"10 YEARS LATER A. D. 1156" "Good morning." "So, now that we've finished the vault, we start work on the towers." "It's two fingers pointing to heaven, but also doubly supporting the wall of the nave." "Now, our budget is tight, our time frame even tighter." "So, we must be swift and diligent." "And there's no room for error now." "We will finish this church while peace still reigns." "Another war could stop us all together." "Now, Matthew..." "WINCHESTER" "I'm afraid, Father." "Good God, Eustace!" "What can you possibly be afraid of?" "I'll make a bad decision." "Kings don't make bad decisions." "Now, your advisers will advise you." "But, if something goes wrong, it's their fault for not informing you fully." "Now sit." "Bring in the petitioner." "Don't fuss about it." "You're only king for a morning." "This is a..." "It's a minor issue." "England won't collapse if you mishandle it." "Good boy." "Richard of Kingsbridge, welcome home." "The crusade went well?" "It was a long journey, Your Majesty, with little result." "You killed a lot of Jews, didn't you, hmm?" "That's what I was told." "I came to believe the Jews were not necessarily our enemies, My Lord." "How odd." "At any rate, you have a petition." "Prince Eustace here will hear it." "And whatever he decides will be law." "My Prince." "Speak freely, Sir Richard." "For many years now, I have been asking that my father's title be restored to me, along with his castle and his land." "I've served the king faithfully, first against Maud, now in the Holy Land." "Your title was given to William Hamleigh, was it not?" "Yes, My Lord." "But he's continually changed sides in the war of succession, and in addition, is a bad landlord with unpaid taxes." "I will pay those taxes and serve you better than he once Shiring is mine." "Very well, it's yours." "It's mine, My Lord?" "Yes, if... that's all right, Father?" "Whatever you say, Eustace." "There's just one tiny problem." "Cardinal Waleran, you know Richard of Kingsbridge, don't you?" "Your Eminence." "The cardinal recently returned from Rome where he served His Holiness for nearly eigth years." "Your Eminence is well rewarded for your service, I see." "What's the problem, Cardinal?" "Why can't Richard be named earl?" "In order for him to claim his title, he has to take the castle by force, Majesty." "And it is well armed, I believe." "So, Richard has to raise his own army, and pay and feed and arm them himself." "Unless Your Majesty is willing to contribute." "No." "No, that's... that's impossible." "We're poor as church mice." "Tommy!" "Tom, you've got to run it against the wind." "So, take it the other way." " That's good." " Hand me the basket." " He's good." " Jack!" "What?" "Nothing." "Wait, what?" "Aliena!" "No, don't." "Stop." "A storm is coming." "I'll go check the cathedral for cracks." "You should take Tom back before he gets wet." "God forbid anything should happen to your precious cathedral." "What did you say?" "I said cathedral first, family second." "That's not true." " It's my work." " It's your life, Jack." " Not me, not Tommy." " You have your work, Aliena." "Which doesn't compare to your calling from God." "Prior Philip gives you pittance for all the hours that you spend building his church, Jack." "His, not yours." "You're so tired when you come home, you have little energy for anything else but sleep." "I'm treated like a neglected mistress." "I'm not even your wife!" "And you think an afternoon of kite flying and picnic is enough to make everything fine?" "You're not my wife because you chose to marry Alfred." "I begged you not to, but Richard needed the money." "And that is all that you care about, isn't it?" "Is Richard's precious title." "Well, that was your naive promise, Aliena, not mine." "Face the facts." "Shiring is a dream, you will never win it back." "Just as you will never be a princess again, only the merchant mistress of a common laborer." "Now take Tom back." "Someone left this for you, Your Eminence." " Who?" " He didn't say." ""Your secret will out." ""Your time as come." ""I Have de proof." "The Ghost of Jack Shareburg."" "We'll stop at the inn." "Ma!" "What do you want?" "Money?" "Food?" "You must help me, witch." "I can't help you if you kill me." "I don't wanna hurt anybody!" "Remigius!" "I've no one to turn to." "Whom do you love the most?" "And what would you do me?" "Mother!" "No!" "Who did this to you?" "My husband." "Why?" "He was drunk and angry." "He does it often, but this was the worst." "Who is your husband?" "You needn't fear." "I will keep you safe." "William of Shiring." "Elizabeth?" "I was in love once." "Love is a terrible thing." "I know, it struck me dead." "Did she die?" "He hanged himself." "And I found him." "I was only 13 when he married me." "The Church forbade him to touch me until I was... more mature." "He cared nothing for rules." "He came to me on my wedding night, and hurt me so badly" "that I was unable, after that, to bear children." "I loved him and he loved me." "How could it be a sin?" "But I confessed, and my confessor made me denounce him to the others." "And after he took his life, my confessor made me fix things so that I would never be able to sin like that again." " You ran away." " Three days ago." "God help me if he finds me." "Is your confessor still alive?" "Oh yes." "You should denounce him to the Church." "He is the Church." "But I sent him a letter from the ghost of Jack Shareburg." " What?" " Threatening to expose his secret." "But it's all I can do, is threaten." "What would you do... to see justice done?" "Anything." "Anything." "For our church, dear God, I would do anything." "There are cracks in the ceiling?" "You mustn't use the church again until I find the cause and I fix it." "You said you'd found a way to support the weight." "I thought I had." "As did Alfred." "No, the old walls were made for a wooden ceiling, but he put stone on them." "These walls, they're well-buttressed." " They can hold the weight." " So why is the ceiling cracking?" "I don't know, Prior!" "I do not know." "Tom would know." "I am not Tom." "Richard!" "Richard!" "I missed you!" "You're home!" "And happy to be here." "You're holding in your arms, dear sister, the new Earl of Shiring." "It's true." "King Stephen made it official last week." "Wonderful!" "Everything we worked for... all these years..." "Finally, we did it." "There is one minor complication." "Before we move in, we have to move William out." "That shouldn't be difficult." "You have friends from the army." "Surround the castle, and, if William doesn't surrender, attack." "In 17 years of civil war, do you know how many times" "I've seen a castle captured by frontal attack?" "None." "They're taken by cowardice, treachery and deception." "We need to find a way in without William knowing it." "What?" "What are you smiling at?" "We have a way in." "Get a rope round it." "Yeah, open up." "Richard's back." "He's won his title." "William Hamleigh is a tyrant!" "He's attacked Kingsbridge, murdered its citizens, yet freely walks among us whenever he wishes." "King Stephen has seen fit to strip him of his title, but it is up to us to strip him of his lands." "I have soldiers, friends from the crusade who will lead the charge and bear the brunt of the battle, but I need men to back them up." "I will reward you with what gold we capture." "William will be punished for the evil he has done, and the blood of your wives and children will be avenged!" "There's not enough of us to take a castle!" "We'll never make it inside the gate." "Oh yes, we will." "We have a friend who will help us." "What is it?" "You look like you need to confess." "I've been an ass and an idiot." "Well, if that's a sin, we'll all burn in hell." "What about?" "Aliena, the roof, everything that is important in my life." "What you said this morning was right." "You're right, you're not Tom." "You're Jack, which is something much better." "Tom was a dreamer with enough faith to give his dreams weight, but you... you have an exceptional gift." "And you have determination instead of faith." "We all need faith, Jack." "It makes it easier for God to help us." "And Aliena believes in you more than you do." "How much faith do you have in her?" "What do you mean, Prior?" "She left an hour ago with Richard and an army of men to retake Shiring." "She's gone?" "Prior?" "Edgar." "Oh, milady." "Is Lord William here?" "No, he's out looking for you." "Assemble everyone in the courtyard." "I have an announcement to make." "Yes, milady." "Leave it open, Edgar." " But, milady?" " Leave it open." "All, silence for milady!" "I have come to bid you all goodbye." "I am no longer your lady because my husband is no longer your earl." "King Stephen has awarded the title to Richard, whose father once ruled here, and whose sister, Aliena, some of you may remember." "I am surrendering the castle to the rightful Earl of Shiring, and command you all to lay down your weapons." "There will be no bloodshed." "The castle is taken, Walter." "But I'm not!" "No bloodshed!" "No, wait." "Now we're even." "Now we're even." "She betrayed me, my own wife." "If you kick a dog... it may someday bite you." "Your mother never learned that, and now she burns in eternal fire." "Nonsense, she is in heaven, kneeling before the throne of God." "She's in hell, William, and rumor has it you put her there." "What can I do?" "I'll build a chapel in exchange for her salvation." "It's too late for that." "All you can do is save yourself now." "How?" "I'll do anything." "This isn't fair!" "No, it isn't." "Very little is fair in this life, and the forces of evil are strong." "And make no mistake about it." "It's the devil we're fighting, and the scores are even." "But this is why I called you here." "I have the authority to appoint a district sheriff." "What would you say if I appointed you?" "I am not a sheriff." "I am a lord." "Don't try my patience, William." "I will want you to make an arrest for murder soon." "Who?" "Who murdered whom?" "No one's murdered anyone, yet." "I don't follow." "No, I don't expect you to." "Trust me, William." "I'm laying a trap for a witch." "Ma." "What are you doing here?" "Why were you in the crypt?" "I'm retrieving an old letter for a new friend." "Trust me, Jack." "I'm laying a trap for a bishop." "Alfred!" "Brother, wake up." "There's someone here to see you." "Wake up." "Tell them I'm not well, Martha." "You're well enough." "Now get on your feet." "I'll bring some water so you can wash your face." " Why?" "Who is it?" " It's Cardinal Waleran." " Your Eminence." " Oh, do get up, Alfred." "Did Martha offer you something to eat?" "I have no time." "I'm here to grant you a favor." "Is it the annulment?" "Will I be able to marry again?" "Follow my wishes, you'll be able to do whatever you want." "What's that?" "A dagger?" "What?" "I want you to provoke Jack Jackson into a fight." "You want me to kill him?" "No, of course not." "That would be murder." "What then?" "I want you to make Jackson spill some blood, yours." " My blood?" " If it's convenient." "Just a few drops, nothing serious." "Why?" "So I can have him arrested." "I'll deal with the rest." "Do this," "I'll dissolve your marriage and make you a free man." "And you can marry whoever you want." "Do you, um, have a bride picked out?" "Several." "Glad to be of service." "ANJOU France" "I'm returning to England... to fight for my rightful crown." "Our soldiers are returning from the crusade, Mother." "They'll support me." " Henry..." " Don't you dare forbid it!" "I would be ashamed if you didn't want this, but Father Francis here believes the crown can be won with ink, not blood." "Stephen is old and his son, Eustace, weak and unpopular." "Let me travel with you and try to negotiate a compromise." "I don't believe in compromise." "Compromise is for cowards." "I spit in the face of fear." "I'm assembling an army!" "You done there?" "You have to go on your own." "The vault's cracking, not because of the weight, but because of the height, because of the wind." "I don't follow." "Come." "Here." "This here, this is the wall of the church." "Now place your hand flat across my fingers as if it were the roof." "Right, now press down." "So, as Euclid says, the wall of my arm holds that weight." "Now, instead of the roof, imagine your hand is the wind blowing against my arm." "Do you see?" "The vault's cracking because the walls are moving." "It's the wind that's causing it." "It's no coincidence that I discovered the cracks on the night of the storm." "Thank you, Elizabeth." "Take this one instead." "It's better than the Italian fabric, and the color won't fade." "You see, all these parts, not just the walls, were meant to work together to support the whole." "It's like a team of workers." "I learned this in France." "Now, the wind is a new force working against us." "It wasn't as strong in Saint Denis." "What we're looking for is a new part that's not yet been invented." "And look at the bird and follow me." "I'm heading out to buy some flowers." "Hey, look." "Feel that, feel that, eh?" "So, it's a taller buttress, at least 20 feet higher, but with these second half arches that leap across to the exterior wall near where those cracks are forming." "So, it will brace the top half of the church and keep these walls rigid when the wind blows." "But won't the higher buttresses appear rather naked?" "Well, if we try and hide them with more walls, we lose the light." "What's wrong with them appearing naked so long as they're strong and elegant, like the bird's wing?" "Good morning, dear wife." "Winged buttresses?" " Exactly." " Jack!" "It's Alfred, he's drunk again." "I've never seen him so wild." "What do you mean?" "He attacked Aliena." "What happened?" "The arm, too." "I've been worse." "Jack!" "Alfred!" "Alfred!" "Serves plenty!" "A pitcher now!" "Serves this many!" "Bastard stabbed me!" "Everyone, Jack Bastard stabbed me unprovoked!" "No, he attacked Aliena." "She's my wife!" "My wife, sister, look what Jack Bastard did to me." "He scratched himself, Aliena." "It was his own knife." "I've never seen it before in my life!" "Why should I stab myself?" "It's Aliena I wanna stab, and not with a knife." "What?" "He tricked me!" " What?" " It was poisoned." "Dear God!" " What is happening?" " I don't know." "I don't know." "For Maud, Queen of England!" "Eustace!" "Eustace!" "Yes?" "I'm Henry." "Pleased to meet you, cousin." "Dead?" "Not dead." "My son is not dead." "No!" "No!" "Your Majesty, no." "Your Majesty!" "Your Majesty, please!" "Eustace, dear boy, you're alive!" "You're alive!" "No." "No!" "What is the meaning of this?" "As newly appointed district sheriff," "I've come to arrest Jack Jackson for the murder of Alfred Thomson." "This cathedral stands on holy ground." "No arrest can be made under the laws of sanctuary." "Now take your men and your horses and leave." "Not so fast, good Prior." "The laws of sanctuary only apply to churches that have been dedicated and sanctified." "You should know that." "This church is not yet finished, so God's law has no power here." "Seize him." "What would you know of God's law?" "Your Church is a church of ambition, not of Christ." "Holy ambition which brings me closer to Christ." "Is that why you burned my father?" "The Church did." "I just sentenced him." "But Lord Percy and Prior James were under your orders, weren't they?" "I was merely a priest." "With connections in court!" "So, what did my father know?" "Was it something to do with the White Ship?" "Gag him." "Prepare for trial." "Send for the executioner from Winchester." "Try to finish your cathedral now." "Alfred Thomson was drunk." "He attacked me in the public square." "As his wife." "You publicly rejected him." "His reaction was understandable." "We haven't lived together as husband and wife in nearly 10 years." "All the more reason, I would think, for his desperation, hmm?" "Did Jack Jackson stab Alfred Thomson?" "The wound was not fatal." " It barely nicked his skin." " Oh, not fatal?" "Perhaps your late husband should testify to that." "The dagger was poisoned." "There are witnesses here who can testify how Alfred Thomson died." "Furthermore, the weapon belonged neither to Alfred nor to Jack." "This is mere quibbling." "Take the witness down." "The facts are clear." "Alfred Thomson died from a stab wound administered by Jack Jackson, who is hereby condemned to be hanged by the neck until dead." "And may God have mercy on his soul." "Proceed with the execution." "No!" "No!" "It was murder, but the one that poisoned the dagger should hang, not Jack!" "Silence, woman." "Silence!" "I have evidence!" "There is no need for more evidence." "The prisoner has been condemned." "Evidence of the murder of a future king... of regicide." "What is she talking about?" " She's a madwoman!" " She's lying to save her son." "That woman was condemned as a witch years ago and has evaded the law ever since." "So, we'll have two hangings today." "Mother, run." "Run!" "No." "There's been too much running from the law in Kingsbridge." "I have the evidence here." "Quiet!" "Let her speak!" "Evidence of treason." "The chalice was planted on Jacques Cherbourg at the request of Prior James of Kingsbridge." "He was tortured and burned." "An innocent man!" "This is nonsense, total nonsense." "This has nothing to do with this trial." "Seize the woman and hang her right away." "As prior of Kingsbridge, let me remind Your Eminence..." "Let me remind you, Prior Philip." "This is a trial for murder, not treason." "Let me remind you that you are on priory land within priory walls." "Let this woman speak." "thirty five years ago," "I found a man..." "Jack Jackson's father, near drowned on a beach." "He held a secret for the king." "And before he was taken by his enemies, he asked me for quill, paper, ink and sealing wax." "I never saw his letter until a few days ago." "When he was brought here and stripped for torture, one of the monks discovered it hidden in his clothing." "This monk concealed what he found, certain that, if anyone knew what he had read, he too would be eliminated." "This... is Jacques Cherbourg's story." "Jacques Cherbourg, who is he?" "I don't know." ""Your Majesty," ""I was a jongleur hired by young Prince William" ""to sail with him to England." ""The ship was set ablaze, and people were drowning."" "Help!" "Help!" "God save me!" ""Being the only good swimmer, I managed to stay afloat," ""and saw the prince and his bride" ""save themselves in a rowboat," ""along with Father Waleran and Lord and Lady Hamleigh." ""I was about to call to the prince for help" ""when the unthinkable happened."" "Kill her, Percy!" ""I tried to save him, but it was too late." ""His ring, however," ""slipped off into my hand." ""Your Majesty," ""your son's ring is the proof of what I saw." ""I swear to the truth of these words" ""on my immortal soul." ""Jacques Cherbourg."" " Murderer!" " It's the bishop!" "Hang the bishop!" " Murderer!" " Murderer!" "There is no proof this is anything but a forgery." "He sealed it with the lost prince's ring." "Another forgery, another lie." "He gave me the ring for safekeeping, and I gave it to Jack." "And Alfred stole it!" "So, there is no ring." "There is no ring!" "Pity, it might have given a glint of truth to your story." " Proceed with the execution." " No!" "No!" " No!" " It's here!" "Martha." "I took it from Jack years ago." "Because he said it was worthless, and I thought it was pretty." "He accused Alfred of stealing it." "When I tried to tell him differently," "I grew afraid." "I kept it, Jack... because you loved Aliena so and..." "I wanted a little bit of you for myself." "This proves nothing." "It proves, once again, that the citizens of Kingsbridge have been used unlawfully by Bishop Waleran and William Hamleigh." "You've attacked this town twice, killing our husbands, our wives, our children." "And now you attack again by murdering the one man that has brought this town back to life." "No!" "You will not touch her!" "Burn in hell!" "Hang the two!" "It's not me!" "It's not me!" "It's the bishop!" "It's Waleran!" " He set me on to it." "Silence!" "Silence!" "Allow him to be heard." "He was Prince William's confessor, and Stephen's." "He went to Stephen and made a bargain." "With Prince William dead," "Stephen would be in direct line to the throne." "He recruited my parents to help." "And together, they scuttled the ship and murdered the prince and his wife." "For this, my parents were given land and position, but he did it for power." "But I did nothing." "As God is my witness," "I did nothing." "I don't want to die!" "Let go of me!" "Citizens of Kingsbridge... you have brought the wrath of God upon yourselves." "You harbor liars, witches, sodomites and thieves." "And unholy priests!" "Because of your treachery," "England has been steeped in blood for sixteen years." "Soldiers have died, wives mourned, sons grown fatherless into manhood and then gone themselves to fight and to die." "This town has been burned, its citizens slaughtered... and yet, still we survive." "We build a cathedral like none has ever seen before in praise of God and our abilities and our faith in some peaceful tomorrow." "And in spite of you, Waleran Bigod, the people of Kingsbridge will find that peace." "Take hold of that man!" "I claim sanctuary!" "I am your bishop and this is holy ground." "There is no sanctuary, you said so yourself." "He spilled our blood!" "There he is!" "There's Waleran!" "There he is!" " No, Jack!" " No, Jack!" "And you, you shall one day climb very high... only to fall." "Ego te absolvo." "When we began work on the Kingsbridge Cathedral," "King Stephen was newly crowned, and the Princess Maud fled to France with her newborn son, Henry." "For years, England was torn by war and great suffering." "King Stephen is since dead, and Maud's son now rules as King Henry II of England." "Now we have peace and hope for a bright tomorrow." "And for these gifts and our beautiful church," "I thank God, our king, the people of Kingsbridge and several generations of tireless workers." "But the cathedral is not finished and nor will it ever be." "Just as human perfection is something we all strive for and can never attain, so this church will forever be changing, growing, crumbling at times... an ongoing legacy of our feeble efforts to touch God." "A cathedral, my friends, is... is neither stone nor statues nor even a place of prayer." "It is... a continuum of creation... beautiful work, that pray God will never end." "And, as one final note of grace, I..." "Need I point this out?" "Jack has finished the... windows with, whoever heard of it, colored glass." "He filled this world with light." "God be praised."