========================================================================= Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 21:23:24 -0500 Reply-To: Bob Gansler Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Bob Gansler Subject: Knights Temporal, Part 3 THE PARIS TEMPLE - PARIS JULY 9, 1307 At De Molay's request, De Penne escorted the Grand Master to his room at the other end of the Temple. As they marched through the halls, all of the Templars who crossed their path, stopped and gave a quick nod of respect. It was not an elaborate display, just a simple sign of recognition of the authority invested in the Grand Master. Though extremely tired, De Molay returned the nods. De Penne could see the strain that recent events had taken on De Molay. Suddenly De Molay made a turn from the route that would have take him to his quarters. As they walked along this corridor, De Penne was sure of where the Grand Master was heading. It was the place that they all went when the spirit and body were exhausted - the chapel. The two Templars entered the deserted chapel. Usually there would be a few knights and serving brothers in here at any one time. However, with all of the activity that De Molay had ordered, everyone was occupied. They walked to the first row of pews, genuflected, and knelt facing the altar. After a few minutes of silent prayer, De Molay seated himself and turned to De Penne. "Just like the Saviour, you came back to life. Perhaps you will serve as the Temple's saviour. I remember when you came back to us, De Penne." De Penned nodded, "Although it took me a few months to reach Cyprus ..." TEMPLAR GARRISON - CYPRUS SEPTEMBER 20, 1292 The garrison was bustling with Templar activity. Since the fall of Acre and the wholescale Christian evacuation of the Holy Land, the Order had been forced to establish a headquarters on this island. De Molay wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow as he oversaw his Knights engage in all sorts of activity. In his mind, the fall of Acre was only a temporary setback. He was confident that he would be able to appeal to the Order's superior, the Pope himself. The appeal would be for a new Crusade - a Crusade to be led by the Knights Templar. No longer would the Europeans be fractured along nationalistic lines. United under God and under the Templar cross, De Molay was sure that the Holy Land could be retaken and permanently end any designs that the forces of Islam had upon it. There was no time like the present to undertake such a campaign. It was De Molay's opinion to organize and strike as soon as possible. The Muslims were not to be allowed to strengthen their hold upon the Holy Land. He knew that the years were creeping up on him. He had seen many a campaign as a Knight of the Order, many more than most of the brothers with whom he had served in the field. Content now that things were proceeding appropriately, De Molay returned to his office to begin dictating his appeal to the Holy See. He looked at the horizon and beheld the rising sun. "A glorious day," he thought to himself. "May the Lord grant us good fortune." As day broke upon the Cyprian coast, a haggard and worn figure broke the surface of the water of the blue Mediterranean. He gasped as fresh air filled his water-clogged lungs. How he was still alive, he knew not. He had been floating in the sea for days. Exactly how many days it had been since he had been thrown overboard, he also knew not. "Those damn Venetians!" De Penne cursed. He had booked passage on a Venetian trading ship heading from Outremer to Cyprus. The Venetian had no qualms with trading with the enemies of the Church. If Venice had made a genuine effort to support the Crusades, De Penne, the Holy Land would be in complete European control. However, they valued trade and commerce and coin more than Jerusalem. De Penne had been loathe to book passage with the Venetians, but it was the only way for him to get back. He had been told that the Order had now set itself up on Cyprus. The voyage itself had been uneventful until that fateful day. He had overheard some of the crew discussing the next voyage - a voyage that would include selling Christians into slavery to the Saracens. This he could not stand. He confronted the captain and demanded to know if it was the truth. When he replied that it was, and that De Penne could do nothing to dissuade him, De Penne flew into a fit of rage. He tore through the crew until they managed to overpower and throw him overboard. It had been days since De Penne had last had anything to eat. The hunger wracked his insides with pain. His head swam in a sea of light-headedness even as his body swam in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. His strength failed him, and he sunk under the waves. Outside the stone walls that surrounded the Templar garrison, two knights walked along the beach. One was a seasoned veteran the other a relatively new initiate to the Order. They were fully armed and armored as they patrolled the waterfront for anyone who might dare to breach the stronghold of the Templars. The docks of the fleet were silhouetted by the rising son. "Tis a glorious day, is it not brother De Nomie?" the elder knight stated "Yes, Brother De Garney, although I would rather see the sun rise in the land where the Son rose." his younger comrade replied. His ruddy face shone with youthful exuberance. "Well said, brother. Would that we were once again based in the Holy Land, and not on this rock in the middle of the sea. Have faith, though. I have heard from others that the Grand Master is drawing up a plan to present to the Pope - a plan for a new Crusade." De Garney's face spoke of years of bitter disappointment but still filled with hope for the future. "May the Lord grant that the plan be well made and then be well executed that we might once again protect the Holy Land as we have been charged to do, " De Nomie said resolutely. De Garney was proud of the convictions of the younger knight. "I say again, well said, brother. You have the makings of an excellent knight. But be warned, the fight against the infidel is not always as glorious as the minstrels sing. There were sights that made even those of us with nerves of iron cringe." After this exchange, the knights resumed a respectful silence as they continued their patrol. Though no intruders had ever been discovered by the beachfront patrols, still they made their rounds with determined precision. As the knights walked in step along the beach, they both noticed a shape being carried in by the tide. The shape was gradually getting closer with each wave, although they could not discern exactly what it was. "See you the shape amidst the waves, brother. Does it not have the semblance of a man?" De Garney asked. De Nomie peered at the shape, his eyes squinting in the bright dawn. "I would most certainly agree with you, brother, although I cannot say as to whether the man yet lives." "Let us avail him of what aid we can!" With this, the older knight broke step and took off as fast as his legs could carry him. The younger knight quickly made up the initial lead. He stopped at the water's edge just as De Penne washed ashore. De Nomie took De Penne in his arms to keep him from being taken back into the sea by the outgoing tide. De Garney joined him moments later. While De Garney was in excellent shape for a man of his age, the prolonged sprint in the heavy armor left him a little winded. He huffed and puffed for a while as the joined in examining what the human shape before them was. De Penne's body was in a tangled mess. The few scraps of clothes that remained were held together by only the barest of threads. His body reeked so of salt that he must have been in the water for days upon end. The younger knight put his hand on De Penne's shoulder, looking for any signs of life. He was pleasantly surprised as De Penne arched his head back and caught sight of man hovering over him. De Penne's heart leapt for joy as he saw the unmistakable red cross on the knight's armor. "Non nobis, Domine, non nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam." he exclaimed as loudly as he could, though his ardent cry was no more than a whisper from his dry throat and parched lips. The two Templars were surprised to hear these words. They exchanged a quick glance. De Garney said what they were both thinking, "He is one of us; he is a Templar." By this time, some of the guards along the fortress walls had seen the commotion outside and rushed down to provide whatever assistance they could. "Where did you come from? We have had none of our ships depart or arrive for a few days now." De Penne drank greedily from the flask. The water dribbled down his body into the sand. His lips were still parched from the salty sea and his throat was still in pain. He summoned his will power and grunted, "Ak ... rah." "Acre? We have had no presence there since the Fall in 1291." a Templar exclaimed. De Garney quieted down his fellows, "Surely he is delirious. However, it is plain to see that he has come a long way. Let us determine the extent of his injuries and then transport him appropriately to the fortress." The other knights quieted themselves and stood in muted respect of their battered comrade. "Have faith, brother, soon you shall be healed, in body, in mind, and spirit," De Garney comforted De Penne could feel the sensation still within him, a sensation that overwhelmed the pain of starvation. It was almost as if something were leading him to something else. Then an idea took hold in his mind - the Grand Master. He had to see the Grand Master, and for some reason he felt that the Grand Master was here on Cyprus. "Grand ... Mas ... ter", he said as loudly as his voice would allow. "Rest now, brother. The Grand Master is here on Cyprus and I am certain that he will see you once you have regained your strength. De Penne resisted De Garney's attempts to calm him. "Must ... see ... Grand ..." and then his voice trailed off and his body slumped in De Nomie's arms. De Nomie gently laid De Penne's head upon the sandy beach and then rose to his feet. De Garney could see in De Nomie's eyes that he was troubled by the man dying in his arms, but De Nomie tried to put forth a brave appearance. "Poor soul, to have made it so far, only to die on the gates of our headquarters," someone remarked. The juxtaposition of the rising sun and the death of De Penne was not lost on all of the Templars. It served to make the death even more poignant. They stood around De Penne's lifeless body in reverent silence. With a simple motion from De Garney, two of them departed, intent on getting a litter with which to carry their fallen comrade. De Garney broke the silence with a simple question. "Did anyone know this brother knight?" The silence of the others continued. "Very well. We will find out who he is so that he may be buried appropriately." The others nodded in agreement. It would be a terrible thing if their fallen comrade would be buried in an unmarked grave. A Templar deserved better than that, especially one who had suffered as much as De Penne obviously had. Suddenly De Penne's body jerked violently. All of the men surrounding him took a step back. Most of them had been seasoned in combat. They had seen the nervous twitching that fallen comrades had made post mortem. However, none of them had ever seen a body lie still for so long and then move again. "What is it?" one asked. Another responded as he saw De Penne's eyes open and his chest heave with the breath of new life, "God be praised! He is alive!" A wave of excitement overtook the assembled knights. There had been naught but bad tidings for the Templars in the last few years. This event, a miracle some of them said, was quite welcome and produced a rush of joy within them all. In a few moments, they were shouting and praising God and embracing each other. The two knights who returned with the litter were perplexed to see the joy of their comrades as they arrived. With the jumping and jostling, they could not see that De Penne was once again counted amongst the living. De Garney noticed the return of the duo and excused himself from the revelry. "It seems that we were premature in consigning his soul to the Lord. He yet lives!" Smiles took hold of the duo, happy that they had been spared the awful duty. In the midst of all the jubilation, the knights almost forgot about the cause of their joy. De Penne had managed to sit up now and was trying to get the attention of one of the revelers. "I must see the Grand Master. He is here!" he groaned repeatedly until someone heard him. He was helped to his feet and led inside of the garrison. Once inside, he felt all of his strength returning as well as an increase in the burning sensation in his mind. He knew it led to the Grand Master. De Garney put his hand on De Penne's shoulder. "Come, brother. Let us get you appropriate clothing, a warm meal for your belly, and cool wine for your throat. Then I shall take you to the Grand Master. I am certain that he will wish to hear the tales of your arrival here, especially that of your revival." De Penne brushed the hand from his shoulder and faced De Garney, "Thank you, but I must see the Grand Master at once." De Garney was surprised by the resolute look on De Penne's face. For someone who had just returned from the dead, he was a determined fellow. De Garney was going to offer to show him the way, but De Penne took off running through the compound. De Garney noticed that De Penne headed in the general direction of, if not unerringly, towards the quarters of the Grand Master. De Penne burst through the doors of the Grand Master's quarters. De Molay and some officers were assembled there as they studied some maps of the Holy Land by candlelight. They were startled by the sudden entrance of the ragged knight. Typical Templar discipline would have precluded any interruptions. De Penne regained his breath and his composure as he quietly closed the door behind him. "The Spirit moved me. I knew you were here, Grand Master." De Molay and the others were dumfounded as to what to make of the uninvited guest. De Penne, sensing their uneasiness, lowered himself to one knee and bowed his head. "Grand Master! It is I, Oliver de Penne, knight of the Order." Bob Gansler. EPRI HVAC&R Center rgansler@facstaff.wisc.edu http://www.engr.wisc.edu/~gansler/ "Reality - a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." - Me "We gotta teach people to love. We gotta teach children to sing. We gotta make this world a better place for everyone to live in." - The Hollies