Corruption Rent: Day 8

Word Count: 54,003

Summary of Events:
Chapter 15:
Agathe tried to convince Étienne that his murdering was wrong, but he remained stubborn. Awhile later a soldier came and mocked Étienne and a melée broke out and Étienne killed another man, Agathe asked him if they couldn't achieve peace, but Étienne told her peace would be impossible without the peace-seeking nation being annihilated.
Chapter 16:
Agathe then watched as Le Suid blacksmith was summoned and made a set of heavy fetters and chains for Étienne who violently protested being chained until he exhausted himself. Agathe felt sorry for him and all the pain he was going through. When Étienne woke up Agathe asked him if he really believed his wife was dead. He believed she was, yet he also believed she wasn't and he thought that Agathe was somewhat delusional.
Chapter 17:
Agathe, Étienne, the women — Marie, Caroline, and Génevieve — and the Wouest-Suides got into a discussion about why the war had started and how it could possibly start while Étienne worked to break his chains, which he finally succeeded in doing after a very long time. After they all went to sleep Étienne dreamed of Jacinthe again, this time at his property in Herbemont, and he dreamt that they'd had a daughter, which horrified him.
Chapter 18:
Agathe woke up and found that Étienne was crying in his sleep, so she rubbed his shoulder to comfort him. In his sleep Étienne took her hand and kissed it, startling her. They had breakfast and then Étienne waited for someone to come too close. After awhile he got his victim. The victim wasn't discovered until the army came back for the night and the general found it. Étienne was then sentenced to hanging and flogging and his chain was repaired so that he could be hung by his wrists from a post. The general then told Étienne he would be flogged with a fifty six tail whip — one tail for each man he'd killed in combat and captivity — that would be braided with knots, metal, glass, and stone shards.

Excerpt of the Day:
"The general in his gold-trimmed armour rode around the back, looking satisfied, he turned and looked toward the wagon and Agathe could tell he'd noticed. His smile faded, he reined in his horse, and looked quite frozen.
He barked out the names of two soldiers and the two big, burly men who'd held Chevalier de Versant when he'd been chained came forward.
"Let us see Le Ganéis' hands," the general said.
The two soldiers strode forward, seized Chevalier de Versant's arms, causing him to panic and begin to struggle, and they pulled his arms through the bars, revealing the broken chains.
"Summon the smith!" the general barked. "And do it promptly this time!"
Some soldiers took off with incredible haste for wearing full battle armour.
"Turn Le Ganéis to face me," the general said.
The two soldiers obliged.
"So you have broken your chains," the general said.
"And I will continue to break them as long as you repair them," Chevalier de Versant growled.
"Ah, but we are not repairing them this time, Le Ganéis, no, you've wasted any chances at mercy," the general said.
"So you've finally got the mettle to engage in combat with me?" Chevalier de Versant asked.
"Who says that we never did?" the general asked.
"The fact that you haven't done so yet," Chevalier de Versant replied.
"Ah, but Le Ganéis, we don't need to waste the lives of valuable men on your blade," the general said.
"So you let them die in battle," Chevalier de Versant said.
"Their lives are better spent on the battlefield, than in battle in their own camp with a raving madman," the general replied.
"Raving madman?" Chevalier de Versant asked. "How dare you levy such an insult against me! I am no madman!"
"Oh yes you are, and I can already see as much now," the general said. "You are falling quickly into madness as we speak."
Chevalier de Versant set his jaw are and stared at the general. "So you still are too cowardly to engage all of you in combat with me," he said.
"We are not too cowardly to do so," the general said. "We are smarter than taking such a foolhardy risk. We will not give you any opportunity to escape. No. We are going to break you Le Ganéis. We are going to destroy you."
"There is no way you can do that other than to kill me in battle," Chevalier de Versant said.
"Oh yes there is another way that it can be done," the general said. "Le Ganéis, by the powers of authority and justice given me by the most honourable and esteemed Roi Éric, de Le Suid, I sentence you to be hung and flogged.""

Herbemont: ehrbhmonh