Page 412 - Revelation

Svetlana de Rohan-Levashova. Revelation

Montsegur. Descent down ...
The Cathars continued to descend. Now they moved between two sullen armed
rows. The Crusaders were silent, sullenly watching the procession of thin emaciated
people whose faces for some reason shone with unearthly incomprehensible delight. It
frightened the guards. They considered it not normal. These people went to their death.
They could not smile. There was something disturbing and incomprehensible in their
behaviour, which made the guards feel extremely uneasy and want to be far from this
place and as quickly as possible, but duty did not permit. They had to obey.

The piercing wind blew about the threadbare and moist clothes of the Perfect ones
and made them shiver and press close to each other; the guards prevented that, pushing
them to move one by one.
Esclarmonde went first in this terrible funeral procession. Her long hair covered
her thin figure like a silk cloak. The dress of the poor thing was terribly wide and hung
like a sack. But Esclarmonde went with her beautiful head up and..., smiling as if she
was about to meet her greatest happiness, not the most terrible death. Her thoughts
roamed far away, behind the high snow mountains, where her dearest – her husband
and her newly born son – were... She knew that Svetozar would watch Montsegur. She
knew that he would see the fire when it cruelly devoured her body, and she wanted very
much to look fearless and strong... She wanted to be worthy of him... Her mother was
right behind her. She was calm too. Only salt tears glimmered in her eyes from time to
time grieving about her beloved girl; but the wind snatched and dried them, preventing
them from rolling down her thin cheeks.

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