“This story is not over,” she says. “It is possible that one day the people will talk about the King of France who ended this war. Many were against him. On all sides was he surrounded by his enemies, but in the end, he defeated those who stood in his way and emerged victorious. He unified his kingdom. Then your meatless dinners will be something glorious to look back on. The days when you went without, when you could not afford a new shirt and the tailor refused to attend you because you had not paid your debts—you may reflect on these days and they will be the stones that make your crown shine brighter than any of your forefathers’.”

“That is only a dream.”

“Everything begins with a dream. What is a prayer but a wish? Your Majesty is fortunate. You are served by those who, like weavers, will take the fabric of your dreams, your prayers, and spin them into existence. It is true. There are many who desire to see you fail, but you also have friends like le Maçon and Dunois. You have God on your side. You have me.”

He smiles. The smile flickers. He looks at her seriously. “I have heard of your feats in Orléans. You have killed men. Tell me, do you feel any guilt for the lives you took?”

They are in a house of God. She glances at the altar, returns his gaze. A brief pause. “No.”

The Dauphin waits.

“I am a soldier,” she says. “I have done what I must do. And Your Majesty is a king. A king must always do what he needs to rule.”

Her answer satisfies him, and he moves on. “How else will you serve us?”

She pretends to think, though she already has an answer prepared. “Jargeau. Meung. Beaugency. These towns were seized by the English in the days before the siege at Orléans. If we take them back as we have taken Orléans, we shall free the whole of the Loire Valley.”

“More battles?” A sigh rattles out of him.

“Your Majesty asked how I could serve you.”

“And then?”

“Allow me to deliver you the places I have named first. Then we will talk again.”

The Dauphin’s back straightens. He dips his head, bestows the royal assent. “Restore the Loire Valley to us, Joan, and you shall have everything it is within our power to give. There will be no honor you would not deserve. I promise you this.”

She looks to the altar. So, the man she once named her enemy is now her ally.

“Your Majesty’s support is gift enough.” It is the kind of phrase le Maçon has taught her: the language of courtiers.

“Friendship, Joan. Whoever God sends to aid me is my friend.”