‘Where are they going?’ Ranulf asked.
‘They say they are leaving England.’
Ranulf looked at the Templar, ‘I will send four of my men to ensure they do,’ Sir Geoffrey said.’
De Capo nodded his thanks, ‘Where is Erasmus?’
‘He is waiting for you at Rochester,’ Ranulf said, ‘eager to go north.’
De Capo looked up at the scattering of clouds and the blue sky. The weather had changed for the better. He thought of Blanche and knew he still had a lot of suffering to do before his conscience could be cleansed, ‘The weather in the north will be good now; it is a good time to travel.’
‘I will travel with you,’ Ranulf said, ‘I would like to see the north.’
‘What about Evelyn?’
‘I have written to her, and told her I have to go north before I go south, a matter of honour.’
‘Good,’ de Capo said as he nudged his horse into a walk.
‘I also have to go north,’ FitzAlan said, ‘shame I’ll be travelling with a priest though….bastards!’
De Capo and Ranulf smiled at the big man’s curse as they headed towards the line of Templars and longbowmen.
Epilogue
Godwin Vernold, Prior to the Deus Militis, Protector of the Book of the Righteous and now the Guardian of the scroll prayed hard as he kneeled before the cross in his own private chapel.
Tullios Secundius Nennius was a name he would remember until he died, it was also a name that would be recorded in the Book of the Righteous, for he was surely the first of their kind, the first of the Deus Militis.
Godwin was an old man but he knew who would be his successor. He had seen the faith in Erasmus and there was nothing that would shake his belief that the scroll told the truth.
The language of the text itself was ancient but the Prior had the knowledge and was able to read it. That knowledge would have to be passed to his successor and for that reason Erasmus studied the ancient texts each day, morning till evening.
Ralf de Capo and Ranulf de Balmagne, two names who would also inhabit the Book of the Righteous. Without them the scroll would have been lost and hidden away forever. Prayers would be said for their souls until the day of judgement, and he prayed wherever they had gone they would be safe.
The scroll told of the destruction of the urn, but only Erasmus and the Prior knew of this. Their enemies would continue to look for something that no longer existed and this prompted the old man to smile at their futile efforts.
It had taken him two days and one night to translate the scroll and he had fallen to his knees at the revelation.
The Centurion knew the Urn would be hunted, he knew it could never be found, but he also knew he had to keep his promise to the man from Nazareth and protect what the urn contained.
The Prior did not understand how, but the text was the vessel through which Jesus would return, the urn had been destroyed twelve centuries earlier, but his faith was absolute as he remembered the sensation that coursed through his body when he touched the text; text that had been written in the Blood of Christ.
Historical Note
For the history aficionados among you I apologise for the inaccuracy in the date of the Battle of Ain Jalut against the Mongols which actually took place in September 1260 three years earlier than I depicted. As the author, I used poetic licence to change the date for the sake of the storyline.
The Mameluk Dynasty was created from a slave army who rebelled against their masters. Their first dynasty took place in the 9th century when they took control of Egypt but only lasted a few decades. The height of their power began again in 1250 when they again took control of Egypt. This dynasty lasted until the 16th Century when the Ottoman Turks took Cairo and hung the last of the Mameluk Sultans.
Ralf de Capo existed and was a crusader who was charged by Henry III to hold Rochester Castle in the siege of 1264. This siege took place during the second Baron’s war, the first Baron’s war taking place in 1215 and resulting in the creation of the Magna Carta which was signed by King John who died in 1216. He was succeeded by his son Henry III and he became one of the longest reigning monarchs in history.
The leader of the second Barons war was Simon de Montfort who was not only the Earl of Leicester but also the brother in law of Henry III. Their dispute with the King was not only for a parliament to be established to prevent the king having ultimate power, but also over Eleanor of Provence, his French Queen and her influence; she bought members of her family to the English court and placed them in positions of power over the English barons. Together with Gilbert de Clare, Simon de Montfort attacked Rochester in April 1264. The City and the bridge fell and the defenders withdrew to the Keep which still stands to this day. The city was fired before the rebels entered the city as was the Kings Hall; why the Kings Hall was fired has never been established.
De Capo was betrothed to Blanche de Warenne but she had previously been betrothed to Gilbert de Clare. She was in the Keep during the siege and there are several stories about what happened to her but the most popular seems to be when de Clare entered the Keep during a lull in the fighting and was seen by de Capo arguing with Blanche at the top of the Keep. De Capo grabbed a bow and let loose an arrow at de Clare, the arrow struck his armour and bounced off to strike Blanche, killing her. At Easter every year it is purported that a lady in white wanders the castle, perhaps looking for her beloved.
The events in the Holy land are fiction. The siege is a historical event and I have attempted to portray the fighting and the sudden departure of de Montfort and de Clare in a manner in which it possibly happened. The attack on the bridge was beaten back twice and on the third attack it is said a subtle device using boats and pig fat causing smoke was used.
In May 1264 the battle of Lewes took place and the King and Prince Edward were defeated and taken prisoner. Edward eventually escaped and rallied another army. Gilbert de Clare did change sides and fought against de Montfort at the battle of Evesham in 1265. The Baron’s army was defeated, Simon de Montfort was slain and his body mutilated.
During the short time de Montfort was in power he called two parliaments, one stripped the King of unlimited power and the other included ordinary citizens, for this reason he is regarded as one of the progenitors of modern parliamentary democracy. Perhaps in another time and place he would have made a good King.
The Deus Militis are a figment of my imagination as is the Urn and scroll….but who is to say what is rumour and what is not?
What happened to Ralf de Capo after the siege is not recorded. Perhaps he died in battle, but I think there is more to his story…..
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