HOLY SEPULCHRE ASSIGNMENT 

24TH September 1192

Dear Sir Yosef,

Greetings in the Mighty Name of our Lord who has enabled us to be alive to see, and partake in the liberation of the Holy Kingdom of Jerusalem from the heathen horde so far.

For mere mortal men like us, who are sinful and unworthy vessels yet He saw fit to use us to do this Holy, Godly work with our bodies and hearts.

Glory be to His Holy Name, blessed be his saints and warriors for all ages.

I have been in correspondence with my good brother Marshal Jacob of the Cyprus Temple for several years, seeking a reliable and valiant knight of the Order to undertake a noble and highly confidential assignment for the Temple, Jaffa chapter.

Marshal Jacob highly recommended you to my service. Your valor on the field during the crusade campaign to recapture Jaffa from the evil grasp of the infidel Saladin left us deeply moved by your devotion and courage to this noble task we are tasked with.

Like Christ bore marks of crucifixion, a mark of his triumph over death; you bear scars of defending the Holy Land, County of Jaffa in particular.

Even though we have never met, you are like a son to me. I believe I can lay this heavy and holy burden on your shoulders. Treat this matter with the confidentiality it deserves, you are the only one with the knowledge about this secret mission.

You are to link up with Commander Gallo Francis and his elite squad of Templar Knights several days from now at the manor Father Absalom and travel to Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Wherein you will pick a sizeable treasure of great value collected for several decades, offered by the pilgrims who visited Jerusalem. However, the true gem is the 7 inches rusted nail, picked from the church's cistern during the excavation by the Templars in 1099AD, reliable sources say this nail came from the True Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This nail, can heal all infirmities, and lengthen the life of all who are pierced by it. This matter has never been publicized that's why you have never heard of it. You will transport all these items back to the County of Jaffa.

It will be a treacherous journey am very much aware of the Muslim bandit gangs as well as Assassin Order members roaming the wilderness roads, looking for cheap targets to kill and rob. Am confident in your abilities to deliver. Marshal Jacob said you are the right man for this job.

My butler Philipe will escort you to the manor, have you settled in, and relax from the weary sea voyage as you wait for the appointed time.

Farewell, and May God be with you.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and evermore. Amen.

Yours sincerely,

Balian of Ibelin, Master of Jaffa County.

Knight Yosef Gideon read through the letter before rolling it carefully and putting back in the envelope. Placed it in the right pocket of his tunic.

Leaving Cyprus several weeks ago, he thought he was on another ordinary mission, but who could have known that he was going to be involved with pilgrim treasure and a Holy relic from the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Yosef's heart began pounding with excitement and he felt like jumping up with joy but controlled himself. This was a confidential mission.

If only his brothers in Cyprus could know that he was leading such a mission. They could die with envy. The pilgrim's treasure was good but it did not catch his admiration like the Holy Cross nail; healing from all infirmities and long life, definitely Yosef was captivated and fell for it hook, line and sinker.

'Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre HERE I COME!' Yosef shouted in his head. He took some deep breaths to steady himself and restrain the overwhelming excitement bubbling from within his heart.

"Philipe, the Master's message is loud and clear, how did you board the Ambrosia Hand seeing that we are far from the dock?" Yosef asked.

"I got an Arab boatman to row me over and also take us back," Philip replied.

"Good, lets' go and pick my travel chest and we set off." Said Yosef, happy that he could not have to wait until the ship docked.

Yosef led Philipe outside the forecastle. He had him pick the chest from Chief Mate Musa before proceeding to bid farewell to Captain Ramzi, cook Jasper and the other sailors on the deck.

***

Abu Bin Zayyid endured under the scorching sun as he waited for the European gentleman dressed in Butler clothes. He had boarded the 'Ambrosia Hand', he waited for him to return.

Abu Bin Zayyid needed the money, the two silver denier coins they had agreed upon. It could be a great start to a day that had started on a bad note.

He did not have to wait for long. Shortly afterward the butler came back to his boat, but this time around he was not alone.

He was accompanied by a Knight Templar warrior in the traditional white robe with a red cross at the front, a black tunic underneath the robe, and wearing a poor man's sandals on his dark feet. But with a very expensive and eye-catching sword strapped on his waist, most of the sword was sheathed and only the hilt and pommel were visible.

Abu looked closely at this knight who was boarding his boat and saw that: the knight was dark-skinned with short black curly hair, a youthful and round face with brown eyes, a broad chin, and a large nose like some of the slaves he had seen brought from Africa. He had a fit and lean body without any ounce of fat as if he was being starved by the Knights Templar Order. The knight had a heavy wooden travel chest accompanying him, it was locked. He could only imagine what was inside.

From Abu Bin Zayyid's experience, the Knight Templars may have lived a poor man's lifestyle but they never lacked money with them or quality weapons.

He just could not understand how these misguided infidels punished themselves, at least the accursed Jews knew how to make money and spend it.

That's why he had never been disappointed when they raided a Knight Templar convoy in the wilderness, as long as they did not kill you and you killed them. It could be a fat harvest in weapons or purses of money. Unfortunately, not all these encounters were good like what happened to his mentor Yakub.

The thought of what had happened to his mentor brought bile to his mouth and he felt the compulsion to drown this Knight Templar in the sea. However, that could be a cheap death.

'What if he strangled him with bare hands?'

'Stabbed him in the chest puncturing his lungs, and seeing how he struggled to breathe as whatever little air he breathed in escaped with blood through the stab wounds. Maybe that wheezing sound could be music to his ear.'

'Or he could find him in a dark alley at night as he took a piss and slit his throat, what about burning him alive?'

But, none of these ideas gave Abu satisfaction. He wanted to see this infidel warrior extremely suffer before he died. There was also poison, however, that was too slow for his liking. All these thoughts raced through Abu's mind and he realized that his hands gripping the oars, were beginning to shake, his face began burning up, and he started having labored breathing while fidgeting in his seat.

Abu Bin Zayyid realized he was about to lose control, and do something he had not fully planned for. He encouraged himself by remembering the favorite Quran quote from his mentor Yakubu. He tried to instill in him to overcome his rush nature.

"… Indeed, Allah is with the patient." Quran 8:46 Surah al-Anfal.

Much as he hated to admit, there was a benefit to waiting patiently to know what business had brought this Knight Templar to Jaffa.

Abu decided there and then to play nice and find out all the nitty-gritty about the business of this Templar. Who knows, it may bring him back into the good graces of the Assassin's Order elders and save his life.

On the trip back, the Knight Templar rarely spoke, occasionally he could ask the butler some brief questions and keep quiet once he got the answers. The butler, on the other hand, was a different case, he was very talkative, highlighting the new developments in the port of Jaffa to the Knight. It looked like he wanted to get in the good graces of this knight.

This made Abu more curious about this knight and what his business in Jaffa was.

It was hard to keep his curiosity in check but luckily, he had a job to do. Abu Bin Zayyid decided to focus on the waters ahead as he rowed the boat back to the dock of Jaffa. All the while, he kept his ears peeled open to pick up any bit of substantial information from their conversation.

Abu dropped the two men and their luggage at the dock. The butler paid him the agreed-upon two silver denier coins.

"Thank you, good sirs, may Allah bless you on your journey," Abu thanked the butler as he received the coins.

"Let me help you carry this chest to the chariot, good sirs, Abu here is your humble servant." He offered to carry the chest so as make a guess on what it contained from the weight.

"There's no need, am used to carrying my travel chest," the Knight said but Abu could have none of it. He was already putting the chest on his head and walking towards the chariot the butler had come in.

"Knight Yosef, it's alright for him to carry. Most of the workers at the dock are good individuals just seeking to survive and support their families," Abu heard the butler addressing the knight as he loaded the chest into the chariot.

So this knight is known as Yosef, Abu Bin Zayyid came to the realization.

The butler and knight entered the chariot and set off. Abu watched them and pondered what his wisest course of action was. Soon enough, an idea came up in his head before the chariot disappeared amid the crowd.

He had to know where this knight was staying and obtain additional information.

He borrowed a horse from one of the merchants' who was still engaged, promising to bring it back in a few hours. From a distance, Abu Bin Zayyid followed the horse-drawn chariot, as it left the bustling Jaffa center and reached the countryside road. Stopped outside a manor for a while before the gate was opened for it to enter inside, thereby disappearing from his sight.

Now, Abu Bin Zayyid the Assassins Order operative now knew where they were staying, he was going to pay them a visit in the night for more details.