The Worlds of Katherine Kurtz

FanFiction => DesertRose's FanFic => Topic started by: DesertRose on April 09, 2015, 09:24:43 PM

Title: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: DesertRose on April 09, 2015, 09:24:43 PM
Author's Note:  And now we come to the end.  I'd like to thank revanne, again, for inspiration.  Thanks go to Evie as always for taming my commas and catching a couple of continuity errors--this is what I get for composing scenes as they come to me and not necessarily in the order they occur.  Also, Aerlys for answering my saint-prayer questions, and to you all for reading.

~DR


Epilogue

2 August 1138, Valoret

   On Lammas, four men were hanged unceremoniously outside the walls of Valoret, their bodies cast into a common unmarked grave.  Along with the three conspirators, Royston MacAlister was hanged, but Thomas Fitzgerald had by virtue of being willing to testify earned a lesser punishment, his life being spared, but he would live it out confined to a prison cell.  A number of other men had been named by Desmond and de Kierney, but the names of d'Estrelldas' hired men had to be dragged from him by Deryni means.  However, all the associates had been rounded up and punished by means varying between hanging and imprisonment.  Desmond and de Kierney had taken advantage of Bradene's willingness to provide them with a priest for a final confession and extreme unction.  D'Estrelldas died excommunicate for his unwillingness to confess his sins even to a priest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 August 1138, Valoret


   The following morning, the Curia met again, this time to discuss the very interesting intervention of a priest who had been killed over thirty years earlier.

   Bradene had a clerk read back the pertinent testimony from the trial of the conspirators, and then he addressed Denis Arilan.

   "Bishop Arilan, you knew Jorian de Courcy well in his mortal life?" the archbishop asked.

   "Yes, he was my friend, and I swore when I was ordained to uphold his priesthood.  I didn't know then that he would intervene so directly in my life—and in the lives of others."  Denis gestured to indicate Father Nivard and Bishop McLain.

   Bradene took a deep breath.  "Denis, I know you well of course, I know Bishop McLain well also, and Father Nivard is King's chaplain as well as the guardian of the royal library.  I think it would have been a great loss to our Church and to our kingdom if these men had not been ordained, and it is clear that they never would have been without divine and saintly intervention.  Therefore I will take a vote of the Curia on recognizing the man known in life as Father Jorian de Courcy as saint and martyr," Bradene said.  The Curia's vote was unanimous.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15 August 1138, Valoret

   On the fifteenth of August, it was proclaimed by the Church throughout Gwynedd that Saint Jorian de Courcy's feast day, shared with Saint Martin, would be celebrated for the first time on the anniversary of his death, the eleventh of November of 1138, and under the direction of Bishop Denis Arilan, the first shrine to his memory and worship was to be built at the Abbey Church of the Paraclete at Arx Fidei, where the saint had been ordained and martyred.  He was declared specifically the patron saint of Deryni priests and of martyred Deryni in general.  Bishop Duncan McLain lobbied successfully for a second shrine to be built at the Saint Camber chapel in Rhemuth, since he felt it fitting that the chapel of one Deryni saint was a good place for an alcove for another, and he personally wanted to be able to honor the saint who had saved his earthly life.

   King Kelson decided that he would find out if the new saint had any living relatives left.  It transpired that Jorian's close family members were all long dead, but he had a cousin, née Lisette de Courcy, who was the wife of a minor knight, Sir Stefan de Varnay.  Kelson quickly reached the conclusion that a saint's family, even if they were somewhat distantly related, should not live in the relative obscurity of landed gentry and promoted Sir Stefan to the newly vacant earldom of Sheele.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

17 August 1138, Dhassa

   An old human priest named Angus MacKenzie came to Dhassa a few days after the announcement of the new saint and requested to speak privately with Bishop Denis Arilan.

   "Yes, Father?" Denis said when the white-haired man, clearly past seventy, was brought into the antechamber of his apartment.

   "My lord bishop, when I was a young man, I was on the staff of Archbishop De Nore.  I remember clearly the delight he took in the interrogation and execution of de Courcy—I should call him Saint Jorian now—and it made me question my own vocation, to think that the man at the very top of the Church hierarchy could take so much joy out of causing such suffering," Father MacKenzie began.  Denis noticed that he had his hands behind his back as if holding something, and the bishop was a bit intrigued, but he felt no fear.  He looked at the elderly priest curiously and gestured to him to continue.  "I was at the ordination, too, although nobody really paid a junior priest on the archbishop's staff any particular attention.  I wound up in the sacristy with him, and I saw—Father Oriolt, I think his name was."  At that, Denis nodded and Father MacKenzie continued.  "—Take his vestments off him.  De Nore kept the stole from the ordination.  He taunted—him—with it, told him that he would go directly to Hell for daring to believe he could take up the yoke of Christ."

   "Why are you telling me this now?" Denis asked in no small measure of perplexity mixed with pain.

   "Because—" the old man's blue eyes, still clear and bright despite his age, began to fill with tears.  "I have that stole still.  I took it after the execution.  De Nore threw it into a pile of trash to be burned, but I—I salvaged it.  I couldn't bear to see it destroyed.  I sometimes was never sure myself why I kept it all these years," he said in a voice shaking with emotion.  "Until now," he finished, pulling from behind his back a small linen bag.  From the bag he removed a length of clean white silk, slightly yellowed with age, lightly wrinkled from its long storage, and embroidered with a small golden cross at the center back and two larger golden crosses at the ends.  "I think now he wanted me to keep it safe.  For you."

   Denis took the offered stole, held it in his hands for a moment, reverently set it on a table, and then he burst into tears with a vehemence that surprised the old priest but shocked Denis himself most of all.

   Through his sobs, Denis excused himself to his bedchamber to pull himself together.  Re-emerging a few minutes later with red eyes but a clean dry face, he thanked the old priest profusely.

   "I don't know if you know, but they're building shrines to Saint Jorian.  I think it would be fitting if this stole were placed in a reliquary at the shrine to be built at Arx Fidei, and I would be honored if you would attend the dedication ceremony," Denis said in a voice still rough with emotion.

   Father MacKenzie nodded his head, his eyes still full.  "I would be more than glad," he whispered, his own voice breaking.  "I never thought that was right, what they did to him.  And I'm happier than I can say to hear of his canonization."

   Denis nodded before impulsively embracing the old priest.  "Thank you so much for saving that," he said, indicating the stole, which was still on the table.  "I will make very sure that it has a place of honor at Arx Fidei."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11 November 1138, the Abbey Church of the Paraclete, Arx Fidei

   Bishop Denis Arilan had been asked by Archbishop Bradene to dedicate the shrine at Arx Fidei, and so on the eleventh of November 1138, he found himself back at the site of his ordination for the first time in a good many years, in front of a huge congregation that included such luminaries as the King and Queen, the duke and duchess of Corwyn along with half the peers of the realm, and all four children of Denis' brother Jamyl with their spouses and offspring, all present to witness the formal dedication of the first shrine to the new Deryni saint.

   After Denis, dressed to honor the occasion in the finest vestments he owned, had performed the ritual of Mass, honoring both Saint Martin and the newly acknowledged Saint Jorian, he gave a brief homily to dedicate the new shrine in an alcove of the church.

   In an unconventional move, accompanied by Father MacKenzie, who had assisted with the Mass, Denis walked over to the alcove, wherein lay a lovely statue, carved and painted to Denis' specifications—since of anyone still living, he best remembered what Jorian had looked like—and at the feet of the slightly-smaller-than-life statue, a small narrow rectangular casket of marble with a clear glass top sitting off to the side.  Before the casket, Denis nodded to Father MacKenzie, who had held the stole whilst Denis said Mass.  The old priest offered the stole to Denis, who reverently took it in his hands, kissed the cross at the center back as he would if he were going to vest himself with it, and carefully handed the relic back to its protector.  Father MacKenzie's hands shook slightly—maybe with age, maybe with emotion, maybe both—as he placed the yellowing silk stole in the new reliquary.  Denis stepped forward then and carefully placed the glass lid on the casket.  Using the power of his well-trained mind, the Deryni bishop arcanely sealed the reliquary, projecting a blue-violet glow around it for a few moments, forever preserving the ordination stole of Father Jorian de Courcy, saint and martyr.

   It seemed to Denis as he opened his eyes from performing the arcane sealing that the statue of the newly recognized saint smiled at him.  He had been about to look away, and when he looked at the statue again, it was simply carefully painted marble, quiet and cold, but he thought he felt laughter in his mind—and a certain impish joy from Jorian at his discomfiture.  Blinking back tears, Denis smiled in a much softer way than was his usual habit, and he bowed at the shrine, offering a silent prayer to his old friend and, as it seemed, his own personal patron saint.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: TKnTexas on April 10, 2015, 12:24:35 AM
Oh my my my.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this tale.  You have triggered all of the emotions one can feel.  Thanks for telling and sharing.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: revanne on April 10, 2015, 01:03:45 AM
Beautiful and moving ending.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Evie on April 10, 2015, 07:57:33 AM
I was doing OK until Denis lost it, at which point I lost it too.  Darn you, woman!   ;D
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: revanne on April 10, 2015, 08:06:12 AM
But Denis's emotions are captured so beautifully.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Elkhound on April 10, 2015, 08:55:03 AM
And fitting that his nearest living relative is now Countess of Sheele.  Is she of MacRorie blood that she could find the hidden scrolls?
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Evie on April 10, 2015, 09:14:57 AM
Hm.  You know, I hadn't thought of that, Elkhound, but according to the genealogies that Laurna recently posted, I think Lisette would be descended from Camber somehow. I'll have to check.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Jerusha on April 10, 2015, 12:54:19 PM
Wonderful ending; I enjoyed this story very much.  Hope there will be more.   :)
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Laurna on April 10, 2015, 01:45:34 PM
I am gladdened that the stole came back to Denis. Denis can finally let that tortured part of his history be turned to emotions of goodness.  Very nice DR.

If Jorian's cousin Lisette de Courcy is a granddaughter or great granddaughter of Seiffina MacAthan and Aurelien de Courcy than she is likely the closest relative to the last male heir- Sief MacAthan- in the MacRorie family line. Therefore, she is the rightful owner of Sheele. Now, if Lisette is not from Seiffina's family, she is still a descendent of Camber through Bethany Ainslie (daughter of Rhysel Thruyn) who married Alphard de Courcy. Please recall that the lands of Sheele were giving to Rhys and Evaine Thruryn before it was stolen by the regents and given to Calder. Therefore, I am very pleased to read that Sheele has been returned to its rightful family.

Evie, I do believe Stefan de Varnay has been given a great honor by HM King Kelson. I do hope either you or DR continue to offer us further stories of his family and new residence, but if they do find Camber's scrolls, I hope it takes years for them to be deciphered. I don't want to see anyone else parish the way Evaine did trying to release Camber from the spell he had cast. 

Wonderful story thank you.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: revanne on April 10, 2015, 03:22:06 PM
I don't think you need worry Laurna. My understanding is that Evaine did succeed in releasing her father from the spell but at the cost of her own life. It was then his choice ( or self-imposed penance ) to continue the work he had begun. Even if I've misunderstood I doubt anyone of Kelson's day would dare to interfere with the revered Deryni Saint.

Definitely a story to be told though.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Laurna on April 10, 2015, 03:23:47 PM
Evie! Oh fun fun. You forgot to tell me about this young lady.
I just did a quick view over of Maidens of Mayhem and found Lissete's full name in chapter 19
Lady Lisette Aurelia Michonne de Courcy. Now there is no denying she is of the MacRorie family line. Her father is Baron de Courcy. If this is Aurelien de Courcy, himself, then Lisette must be his youngest daughter and she would be Sief MacAthan's granddaughter.  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Evie on April 10, 2015, 03:44:00 PM
Quote from: Laurna on April 10, 2015, 03:23:47 PM
Evie! Oh fun fun. You forgot to tell me about this young lady.

No, I didn't.  See here: http://www.rhemuthcastle.com/index.php/topic,1440.msg12250.html#msg12250 (http://www.rhemuthcastle.com/index.php/topic,1440.msg12250.html#msg12250).  ;D

QuoteI just did a quick view over of Maidens of Mayhem and found Lissete's full name in chapter 19
Lady Lisette Aurelia Michonne de Courcy. Now there is no denying she is of the MacRorie family line. Her father is Baron de Courcy. If this is Aurlien de Courcy, himself, then Lisette must be his youngest daughter and she would be Sief MacAthan's granddaughter.  ;D ;D ;D

I don't recall if my calculations had Lisette figured as Aurelien's daughter or a granddaughter by some (unnamed in the Codex) son of his.  I think I left the Baron in Maidens of Mayhem unnamed because I didn't want to risk messing up the generations, so if the dates work out, he might have been Aurelien.  Lisette is still quite young in that chapter--no older than 21, and perhaps a little younger--so you might want to check Aurelien's birthdate to see if it's plausible that he had a daughter that age in the fall/winter of 1125/26 (I think that was the right time frame for MoM), even if he fathered her later in life, or if it would need to be his heir who fathered Lisette.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Laurna on April 10, 2015, 05:05:46 PM
QuoteNo, I didn't.  See here:
LOL
Oh my, you did! How easily I get distracted. ;D

Lady Lisette Aurelia Michonne de Courcy.  She is 20 years of age in Maidens of Mayhem, chapter 19. Thank you for the dates of 1125/26. For some reason, I had put it later at 1129/30. It is perfect that it was earlier.
Michonne was born in 1030 and married May 1, 1055. His eldest son, Aurelien, would then have been born c.1056-1060.  Aurelien was married and had children by 1081. If Lisette's father passes away in 1125/26 as an older man than this would be Aurelien and he could have had a daughter at age 45. The question would be if Lisette's mother was Sieffani, because Sieffani was only a few years younger than Aurelien. Although I see no problem with her having a child at the age of forty.
I finished rereading In the Kings Service. There is no further mention of Michonne and his family. So now I need to reread Child Morgan to see if any other conical details are given about the de Courcy's other then Michonne passing away in 1097.  If nothing comes up, then I think it is safe to say that Aurelien is Lisette's father.  This still does not discount that Saint Jorian could have been Lisette's older brother or, more likely, a cousin from further up the de Courcy family line.

Sorry, I just like playing with this stuff.

Revvanne, Sorry, no, I was not concerned that anyone would interfere with Saint Camber or even figure it out. On the other hand, I was concerned that less trained Deryni reading those scrolls could cause more harm than good. Best, if the scrolls are found, then they be hidden deep in Kelson's library and not deciphered. IMHO.
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: Evie on April 10, 2015, 05:17:23 PM
Double check the dating, but MoM happens during the winter/spring immediately following QFSC, which I think happened in 1125.

There is a brief mention of the de Courcy family in TKD after Michon dies and is brought home by Brion, Kenneth, etc. Though you may have forgotten about that due to fumbling for the tissues after reading the scene immediately following that bit.   ;D
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: DesertRose on April 10, 2015, 06:38:46 PM
I'm glad y'all enjoyed the story.  :)

To be entirely honest, Denis bursting into tears surprised ME when I wrote it, because Denis keeps such a tight rein on his emotions most of the time.  But having someone show up after all these years with Jorian's stole would cause a break in that control.

Oh, BTW, Laurna, after all the arguing I did about Jorian being a more direct descendant of Michon, I think I was wrong because in "The Priesting of Arilan" it says that all Jorian's close family are already dead, but de Courcy is an unusual enough name that I think there must be a common ancestor somewhere attached to both Jorian and Michon (and his descendants), so I felt justified in letting Lady Lisette and Sir Stefan get their promotion for being at least a cousin to Jorian.  :)
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: DerynifanK on February 05, 2016, 08:27:29 PM
This was a wonderful story and I really enjoyed getting to know Denis better. I also really like the repkies and discussions. Thanks to all of you
Title: Re: The Miracles of Saint Jorian the Martyr -- Epilogue
Post by: LeDuc on July 22, 2018, 01:32:41 PM
This is an excellent short story.

I would hope, with KK's permission, this and all the other FanFic stories can be published, citing the writers.

Will/LeDuc