by Bell, Gradyn
“Not if I can help it!” Maurina answered emphatically before Pons could reply.
“Your opinion was not asked,” Pierre admonished. “Pons will do what is required of him, and the decision will be his to make. We must not try to influence him. Should the perfecti have need of him again, I am sure your brother would do as his conscience demanded.”
Maurina glared at her foster father. “Pons promised me only yesterday that he was home for good. I was just repeating what I had been told.”
The atmosphere was becoming heated. Saissa sighed, realising that Maurina would not be biddable like her own Braida—who would never have had the courage to answer her father in the tone that Maurina had used. “Come, girls,” she said. “We have washing to take to the lavoir and I will need your help to carry it. We’ll leave the men to their discussion.”
Maurina had the grace to look chastened while Arnaud pronounced the blessing on her and her sister and foster mother. As she went out the door carrying a huge bundle of washing, she could not resist wishing she had been born a male. She had never seen a man at the lavoir because they obviously had better things to do!
Saissa cautioned Maurina as they struggled down the hill to the river to join all the other women doing their washing. This was a place for rumours and gossip. While some of it was likely true, most of it was conjecture in these dangerous times. Saissa warned the girls that they must say nothing of Arnaud’s visit, and certainly nothing of what Pons had told them. It was Maurina she was most concerned about; she was apt to speak before thinking. This trait in her foster daughter had not previously worried Saissa overmuch but now careless talk could cost lives.
Pons was visibly happy to hand over the responsibility for the mysterious linen to Arnaud, and said so. Although no one in the family questioned where it would be taken next, Arnaud was surprisingly open with the information, indicating it would go to Montsegur, the agreed final hiding place of the relic.
“A place of concealment has been constructed within the rebuilt fortress, where no prying eyes will ever discover it,” Arnaud began. “It has taken several years to construct and we are sure it will be safe there, but as ever, the difficulty will be in making sure of its safe arrival. That’s what I must speak to you about. What I am about to say to you I need to say in private, without Saissa or the girls present, as it concerns Maurina. Before I say what must be said, you must understand that your decision—whatever it may be—will be final as far as the elders are concerned.”
Pons and his father were mystified, but the mystification quickly cleared as the perfectus continued. “What has been proposed is that Maurina accompany me. We can legitimately travel as father and daughter to Montsegur. No one would suspect a child and her father of carrying the fabled linen. If asked, we need only say that I am taking her to her mother’s family in Merens in the mountains so as to be far away from any fighting. My wife’s uncle does live in that direction, close to the Arriege, so the story would not be a lie. What do you say, my friend?” He paused to look at Pierre, who remained silent. “I make no denial that you are truly her father. You have fed and clothed her and looked after her through her illnesses. I have no right to make a decision such as this, though she is the child of my blood. There is something great at stake here, and I will not influence you except to say that in the world to come, people will be grateful.”
“But you have influenced him, Arnaud.” Pons said. “How can he ignore the fact that in the world to come, people will be grateful?”
Pierre sat down heavily, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I cannot make this decision without Saissa and, indeed, Maurina. She is more mature than her years and she must have a say in any decision. Saissa would never forgive me if I just sent Maurina away without consulting her. She loves the girl as she loves all her children.”
“You cannot be seriously considering this, Papa!” Pons implored. “Have you any idea what it is like on the roads? The Devil’s armies maraud everywhere and are not particular about whom they attack. If they must go, let me go, too. Although we could not fight anyone off, three of us are less likely to be attacked than two.”
“As I have said, I must talk to your mother and see what she says. I have absolutely no doubt that Maurina will think of it as a huge game. Someone will need to take time to impress upon her that it is much more than that.”
“She will soon see the seriousness of what is to happen, of that I am certain. As I have said before, she is quick-witted and no one’s fool.” Pons said. “I am absolutely certain she would be capable of such an endeavour.”
“Well, I must leave you now. You must talk with your family. Be sure to explain the importance of what we ask and also the dangers. Send Pons with your decision—you know where I am staying until tomorrow morning. If I do not hear from you before then, I will know your answer is no. Now, may God bring you all to a good end!”
Needless to say, there was uproar in the Boutarra household when Pierre told Saissa of Arnaud’s request. She dismissed it out of hand, saying that he must have been mad to even allow Arnaud to think she would consider letting the girl go. Maurina, on the other hand, was thrilled at what she saw as the adventure of a lifetime, and as loudly as her mother condemned the plan, she approved it.
It took Pierre to point out the one unassailable fact in the discussion—that Arnaud was the child’s real father and he wished her to go. When Pons added his willingness to go for added protection, Saissa was almost convinced. She requested a few hours to think the plan through and said she would make her decision the following morning. It was a restless night she spent, made even more so by the fact that during the night, Maurina crept into the huge bed shared by her and her husband, something she had not done since she had been a small girl. Talking softly to Saissa so as not to waken Pierre, the girl begged her mother to allow her to go, to do something to help the believers. As usual, her pleadings were difficult to resist and mindful of the fact that the girl was Arnaud’s child, and he wished her to go, Saissa’s former resolve had all but disappeared by morning. Tearfully and very grudgingly she gave her permission for Pons to find Arnaud and give him the news.
Chapter Twenty
Occitania, South of France
Winter 1210 AD
Termes and Puivert
The siege of Termes was not going well. Simon’s army had been stuck there for several months and still there appeared to be no end to the matter. It had been complicated by the comings and goings of various Crusaders and their leaders as their forty-day debts to the church expired. It was a strategic planner’s nightmare for Simon never knew for certain how big his army was at any particular time.
A week earlier, he had arrived to rejoin his men after attending a council with Arnold-Almeric and other church dignitaries in Narbonne. They had hoped to get the Count of Toulouse to prove he was not a heretic by forcing him to disband his mercenary soldiers, stop the protection he was giving to Jews and hand over all heretics on his domains within the following year. They had ordered the Count and his barons not to eat more than two kinds of meat or wear costly garments. They were to wear plain brown homespun material and burn their chateaux and fortresses to the ground. The final insult to this elegant and erudite man was telling him that he could no longer live in the town and must instead live in the countryside like his own villeins. Furthermore, should the Crusaders feel the need to attack Toulouse and his men, they must offer no resistance.
Not unsurprisingly, the Count refused these ridiculous terms and was subsequently excommunicated once more, his lands forfeited to the church. With these political machinations going on, Simon had ridden back to a siege situation virtually unchanged in the past two months.
The chateau of Termes, held by Raymond of Termes, was defended admirably by its natural position. It was built on a rocky peak, at the foot of which ran the fast-flowing Sou, a tributary of the River Orbieu. When he had begun his siege of the chateau, Simon knew the locals
considered it impregnable, surrounded as it was by wide and very deep chasms accessible only to mountain goats. In order to get near enough to the chateau to do much damage, one had to throw oneself into a veritable abyss and then climb as far up as the sky. This was what Simon’s reconnoitring party had reported when they had struggled back to their commander’s base camp. They had also brought with them the bad news that even if the chateau could be taken, Raymond of Termes had built an additional fortification on yet another high peak beyond.
So it was that Simon moved his base camp and constructed his tents and pavilions on the only place possible within striking distance of the chateau—opposite the village on a naturally formed precipice that connected the chateau to the mountains. Being that it was the only exit from the chateau, Simon de Montfort and his army could not get in, and Raymond of Termes and his loyal barons could not get out!
Beset as he was by the inaction of his campaign, Simon was overjoyed when a convoy of war machines arrived from Carcassonne. Although one hundred men had escorted the convoy, one of his own knights and his men, loyal to the Cathars had harried it all the way. Several machines were broken and set alight, but Simon’s men managed to save most of them and repair the damaged ones. The arrival of the machines raised the morale of de Montfort and his men as nothing else had done in the weeks prior to this. Amongst his soldiers and the clerics who were with the army, it was said that Simon had been saved by his sanctity and by his good heart. Providence had indeed bestowed its grace on him by sending the machines and the engineers to work them!
But, alas, God’s sanctity was not enough, as the siege continued to drag on. Whereas the besieged had no water, the besiegers had no food. Those who were being besieged would break out and attack the dreaded war machine, only to be driven back by the Crusaders. The Crusaders would breach the walls, only to see them filled in again by faggots of wood and large beams. The stalemate was complete.
Simon was beginning to heed the advice of some of his men to lift the siege, to leave and take the fight elsewhere. Before he could do this, however, Raymond of Termes demanded to speak with him to seek a peaceful settlement. Too many of his men had already died of thirst and dysentery. De Montfort was glad to accept Raymond’s demand for a parley, especially since many of his Crusaders were once more packing their tents to leave, their forty days’ duty to the Crusade complete. In vain Simon had begged them to stay. Alicia threw herself at the feet of the leaders who were ready to depart, urging them to reconsider what their departure would mean for her husband who daily exposed himself to death for the sake of Christ. Only the Bishop of Chartres and his men heard her pleadings, and Simon, with two thirds of his army gone, was left to finish the job in hand.
Unfortunately for him, the townsfolk and the faidits who had taken refuge in Termes heard about the weakness of his army. That news, coupled with a huge thunderstorm that filled all the water tanks, gave them a renewed ability to continue their resistance. When Simon’s envoy, Guy de Levis, appeared at the gates of the chateau of Termes for the parley, he was refused entry. Simon was incensed. That evening in his pavilion he discussed with Alicia what they should do next.
“The fortress is what we are here to take. We know there are many Cathars hiding inside these walls, but at this point I don’t care. If we could talk to Guillaume, Raymond’s brother or even Raymond’s mother, I am sure they could make Raymond see sense. They are Cathars and would not wish to see any more death or bloodshed. If we could convince them to leave peacefully so that we may garrison the chateau, they could go free.”
“Perhaps he would see sense if you sent one of the bishops to talk to him,” Alicia suggested. “Whatever we do should be done quickly. Even I can see that what remains of your army is becoming more demoralised each day. This weather is frightful. Several of the tents have been blown away and I have no wish to spend winter in this forest.” She shivered. She had recently given birth to her sixth child, a little girl whom they had named Amicie. “The cold is eating into my bones and I wish to be back with my baby.”
“Well, there is nothing I can do about the weather, but I can send the Bishop of Carcassonne to try to speak to Raymond’s mother. Surely she will see the sense of what we are saying.” He looked at her fondly. “I know how you miss your children and promise you we will be all together soon.”
In fact, the Bishop was not allowed to speak to the aging perfecta, and the position stayed stalemated. The arrival of some new Crusaders from Lorraine in the north of France lifted the sagging spirits of the already battle weary soldiers who had been on the campaign from its inception. At least there was now enough food to go around, but it was another month before they noticed the defenders had become weakened and were not repairing the breeches in the walls as quickly as they had done hitherto. It did not take Simon’s spies long to discover that the town was being defended by a few sickly men—all the other soldiers had died of thirst or dysentery.
When the rains had finally filled up the water tanks, the chateau’s defenders had gorged themselves on the rain water. Unfortunately, the rain had fallen on the dead animals thrown by the enemy into the tanks while they were empty. The contamination caused by the bloated and diseased animals in the water spread sickness through the chateau like wildfire. The few souls who remained were incapable of repelling an assault, so Raymond decided to evacuate the chateau. He had thought to use the shadows of the night, together with his knowledge of the terrain, to make good an escape. Unfortunately an alarm was raised and many of the escapees were killed; Raymond himself was captured and taken to prison in Carcassonne. At Alicia’s request, the ladies of the chateau were allowed to go free and it was said that if Raymond hadn’t broken his word Simon might well have pardoned him too, for above all things, de Montfort admired valour. As it was, it was not long before Raymond of Termes was despatched to his Maker at the express order of Simon himself.
After the fall of Termes, the faidits—the dispossessed Cathar knights who roamed the countryside giving military help where they could—were thrown into despair and the resistance to the Crusades all but vanished. Although the town had fallen in November and it was the custom not to fight throughout the winter, Simon felt constrained to push on. His next project would be the conquest of the chateau of Puivert, seat of the Congost family, a major force in the area. They were a peaceable and cultured family much tainted—in de Montfort’s view—by their heretical beliefs. All the members of the family were Cathars and the chateau was a notable centre of one of the Courts of Love so numerous in this part of Occitania where troubadours gathered to sing their gentle melodies of passion. Simon expected little resistance there and hoped to leave just a small garrison and then move on. He knew that if Puivert, which was considered unassailable and of little consequence to the Crusaders, fell quickly, many towns would throw open their doors to the conquerors to avoid the annihilation that inevitably followed resistance to him and his army.
He was now at the peak of his command. It seemed that nothing could stop him in his march towards the extinction of a large section of the Occitanian population. However, Arnold-Almeric, the religious leader of the Crusade, was still intent on hounding the Count of Toulouse out of his domains, which were already forfeit to the church. Having accused several of the Count’s very prominent citizens of being heretics, and furious at the Count’s refusal to arrest them, Arnold-Almeric once more presented an ultimatum to the Count. His demands were even more outrageous that those of the preceding months.
Toulouse, who had never sought a fight, began to organise a coalition of some of the neighbouring lords who were themselves being threatened by de Montfort’s voracious appetite for land. Sadly for the de Montfort family, and particularly for Guy, who had spent such happy times in the bosom of Count de Comminges’ family, de Comminges and the Count de Foix were the first to add their support to the Count of Toulouse. Simon’s old friend had become his bitter enemy!
Arriving at Puivert, Simon was amazed to
find Alain de Toulouse waiting for him. It was apparent from the boy’s demeanour that he had not heard the latest news of his father’s decision to fight the Crusaders. Simon ordered the boy’s arrest at once and he was taken to be questioned in the crypt of the church, ironically called Notre Dame de Bon Secours, Our Lady of Good Comfort. At his arrest, Alain knew there would be little help or succour coming his way now that his father had finally thrown down the gauntlet to de Montfort. The best he could hope for was to be ransomed, but even that was a vain hope as he would find out soon enough.
Alain’s men took flight as soon as they saw that he had been taken into captivity, escaping so as to rejoin Toulouse and to impart the news of his son’s capture. The boy was glad when he heard his men had escaped and would live to fight another battle. He knew Simon’s reputation and that it was richly deserved, and held out little hope for his own survival. The beatings that ensued were no surprise to the youth and he bore them stoically, never once deviating from the information he had given de Montfort when he was first questioned. He did not know his father’s whereabouts, who his father’s allies were or where his father would strike next.
When Alain was made aware of his father’s decision to take up arms against the Church, he boldly, if not foolishly, told his captors that he was glad his father had made that choice. With those words he signed his own death warrant. In a fit of black anger at being unable to break the young man’s spirit, Simon ordered the youth to be thrown from the top of the church tower to his death, not caring what the results of such an action might be. (Many men would subsequently forfeit their lives due to Simon’s decision to kill Toulouse’s son!) Predictably, when he heard of the manner of his son’s death, Toulouse swore undying vengeance on de Montfort.
The taking of Puivert was ridiculously easy. It took only three days of siege to achieve the surrender of the Congost family. The chateau itself was a centre of culture, art and music. Carvings of musicians playing their instruments were displayed in the rooms of the tower and in the vaulting. Bernard de Congost was the premier Cathar baron of the area, brother-in-law to Raymond of Perella, who held the fortress of Montsegur. De Congost, his son and several other members of the family managed to escape the clutches of Simon’s lieutenant who captured the castle. Simon was delighted by the ease with which the chateau had fallen into his hands and quickly gave it into the control of one of his most trusted aids, Lambert de Thury. Thus, this bastion of Occitanian culture passed into the hands of a northern soldier who had not the least idea about courtly love and culture and, furthermore, could not have cared less about it!
