That night Minguet, the oldest page in all of Europe, takes Joan to the Dauphin's study. Charley has romance on his mind. All Joan has on hers is a horse, a sword and a suit of armour. Though Charley has great qualms about her abilities to lead an army, he says okay to the horse and armour. He has a suit of his own that has never even been unpacked. It's been shipped to him like a put-it-together-yourself toy kit, complete with a scroll of "simple" directions. He offers it to Joan, but she insists that he try it on to see how he will look when he is crowned king of France. Joan still needs a sword. It's too dangerous Charley thinks - a person could get killed. He then reasons she's as out of her mind as was his father, so at least deserves Dad's sword. He gives it to her and sends her off to Orléans. When Agnes walks in on the conversation and hears this, she gratefully says, "You gave her the army. Oh, my Prince! I'm here. I'm yours." Joan and Minguet are left alone. He tells her about the Dauphin's growing pains, and she wonders about them. At last Charley gets Agnes. She's very complimentary about his bedroom talent; he concedes she is right about that. But now they worry about Joan and what he did to her, sending her off to play "war" - and about people and their passion for violence. He thinks perhaps a note to his Uncle Phillip will get that ogre to call off the siege. He dictates a letter to Agnes. Three weeks later the Archbishop and the General are in a turmoil: Joan is doing all she said she would - running the army, winning the battle of Orléans, scattering the English. Her successes are driving them wild. Charley, ecstatic about her accomplishments, has ordered the castle policed and polished for her victorious return - even orders solid gold armour for his guards. Then he learns about Joan's plans to chase the English out of France. If she keeps winning he'll wind up having to be king and having to accept the awesome weight of responsibility. That's a bit much for Charley - especially when he is told she plans to take Paris, too (where Isabella lives). He will have to face up to his mother unless he calls Joan off immediately. But how? The Archbishop and the General tell Charley that someone who really knows how to handle a woman must be found to wine, dine and woo Joan. He talks about how he dazzled Agnes, made her forget her days and nights and days and nights with an unending list of other men. When the Archbishop and the General brush aside the bragging and offer instructions about love, Charley tells them, "Leave it to me. Romance happens to be my forte." Charley and Joan meet in a romantic grove near Chinon Castle. He is ready, but she fends off his suggestions in the gentlest way. Joan is off on an unbroken string of conquests of the castles of the Loire - Jargeau, Meung, Beaugency, Patay, then the city of Troyes, finally Reims. Charley wanted to call her off in the middle of them. She would not stop. Now the interior of Reims Cathedral is crowded for Charley's coronation. There's been no time for rehearsal, and things are confused. Joan announces she's marching on Paris in the morning. Charley will have none of it. It's his army. He is the king. He wants the war over. He wants peace. Joan will go on, she says, until France is entirely free, though she hasn't heard from her "voices" in some time - and doesn't know why. But she has made some strong political demands, including a bit of nepotism - commissions for her brothers, nobility for her parents, tax exemptions, etc. She would even like down-town Orléans put in her name. It doesn't sound at all saintly to Charley - she's acting like all other human beings. At last the coronation ceremony. Everyone kneels except Joan. Charley is furious at her obstinacy, as she stands, unmoved while the Dauphin is crowned King of France.
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