Ximene — Hero –Heiress to much of Occitan.
Both Ximene’s parents died young. Her uncle, Gaston de Foix became her guardian. Gaston offered her little guidance. He is more concerned with gaining political advantage from her position as the rightful heir to a large portion the Lands of Occitan.
Gaston de Foix offered her hand in marriage to a number of suitors. in 1355 The favoured candidate is the Black Prince, heir to the throne of England
Gaston asks Dona Eleanor Trencavel (nee Garcia da Pedilla), Ximene’s grandmother to act as Ximene’s Tutor.
Eleanor uses her position to define Ximene’s destiny as recovering her family lands and rekindling the Cathar faith. However she fails to provide Ximene with support or guidance to enable her to fulfill that destiny.
Nevertheless, Ximene accepts this as her destiny. Initially Ximene is naive enough to think it will inevitably happen. She cannot believe that the Good God would have given her this mission if it could not be fulfilled.
As she discovers how difficult it may be she doubts her ability to overcome the difficulties. Her frustration leads to a desire for total independance, freedom. She believes that if she were to become free to make her own decisions then she would have a better chance of fulfilling her destiny.
The freedom she initially wants is the freedom to decide if she should marry and if she does decide in favour of marriage, freedom to choose her own partner. and negotiate a marriage contract. She seeks a partner who could share and support her destiny.