Merlin

The last few days, coming after the benevolent company of Dafyd and his monks, seemed diabolic in contrast: the jealousy, the grudging animosity, the petty spite… My spirit recoiled from it as from a fanged serpent.

Great Light, deliver me from the enmity of small-minded men!

Or, if I may not be delivered, give me the strength to overcome, or if not to overcome, simply to endure. I would settle for that.

Then, sitting there in the moonlight, I felt the confusion of the past days dissolve like hard dirt clods in the rain. I breathed deep of the tranquillity of the sleeping world and began to see the way ahead more clearly.

Aurelius must be established as High King and must be recognized by all as supreme king of all Britons. His claim must remain unchallenged and all lesser kings must be seen to give him fealty. This was of foremost importance. If it could be accomplished without increasing ill will and contention, so much the better.

By the time the moon dipped below the far horizon, a plan had begun to take shape in my mind. I went to my bed at last, satisfied that I had found a solution. It seemed that I had just stretched myself out when Pelleas woke me saying, 'Lord Myrddin, the long is asking for you.'

I rose with a yawn, dashed water in my face from the basin in Pelleas' hands and went to see the king. He was seated at his board, his dark curls wild on his head, a loaf of bread in his hands. It did not appear that his night's rest had soothed him. He half-rose when I came in, remembered himself, sat again, and extended half the loaf to me. Uther sat at the end of the board, looking out of sorts; he too had been dragged from his bed.

'Well, Wise Counsellor,' Aurelius said, 'give me the benefit of your wisdom. Am I to be High King, or hermit? What am I to do?'

'You will be High King,' I reassured him. 'But not yet.'

'No?' His eyebrows rose. 'How long must I wait?'

'Until the time redeems itself.'

'Speak plainly, Prophet. How long?'

So I told him my plan, and ended by saying, 'Thus, send the rest of the kings back to their realms. Tell them to ready their tribute to you and await your summons – which will come when you are ready.'

'When will that be?' A sly smile wreathed his lips, for he understood the implications of my words.

'At the Christ Mass.'

'Yes!' He rose with a shout. 'Well done, Myrddin!'

Uther nodded vaguely. 'It is all very well for the kings to pay tribute to Aurelius, but why must he wait until the dead of winter to be crowned? The throne is his, he should take it.'

Aurelius was on his feet now, excited. 'Do you not see it, brother? Londinium will have time to misdoubt its treatment of me. The citizens will wait for me to act, and they will grow fearful in waiting. They will fear my wrath, they will fear the worst. And then, when I come, they will seek to soothe me; they will throw open the gates, they will lavish gifts upon me. In short, they will welcome me in all meekness, glad in their hearts that I did not destroy them as they deserved. Am I right, Myrddin?'

‘That is the meat of it.'

'And the other kings – by letting them go now, I rescue my dignity.'

'Essentially.'

Uther still appeared in a fog. 'I do not see that at all.'

'Half of the kings have left me,' Aurelius said, 'and the other half wish they had.' He was overstating it, but not by much. 'Very well, let them all go. I will send word to them to attend me at Christ Mass in Londinium. They will come, and the people will see me attended by the kings of Britain in all their finery. Oh, it will be a splendid spectacle!'

‘They will think you weak if you do not act now.'

'No, brother, it is by choosing not to act that I show my strength. He is truly strong who withholds his hand when he could strike.'

It was not as simple as that, I knew, but if it was what Aurelius believed, and he did, it might amount to the same thing in the end. I prayed that it would. Besides, I did not think he would lose anything by waiting – and letting the lords think better of their oaths of fealty. Also, the troublesome lords like Gorlas and his friends, Morcant, Coledac, and Dunaut would be more easily dealt with singly; alone, without support of other dissenters, they could be brought into compliance.

Uther remained sceptical. 'What do we do while we wait? Where will we go? Need I remind you, brother, we have not so much as a rooftile to call our own?'

'It is not so long to wait,' I said quickly. 'And you have no lack of hearth places where you will be welcome. We could return to Dyfed, or -'

'No,' replied Aurelius firmly, 'it must not be at the hospitality of any of my kings. It must be somewhere else.'

'Just where might that be?' wondered Uther. 'Not Lon-dinium, surely.'

'Leave it to me,' I said. 'I know a place where you will be received in all luxury, and accorded the dignity of your rank.'

Uther rose. He was happy with the plan; or at least happy to let the matter rest until he had properly broken fast. He took his leave of us and returned to his tent; I got to my feet as well. 'Merlin,' said Aurelius. He stood and came to place his hands on my shoulders. 'I am stubborn and impatient, but you forbear me. Thank you for your indulgence, my friend. And thank you for the benefit of your wisdom.'

The High King embraced me like a brother, and then went out to tell his lords that they were to return home to their harvests, and that he would send word for them to meet him in Londinium at the Mass of Christ, when he would take the crown.

'The Christ Mass,' wondered Ceredigawn. 'When is that?'

'At the midwinter solstice,' answered Aurelius.

'And where will you go now, my lord?' asked Tewdrig. 'What will you do?'

'I am going away with my Wise Counsellor,' Aurelius answered, and with a conspirator's smile turned towards me. 'I will hold vigil in prayer and holy instruction until I be made High King.'

This pronouncement caused as much sensation as if Aurelius had announced that he would forsake the throne altogether and become a monk. The lords turned to one another and remarked that such a thing had never been heard of before. Aurelius left them floundering in their surprise. 'I will summon you when the season draws near, that you may make ready to attend me in all courtesy.' Saying this, he returned to his tent, leaving his lords staring after him.

A more kingly act he could not have conceived.

NINE

I should have seen more clearly. I should have known where events were leading. I should have recognized what shape the future would take. My vision was clear enough: I should have known to protect Aurelius. Above all, I should have recognized the hand of Morgian working unseen to shape the world to her will. So much I should have seen and known.

Should have… Empty, useless words. How they cleave bitterly to the tongue. To utter them is to taste bile and ashes in the mouth. Well, I am to blame.

Aurelius was so happy, so confident. And I was so pleased to sojourn a season in Avallach's house, and to see Charis again, that I did not think further ahead than the day at hand. Feeling no threat, I let time take its course. That was my mistake.

In truth, I feared Morgian and that was my failing.

Upon leaving Londinium, we rode to Ynys Avallach, the mysterious Glass Isle of old, to Avallach's palace. We stopped along the way and were received with great acclaim; word of Hengist's defeat had permeated the landscape itself, and we were everywhere made welcome.

Gwythelyn and the monks parted company with us at Aquae Sulis, but I induced Dafyd to continue on with us, and to undertake Aurelius' tutelage. Not that he needed much coaxing; the happy prospect of seeing Charis and Avallach once more cheered him greatly.

Oh, it was a glad reunion. They fell into one another's arms, tears of happiness shining on their cheeks. I do not think they ever hoped to see one another again, so many years had passed. But like all good friendships the passage of time did little to alter their love for one another, and within the space of a few heartbeats it was as if they had never been apart.