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‘But are you certain it was only wild dogs we heard?’ asked Fahkr doubtfully.
‘No,’ replied the Templar knight. ‘There is much we do not know between heaven and hell; no one can ever be certain. But the Lord is our shepherd, and we shall not want, even though we wander through the valley of the shadow of death. That is doubtless what Armand is praying as he walks along in the dark right now. That is what I would pray, at any rate. If God has measured out our time and wishes to call us home, there is nothing we can do, of course. But until then we cleave the skulls of wild dogs as we do those of our enemies, and in that respect I know that you who believe in the Prophet, may peace be with Him, and deny the Son of God, think exactly as we do. Am I not right, Yussuf?’
‘You are right, Templar knight,’ Yussuf confirmed. ‘But then where is the borderline between reason and belief, between fear of and trust in God? If a man must obey, as your sergeant must obey, does that make his fear any less?’
‘When I was young…well, I am not yet a particularly old man,’ said the Templar knight, seeming to think deeply, ‘I was still preoccupied with that sort of question. It is good for your mind; your thoughts grow nimble from exercising your mind. But nowadays I am afraid I grow sluggish. You obey. You conquer evil. Afterwards you thank God - that is all.’
‘And if you do not conquer your enemy?’ asked Yussuf in a gentle voice, which those who knew him did not recognize as his normal voice.
‘Then you die, at least in the case of Armand and myself,’ replied the Templar knight. ‘And on Judgment Day you and I will be measured and weighed, and where you will then end up, I cannot say, even though I know what you yourself believe. But if I die here in Palestine, my place will be in paradise.’
‘You truly believe that?’ asked Yussuf in his strange, gentle voice.
‘Yes, I believe that,’ replied the Templar knight.
‘Then tell me one thing: Is that promise actually in your Bible?’
‘No, not exactly; it does not say that exactly.’
‘But you are still quite certain?’
‘Yes, the Holy Father in Rome has promised…’
‘But he is only a man! What man can promise you a place in paradise, Templar knight?’
‘But Muhammed too was merely a man! And you believe in his promise, forgive me, may peace be to his name.’
‘Muhammed, may peace be with him, was God’s messenger, and God said: “But the messenger and those who follow him in faith and strive for the sake of God, offering up their property and lives, shall be rewarded with goodness in this life and in the next, and everything they touch will prosper.” Those words are very clear, are they not? And it goes on…’
‘Yes! In the next verse of the ninth Sura,’ the Templar knight interjected brusquely. ‘“God has prepared for them gardens of pleasure, watered by streams, where they shall remain for all eternity. This is the great and glorious victory!” So, we understand each other, I presume? None of this is foreign to you, Yussuf. And by the way, the difference between us is that I have no possessions, I have put myself in God’s hands, and when He decides, I will die for His sake. Your own beliefs do not contradict what I say.’
‘Your knowledge of God’s word is truly great, Templar knight,’ said Yussuf, but at the same time he was pleased that he had caught his enemy in a trap, and his companions could see this.
‘Yes, as I said, you should know your enemy,’ said the Templar knight, for the first time a little uncertain, as if he too realized that Yussuf had backed him into a corner.
‘But if you speak in this way, you are not my enemy,’ said Yussuf. ‘You quote from the Holy Koran, which is God’s Word. What you say does apply to me, but not to you for the time being. For the faithful, all of this is as clear as water, but what is it for you? In truth, I know as much about Jesus as you know about the Prophet, may peace be with him. But what did Jesus say about the Holy War? Did Jesus speak a single word about you entering paradise if you killed me?’
‘Let us not quarrel about this,’ said the Templar knight with a confident wave of his hand, as if everything had suddenly become petty, although they could all see his uncertainty. ‘Our beliefs are not the same, even though they have many similarities. But we have to live in the same land, fighting each other in the worse case, making treaties and conducting business in the best case. Now let us speak of other matters. It is my wish, as your guest.’
They were all aware how Yussuf had driven his opponent into a corner where he had no more defences. Jesus had clearly never said anything about it being pleasing to God to kill Saracens. But when pressed harder, the Templar knight had still managed to wriggle out of the difficult situation by referring to the faithfuls’ own unwritten laws of hospitality. And so his wish had to be granted; he was the guest, after all.
‘In truth, you do know a great deal about your enemy, Templar knight,’ said Yussuf. Both his voice and expression showed that he was very pleased at having won the discussion.
‘As we agreed, it is necessary to know your enemy,’ replied the Templar knight in a low voice, his eyes downcast.
They sat in silence for a while, gazing into their mocha cups, since it seemed difficult to start up the conversation in a natural way after Yussuf’s victory. But then the silence was again shattered by the sound of beasts. This time they all knew it was animals and not some devilish creature, and it sounded as if they were attacking someone or something, and then as if they were fleeing, with howls of pain and death.
‘Armand’s sword is sharp, as I said,’ murmured the Templar knight.
‘Why in the name of peace did you take your corpses with you?’ asked Fahkr, who was thinking the same thing as his brothers of the faith.
‘Of course it would have been better to take them alive. Then they would not have smelled so foul on the way home, and they could have travelled with ease. But tomorrow it will be a hot day; we must start our journey early to get them to Jerusalem before they begin to stink too much,’ replied the Templar knight.
‘But if you had taken them prisoner, if you had taken them alive to Al Quds, what would have happened to them then?’ persisted Fahkr.
‘We would have turned them over to our emir in Jerusalem, who is one of the highest ranking in our order. He would have turned them over to the worldly powers, and they would have been disrobed, except for that which covers their modesty, and hung up on the wall by the rock,’ replied the Templar knight, as if it were quite obvious.
‘But you have already killed them. Why not disrobe them here and leave them to the fate they deserve? Why do you defend their bodies against the wild animals?’ asked Fahkr, as if he did not want to give up or did not understand.
‘We will still hang them there,’ replied the Templar knight. ‘Everyone must see that whoever robs pilgrims will end up hanging there. That is a holy promise from our order, and it must always be kept, as long as God helps us.’
‘But what will you do with their weapons and clothes?’ wondered Emir Moussa, speaking as if he wanted to bring the conversation down to a more practical level. ‘Surely they must have had quite a few valuables on them.’
‘Yes, but they are all stolen goods,’ replied the Templar knight, some of his old self-assurance back. ‘Except for their weapons and armour, for which we have no use. But their thieves’ cache is in a grotto up where Armand and I have our camp. We will take heavily laden horses home with us tomorrow; keep in mind that those beasts have been plundering here for more than half a year.’
‘But you are not allowed to own anything,’ objected Yussuf mildly, raising his right eyebrow, as if he thought that he had once again won the argument.
‘No, I am not allowed to own anything!’ exclaimed the Templar knight in surprise. ‘If you think we would take the thieves’ treasures for our own, you are greatly mistaken. We will place all the stolen goods outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre next Sunday, and if those who have been robbed can find their possessions, they can have them back.’
‘But surely most of those who were robbed are now dead,’ said Yussuf quietly.
‘They may have heirs who are alive, but whatever is not claimed will be donated to our order,’ replied the Templar knight.
‘That is a most interesting explanation for what I have heard, that you consider yourselves too good to plunder a battlefield,’ said Yussuf with a smile, seeming to think he had won another exchange of words.
‘No, we do not take plunder from battlefields,’ replied the Templar knight coldly. ‘But that should not present a problem, since there are so many others who do. If we have taken part in a victory, we turn at once toward God. If you would like to hear what your own Koran has to say about plundering a battlefield…’
‘Thank you, no!’ Yussuf interrupted him, holding up a hand in warning. ‘We would prefer not to return to a topic of conversation since it would seem that you, an infidel, know more than we do about the Word of the Prophet, may peace be with him. Let me instead ask you a very candid question.’
‘Yes. Ask me a candid question, and it shall be given the answer it deserves,’ replied the Templar knight, holding up his hands, palm out, to show, in the manner of the faithful, that he agreed to change the topic of conversation.
‘You said that the truce between us would soon be over. Is it Brins Arnat you are referring to?’
‘You know a great deal, Yussuf. Brins Arnat, whom we call Reynald de Châtillon, has begun plundering again. And by the way he is no “prince” but an evil man who is unfortunately allied with the Knights Templar. This I know, and I regret it. I would rather not be his ally, but I obey orders. But no, he is not the major problem.’
‘Then it must be something about that new prince, who came from the land of the Franks with a great army. What is it he is called: Filus something or other?’
‘No,’ said the Templar knight with a smile. ‘He is indeed Filus, meaning the son of someone. His name is Philip of Flanders, he is a duke, and yes, he came with a great army. But now I must warn you before we continue this conversation.’
‘Why is that?’ asked Yussuf, feigning nonchalance. ‘I have your word. Have you ever broken a vow you have sworn?’
‘I once made a vow that I have not yet been able to fulfil; it will take ten years before I can do so, if it is God’s will. But I have never broken a promise and, may God help me, I never will.’
‘Well then. Why should our truce be broken because of the arrival of someone named Filus from some Flamsen? Surely such things happen all the time.’
The Templar knight gave Yussuf a long, searching look, but Yussuf did not avert his eyes. This went on for some time; both refused to give in.
‘You wish to keep secret your identity,’ said the Templar knight at last, without taking his eyes off Yussuf. ‘But few men could know so much about what goes on in the world of war; certainly not someone who claims to be a merchant on his way to Cairo. If you insist on speaking more about this, I can no longer pretend that I do not know who you are; a man who has spies, a man who knows. There are not many such men.’
‘You have my word also; remember that, Templar knight.’
‘Of all the unbelievers, your word is no doubt the one most of us would trust most.’
‘You honour me with your words. So, why will our truce be broken?’
‘Ask your men to leave us if you will continue this conversation, Yussuf.’
Yussuf pondered this for a moment as he pensively tugged on his beard. If the Templar knight truly understood who he was talking to, would it then be easier for him to kill and at the same time break his word? No, that was unlikely. Considering how this man had behaved when he killed earlier in the evening, he had no need to make it easier to betray his vow; he would have drawn his sword long ago.
Yet it was difficult to understand his demand, which seemed unreasonable. At the same time, no one would particularly benefit if it were met. In the end Yussuf’s curiosity won out over his caution.
‘Leave us,’ he commanded curtly. ‘Go to sleep close by; you can clean up here in the morning. Remember that we are in the field, under camp rules.’
Fahkr and Emir Moussa hesitated. They started to get to their feet as they looked at Yussuf, but his stern glance made them obey. They bowed to the Templar knight and withdrew. Yussuf waited in silence until his brother and his closest bodyguard had moved far enough away and could be heard arranging their bedding.
‘I don’t think my brother and Moussa will have an easy time falling asleep.’
‘No,’ said the Templar knight. ‘But neither will they be able to hear what we say.’
‘Why is it so important for them not to hear what we say?’
‘It is not important,’ said the Templar knight, smiling. ‘What is important is that you know they won’t hear what you say. Then our conversation will be more candid.’
‘For a man who lives in a monastery, you know a great deal about human nature.’
‘In the monastery we learn much about human nature; more than you imagine. Now to what is more important. I will speak only of things that I am positive you already know, since anything else would be treason. But let us examine the situation. As you know, a new Frankish prince is coming. He will remain here for some time; he has everyone’s blessing back home for his holy mandate in God’s service, and so on. He has brought a great army along with him. So what will he do?’
‘Acquire riches as fast as possible since he has had great expenses.’
‘Precisely, Yussuf, precisely. But will he go against Saladin himself, and Damascus?’
‘No. Then he would risk losing everything.’
‘Precisely, Yussuf. We understand each other completely, and we can speak freely, now that your subordinates are out of earshot. So where will the new plunderer and his army go?’
‘Towards a city that is sufficiently strong and sufficiently wealthy, but I do not know which one.’
‘Precisely. Nor do I know which one. Homs? Hama? Perhaps. Aleppo? No, too far away and too strong a city. Let us say Homs or Hama, as the most obvious. What will our worldly Christian king in Jerusalem and the royal army do then?’
‘They do not have much choice. They will join in with the plundering even though they would rather use the new forces to attack Saladin.’
‘Precisely, Yussuf. You know everything, you understand everything. So now we both know what the situation is. What do we do about it?’
‘To begin with, you and I will both keep our word.’
‘Of course, that goes without saying. But what else do we do?’
‘We use this time of peace between us to understand each other better. I may never have the chance to talk to a Templar knight again. You may never have the chance to talk to…an enemy such as myself.’
‘No, you and I will probably meet only on this one occasion in our lives.’
‘The singular whim of God…But then let me ask you, Templar knight, what is needed more than God if we, the faithful, are to vanquish you?’
‘Two things. What Saladin is now doing: uniting all Saracens against us. That is already taking place. But the other thing is treason among those of us on the side of Jesus Christ, betrayal or grave sins, for which God will punish us.’
‘But if not betrayal or these grave sins?’
‘Then neither of us will ever win, Yussuf. The difference between us is that you Saracens can lose one battle after another. You mourn your dead and you soon have a new army on the march. We Christians can lose only a great battle, and we are not that foolish. If we have the advantage, we attack. If we are at a disadvantage, we seek refuge in our fortresses. It can go on in this fashion forever.’
‘So our war will last forever?’
‘Perhaps, perhaps not. Some of us…Do you know who Count Raymond de Tripoli is?’
‘Yes, I know…know of him. And?’
‘If Christians like him should win power in the kingdom of Jerusalem, and you have on your side a leader like Saladin, then there can be peace, a just peace, in any case something better than eternal war. Many of us Templar knights think as Count Raymond does. But to return to our previous topic concerning what is going to happen right now. The Hospitallers followed the royal army and the “prince” up to Syria. We Templar knights did not.’
‘I already know that.’
‘Yes, doubtless you know this; because your name is Yussuf ibn Ayyub Salah al-Din, the one we call Saladin in our language.’
‘May God be merciful to us, now that you know this.’
‘God is merciful to us by granting us this strange conversation during the last hours of peace between us.’
‘And we will both keep our word.’
‘You surprise me with your uneasiness about that point. You are the only one of our enemies who is known for always keeping his word. I am a Templar knight. We always keep our word. Enough said about that matter.’
‘Yes, enough about that matter. But now, my dear enemy, at this late hour before a dawn when we both have urgent errands, you with your foul-smelling corpses and I with something else that I will not discuss but which you certainly can imagine, what do we do now?’
‘We take advantage of this only opportunity that God may give us in life to speak sensibly with the worst of all enemies. There is one thing that you and I can agree on…forgive me if I address you so plainly now that I know you are the Sultan of both Cairo and Damascus.’
‘No one but God hears us, as you so wisely arranged. I wish for you to use the informal means of address on this one night.’
‘We agreed on one thing, I think. We are risking eternal war because neither side can win.’
‘True. But I will win, I have sworn to win.’
‘As have I. Eternal war then?’
‘That does not sound promising for the future.’
‘Then we will continue, even though I am merely a simple emir among the Knights Templar, and you are the only one of our foes in a long time that we have had reason to fear. Where should we begin now?’
They began with the question of the pilgrims’ safety. That was the most obvious. That was the reason they had met in the first place, if they sought a human explanation for it and did not look solely to God’s will in all things. But even though they both firmly believed, at least when they spoke aloud, that God’s will guided everything, neither of them was a stranger to the idea that man, with his free will, could also bring about great calamities as well as great happiness. This was a cornerstone in both of their faiths.
They talked for a long time that night. At dawn, when Fahkr found his older brother - the glorious prince, the light of religion, the commander of the faithful in the Holy War, the water in the desert, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, the hope of the faithful, the man whom the infidels for all time would call by the simple name Saladin - he was sitting with his chin resting on his knees, huddled under his cloak which was wrapped around him, and staring into the dying embers.
