In the winter of 1129, Guillaume II met with a small group of knights. He was sixty years old and had inherited his father’s land and titles before his father left to take part in the Crusade of Princes. Guillaume was aware of his father’s involvement with the Templars in Spain. Like his father, he had been entrusted with safeguarding the unspoken secrets connecting the Templars with the Belgae, the Celtic tribes of Picardy, Flanders, and Belgica.

“Sir Guillaume, at present, only your estates now separate what is left of the old religion and the long arm of the Christian Church,” spoke André de Montbard.

“As Sir Hugues de Payens has instructed me to assist you in your task, I pray that you will ask what is needed so that it can be given.”

Sir André had been one of the nine men who had formed the central council of the Templars, men of the old faith who had crafted a disguise that allowed them to hide from the very Church that would eradicate the last vestige of the ancient religion of the Celtic tribes that had ruled the land long before the birth of the Christian religion.

“The villages that have been put into place at the foot of every trail that leads to the treasure, have been disguised as Christian villages within which even the small chapels and churches appear to be Christian. No one is allowed to remain, even one night in these villages who is authentically a Christian, save for one inn for each village for those who need to do business with the village and church officials who disguise themselves as true Christians,” Guillaume informed his illustrious guest.

“I have used my own resources to sustain these communities. It is there that I will need help, financial help. Without these villages protecting the paths, the sacred stone would be destroyed.”

With a final word, Sir André counselled, “And so it shall be not only for the villages, my brother in arms. We all must continue living the art of hiding in plain sight.”

Sir André confirmed that the Templars would finance the protective forces and create diversionary strategies to have the villages remain safe and unassuming. With their meeting concluded, the Templars rode to the south, heading back to Spain and then on to resume their outer world role as Poor Soldiers of Christ.

~

Guillaume had sired a sizeable family and had little need to appear at various gatherings of regional lords or at fêtes. He had cultivated an identity as a reclusive family man, something that was easy to do when his family easily filled his heart. He did, however, essay out with his two eldest sons, Enguerrand and Louis, to visit the villages on his estates and hold meetings to discover those things that spoke of unnecessary hardship. Most problems had to do with boundary disputes, or family violence. Guillaume took a firm hand in settling both types of issues. Stone markers were laid solving the land use problem, a solution well within his rights as the owner of all the lands on his estate. As for family violence, if the issue was between husband and wife, the man was awarded a public lashing. If the violence was between brothers, they would be sent as common soldiers to serve the King. A calm village meant little to no unwarranted attention fell on the village. Of course, the priests were kept happy in their own way.

Guillaume and his sons would then travel to the outlying villages that hid the routes to the sacred stone. It was a responsibility that was held in highest priority which Guillaume knew he would have to pass on to his eldest son, Enguerrand, while Louis was to continue the stewardship of the family estate. Both Enguerrand and Louis had already joined in the brotherhood of the Templars, not as Knights Templar, but as needed associates. Enguerrand was charged with safeguarding Templar treasures that came to be amassed and stored beneath the sacred stone.

~

“Guillaume, Enguerrand, Louis,” called out a voice from the shade at the edge of the clearing within which a circle of stones marked the boundary of a sacred circle.  A small number of dwellings made of the trunks of small trees, and branches, and thatch stood outside the perimeter of stones with each house hiding a faint path leading away from the village. A man emerged from the shade. He was cloaked in a mottled robe that had blended with the leaves and branches. “I’ve been expecting you.”