The crowd parted and I followed the now gentle thudding of hooves, as a horse approached. A sweaty, shiny Lipizzaner, with a nearly white, dappled with grey, coat, and blonde-ish tail and mane.

A black leather saddle and bridle gleamed on the horse, as it collective cantered towards me. I was most interested in the person riding on it's back, hanging onto the reins with grim determination. 

He wore a slightly heavier white shirt, and jacket, and riding trousers with dyed leather patches on the inside of the knees. It was topped off with a sweeping white cloak draped over the hindquarters of the horse.

He had a face tanned from being turned towards the sun, and tawny brown hair, with a single blonde streak through his fringe. He had eyes like dusty woodlands, a brown of rough bark and a will as unyielding as oak.

The horse stopped a few steps in front of me. It's rider dismounted, his brown leather boots dusty at the ends. He shook the blood back into his arms, before dropping into a deep bow, one knee on the floor, on hand crossed over his chest.

The perspiration on his tanned forehead was obvious to me. I knew him, from the scar curling down his neck, over his collarbone, like a scythe, to the diagonal mark slicing through his eyebrow, over the top of the dip above his right eye, and circling over his nose.

The sweaty way his hair stuck to the back of his neck, the loyal fire in his eyes, the way he carried himself, everything really. It made him unholy words of gorgeous. He took my hand and kissed it, the smell of citrus hastily dabbed on him to hide the smell of the road.

"My lady of Pralli's church, I have returned." His voice was rough and raw, like unpolished wood embellished with grains of ancient amber.

"Inquisitor Leon Alonzo, the church welcomes your return." I smile graciously as I admire the way the sun dapples across his scars and features.

He stands up again, and turns to leave. "But, Inquisitor, there is food to be distributed, ailments to cure, the church needs your help." I smile knowingly inside.

"Yes, my lady." He turns back towards me, and bows briefly, taking a basket, and standing stiffly, as people skirted him nervously.

"Inquisitor. This is both an offering collection and a distribution to the poor. Be inviting, as He is to His people." I say graciously, going back to distributing 'Holy water'.

He nods stiffly, and starts handing out pieces of bread, as I continue helping people. After a few hours, I'm thoroughly bored, and the people have thinned out to all but the most desperate waifs. I smile demurely and finish the last of my 'Holy water'. That should be a few miracles soon.

Inquisitor Leon stands with an almost full basket, so I decide to help him. It will make me look... Friendlier and a neutralizing angel perhaps. I start to walk over, gathering my skirts and stepping in the way I'd been taught, to look graceful. But, I heard a noise.

"P-please, I-I-I d-don't know w-what h-happened." I knew what that was. That was Silvera's way of being panicked. I'm going to have to deal with that now.

"Candidate Silvera?" I ask softly, by her side immediate.

Her wide, dove-grey eyes fix on me, and the hand I have on her upper arm. I smile at her, that radiant, winning smile of assurance and comfort. She took a breath as the people kept shouting. I knew she was never strong enough to be a saintess on her own.

"My son, died, and you would not come. You would not save my son." A man sobbed quietly.

"I-I-I didn't m-mean to. I-I w-wanted to, but there was M-mass." She was nearly hyperventilating again.

"My Son, what is your name?" I asked softly to the man.

"Gilo, my lady." He said, anger still stirring in his voice.

"Well, Gilo, Our Lord's plans work in mysterious ways, but your son is with Him now." I comfort.

"Yes, my lady, I know, but she could have saved him."  Gilo curls up his fist even tighter.

"Our Lord would have taken his spirit anyway. He was suffering on earth." I offer.

"Yes! He had scars from the last wave of fever." Gilo lowers his eyes.

"Well, his suffering is no more." I tell him.

"Thank you my lady." Gilo said, and I let him walk away. I turned to Silvera.

"Come. We are going back to the church." I walked past her, as my regiment of guards accompanied me.

"Fetch Inquisitor Alonzo, he has a welcome ceremony waiting." I said to a guard. I smiled, knowing I was closer every day to my goals.