Dragon of the Island (19 page)

Aurora shivered as she mounted Paithu again
and began riding anxiously in the direction Esylt had taken. She
urged the horse on carelessly, seeking to escape the sinister gloom
of the forest as fast as possible.

Aurora thought back to the idyllic afternoon
she had spent with Elwyn. Aye, she had to admit that there was just
enough truth in Esylt’s taunts to make it hard to face her husband.
Although they had done nothing disloyal, there was something
special about her relationship with Elwyn, a closeness that might
make Maelgwn jealous. No, she didn’t think she could depend on
Maelgwn to believe her over Esylt. She would have to hope Esylt
would not carry out her threat. But how could she stand it, to stay
at Caer Eryri while Esylt plotted against her? She had to think of
a plan before Maelgwn returned from the coast.

The coast! Maelgwn had forts all up and down
the coast, as well as scattered among the hills. As soon as he
returned to the fortress, she would ask him if she could live at
another of his strongholds. She would speak to him right away,
before Esylt had a chance to tell him her lies.

“That finished them!” Maelgwn shouted
gleefully.

Abelgirth let out a yell in response, and
then raised his sword threateningly at the retreating soldiers. The
Irish raiders had given up the battle and were fleeing toward the
sea, scrambling to get back in their boats as fast as they
could.

“Take that, you Irish curs!” Abelgirth
shouted. “That will teach you to attack the Cymru.”

“You know they’ll be back,” Maelgwn said as
he walked over to the big chieftain.

Abelgirth was still holding a cowering
Irishman in one hand while he wiped off his sword on his
blood-soaked tunic with the other.

“Aye, I know they’ll be back, but today we
gave them a reason to delay a few years.”

Abelgirth gestured toward the beach littered
with Irish dead, and then to the handful of enemy survivors who
were being rounded up and put in chains.

“A good day’s work, I’d say.”

Maelgwn nodded. The Irish raiders barely had
time to set the little fishing village afire before Abelgirth and
his men were upon them. When it came to repelling coastal raids,
Abelgirth was a superb commander, and Maelgwn was well pleased by
what he had seen on this visit to Llanfaglon. The string of forts
along the coast of Gwynedd was solid and well-supplied. The
defenses were so good, in fact, that the Irish raids had dwindled
to almost nothing.

Abelgirth released his captive to be chained
with the rest, and then the two men walked among the dead, looking
for armor and weapons that could be salvaged.

“I believe we’ve seen more action here than
you have in your campaign to the east, Maelgwn. I hear you took the
town of Viroconium without so much as a sword being drawn.”

“You heard the truth. We marched in and made
an alliance with Constantine. I took one of his daughters as my
wife to seal the bargain. It was the easiest victory I’ve ever
had.”

“A wife, eh?” Abelgirth commented with a sly
grin. “You are probably anxious to get back to her.”

Maelgwn smiled and then shrugged. “No need
for that. She must get used to me being gone for weeks. I have a
country to look after. Anyway, men who hold themselves too close to
their womenfolk grow soft and weak.”

“Ah, but you smile at the mere mention of
her. It is clear this woman has more to recommend her than merely
the dowry of Viroconium.”

“Aye, she is a beauty,” Maelgwn said
proudly. “Even I did not know what wealth I had stolen until I
bedded her.” His face grew more serious. “But she can be difficult.
I don’t know if the Romans breed particularly stubborn, willful
women, or if it is just that she is spoiled, but Aurora tries my
patience regularly.”

Abelgirth laughed. “Surely that is not Roman
blood, but the British strain that makes our women as fierce as
their men. Anyway Maelgwn, there is a price for everything worth
having. My own Gwenamore—God rest her soul.” Abelgirth crossed
himself with his huge hand, for he had recently become a Christian.
“She was a beauty indeed, as bright and graceful as the sea foam.
But I paid a high price for her loveliness. She was too small a
woman to bear children easily, my children at least. I lost her and
my only son when she died in childbirth.”

“I had forgotten, Abelgirth. I am
sorry.”

“It’s no matter now,” Abelgirth said
dismissingly. “I have my lovely Gwenaseth, and God willing, she
will soon give me a brood of healthy grandchildren. I am glad that
Elwyn has finally asked for her hand. The boy does not have
overmuch spirit, but he is as loyal as a faithful old hound, and he
makes her happy.”

“It’s good you are pleased with the match
your daughter has made,” Maelgwn said. “I have always felt a little
guilty that I did not ask her to be my queen.”

“You!” Abelgirth gave a deep rumbling laugh.
“You would swallow up my sweet little Gwen like a cormorant devours
a minnow. At any rate, the ties between us did not need
strengthening. You had to make a match such as you did—one that
expands your lands and power.”

“If not me, why not another prince? There
are many chieftains who would have paid well for the privilege of
being your son-in-law.”

Abelgirth’s broad, ruddy face softened. “I
may be a foolish old man, but I could not see my only child
bargained off to the man with the most gold. No, I wanted Gwenaseth
to be happy, to be with a man who will cherish her for herself and
not her dowry.”

“You can sympathize with Constantine, I
guess,” Maelgwn said with a smile. “I am sure I was not the man he
would have chosen to marry his dearest daughter.”

“He could have done much worse. Why, from
the way your face changes when you speak of her, it would seem you
are falling in love with this Cornovii princess.”

Maelgwn looked startled. “No,” he protested.
“I don’t want to be in love with any woman. It’s only that she
pleases me well.”

Abelgirth frowned, and his face grew
unusually somber.

“I believe it is good for a man to have a
trusting, loving relationship with his wife. Myself—I never
appreciated Gwenamore until it was too late. I was always out
wenching and enjoying myself.” He sighed. “And then one day, she
was gone. I can tell you, if I had a chance, I would go back and do
things differently.”

Maelgwn considered his friend’s words. It
was not uncommon for a man to look back on his past and be tortured
by the decisions he made when young. Abelgirth, for all his
formidable bulk and fierce demeanor, was an exceptionally
kind-hearted man.

“I wonder how my kinsman Arthur is doing in
his efforts to keep the Saxon sea wolves at bay along the eastern
shores?” asked Maelgwn, changing the subject.

Abelgirth shook his head. “Arthur is a great
soldier, but he cannot prevail forever. There are too many Saxons,
no matter how many he kills, there will always be more arriving
from across the sea.” His deep voice was brooding. “I’m afraid
someday they will invade as far as Viroconium, and Constantine—if
he survives—will finally appreciate how civilized and generous a
conqueror you were.”

Abelgirth unclasped a wineskin from his
horse’s saddle and took a drink.

“We can only hope to hold them back in the
west. The Saxon curs have no use for the highlands, so your
settlements will survive. And here, along the coast, we have been
fighting invaders for so long we know of nothing else.”

Maelgwn nodded solemnly at his host’s grim
assessment. Arthur was a valiant warrior, but now that the legions
of Rome were gone, it was only a matter of time before the riches
of Britain were plundered, and the Roman forts and towns sacked and
ruined by the blind greed of the Saxons. The important thing was
Gwynedd. He was determined that his beautiful wild hills should
remain safe. The coastal forts were the key to their safety, but
his heart was in the highlands. Even now he ached for the lonely
valleys hidden with in the embrace of Yr Wyddfa’s majestic
shadow.

“So, what do we do, now that we have kept
the coasts safe for another day?” Maelgwn asked, taking the
wineskin that Abelgirth offered.

“Back to my feasting hall, of course,”
Abelgirth answered with a smile. “My cooks are preparing a special
meal in your honor. What do you say to roast salmon and eels boiled
in wine and butter?”

“What are we waiting for!” Maelgwn exclaimed
as he mounted his horse.

* * *

The slight breeze stirred Aurora’s hair as
she sat on her high lookout on the side of the steep hill that
guarded Caer Eryri. She had come to this spot almost daily since
her encounter with Esylt. It was close enough to the fort to be
under the watchful eyes of the guard at the gate, and yet far
enough away for her to escape the oppressiveness of life in the
fortress.

There was nowhere in the fortress where she
could be comfortable. The tower chamber was hot and stuffy during
the day, and everywhere else there was the bustle of people going
about their business to remind her of how purposeless her own life
was. Unlike at Viroconium, she had no desire to spend time around
the stables or the other farm buildings. They were not so clean as
the ones at home, and in the enclosed space they gave off
unpleasant odors. Anyway, Aurora mused, she was a queen now, and
she could not go dragging her skirts through the dirt to chase a
stray cat or play with a puppy as she once had.

In her loneliness and boredom she had
wandered to this spot, taking her sewing with her to keep up the
pretense of being busy like everyone else. It was a pleasant place.
She could see the horses grazing nearby and hear the soft call of
the ringdoves that nested in the nooks and crannies of the fortress
walls. From behind her came the sounds of mock battle as the
soldiers trained in the open space behind the fortress. From her
vantage spot she had a stunning view of the whole valley, and she
could watch the farmers and villagers below go about their
business. On clear days she could even see the small cluster of
buildings that made up the priory farther down the valley.

Aurora did little sewing in her lookout
spot. She brooded and made chains of the white starflowers that
grew in profusion on the hill. She was preoccupied with worry over
her encounter with Esylt. She had not told anyone—even Gwenaseth—of
Esylt’s threats. Her plan was to get Maelgwn to take her to live
somewhere else in his kingdom, someplace away from Esylt’s
treachery.

But how could she ask her husband without
arousing his suspicions, she wondered? She must be very clever and
subtle, and convince Maelgwn of her unhappiness with other things
at Caer Eryri besides his sister. Aurora both looked forward to and
dreaded Maelgwn’s return to Caer Eryri. She had missed him, in
truth, but she also feared him. What would happen to her if Esylt
told him her lies and he believed her?

Aurora was seated there, watching the
valley, when she saw the black shapes of horses and riders moving
near the river—Maelgwn was back. Before the lookout had even
announced the king’s arrival, Aurora hurried into the fortress to
wash and change her dress. She wanted to meet with Maelgwn alone as
soon as she could, and she intended to look her best.

Aurora greeted the king at the gate with the
others. Maelgwn’s eyes alighted on her with glowing pleasure, and
after he dismounted he pulled her to him for an eager and very
public kiss. Aurora’s relief at her husband’s warm greeting was
marred by Esylt’s presence. Knowing that her wicked sister-in-law
was so near seemed to send a chill down her spine.

A dozen things commanded Maelgwn’s
attention, and Aurora didn’t see her husband again until the
evening meal. The atmosphere in the great hall that night was
cheerful and relaxed, and Aurora could almost forget the cold
loneliness that had haunted her while the men were gone. Balyn was
joking and playful, and even Evrawc smiled politely at her. Aurora
wondered if she was beginning to be accepted, at least by Maelgwn’s
men.

After the meal, Maelgwn made no pretense of
lingering, but eagerly led Aurora to their bedchamber. She could
not seem to put Esylt’s threats out of her mind, and her unease
obviously conveyed itself to Maelgwn. After a few probing kisses,
he pulled back and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Aurora, what is wrong?”

She shrugged, uncertain how to begin.

“Obviously there is something wrong,”
Maelgwn said with a touch of impatience. “You do not even seem glad
to see me.”

“It is not that,” Aurora protested, pressing
herself against him.

“Speak woman,” he said more softly. “Tell me
what is troubling you.”

“Is it true you have many holdings in
Gwynedd besides Caer Eryri?”

Maelgwn nodded.

“Do you dwell then at Caer Eryri most of the
year or do you travel from fort to fort?”

“Why both. I stay at Caer Eryri as much as I
can, but I must visit all my holdings every few months.”

Maelgwn’s puzzlement was turning to
irritation. Why must she ask him these things right now?

“And what of me?” Aurora’s voice was
plaintive, tinged with unhappiness.

“Why, I had planned for you to remain here
at Caer Eryri. It is safe and has many comforts.” Maelgwn frowned.
“Surely you don’t expect to go with me on my travels. It’s no life
for a woman.”

“I have no wish to be left behind in this
unfriendly place all year!”

“What is it about Caer Eryri that displeases
you?”

“The women here hate me; they will never
accept me. There is nothing for me to do here. I have no say in the
running of your household, and I am tired of sewing and
spinning!”

Maelgwn paused and looked at his wife’s face
searchingly. She seemed genuinely unhappy, and he suspected that
Esylt was behind it.