Shrouded Piety: Order of Yaktosh - Chapter 4

Chapter 3 < | > Chapter 5
More than a month has passed since the Crimean Goth, Suri 'of Yaktovus,' was rescued by the Templar Order and brought to Acre. Suri's presence within the all-male order has caused much tension and division, yet Grand Master de Vichiers continues to insist on Sir Egbert educating her on becoming a French woman and a better Christian. Yet for all of the compliance Suri has provided, she remains confined to a specific section of the Templar castle like a prisoner. Although still compliant, Suri now yearns to see beyond these Templar walls and to embrace the freedoms she had been robbed of centuries ago. She intends to see the outside world, one way or another...
==Chapter Reading==
== Chapter 4 – Crossing the Line =
Two weeks passed since the Templar Order reluctantly decided to segregate based on Suri of Yaktovus. Despite this arrangement, a predictable mixture of content and discontent attitudes resulted throughout Acre, as many were satisfied with making the southern side of the castle Suri’s territory, but others now growing tired of even this compromise. Nevertheless, Grand Master de Vichiers himself saw his Crimean prize as too valuable to part with, and he was furthermore satisfied with Egbert’s efforts in educating her on speaking and reading French. Even Egbert, despite his earlier doubts, was coming around to this endeavor, now joining in with the Grand Master in believing this immortal Crimean Goth could become a civilized Frenchwoman. There was only one problem Egbert saw in this mission.
With clear concern over his voice and face, Egbert relayed his thoughts, “How exactly am I to teach Suri how to perform as a woman?”
Egbert and Vichiers were standing quite dominantly over a seated Suri, who was looking up at the two with an innocent and puzzled face. The Grand Master thought about this very matter, struggling himself to give a good answer.
“When in doubt, my friend…”
He calmly placed a palm over Egbert’s chest, spreading his fingers all over the red cross on his robe.
“The Lord?” Egbert presumed.
“You need not model Suri after the common European woman; after all, she is special and cannot be compared to the common mother and wife. No, in this case, I believe you must allow the Bible to inform your education and take after the life and mannerisms of the greatest woman of all.”
Egbert returned a great nod, “I will make it so, Grand Master. Suri will be taught the ways of the Mother of God.”
Vichiers hid an arm inside his cape, bowed, and turned away to attend other duties, “Good. Summon for me if there is any -”
“Wait, Grand Master.” And so, he did. “Suri has been confined to this very limited section of the castle for well over a month now, and I can recognize growing unrest about her -”
“No,” Vichiers guessed, “Suri cannot be allowed more castle space. Even the current arrangement has led to some defections already, we cannot afford to alienate anyone more.”
Egbert looked down at Suri, making eye contact with her, then back at the Grand Master. “Actually, I was meaning to ask if it can ever be arranged for Suri to venture outside.”
Vichiers became ever so slightly disturbed, “Outside..? How do you mean?”
“Surely, you know,” Egbert directed his hand at the tiny window in this chamber, “Outside, surrounded by nature.” Vichiers became further disturbed by this suggestion. “I believe that by incentivizing her speech education by offering outdoor rewards, her education would progress faster and with greater impact, Grand Master.”
But Vichiers was very passionate in quickly shaking and declaring, “Absolutely out of the question. Besides, progress is going well. Why meddle with success?”
“I simply do not see the problem.”
This prompted the Grand Master to turn around and explain with an empathetic tone, “Sir Egbert, there are knights in every direction outside of the castle. It would be impossible to hide her face from those who reject her existence.” Egbert quirked his mouth. “And besides, the castle entrance is within the sections forbidden to her. The only way we could deliver her outside would be by violating our agreement with the naysayer knights.”
Egbert sighed, “I suppose you make fair enough arguments, Grand Master.” He looked down at the small Suri and concluded, “Best apologies, Suri.”
Vichiers again attempted to depart, “In time, Suri will speak fluently, and we will be able to discuss her needs with her—so long as those needs fall within acceptable conduct.”
Egbert allowed his master to leave on this note, for a moment restoring silence to the chamber. This silence was soon broken by Suri, who reached her hand up close to him.
“Egbert?”
The man, in a frenzy, jumped away from her hand, “Do not touch me!” Suri fluttered her eyes in shock. “Never touch a Templar, at all. Do not touch!” He looked Suri in the eyes, “Do you understand?”
Suri gawked a bit, “Do… not touch Egbert?”
“Never.”
She said nothing for a few seconds. “But the Grand Master touch you on the chest.”
Egbert glanced down at his red cross. “That is different. The Grand Master is a man, while you are a woman. I cannot lay a finger on you, nor can you lay a finger on me. It is the promise we knights take.”
The very confused yet interested look upon Suri would naturally lead Egbert to wonder how much of this lecture she comprehended. What mattered most is that she seemed to understand that physical contact was not allowed with him. She dipped her head for a moment in thought, as if computing what to say next, and soon looked up again.
“Egbert, you will take me outside?”
“I’m sorry, the Grand Master just said no.”
The look of immediate disappointment made it clear that she understood these words just fine.
“Why no?”
“It’s complicated.” Yet Suri paid attention. “Well, not complicated, but… l- look, until you learn to speak well, everything is complicated to try and explain to you.”
Suri proved this point quickly. “Complicated… complicated…”
“Well, you know—complex.”
Again, Suri paused. “…complex?”
He grabbed his face and released a noticeably loud groan.
Later that day, Egbert had himself drawing an image for Suri on a board—a crude map of the Levant, with specific emphasis placed on the cities of Acre and Jerusalem. Despite there being an empty chair for her in this chamber, she made the questionable decision to sit on the floor, pretending to play drums while staring at her instructor.
“Acre. Acre, Suri. We live in Acre, a port city—entryway into the Holy Land.”
Suri repeated with amusement, “Holy Land.”
“Yes, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a land so holy it is worth sacrificing over.”
The Crimean gave this statement some thought for a bit, and just as Egbert was about to continue, she jolted her head up with sudden high energy.
“Jerusalem! I know Jerusalem!”
“What?” Egbert almost caught himself grinning at her strange excitement but curtailed this emotion. “Speak sense, Suri. It is proper French only if I understand you.”
Suri breathed in, thought hard, and slowly spoke, “I know Jerusalem. My people… they spoke of Jerusalem many times.”
Egbert cradled his jaw around, “Ah, your old culture knew of the legendary Jerusalem.” He closed his eyes and exhaled. “That is good. Very good to know.”
Just when the education seemed to be going great, like some child, Suri randomly decided to insert, “Egbert, may I see the outside now?”
The Templar grimaced at her, and in a rather sad tone replied, “Suri, I told you -”
“Acre,” she added, “Can you show me Acre?”
“We-”
She interrupted to add, “Is Acre a great city?”
“Well, I should think that it is…” Egbert shook his head quickly and asserted, “B- But the rules are final. I cannot take you outside. For that matter, I cannot even take you much further beyond that door over there.” Suri surprised him by simply staring at him with an unchanging face of curiosity. “I am sorry, but that is the will of the Order, for now.”
A sad time of silence passed, made only a bit strange by Suri’s frozen face of wonder. Egbert soon wondered if she understood anything he had just told her.
“Can I see Acre?”
The man slapped both ends of his forehead and released a loud groan.
He cursed through shut teeth, “…the greatest test of my life as a knight—reaching this woman..!”
“Can I see Acre birds, Egbert? Thank you.”
“Suri!” Egbert finally got her to drop her curious look, replacing it with an attentive face. “Do you have any idea what fate would come of this holy order if you were caught disrupting the lives of those who want nothing to do with you?” Suri showed no sign at all of understanding him, yet he continued anyway, “We carry the immeasurable burden of safeguarding the Kingdom of Jerusalem from infidel hands, and we manage to do so only by a thread, only through the unity of our order and God’s guidance. You wanting to look at… a- at birds threatens our entire mission!”
The next thing Egbert knew, Suri’s gaze had completely shifted to her far left, and she did so without turning her head. Just before Egbert could lecture Suri on this, it had been revealed that Sir Baldrick had made his presence in the chamber.
“Well now!” Baldrick expressed with excitement, “That was quite the complex lecture you handed her. She must be catching on fast.”
This prompted a discouraged look, “If only. She is not grasping a single word of what I just said, I am practically venting my fears aloud, and nothing more.”
Baldrick nodded, “Well, they are good fears to maintain.” Almost playfully, Baldrick pointed to Suri and lectured, “So, follow the rules and stay put!”
“Okay, I am following the rules. Thank you.”
Egbert remained unimpressed, but Baldrick took this with great thrill, facing Egbert with both arms up excitedly. The refusal to join Baldrick in this way led to him returning to his regular pose.
“Anyway…” Baldrick pointed back to a door. “Brother Bérard has summoned you to the Grand Master’s chamber. Sounds important.”
“Bérard? Just Bérard?”
“Yes, the Grand Master is not with him.”
Egbert nervously rubbed the back of his head, looking down at the curious Suri for a moment, then back at Baldrick. “Well, that is never good…”
The two walked off together toward the door, and several steps in, the two would that Suri advanced herself off the floor and in their direction, clearly intent on following them to this private audience. The two stopped upon discovering this.
“Oh, no, Suri, I will return soon.”
“Okay.”
Egbert raised a finger, “In the meantime, practice your French speaking… or your writing…” he thought about this with a brow raised, “Eh, do whatever you wish to do.”
Suri gave him a strong blink, silent, but soon nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
Suri nodded again, “Okay.”
Egbert nodded even more slowly, “Okay…”
An impatient Baldrick threw up his arms, “Okay, let’s go already!”
Soon, Baldrick, Egbert, and Bérard came together in the Grand Master’s private chamber—but he was absent. Bérard being the highest-ranking man of the three took it upon himself to pose down the two into chairs while he remained standing.
Egbert cleared his throat and got comfortable, “So, what is this about, Bérard?”
Bérard said with suspense, “We have a situation.”
Baldrick squinted, “What… kind of situation?”
“A knight has severed his oath to the Templar Order over this Suri ordeal and is threatening to embark on a journey to Rome to achieve an audience with Pope Innocent.”
Both knights received this news with gasps, but it was Egbert who demanded, “Who is this knight?”
“We do not know; he leaves behind an anonymous letter.” Bérard searched the eyes of both men carefully. “The Grand Master is taking matters into his own hand, trying to locate a name.”
Egbert winced, “I knew keeping Suri around was a horrible idea. Now the entire Order may come under papal condemnation.”
Baldrick, however, suggested, “He could also request Suri.”
“That would not be in the Holy Father’s best interests. Suri is not the quickest learner; it would take forever for her to learn how to speak to the Vatican.”
Bérard clapped his hands to bring the attention back to him, “Now, hold on. Whoever this traitor is, his quest to take a ship to Rome will not come easy. He has only the port of Acre to realistically worth with, no permission from any crusader order to embark on a ship, and likely not much coin to his name to even afford such a trip. There is a chance we stop him.”
Baldrick chipped in his thought, “I will rally some of my men and search Acre for the traitor.”
“The Grand Master permits you to do so,” Bérard revealed, “But be very quiet. We best not raise attention to the fact that we are actively searching for this man.”
Egbert then asked, “Well, what role do I play in this?”
Bérard answered, “You are respected especially in the Order. Aid us in acquiring clues.” Egbert raised a brow. “Ask around, discover who would be so offended as to betray our righteous oath.”
“Is this an order from the Grand Master?”
Bérard squinted, “The… Grand Master is quite insistent that you maintain your educating of Suri.” This left Egbert both frustrated and confused. “I, on the other hand, am pleading you for assistance.”
The brainiac had to give this matter only so much thought before nodding and standing up. “I understand. I will report to you any findings.”
“Thank you, Brother Egbert.”
Egbert and Baldrick went their separate ways, the latter making an immediate move to rally a search party of knights, and the former returning to Suri for more education.
Soon, with hands behind his back and a face burdened with wonder over the matter just discussed, Egbert emerged back into the room he regularly worked with Suri in. Now was not the time to wonder so much about some runaway Templar, he had a geographic lecture to resume giving. There was, however, an unprecedented issue with this plan.
Egbert stopped in front of the board he had been illustrating over and frantically looked around. “Suri?”
There was no doubt in his mind—Suri left the room without his permission. There were three directions she might have gone with one direction ruled out, for she would have seen her coming back. The other two directions would lead to her private quarter or to the more populated part of the castle. For the time being, the man was more offended than nervous.
“What a troublemaking… disrespectful…” he muttered without end.
Egbert proceeded out the room, through a hall, and toward a particular door with a father-like attitude about him. He was awarded the convenience of not running into any knights, lest he take on the shame and humiliation of admitting that Suri was disobeying her teacher. The conveniences would end there, something he would find out upon opening the door to Suri’s chamber.
“Suri, get out from there,” he ordered.
But not a sound was returned from the dark room. A lack of response mixed with a complete absence of light in her room was easily enough to leave Egbert with eyes wide, quickly piecing together the remaining conclusion available.
“But… surely she did not…” he turned, looking back in the direction he came. “Surely she did not venture out toward all the knights…”
He started walking but did so while recalling his recent memories of Suri. The last time she ventured into the more populated part of the castle she became socially overwhelmed and hid inside her necklace. While it did seem reasonable to imagine she was braving off that incident and trying again, Egbert soon realized the more likely and more troubling possibility. He gasped, with a mental image painted in his head of where she could be.
Just as Egbert feared, Suri was treading nearly forbidden waters. Already she ventured beyond the room where she had her previous social episode, which put her in the room adjacent to the forbidden side of the castle. The door leading to this forbidden side was practically highlighted by its more emphasized design; unfortunately, the uninformed Suri would not know any better. For now, she was not breaking any rule. Suri was far more invested in a more unorthodox place.
With one foot stable over a wood container and the other up on a chipped brick, Suri was trying with all her effort to reach the open window of this room. The sounds of seagulls and ocean water was louder here than anywhere else she had seen, and she had every intention of getting a closer look. Alas, the window was at a height not meant for human eye, complicated by Suri’s already short stature. In her humble attempts to see out this window, she lost her single footing.
Suri fell from atop the crate with a hand already over her necklace, as if prepared to magically transport herself into it. Fortunately, she had been able to land on both her feet and just manage to catch herself. Once she dispelled the shock rushing through her, she let out a sigh and shook at the window.
“Suri,” she told herself in French, “Be careful.”
The moment she ended her words, the forbidden door opened, at first startling the woman to a point of jumping; this was in part due to the wheeled barrel that emerged. The man pushing the barrel was someone she barely recognized—he was the man in charge of food supply and cooking. From the very little interaction Suri had with him, she identified him as a kind heart, but like most in this side of the castle, just barely had the courage to interact with her.
Even though the man made direct eye contact with Suri, he said nothing and proceeded across the room as if not noticing her at all. Unfortunately for him, Suri commanded his attention with a mighty wave.
“Hello..!” she greeted with borderline unacceptable passion.
“Oh..!” he replied with similar energy, “H- Hello, Suri… God bless.”
He again tried to move through the room with the barrel but seemed to know this was a fruitless aim.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a mistakenly demanding tone.
“I am delivering this week’s fish to be processed. By the grace of God, the Templar will not go hungry.”
Suri understood all of this and communicated so with a constant nod. “You were… outside?”
“…that is where the fish reside, yes…” were his parting words before entering the door from which she came.
The Crimean stared at his point of exit for a moment after, only to then look to the door he arrived from—the door to the forbidden side. Her eyes became obsessively still in thought.
“Outside.”
She approached this door slowly, her hesitation almost hinting that she knew this was forbidden to her, but overall, she did not grasp the extent of her freedom. For now, all she knew was that she wanted to witness nature again.
Moments later, a panicked Egbert threw himself into the room that came just before that one. There were once more several knights lingering about for a variety of purposes. The only men in the room who paid attention to Egbert were those not in the middle of reading; the latter would not give him the time of day.
“Sir Egbert,” one knight greeted, “What happens to be the matter?”
Noticing that his panicked entrance caused such attention, Egbert shook his hands, “Oh, very little, nothing that warrants my adventurer’s entrance. Please, mind my disruption.”
Many in the room gradually returned to their business, but the man who had asked this question to begin with maintained his attention due to Egbert directly approaching him, eyes straight into his. The two convened and walked a few steps towards the wall.
“…only, I am struggling to locate my student…”
“…student..?” the knight questioned, “…per chance do you mean Suri..?”
“…yes, that student…”
The knight closed one eye and nodded, “…many of us wondered if she had off and wandered…”
Egbert searched his eyes hard, “…you have seen her recently..?”
“…aye, but a mere moment ago…” he placed a hand over Egbert and pointed to one of the windows in this room, “…the bizarre woman was attempting the impossible task of looking through that window. Why it must be at least three times her height…”
Egbert grabbed his forehead, “...what..!? Where did she go..?”
“…there…”
The knight pointed him to the door he feared the most. From this room, there was only trouble ahead for Suri, but more importantly, grave implications for the Knights Templar if she dared go a room further and get herself caught. The fear in Egbert’s eyes were impossible to miss, yet he had to retain a professional personality for the sake of stability.
“Bless you, Brother,” Egbert concluded.
“And, uh… blessings upon you, Brother Egbert.”
Suri had no idea what detrimental storm she was bringing upon the Templar Order, but she had now crossed the line. Behind her was the door leading her into the side of the castle she was allowed, but everywhere here and beyond was supposed to be free of Suri—the Grand Master promised any man who wanted to stay completely woman-free would be safe here. Even so, this was technically the very center-front of the castle—a large hallway containing the castle entrance, a door leading to the massive meeting chamber, and then various doors leading to either side of the castle. To any person living in the modern age, it would be clear which door was the entrance, but to this woman who essentially time travelled from the Age of Antiquity, she was a bit puzzled.
For better or worse, two knights discussing in this hallway distracted Suri from her contemplation. Neither had yet to notice her, but chances were high that these two were on the anti-Suri side of the Order and would make a scene if they caught sight of her. Of course, Suri did not comprehend this fact and proceeded to walk by the two without a care in the world; she was only so fortunate to find their conversation turning to the wall for a split moment, conveniently in time for her to pass by.
It was at this time that Egbert made the scene, and ironically, he did so far louder than Suri had. His eyes fell immediately on the castle entrance, knowing for certain that Suri would have made an immediate break for the outside.
“Good day to you, Sir Egbert,” one of the conversing knights greeted.
Egbert turned toward them and bowed, “And a blessed day to y-”
He could not conclude his greeting, for the horrific sight of Suri entering the meeting chamber had received him at the same time. 
“Brother?”
The veteran knight gulped, “I- I said…” he cleared his throat, “Blessings to the two of you.”
He did not dare test the two knights on whether they had noticed Suri going by but did make a suspicious scene by rushing past the two, again, in a much more noticeable way than Suri had. He could not hide the urgency about him.
“Is something the matter, Brother Egbert?”
“Everything is fine. Resume your discussion.”
The other knight wondered aloud, “Are you in a hurry?”
Egbert half-confessed, “A developing concern is all. Nothing to fret over.”
He entered the meeting chamber without further words, and it was of slight relief to him to find the massive chamber filled with only two groups of two knights, both groups to the further end of the chamber. However, it was of impossible burden that he could not find Suri upon entering, despite her having entered no more than a minute before.
In a short matter of time, Egbert was able to identify the short woman creeping around rows of chairs, as if playing around like some child. He twitched for a moment, ultimately transitioning into a furious look. The only mercy she was offering him was the fact she was so small and quiet when going about her trespassing. He realized right then and there how extremely difficult this operation would be considering he was forbidden from laying a finger on her, and likely to alert someone if he raised his voice. Even with them only a short way into the forbidden side of the castle, he knew it would take a tremendous amount of fortune for them to sneak out of this mess.
Suri was indeed sneaking through rows of chairs, semi-aware that she should stay out of sight judging by her stealth movement. Still she scanned the room for any doors that seemed to indicate a way to the outside world.
Suddenly, Egbert appeared by her side out of seemingly nowhere. “…Suri..!”
“Eek!”
Miraculously, Suri followed this up by falling while Egbert dropped down out of similar panic. They did this just in time, as all four knights in the room stopped what they were doing to investigate the source of the yelp. No one seemed willing to go perform an actual investigation beyond initial sight, but any further mishap would surely change that.
Suri locked her gaze into Egbert’s but said nothing. The furious mentor demanded, “…Suri, what are you doing out here? You’re not supposed to be out here! How many times do I need to explain you where you can and cannot go..!?”
The Crimean defended herself in an even quieter voice, “…you said I may do whatever I wish to do…”
“…what..!?” Egbert glared, “…I did not say that..!”
She fought, “…I followed you and Baldrick, and you said to me to stay, you said to me that I can do whatever I wish to do…” Egbert shook at her, but she repeated, “…you said I can do whatever I wish to do. I wish to go outside. You said I could do whatever I wish to do, you said so, Egbert, you said I could do what I wish to do -”
“…okay, okay, okay..!” Egbert shut his eyes tight and conceded, “…I did not mean that literally…”
“…literally..?” Suri stared at him with an innocent, crushed face. “…you said… but I want to go outside…”
Egbert crushed this by saying, “…you are turning around, with me, and you are going to your room at once..!”
Although hurt, Suri was nonetheless compliant with his order. She silenced any thought of the outside world, nodded, and awaited his direction. The knight took a moment to scan the chamber they were in and was ultimately feeling good about their path forward.
“…I will need to find a way to move those men in the hall, but once I do, all you will need to do is enter through the door you came…”
“…I know my way…” Suri explained.
Egbert clarified with massive eyes, “…you cannot let anyone see you out here. You are in great danger…”
Suri grunted, “…danger..?”
The Templar pointed at her with a stern gaze, “…now, put your hood up and stay close to me…”
Unfortunately, the Crimean just stared at him. Her failure to follow his direction led to him communicating this order with his hands, pretending at though his robe featured a hood. This approach prevailed, for Suri proceeded to pull over a hood. At best this would hide her most feminine facial features and perhaps afford them some mercy if caught in this side of the castle, but Egbert was not feeling optimistic.
“…follow me, but do whatever you can to not be seen…” Egbert questioned, “…do you understand..?”
“Yes,” she replied with a risky volume. “…I will hide…”
With this understanding reached, Egbert guided Suri out from this aisle of seats, cautious of being seen or heard by those present in the chamber yet making a quick trek toward the door that they entered from. Suri demonstrated an understanding of the situation and a capacity for strategy as well, for she followed him at an intentional distance, meaning that if he bumped into trouble, she might have a second or two to react.
Suri’s distanced strategy played well into Egbert’s own unspoken plan; two knights were still idling in the castle’s entrance hall, but if he could simply draw their attention elsewhere, Suri could make a break for the free side of the castle. It was a rather low-risk plan and not overly complicated. As Egbert approached the door leading to said hallway, however, the complexity of this entire operation would suddenly spike to extraordinary levels.
Two knights had just entered, but not just any knights—it was Grand Master de Vichiers and Sir Bérard. Although both men were on the pro-Suri side, the consequences of either of these men finding Suri in forbidden territory would nevertheless be enormous. Egbert was immediate in standing tall and facing the two highest ranking Templars, and to the best of his ability shed any look of fright from his face save for traitorous eyes that fought an urge to look back at Suri. Little did he know for now, Suri has masterfully reacted to their entrance and was already hidden behind chairs again.
“Egbert,” Vichiers greeted, “How unexpected to find you here, though at all inconvenient.”
Bérard interrogated, “Weren’t you to resume tutoring Suri after our discussion?”
He wasn’t wrong, and yet Egbert did not technically lie in replying, “I never said that.” Bérard rubbed his chin, sensing something off about his companion. To avoid any escalation of this topic, Egbert seized control of the scene, “Grand Master, have you learned anything about this possible traitor?”
Vichiers sighed, “I… have accounted for all but four knights, hopefully three of which I simply failed to find.”
“Uh…”
Egbert took a highly suspicious move to turn his head for a moment, simply too tempted to spot Suri. In that single second he spent glancing, he could make out the sight of Suri retreating away from them, but now getting dangerously close to a door going deeper into forbidden territory. His anxiety was reaching incredible levels, but he couldn’t act up on it.
“Wh- Do you have any names?”
A dramatic pause followed, but Vichiers delivered, “Moulin, Augustin, Bachner, and Conrad.”
Somehow the impossible had been achieved, for at that very moment, Egbert’s focus had suddenly been removed from Suri and put onto this matter.
“Did you say Conrad?” Egbert asked with disbelief. The two men nodded. “Conrad? He was there that day we found Suri in the well. He and I pulled Baldrick out of that well. No, it isn’t Conrad.”
From one shock to another, the sound of a door opening and closing behind Egbert led the man to widening his eyes. He was expecting this to be a dooming situation of one or more knights entering from behind and thus cornering Suri, but the reality was arguably just as bad; Suri vanished from the room.
The Grand Master replied, “I share your disbelief, and I would very much care to agree that he remain loyal to the Order. Yet we must be prepared for the possib-”
“No,” Egbert interrupted, “It isn’t Conrad. He would not have accompanied us to Crimea if he had a problem with involving himself with a woman.”
To interrupt the Grand Master was already an incredible offense, but to make matters all the more agitating and unorthodox, Egbert went so far as to walk away toward the door that had just closed.
“I beg your pardon?” Vichiers demanded.
“If you will excuse me, Grand Master, and Sir Bérard, but I will prove Conrad’s innocence myself.”
Egbert marched toward the door and turned his head on the way there to confirm Suri’s lack of presence in this chamber—and indeed he could confirm Suri had abandoned her assignment to him. Despite crystal clear orders to stay close to him, Suri had not only disobeyed him, but also ventured deeper into the forbidden side of the castle.
“…may God save her rebellious soul…”
When Egbert did finally rush into this room in question, he expected the worse. His expectations were far from realized in some ways for the best, and in other ways for the worst. This part of the castle featured a table for undefined purposes as well as a lot of storage compartments. He expected to walk into a scene that would have several knights panicking over an exposed Suri, but the surprising reality was an empty room—save for one person.
In the corner of the room, he found the figure of a knight digging through one of the many cabinets, but no sign of Suri anywhere. With a total of five doors in this room, he had only a quarter chance of choosing the correct room she might have ventured through. Of course, there was also the side of Egbert that wondered if he had made a mistake, that perhaps Suri was still in the meeting chamber, waiting for him. 
With as casual of an approach as he could fabricate, Egbert approached the rummaging person from behind and spoke, “Excuse me, Brother. I am looking for someone who passed through here. Do you happen to recall which door they mi-”
The rummaging knight turned around, silencing Egbert and leaving him speechless—only it wasn’t a knight after all.
Suri had commandeered an unowned Templar robe that was twice her size, and even went as far as to helm herself, but her extremely long hair was flowing out the back of the helmet and even slightly throw the helmet’s front.
Egbert was so shocked that he could not hold his volume, “S- Suri, what have you done!?”
He found that beside Suri’s foot was the brown Crimean garb she normally was wearing. Even with a full helmet on, Egbert could identify her usual dull and naïve face just by her pink eyes alone.
“Egbert. If I look like everybody, I will not be… seen by everybody. See?”
“Suri! No! No, no, no, no, no!” Egbert grabbed his head with both hands, “No, no, no! Bad! Very bad! You can’t wear that!”
“But… no one is wearing these clothes.”
He shook his hands toward her as if he was throttling her, and even he may have questioned his own gesture for he quickly stopped. “This is not clothing of some commoner, it is the extended body of a man who has sworn his life to God!”
Suri’s usual silence ensued, but for once was followed with, “What?”
He again gestured his hands toward her but stopped just short of her, “T- Take that off at once! Immediately! Take that off!” Suri still said nothing but expressed eyes of slight panic. “I will not touch you; I cannot touch you! Remove this holy garb by your own hands!”
Still Suri stood there without words, and every second she spent doing this, Egbert’s patience and willpower thinned. In the short time she had known him, this was the most emotional she had ever seen him, in fact, the most emotional she had seen any Templar. Egbert was transforming for the worst—his very loyalty to his Templar oath in question as he battled the temptation to skirt the rules yet again.
The Crimean plucked at the white robe with uncertainty and looked up at her mentor for guiding communication. Plucking at this fabric was a seemingly innocent act from her point of view, not understanding that what she had just done was an incredible offense on top of the even greater offense of wearing this in the first place.
Egbert had reached his limit.
“My cruelest burden, should I be made to debate between oath and God! I will have no more of it!” He grabbed Suri by both shoulders, tightly grasping the robe. “You shall not make a mockery of God, nor shall you desecrate our sacred Order, and certainly never destroy it!”
With one fell pull, he threw the robe off Suri, of which was so large on her that it came off like a king-sized blanket. The moment was heated, emotional, and the unshakeable feeling of God’s judgment intensifying the scene. Even through it all, nothing could have prepared Egbert for what was to come next—the only thing that could possibly top someone invading a Templar’s wardrobe.
Egbert found the Templar robe held up with a single hand and raised high and his teeth gritted hard. His eyes remained down on Suri like some furious master looking down upon a troublesome subordinate, and she a scared and vulnerable sort looking upon him. Only then, in seconds that felt like forever, did reality hit Egbert.
He, a virgin man of God and part of the Templar, towered over an exposed Suri, whose breasts were well exposed and open to his view. The Crimean had made no attempt during these critical seconds to retreat for her old garb, and deep down even she seemed to for once know that this moment in of itself was to warrant an extreme reaction from Egbert.
That same minute, the entire Templar castle had become alert of a distressed scream, so loud and so long that not a single man nor nearby bird would go unaware of the situation. Egbert’s panic put sick bedridden knights onto their rears, prayers to a halt, discussions to an end, and other common chores to a complete stop. Even the Grand Master with all of his experience with the Order had seldom ever heard such anguish—even on the battlefield.
Suri, meanwhile, was trembling with hands over her ears throughout Egbert’s sonic boom of a reaction. Of course, the next thing she knew, Egbert had thrown the Templar robe over her and covered his own mouth, hopelessly wishing to retract his involuntary reaction.
“…oh no..!” Egbert’s eyes became massive as he spun around, half expecting the room to suddenly fill with a hundred men, “Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no—o..!”
Suri was not completely hopeless in this situation, she had the sense to quickly put her original attire back on and respectfully place the Templar robe and helmet back in its rightful location.
“Egbert!”
The man danced around a bit, mentally conflicted on what to do. He wanted to shout Suri off to the roof, but also to pray his life away to God for forgiveness, part of him even tempted to betray Suri in some way. All he knew was that he likely had mere seconds left to make a move before the entire castle would convene in this tiny room.
One way or another, Egbert knew there was no turning back, no more pretending as though he were some perfect orderly knight. Without a second thought, he yet again broke his oath by grabbing Suri by the wrist and practically dragging her through another door—a mere closet area for Templar boots. He closed the door, fell to his knees with Suri, and accepted his fate. This small closet was the only place in the castle they could go, and he was fully aware that it was a hopeless hiding spot—a mere initial reaction.
Suri assumed that Egbert expected silence from her in this pitch-black closet, and so she listened to the mere beating of her heart. Shortly after though came the very unexpected sound of sobbing from her mentor.
“…Egbert..?”
Although the darkness hid him even when right up to each other, Egbert covered his face and wept to his impending doom.
“…an entire lifetime of loyalty, turned to ash in mere seconds..!” he gasped several times between tears, “…I knew this was a bad idea..! I knew you would bring chaos to this Order, b- but I… I had faith in you… …faith in myself? I was a fool…”
As expected, all five doors in this room would soon open, one of which was done by Grand Master de Vichiers himself. No immediate suspicion was placed onto the closet door, but it did not take long for several knights to notice that someone had been rummaging through one of the drawers.
“…God, forgive me, oh Lord..!” Egbert cradled himself, “…deliver me from this nightmare..! …end my misery and may your punishment be direct..!”
Suri tilted her head left suddenly, more so reading into Egbert’s emotions more than trying to make sense of his panicked sentences. Mixed in with the sound of doors opening and knights chattering outside of the closet, she quickly put her mind to work.
“…I had nothing but the Order and my faith… …what is a man of such lowly position to do..!?”
With the two cornered, Suri had taken it upon herself to finally take control of the situation for herself, and she did so in a very unorthodox manner. She forced Egbert to violate his oath yet again, this time by forcing his hand into her grasp. He gasped, but barely resisted her hold. The next thing he knew, the very iconic feeling of Suri’s necklace falling into his palm could be felt.
“…what are y-”
“Sshh…” Suri ordered.
As the knights practically tore this room apart, it soon came down to the closet as the one place not searched; an unusual place to look given that it merely contained boots, but nevertheless the correct place to search. The Grand Master intervened into this part of the search, stealing the spotlight from a knight who was about to open it and instead taking this action into his own hand. The Grand Master, backed by Bérard and several other knights, opened the closet and were all beyond shocked by what they were staring at.
“Sir Egbert!?” the Grand Master panicked.
Still on his knees and in tears, Egbert was now alone in this closet, and hidden to his side was Suri’s necklace. He slowly looked up at the large crowd of knights now staring down at him in horror. The man was extremely careful in maneuvering the necklace into his pocket but did so in a way that successfully evaded notice.
“Grand Master…”
“Egbert, what possibly warranted that incredible outburst!?”
Egbert was left trembling, speechless, and at this point still on his knees, “U- Uh…” Great hesitation followed, of which became more suspicious with every moment. His eventual answer would leave a lot to be desired. “I came into this room and was horrified to find the robe of a Templar… mishandled…”
“Mishandled?”
Bérard crossed his arms, “How so? On the floor?”
The distressed man thought about this, specifically on how to maneuver this matter in a way that was still technically truthful. “Something to that effect.”
This was another response that left much to be desired, but at least the Grand Master let it slide for now.
“Why are you in this closet?”
To this, Egbert saw no escape from consequences, and so he came relatively clean, “Realizing the extraordinary sin of my outburst, I secluded myself into this closet to contemplate what I had just done. As alarming of a sight as I saw, my response was unacceptable, and I am so sorry to the entire Order.”
Several knights exchanged looks to ponder the authenticity of this explanation. Few were prepared to outright reject this explanation, but all the same very few seemed to accept this as the whole truth—Grand Master de Vichiers included.
“Very well, Egbert. Present this mishandled robe and we will have it made pure again.” The Grand Master looked to Bérard and said, “Brother Bérard, will you do me the honor of having him exorcised?”
Bérard swallowed, “Yes, Grand Master.”
“Wh- What? Wait, exorcism?” Egbert finally jumped onto his feet to plea, “Is that really necessary? I have not undergone any wicked possession?” He looked around rapidly, “Grand Master, you do not honestly believe -”
The Grand Master held out a hand to stop him, “I, do not believe, no. But we should better be safe than sorry. You must understand, Brother Egbert, you would do the same were we in each other’s places, yes?”
Egbert was left stunned and disappointed, but following a silent nod, he conceded, “I suppose this is agreeable.”
And so, the Grand Master declared, “Everyone must now be returning to their typical business. Pray for the good spirit of Brother Egbert and serve the Lord in good deeds.”
Bérard came close to Egbert, practically kidnapping him with an armlock, “Come, let’s get this over with.”
“Yes… thank you…” Egbert commented.
By sunset, Egbert had been cleared by Bérard of being held hostage by any of satanic possession—something even Egbert himself had for a short time started to wonder about. In the end, he left this day behind ashamed, embarrassed, and above all, lost. Having presented the Order with the apparently mishandled Templar robe and cleared of evil possession, all would go back to normal from the Templar point of view. From Egbert’s unique point of view, everything had changed for the worst.
That sunset, a distraught Egbert took himself out of the castle and went a fair distance away from the eyes of any knights. It was near some trees and against the shore where he presented himself, topped off by a beautiful orange sunset over the ocean water of Jerusalem. The man had a face of someone who had simply given up in life, and at this point it would not be unrealistic to suggest that he had given up all.
Despite everything he had just been through and what great pain he was enduring, still the man had it in him to tempt trouble one last time. With the same soulless face, Egbert dug into his pocket and raised Suri’s necklace before the sun.
“Suri, if you can hear me…” he lowered his eyelids, “You can come out, Suri. Come out of that necklace, if, if you can.”
He continued to dangle the necklace over two fingers, not entirely certain of how this worked, only knowing that Suri was contained within this necklace somehow. To this point in time, he had no evidence that his words could even transcend whatever barrier might have existed in this world and wherever this necklace took Suri.
Nearly a minute later, he attempted to repeat this same sentence in her Gothic language, but he gave up only a few words in. As he soon discovered, the French words seemed to be enough to garner a reaction, for the necklace had once again begun to glow its blinding light. He dropped the necklace onto the ground and turned away.
As the blinding light faded, so yet again emerged the supernatural likes of Suri, once more fitted in her brown garb, and the necklace again around her neck. Somehow this time Egbert did not grant this phenomenon with the same level of shock as he did the other times, rather he turned his attention away from her as soon as possible, acting as though the sun carried more interest.
With the summoning now complete, Suri took to immediately examining her surroundings with awe. Not since first arriving at Acre had she gotten to look at the nature around her, and even then, that was so brief she could hardly remember it. Of course, Suri was just as quick to deliver respecting attention to Egbert, who was still as soulless as ever.
Egbert beat her to speaking, “Here it is, all you ever desired of me, yes?” He flapped both his arms with a slight hint of tension. “Ocean, sun, sky, birds, grass, sand… everything you ever wanted to see, the reasons… I am no longer a true Templar Knight, let alone an honest man of God.”
Suri said nothing, and for a time returned to appreciating the environment she had been robbed of for so long. There was something strangely calming about her appreciation of the simple things, and this did have a positive effect on Egbert, who for just a moment found reason to smirk and chuckle.
“It is funny, in a way.” Suri looked to him again. “None of this ever had to happen, had I thought of this sooner. That necklace of yours, you could have done that at any time, couldn’t you?” Suri nodded. “Yes, that is what I thought… I could have transported you out here any one of these days. It would have been so, so simple… all while still following the rules.” What little sign of comedic value he found in this faded fast, as he concluded, “What little good that kind of thinking will do for me now. Is there even a place in Heaven for a self-proclaimed ‘man’ who violates so many promises? One who…” he looked down with a special kind of pain, “…sees… a woman in such a natural state…”
Suri rubbed her throat, understanding very little of his overall vent, but putting bits and pieces together to create context for herself. Egbert sat himself and let out a long sigh.
“Yes, my days in the Templar Order are at an end. What becomes of me afterwards is for only God to decide, for even I care not in the slightest for my wellbeing.
Finally, Suri tried speaking, “You are not bad for making mistakes.”
“For the common man, mistakes can be rectified. In the Templar Order, these mistakes might as well be a death sentence.”
Suri showed conflict, seeming to not fully understand, yet revealing guilt of her own, “B- But… my mistakes are… I made the mistakes, Egbert. I made the mistakes.”
Egbert cupped a hand over his mouth in silence for a moment. “Yes, you made some very hard mistakes. Very, very consequential mistakes.” He swallowed. “But you took no oath to God.”
The Crimean let her disappointment show well with her depressed face, but it would not last long, as she eventually became determined and asked with enthusiasm, “How can I help you?”
“I…”
Suri pressed on, almost aggressively, “I can help you… but… how can I help you?”
Egbert sighed, meeting her enthusiasm with a very uninspired look of duty, “I do not belong in the Templar, not anymore. I am an impostor in this robe, and a trespasser within those walls.” He looked down at these robes with shame. “That is my view now. But… that is for the Grand Master to decide, and before him, that is for almighty God to determine.”
He looked back up and for a moment did a shocked double take to find Suri on her knees looking up at the sun in a praying pose.
“God, please help Egbert. What must Egbert do?” Egbert blinked at her, deep in thought suddenly. “Jesus, Baphomet. Help Egbert.”
The man sucked up the pain in his heart, as though God himself had spoken directly to him through Suri’s prayer. All so quickly, Egbert brought himself up to his feet and put together a strong pose.
“No matter what becomes of me, whether I die a knight of the Templar or a beggar; whether I ascend to Heaven or pay my dues in Hell; it is clearly my duty to return you to this world for a great purpose.”
Suri pointed to herself, “Who me?”
“It is no coincidence we rescued you from that well. There is a greater purpose, and I will help you satisfy that great purpose no matter what it takes.” Suri was left dumbfounded, and for once by the meaning of his statement rather than the words. “Return yourself to the necklace. We have work to do.”
She held onto her necklace but hesitated to perform any kind of magic ability. Her eyes locked onto him for that moment.
“Do I have to go now?”
“Yes, now.”
She rolled her eyes up just as a flock of birds were passing by.
“Right now?”
Egbert eyed up the birds for a time, and given a few more seconds of thought, he ultimately chose to fall back onto his rear and return his gaze to the setting sun.
“No, take your time, Suri.” She turned her gaze to the sun as well. “Nature was God’s first pleasure to mankind.”
The Crimean concluded, “The gift gets never old.”
To be continued…
Chapter 3 < | > Chapter 5
==Chapter Summary==
# The chapter opens 2 weeks later, with Egbert inquiring to Grand Master de Vichiers on how he is supposed to teach Suri on becoming a proper French woman. It is decided that Egbert should try and model Suri after St. Mary, of whom they see as the ideal woman.
# As a favor to Suri, Egbert attempts to negotiate with the Grand Master on letting Suri go outside. The Grand Master rejects this, noting that the hallway leading to the castle entrance is part of the section forbidden to Suri, and that there's too high of a risk that she will be seen outside of the castle by the naysayer knights.
# After the Grand Master leaves, an incident erupts as Suri nearly touches Egbert while trying to communicate a question. He lectures her sternly that it is strictly forbidden for them to have physical contact with each other, citing his Templar oath not to come in contact with women.
# Later while giving a geographical lesson to Suri, the topic of going outside again comes up. Suri presses on with determination, but is ultimately shutdown by Egbert. Baldrick intervenes and ends the scene, subsequently summoning Egbert for an emergency meeting with Sir Bérard.
# Suri attempts to follow Egbert to the meeting, but he tells her to stay put. He makes the mistake of telling her to do "whatever she wants" while he is away, which Suri decides to treat as conveniently literal toward her self interests.
# In a three-way meeting between Egbert, Baldrick, and Bérard, it is revealed that there is a traitor among the Order. One knight has left an anonymous message of resignation, stating their intention to leave for Rome and explain the Suri situation to the Pope. Personal feelings on the debate aside, it is mutually agreed that this traitor needs to be stopped and brought before the Order. Baldrick leaves at once to start a manhunting party, while Egbert goes to resume his geographical lesson.
# Egbert is disturbed to find Suri now absent from the lecturing room. He does not start to panic until realizing that she is not in her personal chamber, thus leading to a quick conclusion that Suri was making a break for the castle exterior.
# Indeed, Suri finds herself in the final room she is permitted to be in, currently attempting to climb out of a window too tall for her. She is encountered by the Templar cook, who comes in with a supply of fish and answers that he just came from the outside. Suri takes this to mean that the castle entrance must be nearby.
# Egbert rushes in this direction and finds a large group of knights. He asks one if they saw Suri, and gets confirmation that she was recently here trying to look out a window. He then reveals that Suri went out the door leading toward the castle entrance. When Egbert goes through this door, he finds Suri missing from this room, all but cementing that Suri had ventured into the forbidden side of the castle.
# Suri finds herself in the castle's entrance hallway, where two knights are conversing but fail to take notice of her. Despite being right next to the castle entrance door, she mistakenly goes the wrong way, instead heading towards the castle's meeting chamber instead. While Suri makes it past the knights undetected, a much louder Egbert draws their attention. Suri enters the meeting chamber, but Egbert must first talk through the two knights.
# The two knights detect concern from Egbert, but he quickly dismisses them and enters the meeting chamber. He finds a few knights in here but fortunately at a distance. Suri is found navigating rows of chairs, where he intercepts her and surprises her.
# Suri defends her actions by citing Egbert's claim that she could do whatever she wants. Egbert reluctantly concedes this to her, and then instructs her to follow him back to her private chamber.
# On the way back to the door, Egbert runs into Grand Master de Vichiers and Bérard, the latter of whom is suspicious of Egbert's quick presence here. Suri evades being seen and starts to retreat toward another door.
# Despite the urgent mission to evacuate Suri back to the permitted side of the castle, Egbert is genuinely distracted as Vichiers reveals that Conrad--one of the knights who accompanied them to Crimea originally--may in fact be the traitor. Egbert is immediate in rejecting this as a possibility, and while doing so, is disturbed to find Suri taking her own initiative and exiting out a different door, this door leading deeper into the forbidden side of the castle.
# Egbert capitalizes on the suspense of the discussion, marching off on a claim that he will find proof of Conrad's innocence in the direction that Suri went. He confirms that Suri has indeed left the meeting chamber, and thus enters deeper into the forbidden side.
# Egbert enters a rather empty armory, where a single robed person is rummaging through an equipment drawer. He inquires to them about whether they heard someone come by, and is shocked to discover that the person is Suri, now clothing herself in Templar robes and a helmet as a disguise.
# Outraged and with an uncontrollable fury, Egbert demands that Suri remove this sacred uniform at once. She is so stunned by his irate emotions that she does nothing. Finally having enough, Egbert is pushed so far that he breaks his oath to the Templars not to touch a woman, grabbing her by both shoulders and force removing the Templar robes off of her.
# Little did Egbert know, Suri had removed her original upper clothing to put on this robe, and thus through his actions, he completely exposes her upper torso. Suddenly staring at a completely exposes chest, Egbert overreacts with a loud and long scream that alerts the entire castle of his panic. He ends the initial situation by throwing the Templar robe over Suri, and she responds to this by putting her original brown garb back on in a hurry.
# Now in a deep panic and knowing that the entire Templar Order would soon arrive to respond to his shout, a desperate Egbert grabs Suri and takes her into the only closet of the room to hide from their inevitable consequences.
# With overwhelming guilt, failure, and fear, Egbert breaks into tears and vents aloud his pain. Realizing that the knights were closing in on the closet, Suri executes a last ditch effort to escape by placing her necklace into Egbert's hand and magically sending herself into the necklace again.
# Grand Master de Vichiers, Bérard, and countless other knights open the closet, where they find a weeping Egbert all by himself. When interrogated, Egbert attests that the nature of his shout was due to him finding a Templar robe being abused--technically, not a lie. As for why he is in the closet, he concedes that this was an overreaction to his sinful outburst, and he apologizes.
# The Grand Master forgives all of this and insists that they can rectify the mistreatment of the Templar robe, but orders Bérard to treat Egbert to a session of exorcism just to be safe. Egbert is beyond shocked to hear of this, but reluctantly admits that it may be for the best.
# At sunset, Egbert is cleared of evil possessions and the robe in question taken in for purification, and so he delivers himself out toward the shore for contemplation. Here he delivers Suri's necklace and requests she come out, which she does. Finally, Suri is thus allowed to stand outside of the castle like she always wanted, but the moment is clearly ruined by Egbert's great depression.
# Egbert vents his belief that his days with the Templar are over, as is his relationship with God after the events of the day. Suri tries to console him as best she can but to little avail. It is only upon praying to God herself that Egbert comes to his senses, finding purpose in his mission of guiding Suri to fulfilling her great purpose in life.
# Egbert insists that they return to the castle to continue her learning, but when Suri insists that they stay outside and enjoy nature, Egbert accepts without resistance, and so they enjoy the sunset.
==Author Notes==
====Breaking Sir Egbert====
The big plan for this lengthy chapter was to take the rather normal and loyal Sir Egbert, high enough and respected to one day potentially become Grand Master, and break his character with a traumatizing episode. It took me very little time to decide that he should find himself staring at Suri's naked body, thus causing him to break several Templar rules as well as offend God all in a single second. One possible ramification to this was to have his outburst result in him gradually losing the trust of the order, which would culminate in him eventually being expelled, in which Suri would follow; I decided, ultimately, not to go this far with Egbert's breakdown, instead relying on this climatic incident to simply change the man dramatically. From this moment forward, Egbert never returns to the same state of mind, as he becomes more loyal and respecting of Suri, but more depressed and self-punishing as well.
==Chapter Illustration==
This chapter was the first since Part 3/3 of F-Zero: Seppuku to feature an image not of the traditional chapter illustration strategy. Due to a mixture of exhaustion with art and the writing getting done before the illustration, this placeholder was created instead with the possibility of becoming a permanent replacement to traditional illustrations. Its goal was to still showcase some art, but rely more on text. Although this idea proved to be a very convenient way of not letting an illustration hold back a chapter release, it failed to become a replacement, as eventually artistic inspiration returned and brought back traditional illustrations.
The image was prepared through Adobe Photoshop and finished in Adobe InDesign.