82 — Four of Us

   

‘The Bishop has now declared Ximene to be a witch. They are all terrified of her. They say they will not feel safe until she is dead, A party of the bishop’s guards has been dispatched to Carcassone to make arrangements for her to be burned at the stake.’’

Phillipa de Roet – 25th October 1355

It was a beautiful autumn day. Clear blue skies, warm sun but with a freshening breeze from the south.

Pipa, riding Selene, trailed behind Don Fernandino as they climbed the hill leading to St Feriole.   

in other circumstances it would have been a wonderful ride through the foothills of the Pyrenees, but not today. Today they had to find and rescue Ximene.

Don Fernando reined in his horse and halted in the village.  He turned to Pipa. ‘We have not had the best of relationships, Pipa but I now desperately need your help.’

He pointed to the road leading north out of St Feriole. ‘Granes, Rennes, Campagne sur Aude, Esperaza, Couisa, Limoux, Carcassonne. They will be heading for one of these places. We will call at every one and use my contacts to get any information which might be useful. Many of my contacts are members of Cathar cells. It is vital to our ongoing security that they do not see my face.’

Pipa blinked. “Really?’

‘Yes, really. but I don’t mind if they see your face.’

‘What, Why?’

‘If any of the cells is ever broken by the Inquisition. I would not mind them revealing that their commander is a pretty blond haired young woman.’ He smiled. Pipa didn’t.

Don Fernandino continued. ‘Here are the passwords which you will need to get them to talk.’

It took them half a day to reach Couisa. Pipa applied herself to her task whilst Don Fernandino remained in the background. She consulted Don Fernandino’s contacts but also talked to any other people she met. By the time they reached Couisa, they knew that the hunting party had been organised for the Bishop of Limoux. A little later, by the bridge in Couisa, Pipa found someone who told her that the hunting party had been seen returning with a young woman as a prisoner and that they had left on the road to Limoux.


They rode furiously to Limoux. The town was alive with rumour and speculation. There was much conflicting information to be considered, but in the end, they concluded that Ximene had been taken to the residence of the Bishop of Limoux, in the centre of the Town.

Don Fernadino bit his lip. Let us find somewhere to review what we have been told and perhaps learn a little more. In the town square, there is a restaurant where in my role as The Shadow I sometimes give concerts. It is on the opposite side of the Square from the bishop’s palace and it is patronised by the bishops household staff, so we may learn more about Ximene’s whereabouts. We will be welcome at this restaurant and I may sing a few songs so that we blend into the background. Are you sure you don’t dance.?’

Pipa blinked. ‘I told you no, and you did not get round to giving me lessons. If you must sing, I will sit at the bar and listen, not only to your songs but to any gossip. It does have a bar?’

‘Yes, indeed it does.’

They wended their way through the tables outside the restaurant which today were deserted. Don Fernandino glanced upwards at the sky now darkened by clouds, as the wind gathered strength and intermittently howled through the square ‘First Sirocco of the year.’

‘Sirocco?’

‘Wind from the south which increases in strength for several days. Often it becomes strong enough to damage buildings.’

They pushed their way in through the door and then through heavy curtains. Though it was only late afternoon, the restaurant was relatively dark. Huge oaken pillars and beams provided a large open space surrounded by tables. eatable was illuminated by a candelabra holding three candles At the rear of the room was a bar which also acted as a servery.

The area behind the bar was illuminated by three torches. The light from the torches made the bar a focal point for the whole room.

Don Fernandino was indeed recognised and welcomed. Before they asked the were shown to a table and served a light meal.

Whilst they were eating the bar began to be populated with staff leaving Bishop’s Palace. They talked openly about a heretic being captured.

“That would be Ximene” ventured Pipa.

Don Fernandino nodded but held his finger to his lip as another stream of people entering the bar. Pipa strained to overhear another topic of conversation which was held in hushed tones. Eventually several of the bishop’s staff engaged in an animated conversation one of the waitresses. Pipa and Don Fernandino could only catch snippets of the conversation. Pipa leaned across the table.’ sing a couple of songs. It is time I visited the bar. She jumped to her feet, sat at the bar and turned to face the room. Almost immediately the waitress approached her and asked her about her relationship to The Shadow .
Pipa grinned, ‘ I don’t sing and I don’t dance but I am under tuition.

The waitress returned the grin. ‘Of course. I understand.’ She made to move away but Pipa slipped from he stool and caught the waitress by the hand. ‘Are we at some sort of risk?’

Pipa  nodded at the group of recent arrivals. ‘ They look excited… no that is not the right word… apprehensive.’


Pipa returned to don Fernandino with a grim look on her face. ‘The heretic, Ximene? was questioned by the bishop and then locked in an office awaiting transportation to the Inquisition in Carcassonne. One of the original hunting party entered the room and closed the door behind him, possibly intending to rape her. The heretic struck him dead with a magic spell. The man just fell down seconds after he entered the room. Everybody agrees there was no mark on his body, he just fell down dead. The Bishop has now declared Ximene to be a witch. They are all terrified of her. They say they will not feel safe until she is dead, A party of the bishop’s guards has been dispatched to Carcassone to make arrangements for her to be burned at the stake.’

Don Fernandino groaned. ‘ Now we really do need help, come with me. perhaps we could get the Prince involved.’

He made his apology to the owner of the restaurant, they left hurriedly and rode as fast as they could to Rouffiac d‘Aude . As they approached Le Moulin Blanche Don Fernandino heaved a sigh of relief and pointed to a shaded meadow at the side of the inn, where John Stanley was grooming Helios and Piers sat on a log watching him. Don Fernandino greeted John with delight.

Pipa flung her arms around Piers and then clung desperately to John

John’s eyes narrowed. ‘It is really good to see you’ he said. ‘But I am surprised. I know Piers was supposed to send a message asking you to meet him here, but we never sent the message. I know about Piers mission to prevent Ximene being threatened by the advance of the Prince’s army, but in the event, it was not necessary. I know where Chateaux Mazerou is and the Prince is going nowhere near there. Tomorrow we were going to go to the hunting lodge at Couisa where I expected to find you and from where we could escort you back here to rendezvous with the Prince. Obviously, ypu have come here for a different reason?’

Don Fernandino told them all that he knew. ‘Can we get the Prince to help?’

“I am sure he would but it would take several days’

John explained the progress made by the chevauchee. He explained the difficulties, the resistance they had met and how it had been gradually overcome. ‘It has been incredibly messy but the formal forces who have been harrying us are in full retreat. The Prince is determined to pursue them and hopes to provoke a set piece battle which would then break all resistance. By now they will be close to Beziers. It might take as much as a week to get him here.’

Don Fernandino’s mouth tightened. ‘Well then, we will have to do the best we can, just the four of us.’

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Extract from The Prisoner of Foix--Chapter 43 -The EntranceNo need to buy a Kindle. Read it on your computer or tablet

John Stanley-26th April 1355

 

'Looks like we are going to see a bit of excitement, John. The Captain tried to get an agreement from the Prince that if there is surf running across the channel to Arcachon we will turn back to Bordeaux, but the Prince would hear none of it. Instead, he has offered to provide insurance for all three ships. If they are damaged or sunk, the owners will be compensated and every sailor who makes the passage will be given a bounty payment. What none of this seems to take into account is that if we sink in rough, fast-flowing waters we might all drown.'

John raised his eyebrows. 'But that is what we are going to do?'

'Yes, despite the fact that surf running accross the entrance is not uncommon and the deep water channel moves continually. In the end, the Prince attacked their captains on their weakest point, their professional pride! He threw down the gauntlet. He offered to take the Sally first through the channel, and to take control during the passage.' He raised his brow. 'We are going into the Bay of Arcachon, come what may! '

Extract from The Eagle of Carcassone -- Chapter 24-- A Real GoddessNo need to buy a Kindle. Read it on your computer or tablet

John Stanley - 22 July 1355

An hour later John walked with Ximene close to the river along the valley below St Feriole. It was the very essence of a summer’s day. The sun was fierce but in the shadow of the trees, it was cool and fragrant. The trees and shrubs along the riverbank hid their progress, from the Château, from St Feriole.

Eventually they reached a point where John thought it was safe to emerge from cover. To his satisfaction the stream extended into a pool with a sandy beach, shaded by trees. Where the stream entered the pool there was a flat grassy area, almost circular. Behind this, the bulk of two mountain ridges provided a splendid backdrop. He looked around once more ‘Not just a good training ground but a great training ground. If the Greek heroes knew about this they might be tempted to join me, to train with me’

Ximene laughed out loud. He turned to look at her. She had removed her outer clothes and was wearing a white chemise, cut short so that it barely reached her knees. Around her waist, she wore a plaited leather belt, obviously fashioned from the multitude of leather straps to be found in the tackle room.

She ran her hands down over her breasts. ‘When you were unconscious I heard you muttering about gods and goddesses, so  I have decided that from now on, for you, I will be the goddess.’

The Prisoner of FoixVol 1 of the series—The Treasure of Trencavel

Aquitaine, an English possession, is in crisis. It is under threat from neighbouring nations and internal dissension.

The Black Prince, King Edward III’s eldest son has been given the task of taking command in Aquitaine.

Suddenly there is an opportunity. Ximene Trencavel is the heiress to the lands of Occitan, to the east of Aquitaine: lands controlled by the Franks. Ximene wants independence, both for herself and for Occitan.

A union between Aquitaine and Occitan would be mutually beneficial. The Black Prince undertakes a secret journey to meet Ximene to negotiate a marriage contract. It is, however, a marriage neither of them really wants.

Meanwhile, the  Franks plot to murder Ximene to prevent ,not just the marriage, but any kind of union between England and Occitan.

The Eagle Of CarcassonneVol II of the series—The Treasure of Trencavel

The loose alliance between Ximene Trencavel and the Black Prince is under threat.

The Prince invades Occitan, to show his support for Ximene but it becomes an invasion which creates more problems than it solves.

The Prince has fallen hopelessly in love with Joan of Kent and Joan is now determined to marry him and become the next Queen of England.

Joan is therefore  determined to convince Ximene that she should not marry the Prince.

Part of her strategy is to encourage Ximene’s relationship with John Stanley—one of the Princes bodyguards—not an easy task as both John and Ximene have doubts about their compatibility.

However, John is grievously injured in a battle and Ximene commits herself to nurse him back to health.