Famous Renegades, Famous Lovers, the Grand Duo

Doré and Oscric were notorious renegades, ruthless rebels who fought against the Church and the northern invaders long after the Crusade has decimated Occitannia. They helped form the Caspin rebels, with the notorious Loup de Foix, a relative of the Dame Esclarmonde. In  The Last Troubadour, they go beyond famous rebels, and become the tender, romantic lovers I imagined them to be.

History

Loup de Foix, the nephew of the Dame de Foix, (Priestess in the trilogy), is the most famous of the post-crusade forteenth century nobels. The Grand Duo, Doré the Bastard and Osric the Hammer were almost certainly more notorious. I portray them as they should be, as ruthless and terrifying — to the invaders — but also as tender and loving. They are not the only lovers in the history of Montségur, but they were almost certainly the ideal tarot Lover archetypes — with a twist! A major twist, but you'll certainly have to wait for the middle of book 1, The Last Troubadour, to discvoer the secret.

As Described in The Last Troubadour

The Dandy wore expensive felt and suede leather, embroidered
with gold thread, and under his deeply scalloped tunic, Ramon saw the
glint of a fine mail coat—nothing more than a light fencing hauberk.
Draped over his shoulders was a cape of fine green cloth, trimmed in
fur, clasped with a large jewel. Obviously the man came from a family of
consequence—perhaps a dispossessed Occitanian noble, judging by his
extravagant clothes—for though his face was tanned and weathered, his
fine features had the cultured look of a Southern lord. A fine gold chain
hung around his neck with a peculiar pendant on the end—the symbol
of the sacred star. The star of the South. Any who openly wore it would
be dangerous rebels

Lovers in the "Fool's" Quest

Ramon, The Fool

Adelais, the unpredictable "Fortune"

Seigneur, for Strength

Arnot, the Templar, the Charioteer

The Grand Duo, the Lovers,

and more. Meet them all, in The Last Trobuadour!
 

In the Cards

From A. E. Waite, Key to the Tarot

"In the foreground are two human figures, male and female, unveiled before each other, as if Adam and Eve when they first occupied the paradise of the earthly body. Behind the man is the Tree of Life, bearing twelve fruits, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is behind the woman; the serpent is twining round it. The figures suggest youth, virginity, innocence and love before it is contaminated by gross material desire."

Read more about The Lover's card, its history, legends, significance, meaning...

Read more about The Lovers in Wise Tarot Magazine.