LADY OF MERCY

“GOLDEN DEEDS”

a nonchalant / uninterested kiss.

And thus is Roland distracted. Too consumed by flaming golds, the bursting oranges and sacred lilies of twining vines in the glorious vineyard of his Youth– the very breadth of his infinitive imagination whence didst he first blink— doth Roland inquire gently for the Lady to pass him a kerchief of uncleaned paint stains, to complete a Query. Hath he made a smudge, yea, and ‘tis truth art there no mistakes created in Arte, doth Roland miraculously find One.

The swift kiss doth he place ‘pon her hand is unimagined, unrealized, and birthed a’fore he didst truly Know what hast happened; ‘tis in the throes of his gliding brush and in the middle of rectifying his glowing Sun doth Roland confirm to himself his gesture, as his lips art soft and renewed. He embarrassedly clears his throat.

      Yes, Elisabeth does still sing, & I certainly would not put it past her to sing in the shower when such an invention is eventually commonplace within the average home. Granted, the songs she sings are greatly dependent upon her timeline. 

      For instance, she used to sing prayers as a young, human girl, but no longer practices those same prayers nor those languages in her daily life within the context of the main timeline. One must note that I consider Elisabeth & her family to be Catholic, despite being forced to attend Protestant church come the reign of Elizabeth l & her doctrine of 1559, eight years after Elisabeth Ashbury ( then known as Elisabeth Englewood ) was born. These are mæsse ( musical compositions ) or hymns, either generally or, more specifically to her, Marian antiphons. Elisabeth was forced to attend Church every Sunday – or at least once a week – & no fewer than 19 Saint Feasts Days throughout the year, as was law. By 1581 ( when she was ‘30′ years old, having been turned to an ekon three years prior ), anyone found trying to convince another person of joining the Catholic Church can be found guilty of high treason & executed. This did not stop her from remembering the songs & singing privately to herself – or in the company of William Marshal – opportunity permitting. As her life progressed & she was exposed to more culture/music, she picked up new verses, prayers, or folk songs to remember. French songs were introduced to her as well after she married Jacob Blackwood. Elisabeth would sing when she worked, travelled, or got lost in thought, oftentimes to his irritation. She does not sing the very old tunes anymore, but occasionally recalls them the odd time or so. In the canon timeline, she may have sung quietly to soothe dying patients at Pembroke, but not so loudly as to be overheard by staff or others. 

1578 ( from the ancient tome of William Marshal, Elisabeth’s Maker ) 

Tonight, in the small village of Hoddesdon, I met the most delicate soul I’ve seen for a long time. She was singing for the dead, singing for those she knew and loved, those killed by a new plague outbreak, without fearing for her own life. Her voice moved me so I chose to let her live. I offered her eternal life as a reward for her virtue and most pious attitude. Her name is Elisabeth Englewood. I’m not alone anymore. Together, we shall praise God in all His glory, for the eons to come.

A few particularly interesting phrases to take away from this entry. First of all, “let her live” – this not only suggests that William Marshal may have debated killing her in this moment, but possesses a dual meaning. Most likely, it also infers that he believed she would die anyway, likely from the new plague outbreak. She may have exhibited physical signs of this sickness, but we know that ekons can canonically detect illness within humans by simple observation, likely due to blood quality. “Let her live” may also indicate that he felt, fundamentally, that had he not turned her and given her eternal life, her human life was to come to a swift end.