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the beautiful countryside, having over the many centuries been cutting its path through hill and valley with equal ease in its endless search for the mother sea. Occasionally, the hulk passed by small hamlets and pockets of farmhouses that were scattered along the river’s banks, and whose water gave the gift of life to the lands it shared.
    Our ritual of lunch and dinner followed the same process as breakfast, and just as quickly as Guy had awoken to daybreak, it was now time for evening prayers and once more to try and get some sleep. As he reflected on the day, Guy was pleased that his Papal Father had been given this full day of rest which, after the hectic and stressful events of the last few days, he must have been thankful for, and with this thought Guy drifted once more into sleep.
    He was awoken from his slumber by the strong feeling of a presence in the room. Without moving any part of his body, he opened his eyes in order to identify what this presence was. It took a moment or two before his eyes adjusted to the dim light, before he became aware of the Pope, already dressed , kneeling before his Holy Cross which always accompanied him on his travels, praying to God.
    The Pope must have been up and about very early, for dawn was still trying to break; however, this was not unusual for his Holy Father, for when he was sorely troubled he would seek both guidance and strength from the Lord for the days ahead. Guy knew better than to disturb his Papa at a time like this and remained patiently in his bunk until he had finished his prayers.
    As the day began to shake off the darkness of night, the hulk came to life once more and the routine of breakfast quickly followed. The scenery was not much changed from yesterday, and the tranquility and peace of the countryside continued to act as a welcome counter-balance to the torment and crisis in which the Papal party found themselves.
    After lunch, the Pope made his excuses and retired to his bed for some rest and perhaps a little sleep. The Templar sailors busied themselves with their duties, which left Guy and Matthew alone on the deck with a long, warm afternoon stretching out before them. The hulk was a craft built as a working vessel and not for comfort. Although it had none of the glamour attached to the ocean going warships of the fleet, these small hulks nevertheless formed an important link in the sizable armada under the direct control of the Templars. Being constructed with a flat bottom, it made these vessels ideal for navigating the inland rivers. Nor was it very large being only some 60 feet long by 12 feet wide, though towering over its frame was a single central mast from which the Templar Beausant proudly fluttered in the wind.
    These vessels were the life blood of the commercial arm of the Templars, being able to transport the goods from the major ports inland to be distributed amongst the populations that had no direct contact with the open sea. And in a like manner, returning from the inland towns with locally made goods to the main sea ports, where they would be loaded onto the Templar ships for export across the seas to any of the many trading parties the Templars had established over the decades.
    Finding a quiet spot towards the front of the hulk, Guy and Matthew sat and chatted. The conversation initially covered many aspects of Church business and as Guy knew only too well that Matthew was far more knowledgable about the Pope's life and the events which had brought him and them to this critical position, he manoeuvred the conversation around to recent Papal history in order for Matthew to enlighten him.
    Matthew explained it was a long story, for the history of conflict between King Philip and the Papacy went back over many years and covered the pontificate of the two previous Popes. However, as they had time to spare and nothing else to occupy themselves with, he would try and provide Guy with the background knowledge he was seeking, and the series