COMMANDER GALLO & THE BLOOD PACK

26TH September 1192

Dawn of the next day found Templar Knight Yosef standing in his room wide awake, fully attired with the sword 'Abyssinia Ironwood' sheathed and strapped to his waist. It wasn't that he was anxious to depart but the bloody dream he had experienced last night had shaken him up greatly. And he had failed to get an iota of sleep the whole night until he decided to dress up and pray.

There was certain confidence, and faith he could attain when donned this Knight Templar attire. Inwards, he felt fearless, much more devoted to the Christian faith, and not easily distracted by mundane worldly affairs. All that mattered was the Templar creed:

'Non Nobis, Domine, Non Nobis, Sed Nomini Tuo Da Glorium.'

Translated (Nothing for us, Lord, nothing for us but for the Glory of thy Name). 

Chanting this Templar creed in his heart over and over made his fears, burdens, and demons weightless until they slowly lost significance or with time faded away completely.

Knock, knock.

There were several gentle knocks on his bedroom door, "Come in, it is open." He said to the person behind the door.

"Good morning Sir Knight, hope you had a pleasant night!" Butler Philipe opened the door several inches and peeked his head through while greeting him.

"Good morning too Philip," he replied.

"Breakfast is set & served in the next room, and the party we have been expecting will be here in an hour," Philipe told him as he closed.

"Thank you Philipe, let me come over," he replied to a closed door as if Philipe wasn't interested in his response just delivering the information.

Yosef picked up his travel chest and carried it to the living room of the manor, that's where breakfast was usually served. 

In the living room, the breakfast table was set for one. Yosef sat and made himself comfortable. Laid in front of him were: a small kettle with milk tea, a jar of honey as well as another container with sugar in it, and a plate of fried pork sausages. As if this was not enough, a maid entered the room with a platter containing more; on it were grapes, biscuits, and some ripe apples. 

All this was too much for him but he could not refuse, having known that they were doing all this to please him as it was his last meal with them. Only God knows when he could be back in Jaffa. The journey to Jerusalem was a long and perilous one in the wilderness.

Before he left the breakfast table. Philipe rushed in with a happy look on his face.

"Sir, Commander Gallo and his elite squad of 12 Templars have just arrived outside. Shall I tell them to wait for you to finish breakfast?" Philipe asked.

"No need, am done with breakfast, take me to them," Yosef replied. "By the way bring my armour and the horse you picked.

His stay in Father Absalom's manor was enjoyable and relaxing. However, he did not like it as it made him bored and purposeless. He felt more alive when he was out and about trying to accomplish something, not waiting for something to happen to him.

Stepping outside the manor, the sight that he saw was one that could forever be etched in his memory. 

Twelve Templar knights sat on their magnificent horses in an orderly manner in a formation symbolic of a guard of honor. 

These knights were putting on their full armour with weapons strapped to their waists. Other heavy weapons like clubs or mace could be seen peeking from their saddle bags.

When they saw him coming to them. The Commander, who was seated on his horse at the head of the formation. Gracefully slid off his horse, and walked to him before bowing to Yosef.

"Commander Gallo Francis and my elite squad of warriors at your service Sir Yosef. Our deeds have made us famous or infamous depending on which side you support. We have been nicknamed the 'Blood Pack', you may have heard of us." Commander Gallo told him.

"It is nice to finally meet you Commander Gallo and the Blood Pack!" Yosef said as he went ahead to hug Gallo as a fellow Templar brother.

Unfortunately, in Cyprus where he was. He had not heard of the Blood Pack or else he could remark on something concerning them. All in all, he was happy to have such a strong squad escorting him.

"The pleasure is all ours Knight Yosef, not any ordinary knight gets the admiration of Master Balian of Ibelin like you did. That aside, your valor on the field during the fight against Saladin's 4th army was epic despite the loss of your brethren or the injury that almost claimed your life. In our eyes, you are an esteemed warrior of the church, and it is an honor to be working with you on this assignment." Commander Gallo told him after breaking off the hug.

Yosef blushed hearing such words from Commander Gallo, "Commander Gallo, you flatter me. Those are deeds of some years back, have been on desk duty in Cyprus that my skills with the sword have become stale unlike you and the squad who have been hacking away at the Muslim armies while honing your skills." Yosef replied.

"Knight Yosef, a great warrior remains great whether on the field of battle or behind a desk. It is not an award that is bestowed but a mark of growth, after enduring the crucible of blood, tears, suffering, and pain for yourself, your brethren while inflicting the same on your enemies." Commander Gallo stated from his rich experience.

"Even some of our great military leaders are leading from behind the desk, issuing commands to thousands of crusaders. That does not make them less of warriors." He added to his earlier statements while beaming with confidence.

"Once again, you are most welcome. Your men can dismount, we have a lot to discuss before we set off." Yosef told him. "Let them come inside as we plan."

"Lads, you have heard the man, dismount and come in," Commander Gallo told his squad while following Knight Yosef into the manor.

They got off their horses in an orderly manner. Symbolic of their experience and professionalism as knights. 

"Commander Gallo, can I offer you and your men some grape juice? I assure you it's cold enough to freeze your intestines," Butler Philipe asked when he saw them coming in.

Knight Yosef left Commander Gallo Francis with the butler and walked to the map. He stood in front of a large map drawn on the wall of the study room depicting the Holy Land in its entirety.

"Mister, am not sure about the freezing of our intestines, but anything that can wash away the heat and dust from our throats is highly appreciated," Commander Gallo accepted Phillipe's offer of grape juice.

"Commander Gallo, come and join me over here," Yosef called him to come and share some insights.

"Knight Yosef, I can see this is a beautifully drawn map of the Holy Land, but what is your interest in it?" Gallo asked.

'It is so good working with such intelligent people, they are always straight to the point. Am sure I will get along with him pretty well.' He appreciated Commander Gallo Francis' personality.

"Good point Commander, we Knight Templars don't just take things at face value. We are more than just warriors, we are also physicians, bankers, theologians, monks, captains and so much more." He said before continuing, "on this map, I want us to identify the safest route to take us to Jerusalem from Jaffa." 

Knight Yosef told him, "we have been tasked by the Master of the Jaffa County and Temple, Master Balian of Ibelin to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, pick some luggage and transport it back safely."

"Am sure he told you something close to these lines when he assigned you this mission," Yosef added.

Commander Gallo Francis ran his eyes across the map briefly.

"Okay, I get you Me and my lads have escorted important pilgrims countless times to Jerusalem. So, I can say we are conversant with the most reliable routes but as for safety, it is another matter altogether. We have former Muslim soldiers under Saladin who have formed bandit gangs roaming the wilderness looking for easy prey or an armed Templar force to inflict their revenge upon despite the recently signed ceasefire agreement on 2nd September of this month." Gallo said returning his eyes to the map.

"Can you imagine, the ceasefire is for 3 years but the Muslims are oath breakers are disregarding it. For god sake, it is not yet even a year since King Richard the Lionheart decided to put faith in these pagans by signing a treaty with them," Commander Gallo said with passion.

"I understand that Commander, had I been an advisor to King Richard the Lionheart. I could have told him not to put any trust in what Saladin signs."

"First of all, the scripture in Jeremiah tells us. "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD". We the Knight Templars gain our strength from our God and his servant the Holy Pope, in them alone should be our strength of winning this Holy Crusade," Yosef stated what he believed.

"You are right there. But did you know that Count Balian of Ibelin, in 1187 signed an agreement with Saladin surrendering Jerusalem to the Muslims? We the Christians have abided by that agreement, and it is now coming to five years." Commander Gallo told Knight Yosef.

"So, I heard," Yosef replied.

"…we shall not finish Knight Yosef if we begin lamenting what is done, let me show you the most optimum route we can take to Jerusalem and back," Gallo said while putting his finger on the map, his thick finger was on top of Jaffa.

"From experience, we can move from Jaffa here, by horseback to Casal Maen. This is a journey of about two to four days if there's no danger along the way. From there, we shall continue to Saphyria town where we can rest our horses for a day. Restock up on freshwater as well as some dry foods. Then continue to Ludd, which is now a major town from what you remember. If we are not in a rush, we can stop here for a night but based on the nature of our assignment, I was of the view that we continue forward. The next major station on this route after Ludd is Porphylia or sometimes known as Barfilya, we can rest a bit here before continuing to Castle Arnold in the center here. This is a perfect place to rest for some time, restock up and pick up any relevant news. From Castle Arnold, we shall pass by Betnoble, Abb St Samuel Montjoie which is famous with the pilgrims before embarking on the last leg to Jerusalem. This is the route me and my men recommend." Commander Gallo finished his assessment of the route to take.

"Thanks, Commander, I have no problem with the route you have chosen, we shall take it. We leave in an hour. First, have some of the cold grape juice the butler offered" Yosef communicated.

"By the way, how long do you think it will take on the road if we follow this route you have chosen?" Yosef asked. Eager to know how long he can be in Jerusalem.

"That's a hard question Knight Yosef. But in simple terms, it is all dependent on the weather, safety conditions on the roads and our state of well-being. Least time if we rush through it is one week. But it can be more than that." Commander Gallo Francis answered him.

He wiped away the sweat on his forehead with a white handkerchief. Composed himself, and looked Knight Yosef in the eyes before saying. 

"What I and my lads have learned, is that nothing is ever certain in the Holy Land. It's always good to expect the best but prepare for the worst, that has kept us alive this long."