MacDidz: The Scottish Blog

[Didz]

Winter 1127: A Gift from God

It is hard to underplay the reaction of Kyle to the conquest of Crete. He had prayed for an opportunity to prove himself and his crusade and God had given him that opportunity. The gift of Crete had proven not only that God still favoured the Scottish cause but that Kyle had inherited his fathers divine support.

Equally important it meant that Kyle could return home with something tangible and measurable to show for the faith that his father and the nation had put in him. The despondency and anger which had hung over the King like a dark cloud since leaving Jerusalem was gone, in its stead was something akin to ecstacy. The king was both overjoyed and relieved, showering his men with gifts and spending long hours on his knee's giving thanks to God.

The only time his brow became furrowed was when the question of what to do with this gift from God was mentioned. Could Scotland really hope to retain control of this island in the middle of nowhere?

Should he perhaps gift the island to the Pope?

On the other hand possession of an island so close to the holy land would be a real benefit for future crusades and produce a decent amount of revenue if its trade lanes could be kept open.

In the end the decision was that God had meant Scotland to have this island and it was not for him a mere servant to refuse such a gift. He decided to leave the Crusaders to garrison the city and let God decide whether it was to remain in their hands or be taken from them by the heathens.