Readers be advised that this is set in the time period of the Templar Knights, so, while the religious tone is going to be pretty obnoxious for this chapter, just think of the knight's faith as analogous to kira's idea of creating an ideal world without crime. Next chapter, I promise, will be pretty watered down, as far as religiousness goes.
Please feel free to give me suggestions as to how I can make this more readable. :)
x Deus Ex Machina x
There were many people in the world unworthy of God's love. Whores, thieves, murderers, extortionists, and heathens… the list was beginning to feel endless for the knight. Bemoaning the infinite filth who constituted his mission, Sir David swayed atop his horse, lost in thought for a few moments. Already looming on the horizon was yet another town that would inevitably host a plethora of unwashed morons ripe for much deserved persecution. Sir David turned to the priest riding beside him and ventured a question, less out of curiosity and more to pass the time.
"Father, do you ever tire of this?"
The holy man returned his gaze and said, "My son, whatever do you mean?"
"This pointless journey," the knight explained, spreading his arms wide to indicate the arid landscape. "The repetition. I have traveled around Europe, and each new city I visit is filled with the same brand of sinners. They all deserve death, one godless barbarian after another. And yet, as we Templars travel, there is no change-"
"My son," the priest interrupted, "the power of Christ is omnipotent and all encompassing. Your doubts will only make you weak, and I worry for your soul. As the enforcer of God's will, you must stay staunch in your faith, or you will become as evil and befouled as those same souls you have sent to hell. And should you demonstrate further doubt over your objective or the power of the Lord, you know I would be obliged to turn your over to the highest authorities…"
David regretted ever bringing the topic up. He should have foreseen the idiot jumping to conclusions and babbling about the Almighty Savior once more. " Father," David began with exasperation, "my faith is unshaken. I was merely commenting on how repetitive this task can be, yet I do it for the knowledge that I am creating a world of God fearing, God loving Christians, and that, to me, is more satisfying than any other pleasure man can experience." David turned his head away from the priest before rolling his eyes. Since picking him up in Rome to ensure he would reach his new position as Bishop in the approaching city, the knight had felt growing irritation at having to put up with the ancient windbag's ramblings.
David mentally berated himself; this was one of the most respected men in the Church, and he was to be venerated as a hand of God, one who was working towards the same goal the knight himself had been dreaming of since childhood.
The priest interrupted David's thoughts once more, "Ah, my son… This is why they call you the Light of God. You are reputed to have been one of the most outstanding and gifted knights in all of Christendom, hence your high rank and fitting title. May God continue to watch over you and bless our cause." The holy man smiled to himself.
The Light of God. David could have chortled with laughter every time he heard someone call him that. Of course, he deserved the recognition; none of the other knights or soldiers he had grown up with had even come close to shadowing his brilliance in every field of rank. Combat, strategy, arithmetic, reading of the classics and the holy literature, languages, science… All of it he had studied and mastered, soon surpassing his teachers and rendering any formal education obsolete. He was the role model and epitome for all other young boys hoping to join the ranks of the Templars.
In his opinion, all they needed to know was Christ's name and how to wield a sword well enough to kill any heathen who flashed a dagger. It was waste of time for any aspiring knight or any of his contemporaries to attempt to surpass him. He had yet to find any match for him, in any field, but above all intellectually. And that was only considering the men he had met. He silently lamented the women he had encountered, an activity that could doubtless last longer than this war. The oath of virginity he had sworn to the Church upon his induction as a Templar knight had never once been compromised by any of the foolish harlots he had encountered over his travels.
In the end, David had no doubts about himself or his abilities. His boyhood admiration of God had been cultivated into a staunch, impenetrable faith. His faith in turn allowed him to execute the orders of the Church without qualms, his determination had earned him recognition and fame throughout Europe.
Only in the darkest minutes of the night, when his nightmares seized control of him, did David ever feel afraid or guilty. Upon waking, however, the terrifying specter of remorse would fade, and the young knight would easily push it from his mind and soldier on. However, even the most unshakeable fortresses crumble in the grasp of the right enemy.
xx
The Prince of Strasbourg, a town straddling the German and French border, crouched over the multitude of maps and plans strewn upon the ornately carved, probably priceless desks Prince Lawliet considered among his favorites. He was well aware of the Holy War that had surrounded his city, but as of yet it had left his domain untouched. He had known many years ago that he would be pushed to proclaim loyalty to the church, and if he did that, it would effectively force his hand and he would be required to turn over any of his citizens who refused to do the same. He had wrestled with this idea; of feeding the few to the lions, and protecting the many from preventable bloodshed.
But the Prince was too proud and too childish to relinquish his own personal beliefs simply because a larger organization of greedy, delusional murderers were trying to coerce him to do so. Even more than that, the Prince was too bothered by the prospect of demanding his subjects to conform to something they may not believe in. True freedom was among the things Prince valued above all else, perhaps only second to human life. But that lead his brilliant mind down another, very circular path of logic: what good was a human life without the choice to live how and with whom one wanted to? Personally, he decided, he would rather die at the moment his rights were irrevocably taken away, rather than live a long life following orders given by fanatic, misinformed imbeciles. Somehow, he sensed a moment where his preferences between freedom and life would have to be unquestioningly decided.
Especially after suspicions of his atheism had reached the papal ears in Rome, the Prince could practically hear the approaching horses carrying hordes of bloodthirsty, bored Templar knights, eager for the chance to cajole yet another small fief into complacency with the rest of Christendom. Prince Lawliet knew that the course of his actions needed to be decided almost instantaneously, for he had heard that the Templars were an unlikely group of men to have the generosity to allow the Prince time to strategize over afternoon tea.
And what to do about the ridiculous Bishop appointed to his city? They hadn't even constructed their cathedral yet, and the Church had already begun force-feeding them influential figureheads… Did the papacy really think they could infiltrate and undermine his power by sending one wrinkly, archaic fool? He knew this was merely a first step, but as the ruler of a diverse group of people he had to respect those who were enthusiastically awaited the introduction of a stronger Christian presence within the city. But he dreaded the coming days, anticipating either the sacrifice of many of his people, or of his own life. At the very least, the Church would steal his crown and throw he and his family out into the streets like commoners. Seeing as how he wouldn't give his power up willingly, Prince Lawliet foretold the Templars having to cut off his head first if they wanted to thieve his crown from it.
He began to consider yet another option… alliances with people like the Germans who were also faced with imminent persecution, either because of religious affiliation, or because they had become an inconvenient source of political anxiety for the pope. Why does it have to end either in death or giving up the independence of this crown and city? I cannot make an alliance without giving something up, and God only knows what that will be… he thought sarcastically.
"Brother?" A woman's voice came through from the other side of the heavy wooden door.
"Leave me, I am occupied-" the Prince began to answer before she interrupted him, an affront he only allowed to his sister and her two sons.
"Your sentries on the outer rim of the city have sighted a large group of mounted knights approaching, no doubt the Bishop and his bodyguard of Templars, brother."
Well, this certainly did change things. Prince Lawliet rose and opened the door to meet his sister's eyes; his gaze so severe and pensive she silenced herself from saying any more. As they walked down the long hall together towards the rest of the castle, the Prince was again caught up in private thoughts. What makes my view so right? He questioned himself. What makes me so convinced I shouldn't merely turn over the city to the Templars and be done with it… Is my stubbornness the right course of action? It will result in the spilling of much blood to be sure.
No. I will not doubt myself. These people do not know what is best for them, none of them have the foresight I do. They do not understand the value of what they have now, they are fools that would rather scrape for the next meal with a slave master at their back than die trying to protect their freedom, he decided. While he pondered, his sister watched his face; those large eyes like a deep, unexplored sea, ringed with perpetual ash colored circles earned from countless nights without sleep. She wondered to herself when the last time he had been in the sun. It was obvious that his chalky skin had grown even more pallid since the month he had first learned the news of the pope's special interest in Strasburg. The more she worried for his health, the more she realized it was completely futile; he would never change any of his habits, no matter who told him. But still, how anxious she was after his health and sanity.
They both stopped outside of the door that lead to the court and general meeting rooms. The Prince turned to face the Princess. "Sister," he began, "This will be a deciding moment for our family. I am sure you are well aware of the magnitude of what is facing us. I must gather together a few members of my court, and discuss issues with them. I trust only you to greet the knights personally, and I need you to carefully watch the Bishop. Because of your sex, they will not expect much but some invitation to a gala at our castle tonight, which I need you to arrange immediately after reporting back to me."
"Brother, you have my word you will know about anything of importance. And the gala… will you be attending?"
"Depending on the course of the afternoon's events," he replied without expression, but she knew him well enough to tell he was moody. "Sister," he began again, "Sophia." He added in just a whisper. "Take care." And with that, he pushed open the doors and no more was said between the siblings.
xx
The Light of God stared down his nose at the passing civilians, the stench almost palpable as he rode slowly through this ridiculous city. He noticed immediately that the city's main cathedral stood incomplete, stone smiths and other craftsmen labored over the left hand spire, a pathetic undertaking in his opinion… After all, after one had seen the Vatican, anything was hardly worth comparison. In the back of his mind, David mulled over the ruler of Strasburg. Word had reached, by one way or another, that the Prince was an atheist. Unacceptable, David thought to himself. How can a man with growing power, with a city that is a bridge between the French and German kingdoms, be left to his devious ways, guided not by the will of God, but his own selfish desires? He could not, David was assured. The move of the priest to the as of yet unoccupied office of Strasburg Bishop was a clever, precise and subtle preparation on the Church's part. Should they be met with resistance, well… That was what David and his entourage of Templars had come for. Riding closer towards the palace, where he expected some paltry royal greeting and some miserable ball thrown in their honor, David surmised that in short, the knight had little to no expectations from this city, or its ruler.
His attention was piqued and he looked up to see a rather beautiful woman, obviously royal and most likely the sister to the Prince they had heard of, who was followed by a group of foot soldiers, servants and a few ladies in waiting. He rudely approached her without dismounting. Gazing down at her, he noted something deeper in her dark eyes. His mind was instantly set on alert, and he watched her very closely. She was no fool, and most likely she would run along home and formulate some kind of plan with her Prince.
Well, he thought, if she wanted to help her godless brother, she was dooming herself to share his fate. David would only be too happy to oblige.
"Good sirs, I assume you come from the papal office. Our city and family are only too glad to play host to such dignified men as yourselves." Her attention turned to the priest directly behind David's right shoulder. "My name is Princess Sophia, and I personally assure that your holiness will be treated with the utmost respect. As you can see, the Prince has nearly completed construction on the new cathedral; he commissioned only the most talented architects of the nation to build-"
"Which is all very good, except that I imagine your prince could care less about a House of God, given his apathy towards Christ our Savior. But, madam," The priest continued, "That is why I have come to your City, and let us hope, my daughter, that your blaspheming will be forgiven by the Lord Almighty." The Princess visibly bristled at such an attack on her and her brother, and this amused David a great deal.
"Your holiness," she began, regaining most of her composure, "I do hope you will not be so quick to judge the actions and affiliations of our family, because we do greatly respect your grace and have been long anticipating this visit-"
He interrupted her again, and once more David found his mind traveling towards thoughts about the priest's incapabilities. "My child, may I remind you that I have the authority to make whatever judgments I might upon, any individual I may. I await meeting your brother, and from there, I will act in the best interests of the Church."
"I beg your pardon, you grace, but you have no such authority in my brother's city . Now, if you will be so kind as to attend a welcoming party tonight at our palace in your honor, our family would be much obliged. Until then, I hardly believe that this is a topic of conversation suitable for such a public environment." She turned to leave, but the priest quickly dismounted and grabbed her arm as she retreated. The foot soldiers surrounding her quickly drew their weapons against the priest, and before the action was even completed, David and his fellow Knights had dehorsed and drawn their swords.
"Unhand me!" The princess commanded, and then to her soldiers, "Men, put down your weapons. This is hardly the way to introduce a new age for our city-"
"Silence, you harlot! Your opinions are unwelcome, and you are dangerously close to offending me. Your sex are marked by their impudence and sinning, as far as I am concerned, you are only good for one thing, and that is bearing sons! Godless wretch! We will attend no such party, and I demand to be escorted to my residence at once. I dare say I needn't meet your swine of a brother if this is how he allows you to behave." She tore her arm from his grasp and David could tell there would be trouble.
"How dare you?! You may have the power of the papacy, but you do not have the authority to speak such insults to any member of our family!" If only she would just shut up, they could smooth it over with her Prince, dismiss the whole incident as the priest's chauvinism, and get on with this ridiculous affair. But she continued, and the situation was soon out of hand. David kept the point of his sword trained on the princess. "I should have you arrested for such treason, you old fool!" And for this, the Princess received a slap squarely across her face.
In the coming moments, as onlookers shrieked and bolted like scared animals, chaos ensued. And somewhere in that bedlam, the Princess Sophia was slain by the Light of God himself.
xx
The Prince had just finished assembling a quick gathering of his most trusted officials, when he could no longer ignore the worry about his sister. He had said he trusted her, but he knew she was rash at times, and would forget all else for her pride. And most of all, she would not take kindly to any archaic remarks from the holy man; she had never accepted being treated with anything less than the highest respect. He was quickly through the heavy, ornate doors to the front of his castle, walking towards the center of the city before he could logically convince himself to do otherwise. He passed a few citizens who recognized him and looked very startled to see the Prince outside without a vanguard of some kind, but they gave a delayed bow nonetheless. He nodded back, and hurried on, back hunched as a physical symptom of all the stress and problems constantly plaguing his mind.
Soon, he noticed a few peasants running and screaming, shoving him without regard to his stature. He quickened his pace, sensing the obvious danger. He prayed that it was just a street brawl, or bar fight gone badly. He had no time to wonder at the hypocrisy of an atheist praying, because at that moment, he wriggled through the last of the running crowd to see his sister on the cobblestones, the point of a Templars sword driven through her breast. He let out a rare gasp, face showing emotion for a moment and no more, before he drew his own sword and deftly tucked it snugly under the young knight captain's chin before the other had a chance to pull his bloody sword from the twitching, bleeding body of the Princess.
"Explain to me why I should not kill you this instant, and give you the mercy of until the next sunrise when I will lower your body onto a sharpened stake." Prince Lawliet stared hard into the eyes of the knight. His attention was soon stolen by the choked gasps of his dying sister. Reluctantly, and very slowly, he dropped his sword, despite knowing this made him immediately vulnerable, and instead knelt beside his sister and cradled her head in his frail hands.
She wept with fear and guilt, and called out the names of her sons. "Sophia…" he called, her eyes eventually refocusing. "You will be sorely missed," he whispered, without emotion to all others, but his sister heard the sorrow and love in his tired voice. Her eyes hazed over before she could ask him to take care of her two sons. The Prince had long since learned to drown out the passions of his emotion, but this threatened to break the years-long shield. Instead, he abruptly rose, composed himself and greeted the expected bloodied sword point of the captain pointed in his face.
"Kill me, Captain, and the soldiers behind me will kill you and your priest. My city will turn against you, and present yet another obstacle to your Holy War." The Prince stated flatly.
"She threatened a Bishop appointed by the Church, a crime worthy of torture in addition to death. The Church has a power that you will not be able to contest, you fool. The destruction of your town will be the long awaited sating of our thirst for heathen blood." David returned the gaze of the Prince, and unlike the dark eyes of the Princess that had connoted intelligence, pride and passion, David saw nothing in the ink black eyes of the Prince. All that was visible were the slight reflections of his own eerily distorted face. And yet David sensed something very powerful in the man standing across from him. He knew that should he let him go, the Prince would prove to be a formidable enemy that would be more bother to the Church than he was worth. And so the knight made a quick decision that he knew could either save the Church much trouble or doom them all. "And we are taking you into the custody of the Church, under which we will bring you to the highest courts where you will be prosecuted for blasphemy and heresy." David glanced at the Priest, who nodded his fervent approval. He turned back to meet the gaze of the Prince. Those eyes were haunting, in that they were inhuman.
The Prince turned to the company still behind him, the soldiers timidly holding their weapons, their eyes begging for no further confrontation, or possibly fearing the wrath of the Prince for failing to protect his sister. Their presence annoyed him, and he gave a quick order for all of them to leave.
"I will not abandon this town or my desire to protect true justice." The Prince answered after his company had run off. He was seemingly unafraid at facing many knights who could easily kill him in one cut. The peasant crowd had also dispersed at this point. But being left alone did not daunt the Prince. Fearlessly, expressionlessly, he stared straight into the brown eyes of the knight. The two shared a moment of something unspeakable, untouchable, unknowable. Both sensed their adventure together would end neither simply nor quickly. "This city needs a ruler, not to mention my sister's sons will need to know their mother is dead."
David felt the shadow of guilt creeping into his psyche, but he pushed it away. Intimacy created empathy, and he refused to picture the Prince holding his baby sister, leading her through the gardens, stealing her doll and then giving it back once she cried. Killing in the name of God was right, it was correct, and he had been protecting a member of the Church. David pushed the matter out of his mind, all the while keeping a cool façade.
"Then I will kill you here, on the spot." The priest cut in before the Prince could answer.
"And seize control of my city, I imagine. My brother in law has already been sent for-"
"The future of your city is now out of your control, young man, and your brother in law will be intercepted and imprisoned. The Church stands for righteousness, and I refuse to release someone who allows women such free run, and who blatantly holds no respect for Christ. You will be taken into custody, and sentenced upon your return to Rome. The Crusades are exactly about eliminating individuals such as yourself." To David the priest said, "You, knight, are the Light of God. I trust you will appropriately deal with this man. I will leave you two horses, while the rest of your men will have to stay with me, in order enforce a new set of rules within this City. I hope I am not too forward in asking you to escort this man back to the Vatican alone."
David suddenly regretted getting himself involved in this at all. He was not looking forward to turning around and repeating the months long journey he had just completed. "Your grace, either I will get no sleep watching this man, or I will surely be murdered in the night." The knight said as he secured one of the Prince's wrist with a shackle.
"I would not do anything to risk your life, my child. Perhaps I should send a few men along with you, then."
"That will not be necessary," The Prince interjected, as he locked the other shackle around the Templar's wrist. "If I were to kill him, I would now be forced to drag his corpse around behind me." He stated in a monotone voice, all the while staring at the knight.
"You're insane!" David exclaimed, wondering how exactly the Prince had managed to lock that handcuff without him noticing. "And besides, how do I know you won't simply steal the sword from my belt and cut my hand off after you've killed me, and walk off leaving my body behind? Doubtless you're plotting your revenge this very moment, Prince."
"You are right. So why not lend the new Bishop your sword, and that way I will only be able to strangle you the moment we are released from each other."
The holy man ignored the last comment and quickly evaluated the situation, and announced, "This is embarrassing, but suitable nonetheless. Sir David, I trust you understand that my new position will require as much protection as possible. This way is albeit unconventional, but you can ensure the prisoner does not escape, while at the same time, it allows as many knights as possible to remain here with me. I regret the loss of such a talented soldier as yourself, but you are the only one I can fully have confidence in trusting this task to." He returned his attention to the prisoner. "This man, who by my decree, is no longer a prince, will no doubt betray the Church and create scandal upon insurrection, and we can not risk such a thing."
The man who was no longer a prince raised his arm to scratch his head, causing the knight to stumble, his arm pulled with the other's. With little more than one or two links between the actual cuffs, the shackles would alert either of even the slightest movement the other created. Somewhere in his subconscious, David was excited about spending so much time alone with such dangerous, turbulent creature, though nervous at the prospect that this individual might be capable of changing his entire life.
Lawliet stared at the knight. "Shall we depart, 'Light of God'?" he whispered, so lightly David had hardly heard, and was still not sure he hadn't imagined it. Nonetheless, he muttered "Do not call me that," under his breath while simultaneously nodding his reluctant assent to the Bishop and handing over his weapon. He then yanked his arm, and it was the dark haired man's turn to stumble after him.
While Lawliet wondered what would become of his City, his citizens, his nephews, his life… David considered what plans were already formulated in the brain hidden by those vacant, inky eyes.
"One last thing," the Bishop said, making the pair pause. The holy man walked over to them and snatched the crown from atop the former Prince's head. "You shall not be needing this any more, boy." With that, the Bishop turned and beckoned to the rest of the Templars to follow him. The irony that Lawliet had only minutes earlier been contemplating how and if he would lose his crown, was not lost upon him.
The pair clumsily mounted two horses, and began to ride out of the city. David thought about what it might feel like to be dethroned, exiled, arrested, chained and sisterless almost instantly.
And so, their journey started, and Lawliet left everything, including the body of his dead sister behind. But he gave less thought to that and more to the plan he had already formulated, obviously involving revenge. Both were well aware that one could not exist while the other was also still alive, the only question of real importance is who would be the one to end up dead.
xx
AN: This is revised from the original chapter I posted... I changed some dialogue and thought processes to improve flow.
This is both historically accurate and inaccurate. I'm simply writing this in a particular setting, but I've have only done a little research just for a general frame work for the things I'm writing. Quickly, I just wanted to comment that Strasburg is a real place, and while I'm almost certain it never had prince, I couldn't make L a regular little baron or duke or minister or something like that. And it really does have a cathedral with only one spire…. There's a picture of it on wikipedia. I really hope you enjoy it, and while this chapter was a lot of character/setting establishment (which can be boring), I hope you stick around, because this is obviously where it gets very interesting. I mean, it's really all about the chemistry and dynamic between Light and L, is it not? It will come soon, I promise.
One last thing, I'd love to have a beta reader. Someone to look over the obvious spelling errors etc., but also someone who can reign me in and tell me "this is out of character" or "you rambled on way too long there". Anyone willing?