Paris 1093
In a way he had no idea what the result was going to be, however he was certain that he had the commitment to at least ask. That in itself was something that surprised him more than he realised.
His letter had been short and to the point. There were matters of some urgency to discuss and he would like to "consult" with someone who at least openly seemed like he could help.
The answer was equally short. Meet at the church in Paris at the time of the Seneschal elections and a discussion could be had.
His thoughts drifted that very event. The next Seneschal, now that would be an interesting event in the Kingdoms short history of the position. His brow creased at the thought.
Hell, that was nearly half the reason he was going to the meet the man.
1095
It was well after dark, when much of the city had gone to sleep. Even though there was very little agriculture to be done in this part of the country, many people still retired for the night early, as was custom. This left the myriad streets of the Royaume's capital under a nightly siege by the various factions - the streetwalkers, the vagabonds, the whores, and, at least for one night, the men who had business to discuss. As he had indicated in a follow-up letter to his correspondent, they would meet in this particular church on this particular day at this particular hour.
As was custom for the recipient of the original letter, he arrived at the church early, in order to gain solace, look upon the various representations of the religion's oldest days, and, of course, pray. He did this for a good half hour before the doors opened and a figure walked in. Upon one quick glance, he could tell right away that this was the man he would be discussing things with, and stood up from his pew, turning around to watch as the second man slowly walked down the church's aisle.
The colonnades cast a patch work of light and shadow across the central aisle, the short squares of light caught a face stern with trouble and anger, the fluid gait of a fighter seemed menacing in a church.
The figure stop and for a moment no once spoke, finally with a hand extended Alain spoke;
"Xaintrailles, I am glad to see you are here. Before we go further, I wish to thank you for everything you have done for Princess Constance."
Alain paused for a moment to consider his next words.
"She, is, someone I have care for a great deal."
Raynaud took the Duc's hand and grasped it, looking him in the eye, his gaze as cold as ever. "Your thanks are much appreciated, Duc Alain," he said. "As a member of the royal family she is officially a treasure of the country and thus should be treated as such. I can only hope that such situations do not befall anyone else." Releasing his grip, but not adjusting his gaze, Raynaud continued.
"Now," he said, "Duc Alain, I do hope you will forgive me should I not adhere to proper protocol regarding behavior tonight, for I am still uncertain as to the nature of this meeting. I was hoping you would be able to enlighten me on this matter."
Alain motioned towards the side of the church and takes a seat in one of the side pews.
"I am interested to know what has happened to the concept of the crusade?"
His voice hardened substantially. "Recent events have caused a certain level of disilusionment. I can not say I am a religious man, my father certain was not, however my mother recently joined the church and I am uncertain as to what to do next."
"Last Conseil session, the Crusade was narrowly defeated because we were not yet in prime standing with the Pope. The general sentiment was that we should work to sweeten His Holiness over and then re-introduce the edict once that happened. However, due to certain... events... we are in even worse standing with the Pope than before," Raynaud said. "Thus, the Crusade once again resides in limbo, and the citizens of Iberia still cry out for salvation. Why do you ask, Duc Alain?"
"I ask because I believe there must be a higher calling than the one I have been...subjected to recently.
If there is nothing for me here in the realm, then I wish to give my service to a cause that my benefit from my skills and commitment."
Alain paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing in assessment before he continued.
"I would not normally, say this, but can you help me?"
Raynaud sighed for a moment. "I assume you speak of His Majesty's... disapproval... of your handling of your Seneschal term these past days. But yes, there is a way out. The Crusade is not dead, Duc Alain; it will never be dead so long as blasphemers and heretics hold any authority on the Iberian peninsula." He motioned Alain to gaze upon the large image of Christ, nailed to the cross, affixed to the wall above the altar.
"Tell me Duc, what do you see?"
Alain grunts initially but then spends a moment considering the image.
"I see an admirable thing being turned sour by the machinations of man Raynaud. Fortunately, or unfortunately my father spent a great deal of time on my tutoring. I have spent more than a few years on theology and religion.
I am not a man of blind faith, equally I must say there is much good centered in the church. You could call me a forward thinker but you will be sadden to hear that Nicaea was part of my studies."
Alain turned to Raynaud.
"What do you see?"
Raynaud sighed. Not another one. "Nicaea or not, you cannot deny that Christ was the most influential figure of all time. The achievements He accomplished, both in life and death, serve to inspire the greatest and worst of us even a thousand years afterward. What do I see, Duc Alain? I see a man who sacrificed his life in order to save the rest of us from eternal damnation. I see the very same men He died for, slowly forgetting the reason that He died over the years and centuries."
Motioning once more to the image of Christ, Raynaud continued. "You and I are in agreement that a very admirable thing has indeed turned sour, Duc Alain. The very salvation of mankind has been thrown aside. The people of the continents to the east of us and below us have willingly forsaken His message for the words of a wealthy crackpot who says that Christ is no longer relevant. In addition, the peoples of the lands where Christianity and Islam border each other are complacent. Do they remember the message and seek to liberate their neighbors from the oppressive and heretical Mohammedan philosophy? No, they forget themselves. They forget that temporal affairs are only that - temporary - and put themselves in eternal danger for the sake of a few years of stability back home. United, the various Christian factions in Iberia could easily drive back the menace to the south and secure western Europe for good. They do not, of course, embroiled in their petty disagreements. They forget themselves," Raynaud said once more.
"I want a Crusade to make up for the failures of the Iberian Catholics," Raynaud said, his words echoing throughout the quiet church. "It is unfortunate that this task falls upon us, but it must be done for the good of all of us, for if the Moorish threat is allowed to continue living then we will eventually find them crossing the Pyrenees, bearing down on us. Crusades are things of redemption, Duc Alain, both for the individuals going on them and for the entire religions as a whole."
Raynaud fell silent, waiting to see how the Duc would react.
"Redemption could work for me Raynaud. I can not say I have much to look forward to here in the burgeoning realm of France. I have soured quickly to what my father would want me to do.
Is there truly salvation to be had?"
"I believe that your definition of salvation is somewhat different than mine, Duc," Raynaud said. "However, I believe that you will find both if you do decide to go on Crusade."
"I believe you are correct Raynaud, but every crusade needs its warriors, no matter if their reasons seem noble or not.
Shall we agree to meet closer to the next Seneschal election?"
Raynaud, nodding, bowed and departed the church, muttering something about "needing to keep track of de Rethel", leaving the Duc alone.
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