by G L Roberts
“You are wise, Athebryn. Wise beyond my expectation.” Lady Anestar squeezed Bryn’s hands. “I would kiss you, if I would not be burned by the jewel’s light.”
“You and I are protected at this moment. The others in the circle have not seen nor heard our conversation. Time to them has not passed. To the others I have just now knelt before you.”
Anestar leaned in and kissed Bryn softly on the lips. “You have learned much. I will advise you when you ask. Thank you for revealing my heart to my own eyes. It had indeed grown black.”
Bryn smiled. “You will find the black is falling away and all will be light sooner than you could hope. Come, let us rejoin the others.”
As Bryn stood she glanced at the others, taking in their expressions and knowing they were unaware time had stopped. She could tell they were eager to hear her plans for the council.
“In the days of our earliest ancestors,” Bryn continued, “a high council was composed of those elders whose wisdom was keen and ever present. I cherish the wisdom each of you has accumulated through clann lore and your own unique experiences. I frequently will request your advice. Of that have no doubt.
“It is my desire at this time to ask you, dearly loved aunts and elders, to respect my decision to reconvene the council with the following new members.” Bryn paused and called to the dragons who waited just outside the stand of trees. As they drew nearer to the circle, the yew trees opened their canopy to clear space in the circle. The dragons nodded at Bryn and took up a spot in the canopy of the trees. Bryn closed her eyes and Meydra’s tail descended and rested against Bryn’s back. She took a deep breath.
“From the Epidii, I ask Arryn to stand as a member of the council.” Arryn’s name might be debated and by naming him first, Bryn hoped it would smooth the way for the others. She spoke again before the group began debating.
“As you consider these names I lay before you, remember I am not asking for your approval. Nevertheless, I will hear your concerns and address those concerns as needed.”
Arlendyl spoke before Bryn could continue. “You have decided to include men into the council.”
“Yes, Arryn is well respected among the Epidii. He has maintained contact with the clann throughout his years as Captain of Armies. His knowledge of warfare will be to our advantage.” Giving the reasons why she wanted Arryn was also conveying something else to the elders. It told them she meant to fight the invaders. “Arryn’s family has led the Epidii since the death of Anelyn left the clann bereft of an elf-sister. Arryn is her heir.”
Arlendyl smiled. Bryn returned the smile, seeing her mother’s approval of the choice in her eyes.
Lady Anestar stood. “I know of my sister Anelyn’s decision to name Arryn as her heir. It had been a source of discontent between us. I regretted never resolving the issue with Anelyn before her untimely death at the hands of the Norsemen. I see no one better to represent the Epidii.”
Bryn acknowledged her approval with a nod, and Lady Anestar sat back down.
“The next name I put before you is Leus, Elf Prince and cousin to us all. It is now time to rejoin with our elf cousins and bring them back to the clanns.”
“Leus is not a dragon rider,” Lady Adhar said.
“True, the elves have not been chosen by a dragon since they first appeared on earth. But there is a dragon among us that chooses to allow Leus to befriend him and will accept his presence on his back as a rider.” NightWatcher bowed his head to the Elf-Sisters and touched Leus with his tail.
The Elf-Sisters in turn bowed their heads. They were silent in their acceptance of Leus to the council.
“I will ask Kenna to represent the Bridei. She has been well schooled by her mother and her dragon lore is keen,” Bryn said.
Lady Anethar, elder of Skiel, rose to be recognized.
“Yes, Lady Anethar?”
“Is it your intention to populate this new council with dragon riders?”
“It is.”
“You are planning to ask the dragons to join you in the coming battle,” Anethar said.
“I am. This is their path, to live and die among us. They have watched from the shadows for far too long. The knowledge passed to me by Lady Athyl through the tears of the dragons tells me that this was always something for which the dragons were prepared.
“Dragon lore has told us that dragons could not interfere with our little skirmishes. However, I am not planning a skirmish. I am planning a war, one that will change the course of our history. I will ask the dragons to participate insofar as we the dragon riders find necessary for their keen eyes and swift wings. I do not intend on using my dragons as weapons.”
Lady Adhar stood up next to Lady Anethar and waited to be recognized.
“You wish to speak, Lady Adhar?” Bryn asked.
“We here know that you carry the thoughts and knowledge of our ancestors. Your words already reflect those that would be spoken by Athyl herself. There is no denying that you carry the knowledge and lore of the dragons as well. I would venture to say that you have all the knowledge of those that first walked this land. I am not opposed to the restructuring of the council. I am not opposed to including the lesser kingdoms. Nevertheless, I am adamantly opposed to allowing dragons to participate in any armed conflict.”
Several voices echoed Adhar’s concern.
Bryn held her hands up and both women sat back down. She closed her eyes, and she felt the jewel on her forehead grow warmer. The air around Bryn’s body shimmered. She began to speak softly.
“I am the heart of this land. I am the soul of its peoples. I am the right hand of justice and the left hand of fate. Destiny has brought us to this place and this time. There is only one way to preserve the life we know. Only one way to protect our bloodlines. I am joined with the first dragon, and I carry her blood. I joined with the stardust to become this being.
“I am your mother. I am your sister. I am Athyl, and I am Athebryn. I am the first dragon Menchor, and I am his kin that populate the night sky with stars. I am Meylarn and carry her knowledge of the Norsemen. And I am Meydra and know her deep love of our kind.
“I am the Jewel of lore, and I walk among you now. I will not forsake my kin nor leave them to bow before these marauders. If you choose not to follow me, I will still render aid and hold you dearest among all earthly creatures.”
Arlendyl rose and moved to stand before her daughter. The light around Bryn stretched to cover Arlendyl as she knelt before Bryn.
“The prophesy became legend, the legend became truth,” Arlendyl said.
One by one the others knelt before Bryn and the light covered them, and they disappeared in the brilliance. Meydra began a dragon song, and the dragons at the circle bowed their heads. From out in the distance, a return song was heard coming from the dragons who gathered and waited upon the hill. As Meydra sang, the air filled with dragons who had journeyed from across the western sea to join the others on the hill.
The little group of dragon riders sat and watched the light emanating from the trees. They saw the dragons coming to stand with the others on the hill, and they too heard the dragon song.
“I know that light,” Thalynder said. “It is Bryn. I have seen it as it lights her from the inside out. She is changed.”
“That she is,” Arryn said. “She is all she played at as a child. A warrior, a path finder, a leader, and a woman of strong desires. She will be good for the clanns.”
“She will suffer for the clanns.” Thalynder could not keep a note of sadness out of her voice.
“Her life will be altered, yes,” Kenna said. “She will not be able to do those things we will take for granted. Family, freedom, even solitude.”
“She is alone already,” Arryn replied. “Alone in a crowd with no chance of even a stolen moment with a beloved without the shadow of a dragon or a guard always near. She realized this long before she set out on a seemingly harmless journey for the love of a princess. She recognized her destiny as a child when
playing her games. She always led, always protected, always took the side of the avenging knight. She has honed her skills well and will not be swayed easily.”
“Who would want to sway her?” Kenna asked. “We all know the devastation and pain these Norsemen have brought to Alban. We all recognize something must be done. Someone had to take the lead. I, for one, do not believe my clann would bear the burden of leadership no matter what claims my mother puts on the crown.”
Arryn exchanged a look with Thalynder.
“Lay claim to the crown?” Thalynder said. “From what I have seen, there was no way for anyone but Bryn to accept this fate. The dragons chose Bryn. She did not choose them.”
“True. My mother, however, may still believe that Bryn had some small choice and should have made it knowing there were others to be considered.”
Arryn placed his hand on Kenna’s arm. “Kenna, Bryn had no choice. As a dragon rider, you know that. As a young woman of the clanns you know that. If you did not believe so before now, surely the past few weeks spent with her have shown you that there would never have been a choice. She was chosen long before she was born. Long before her parents were born. Her destiny was written in the stars—fallen to earth with the first dragons.”
Bryn welcomed each elder, including Gement, with a gentle kiss. The atmosphere in the circle changed as each elder relinquished their clann to Bryn’s safekeeping. As she embraced each elder and bid them welcome with her kiss, her mind sent out a welcome to each new dragon joining the others on the hill. The elders returned to their seats, and the jewel in the crown dimmed. Bryn held out her arms as the last of the elders sat down. She spoke the names of the dragon riders, and the trees parted to reveal a path.
“Princess Thalynder, Daughter of King Thamen, Ruler of the Realm That Touches Two Seas,” she called. Thalynder walked into the stand of trees and following the path, entered the circle. She walked up to Bryn and stood in front of her. Peer to peer, woman to woman, lover to lover.
Thalynder recognized the changes in Bryn on a subtler level. She saw that Bryn’s eyes flashed, but she could also see the fatigue lining the corners of those eyes. Bryn’s cheeks were flushed, but the color was bright from the heat of the jewel. The only thing that had not changed, Thalynder mused, was the soft pink of Bryn’s lips. The kisses they shared would only enhance the soft pink color that so complemented Bryn’s skin tone. Thalynder wanted to touch those lips with her own. She waited.
Bryn spoke so that only Thalynder could hear her. “I will ask a thing of you. You must consider it carefully. If you feel you cannot or do not wish to be a part of this, you must not feel remorse. My love for you is not now, nor will it ever be, dependent upon you taking part in this venture.” She spoke so the circle could hear her words.
“The council of clanns will be remade. Those chosen to be on the council will represent their family clanns in all discussions the council will take up. Those asked to join, who do not represent a clann, are asked to represent a kingdom, realm, or other province, and pledge allegiance to the ideals of the council. Armies will be formed, treasuries needed. The council members will strive to provide all things necessary for the provisioning of the armies. The charter of this council will be to maintain a country free from marauding hordes bent on destroying all that we hold dear.
“Our island is our home. It is not large when considering the earth as a whole, but it is our island. We have lived many years with our clanns separating themselves into little pockets of humanity, keeping to themselves, unaware of each other’s problems or concerns. That time has ended. This council will unite the clanns and the peoples of the south, including our cousins the elves. If we fail to staunch the deep wound these Norsemen aim to inflict, we will lose our homes and our lives.
“Taking these steps with my young friends and future leaders is in my view the most advantageous for all here. There are true warriors amongst the clanns. Brave men and women willing to give their lives for the others.” Bryn clasped Thalynder’s hand.
“I urge you to seek the counsel of your own kingdom and its subjects. I urge you to think long and hard on the future should you choose to follow the path as set forth by this council. To do otherwise could quite possibly be the downfall of Alban.
“My question to you, as I will put it to each of those I seek to be on the council is this:
“Will you Thalynder, Daughter of Thamen, Princess and heir to the throne of the Realm That Touches Two Seas, join this council with the intent to offer advice, provide arms and soldier, and assist in providing means to resupply armies formed therein? Will you hold the discussions of this council secret, discussing with no one outside the council the deeds and decisions of the council? Will you pledge to give over your life to the preservation of the charter of the council?”
Thalynder held Bryn’s gaze as she answered. “I do have questions, especially where my father and his realm are concerned. Will I be given a chance to have them answered before I make my decision?”
Bryn smiled. “You will have the opportunity to ask questions before making your decision. I wanted to give you a chance to say no without the other dragon riders around to sway your decision. As you are not a clann member, yours will be the hardest decision to make. I ask for you to pledge your kingdom to me and its resources to the council to do what may be necessary to rid Alban of the invading Norsemen.”
“I will carefully consider your invitation to join this council.”
Bryn called each of the dragon riders forward and posed the same question to them. Both Arryn and Kenna did not hesitate to pledge their clanns to Bryn. They were equally delighted to hear that the elves would be represented by Leus. When it was time to ask Malcolm to join the council, Bryn felt his hesitation more keenly than that of Thalynder.
“I have already pledged my fealty to the company of dragon riders,” Prince Malcolm said. “To pledge my kingdom, as it is not yet mine to rule, would be a pledge worth nothing more than the hot air of my breath. It is true I am to rule Wessex after my father, but I do not see that taking place in the near enough future to help this venture.”
“Thus, I will seek your advice as the council’s liaison with Wessex,” Bryn told him. “You would sit on the council and consider the councils deeds as they would affect Wessex and the surrounding kingdoms.” Malcolm’s father was pushing to gain control of the remaining smaller kingdoms within his reach. It was something Bryn heard often as handmaiden to Thalynder. She did not wish to assert herself on the lesser kingdoms of lower Alban. She wanted only their assistance and willing participation in the affairs of the entire island against the outside invaders. What the lesser kingdoms did between themselves would have to be resolved by those rulers. “Your presence now, and in the future when you are King of Wessex, will aid Alban. That is all I ask.”
“As Prince of Wessex, I accept your invitation to sit on this council and advise as I am able.” Malcolm bowed. “I am yours to command, Lady Athebryn.”
When Malcolm took his seat at the circle, Bryn looked at those present and smiled. “I see the need for one or two others to join this council. Lady Albistan, we will have need for a representative of the Clann Ebdanii and the other inhabitants of Erui. I would prefer a dragon rider but will accept your recommendation.”
Lady Albistan’s brow creased in thought. “We have a rider among our clann. I will summon her.”
“I also need representation from the Picts, Gement,” Bryn said. “I would like to suggest Rylan, the young man we rescued from the Norsemen but know he is not a rider.”
Gement frowned for a moment. “Rylan will not accept your invitation. He would not wish to be on the back of a dragon. However, his sister could be a rider if chosen and is of the age of consent and commitment. I will ask her to meet with you.”
“What is her name?” Bryn asked.
“Her name is Rythale, and she has her own claim to her clann’s leadership.”
Bryn heard Meydra’s voice in her head.
Rythale has her own reasons for hating the Norsemen. She will be filled with anger and hate and that may keep a dragon from being her companion.
Will she follow my lead?
I do not know.
“Summon Rythale,” Bryn told Gement. “I will meet with her and the representative from Clann Ebdanii when we return to Skiel. There is one other with whom I wish to speak.”
“Whom shall I summon, My Lady?” Gement asked.
“Lothan of the Inceni. If he chooses not to meet with me, I will go to see Queen Betony myself.”
The dragons, numbering fifty now, waited upon the hill. When the elders and the company walked out of the stand of trees and saw the hill lined with dragons, the elders were the first to comment.
“I did not know that so many dragons existed,” Gement said.
“They have been hiding,” Bryn replied. “Waiting in the shadows for the day when they could again choose their own companions. That day has not yet arrived, but they are hopeful.”
“What will the lesser kingdoms think about the change in the law being made by an outsider?” Lady Anestar asked.
“They will see they have no choice. The choice has always belonged to the dragon. There is not one among us that was chosen without the dragon’s approval.”
“Even me?” Malcolm asked.
“Yes, Prince Malcolm, even you. IronHeart chose you knowing that you would be needed someday as a prince of a southern realm, long before you even considered the clanns.”
“Then the law never would have stopped the dragons from choosing a non-royal,” Thalynder said.
“The dragons, as you know now, would have disappeared rather than choose a companion they could not bond with.”
“And what about Meydra?” Malcolm asked. “She was bonded to you, but she abided by the law.”
“Ah, that is not entirely true,” Thalynder said. “She had already bonded with Bryn, as you know. She was only mine out of the promise she made to my grandfather. She never chose me.”