The Templars' Last Days by David Scott Page B

Orders survived whilst at the same time remaining faithful to their oaths of allegiance to the Pope.
    After hearing these comments, the Pope raised his hand slightly to gesture Giles to break off from his report, and enquired if there was not another way. For the path the Knight Templars had agreed to, represented to our Holy Father the ultimate sacrifice that a man could make, never mind a complete organisation of many thousands. Our Holy Father was still hesitant at the proposed plan of the two Orders for he knew he would have to carry the burden of agreeing to this decision on his conscience for eternity.
    Giles reassured the Holy Father that every single Templar Knight was prepared to lay down their life to protect the Church, and each and every single Templar Knight would be happy and fulfilled if he were to die in battle with a sword in his hand, surrounded by the bodies of his infidel enemies, in the defence of such. However, no Templar Knight would wish to knowingly raise his sword in anger against any Christian Monarch or his Knights.
    He further tried to placate the concerns that were disturbing the Pope by pointing out to him that, in the minds of the Knight Templars, war takes many shapes and comes in many different disguises; the important thing today was to agree the best course of action to protect your Holiness, the Holy relics of the Church and for every Knight Templar to be true to their oath.
    Our Pope dwelt on the persuasive argument for some moments before seeming to reluctantly accept this response and with his head bowed slightly forward, his arms stretched out before him, he gestured with his hands for Giles to continue.
    With his business now completed in Cyprus, our Grand Master then sailed on a Templar ship back to La Rochelle. He was accompanied by a small detachment of Templar Knights and the cargo of silver and gold he had acquired, which would represent part of the Knight Templars’ contribution towards the financing of the new Crusade.
    Although it would be a short voyage from Cyprus to La Rochelle, it provided the Grand Master with some peaceful days away from the normal daily pressures which he faced when on land, in having to manage his enormous organisation. The sea journey also gave him time to reflect on the agreed arrangement with the Knights of St. John. He could not help but ask himself if this really was the best solution. He went over and over in his mind all the other options, again and again, but no matter which alternative plan he thought of, none seemed as resolute, effective or as pragmatic as the one that he had now agreed with Foulques.
    The morning tide brought the Templar ship carrying the Grand Master and the valuable cargo into the safe free port harbour of La Rochelle, the early sunshine bringing the very best out of this busy port, which was dominated by the towers of the Vauclair Castle. As always there were a large number of ships moving in and out of the harbour, so another Templar vessel docking would simply blend into the normal humdrum of the daily life of the port.
    Being safely back on French soil again only served to strengthen the resolve and determination of the Grand Master to ensure that the agreed plan was now successfully carried through to the bitter end. Impatiently he and his Templar Knights watched as the valuable cargo was unloaded from the depths of the cog onto the waiting carriages, which would transport the crates of gold and silver to its final destination.
    Given the large volume of crates, the unloading took what was left of the morning and the best part of the afternoon. The treasure had been loaded into manageable-sized crates, some six feet long, by two feet wide and three feet deep. This had the advantage of being easier for handling and storing whilst on board. It also meant that each crate could be unloaded by four men quite easily and be packed on the back of the awaiting carriages without any difficulty.
    The chaotic nature and tempo of