A little later that evening, a couple of citizens of Namor see a monk from the Cruxton Abbey rushing down the street. They stop him and ask if the perpetrator has been found. In an excited voice he says “Yes, and you won’t believe who it is! I hear the constables are going to the home to make the arrest!”
“So there will be another crucifixion soon” one of them asks.
“With any luck, tomorrow morning” the monk exclaims.
As the speak a pair of constables rush into the suspect’s house. A less than dressed woman sneers “What are you doing here? Do you know who I am?”
“I believe you are Joan Tree” one constable says. “And we are here to arrest you for the crime of high treason.”
In a huff, Joan puts on a slightly less revealing gown and in the garden her hands are bound behind her back.
With contempt, Joan growls “Wait till Tree hears about this! You won’t be able to get a job around here scooping dog crap from the streets.”
One of the constables says “Who do you think sent us? Tree ordered us to bring you in!”
Joan is brought to the Namor town hall. She is stripped of her clothing and irons are placed on her wrists and ankles. She protests that she has not been convicted of anything but one of the guards says “We are not here for your trial. That has already happened. We are here find out what your sentence will be!”
Joan is led into a great room filled with people there to hear her sentence. Joan tries to cover herself so that mean commoners cannot gaze on her bare body but is less than successful due to the irons constraining her limbs.
A man points towards Joan and says “There’s the traitorous bitch Joan” to Archbishop Wragg standing near him. The archbishop scolds him saying to keep his contempt silent until
after Joan is sentenced.
Joan is led to the front of the room where Tree sits on an ornate chair. At his feet is his servant Barbara, given to him by the Moore clan. Barbara looks at Tree’s naked cousin standing before her and thinks by tomorrow there will one less competitor for Bull’s attention who stand behind Tree and her.
In a stern solemn voice, Tree says “Joan, you have been convicted of trying to steal the late senator’s inheritance. Since his only living heir is currently dying on a cross for killing the man, you have tried to steal from the people of Namor.”
In a bit of a panicked voice Joan says “Why would I do that? I have…”
Tree cuts her short and says “The document was signed yesterday by ‘Claire’. Claire was confined in the Namor dungeon and did not have access to a pen or paper. Besides, did you not think I would not recognize you writing?”
In a somewhat worried voice Joan lies and says “Tree, I would never do that!”
With a heartly laugh, Tree says “For your profit, there is little that you would not do! Joan Tree, I sentence you to death! You will be crucified in the morning at the first light. You will hang from the cross next to your lover, Claire. I visited her this evening. I think she will still be alive to watch them nail you to the cross and raise you.”
“But I am a noble woman of Namor. You cannot…” Joan starts but Tree cuts her off.
“You are a lowly thief of Namor. You deserve to die hanging naked on the face of a cross” Tree exclaims. “Besides, you were always a proponent of crucifying more than one woman at a time. You should be honored you will be one of the first to participate.”
Joan is outright defiant and demands to see the archbishop, knowing well only his word could spare her from the tortures and death on the cross. Tree sends Joan to the private study when the archbishop has a residence. Naked but for the irons she wears, Joan kneels before Archbishop Wragg and begs he spares her from the cross. Being naked and having slept with him several times for her own wants and desires (and for a ‘celibate’ clergyman he wasn’t not a bad lay), Joan was certain the archbishop would waive her sentence.
But Archbishop Wragg leaned towards Joan and says “Your crimes were against man and they have condemned you to death by crucifixion! There is nothing I can do but pray for the peaceful repose of your soul once they have executed you.”
Archbishop Wragg was lying, of course. He easily could have stopped Joan’s crucifixion. Tree wasn’t much of a church-goer, but he had a respect (perhaps fear) of church. But the archbishop, having had Joan in bed, could not wait to see her naked body stretched hanging nailed to the cross. And there is the small matter that Tree would give
him the church ten percent of the senator’s wealth if he did not stop Joan’s crucifixion.
The bailiff came for Joan and started to unlock the irons.
Joan pleaded “I’ll sleep with you if you let me escape.”
The bailiff locked her wrists behind her back and led to the hall’s cellar.
He says “You’ll sleep with me anyway. Tree doesn’t put virgins on the cross to kill them…
) to simplify, take people out or put some in, remove lion cloths, etc... But be sure to let him know!!!
