I was talking the other day about the premise for my Templar Chronicles trilogy which was that modern Templar Knights were acting as a secret combat arm of the Vatican and were charged with defending mankind from supernatural threats and enemies. In the storyworld, there had been a reconciliation between the Knights and the Vatican during the Second World War, when it became apparent that Hitler had some infernal assistance in his quest for world domination.
More than one purist wrote to say that the idea that the Knights would ever cooperate with the Vatican was ridiculous – after all, it had been the Church that had declared them apostate, seized their property and possessions, and had their Grand Master burned at the stake. When the subject was raised during an interview, my response was that I was playing a game of What If and having the Templars put away their past grievances to face a threat of that magnitude did not stretch my notions of the Templars’ dedication to and faith in their ideals.
Well, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
This morning the BBC wrote about a document discovered in the Vatican Secret Archives that is a record of the heresy trials that led to the Order’s excommunication and disbandment by Pope Clement V in the 14th century. It seems that not only did the trial exonerate the Templars on the charge of heresy, but that Clement actually had to ask the Order for their pardon for what had been done to them.
And if this indeed happened, then the idea that the two groups might unit to face a greater threat in the future is not so outlandish after all.
Start with a strong premise and your book will find the legs it needs to stand on its own.