We Pierce the Last Ambuscades explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Faith and Divine Mission

  Joan insists she is commissioned of God and will only deliver her message to the Dauphin, not to the bishops.

• Courage and Resilience

  The group faces the last ambuscade without fear, having become seasoned to danger.

• Injustice and Corruption of Power

  De la Tremouille and the Archbishop obstruct Joan's access to the King, prioritizing their own power over France's salvation.

Characters to notice

• Joan of Arc

  Dictates a letter to the King; refuses to deliver her message to the bishops, insisting on speaking to the Dauphin alone; leads the group through the last ambuscade.

• Louis de Conte

  Writes Joan's letter to the King; narrates the chapter's events.

• The Paladin

  Swaggers and boasts after the journey; mocked by Noël for cowardice during the fog.

• Noël Rainguesson

  Teases the Paladin about his supposed discretion and tree-climbing during alarms.

• Pierre d'Arc

  Joan's brother; participates in the discussion about the Paladin's discretion.

• Jean de Metz

  Rides with the letter to the King; reports the court's obstruction by de la Tremouille and the Archbishop.

• Bertrand de Poulengy

  Rides with the letter to the King; asks Joan why she refused the bishops.

• De la Tremouille

  Implied to have laid the last ambuscade; identified as a chief obstructionist at court.

Key passages

• “We rested and otherwise refreshed ourselves two or three hours at Gien, but by that time the news was abroad that the young girl commissioned of God to deliver France was come; wherefore, such a press of people flocked to our quarters to get sight of her that it seemed best to seek a quieter place; so we pushed on and halted at a small village called Fierbois.”

  After a short rest at Gien, the crowd's excitement over Joan's arrival forced them to move to the quieter village of Fierbois.

  Describes the group's movement to avoid the press of people.

• “Discretion is a quality of the heart—solely a quality of the heart; it acts upon us through feeling. We know this because if it were an intellectual quality it would only perceive a danger, for instance, where a danger exists; whereas—”

  Noël argues that discretion comes from the heart, not the mind, allowing it to perceive even imaginary dangers.

  Noël's mockery of the Paladin's supposed discretion.

• “Ye will forgive me, reverend sirs, but I have no message save for the King's ear alone.”

  Joan politely refuses to deliver her message to the bishops, insisting it is only for the King.

  Joan's defiance of the King's commission.

• “The King has got the letter, but they will not let us have speech with him.”

  The knights report that the King received the letter but is being kept from them by courtiers.

  The obstruction by de la Tremouille and the Archbishop.