Bretagne - décembre 2023.