Here Be Dragons - 1

by Sharon Kay Penman

  578 taut, the faces of men looking into an open coffin, and he swallowed said, "How is the horse?" They stared at him and then burst into unsteady laughter. Joanna laughed, too, or perhaps she sobbed; he could not tell which, for she was leaning forward, had begun to cover his mud-streaked face with kisses. Llewelyn braced himself on his elbow, started to sit up again Now that his head had cleared, he was concerned that he might have broken a bone, and it was with some trepidation that he ran his hand over his throbbing left leg. Once he concluded that he'd done no more than pull a muscle, he closed his eyes again, silently giving thanks to the Virgin for protecting him on this, the holiest of her days. As he turned his head, he saw that the stallion had regained its feet. It, too, seemed to have been accorded a measure of divine mercy, for it had also escaped serious injury. It was standing quietly, sides heaving, head down, lookingfor the moment at leastlike the most docile of palfreys. Llewelyn looked from the horse to his eldest son. "Somewhat skittish, Gruffydd?" He said it with deliberate wryness, as if it were a jest, and a number of people laughed. But Gruffydd did not. Nor did Davydd. "Before God, Papa, I did not know he was so wild. And I did try to discourage you from riding him ..." Llewelyn heard Davydd draw a sharp, hissing breath. But he kept his eyes upon Gruffydd, saw the color mount in the younger man's face. At last he said abruptly, "Help me up, Davydd." It was painful to bear weight upon his left leg, but not enough for alarm. He glanced down at himself and grimaced, for his tunic was soaked with sweat and caked with mud. "See to the stallion for me, Gruffydd. Right now I need a long, hot bath. And whilst I soak, I shall try to decide who best deserves to own such a remarkable beast. Pembroke's a possibility, but I'm more inclined to offer it to Hubert de Burgh." As he expected, that got a laugh, gave him the opportunity to make an unhurried, graceful exit. But Joanna was not deceived; she knew him too well, knew he was playing to their audience, that only when they were alone would she find out the full extent of his injuries. ENTERING their bedchamber, Joanna discovered that Llewelyn had not bothered to summon his squires; he had simply flung himself dovvfl upon the bed. She moved toward him, stopping several feet away, have to tell you," she said slowly. "That was one of the most foolhardy things you've ever done." Llewelyn's mouth twitched. "No, breila. That was the most to hardy."

  V 579 He held out his hand and Joanna caught it between her own. "Let jj,e summon a doctor, Llewelyn. I'll not rest easy until I hear him say you are well and truly unhurt." "If you must. But not now, not yet." He allowed Joanna to help him strip off his runic and his muddy boots; then he lay back against the pillows, his eyes closing again. She stroked his hair, pressed her lips to the pulse in his throat. He was drenched in perspiration; she could hear the rapid pounding of his heart, and her own took up a quicker cadence, put he did not seem to be in great discomfort; she read exhaustion in his face more than pain. "You look so ... remote, so far away. What are you thinking of?" "A day twenty years past, the day I gave Gruffydd that white palfrey." His eyes remained closed, but he seemed to sigh. "What a twisted road we've traveled since then ..." "Llewelyn ... do you believe Gruffydd? That he truly did not know the stallion was so wild?" "He knew." Llewelyn turned his head on the pillow, met her eyes. "He wanted to see me take a fall," he said softly. "To see me fail." Joanna's suspicions were uglier than his. But she said nothing, for she knew now that he'd not walked away unscathed, after all. Knowing that he'd insist upon eating in the great hall, she said, "I'll go to the kitchens, instruct the cooks to delay dinner. Try to rest, beloved; I'll be back." Ednyved was waiting for her on the outer stairway of the Great Tower. "How does he, in truth?" "He has no hurts you can see. Where is Gruffydd?" USUALLY, grooms had to resort to a lip twitch in order to handle the white stallion. But this time it had submitted meekly, too shaken by its fall to summon up a spirit of defiance. Gruffydd was still shaken, too. He lingered in the stable long after we grooms had gone, slumping down on a large bale of hay. It was 9uiet, and the smells of horses and hay and manure were comforting in 'heir very familiarity. He sat there for some time, alone in the semi^arkness, listening to the soft nickering of the animals, trying to make Sense out of emotions that were as contradictory as they were compelIri8- His senses were normally acute, but he'd let himself be lulled into "Caution, and he did not hear the footsteps in the straw, jumped when a v°ice spoke suddenly out of the shadows. How disappointed you must be." k The voice was familiar, and yet it was not. It sounded like Davydd, Jt held none of Davydd's vaunted control, the icy indifference that

  580 Davydd had learned to wield like a whip. This voice was uneven, raw with rage, throbbing with hatred. Gruffydd got slowly to his feet, and one of the shadows moved, revealing that it was indeed his younger brother. But this was a Davydd he'd never seen before, and he instinctively dropped his hand to his sword hilt. "I do not know what you mean." "Yes, you do. You deliberately goaded Papa into riding that stallion, knowing full well that the horse was not broken!" "That is not true. I did not know." Davydd's lip curled back. "Liar!" he jeered. "No man buys a horse without riding it first. And you even claim you were warned it was skittish. You'd never have resisted a challenge like that, not you! You tried to ride that stallion, and if there were any justice, you'd have broken your worthless neck! Was that when you got the idea? When you found you could not master him yourself?" Gruff ydd took a swift, threatening step forward. He towered over the younger man, but Davydd stood his ground. Gruffydd had flushed. Lying did not come easily to him, and he made no more false denials, instead fell back upon the truth, as he perceived it to be. "Even if I did know about the stallion, I had no evil intent in mind, never meant for Papa to be hurt." "I'll grant you that. You were more ambitious, were hoping for more than a broken leg. I think you've grown weary of waiting, think you wanted him dead!" Gruffydd gasped, then lashed out. Davydd saw the blow coming and recoiled, but he was not fast enough. Had he not pulled away, it might have broken his jaw. As it was, it had enough force to snap his head back, to stagger him. He stumbled and Gruffydd swung again, buried his fist in Davydd's stomach. He doubled up, fell to the floor just as Joanna and Ednyved entered the stable. "Jesus God, no!" Joanna gave Gruffydd one incredulous look of horror, knelt by her son. He was bleeding profusely, and she was afraid to touch him, afraid to find a wound that might be mortal. Ednyved, too, had whitened at sight of Davydd's blood. "Christ, what have you done?" he demanded, grabbing Gruffydd roughly by the arm. Gruffydd jerked free. "What do you think, that I stabbed him?' Outraged, he drew his sword halfway up the scabbard. "Do you see any blood on the blade? I hit him, that's all." "He's lying, Ednyved, has to be. Jesu, look at all this blood!" "Mama ..." Davydd coughed, struggled to sit up. "Mama, Im n hurt." . s Gruffydd let his sword slide down the scabbard. "Your precl I'm not

  581 nestling has a nosebleed, Madame/' he said scornfully. "No more than that. . this time." Joanna could see now that Gruffydd spoke the truth, that this frightening rush of bright red blood was indeed coming from Davydd's nose. Forcing him to lie flat, she sought to stanch the bleeding with her veil. Gruffydd stood watching for a moment longer, then turned and stalked out. As soon as the bleeding ceased, Davydd insisted upon sitting up. "I need some water," he muttered. "I cannot go out there with blood all over me." Ednyved found a drinking pail, but when Joanna tried to help, Davydd snapped, "I am not a child, Mama, do not need to be coddled!" "Davydd, that was not my intent!" But Gruffydd's taunt came back to Joanna then"your precious nestling"and her hand slipped from Davydd's sleeve. She would have protested, though, when he turned to go. But Ednyved caught her eye, shook his head. "It's best to let him be," he advised, once Davydd was out of hearing. "His pride is sore, and that's not a hurt a mother can heal." Joanna did not agree, but she had not the energy to argue. Reaction had set in and she was trembling again. She looked about in vain for a stable workbench, dropped down upon the bale of hay. "Till the day I die," she said numbly, "I'll never be able to forget that sight, Davydd crumpled on the ground, drenched in blood, with Gruffydd standing o
ver him, hand on sword hilt. Can you blame me, Ednyved, for thinking what I did?" Ednyved sat beside her on the bale. "No, for I thought it, too." "Llewelyn thinks Gruffydd wanted to see him take a fall. I would that I could believe he had nothing more in mind. Tell me the truth, Ednyved. Do you think Gruffydd was hoping Llewelyn would be badly hurt, mayhap even killed?" He seemed in no hurry to respond. "I saw his face when Llewelyn was thrown. If he was not fearful for Llewelyn, he's a rather remarkable actor, and acting has never been one of his talents." "But he had to know the risk!" "Joanna, you're asking me what only Gruffydd can answer. It may e that even he does not know for certes. If you're asking whether Grufydd hates Llewelyn, I think he has learned to hate him. But in a strange Way, I think he still loves him, too." 'How can he hate and love Llewelyn at the same time?" Ednyved shrugged. "Probably the same way you hate and love "V he said, and Joanna jumped to her feet, began to pace. Gruffydd has no intention of honoring Llewelyn's wishes, of ac-

  582 cepting Davydd as his liege lord. As soon as Llewelyn is dead, he means to lay claim to the crown." "I know that, and I know, too, what you fear. But you're seeing Davydd with a mother's eye. Do not underestimate the lad, Joanna. He is stronger than you think." "I am not saying Davydd is weak! I am saying he is young, too young. He's just nineteen, Ednyved, and Gruffydd is thirty-two, with years of battlefield experience. Can you honestly tell me you believe Davydd could hold his own against Gruffydd?" "Not now," he conceded. "Not yet." A silence fell between them He watched Joanna pace, finally said, "I can think of only one way to solve the problem Gruffydd poses. But I doubt you could bring yourself to do it, not even for Davydd. Hire men to arrange a killing." Joanna recoiled, and he said dryly, "You see? I knew you could never do it." "Neither could you." Joanna moved toward him. "But you've given me an idea, Ednyved. What if Gruffydd were banished from Llewelyn's court, banished from Wales?" He looked thoughtful, nodded slowly. "Yes, that might well give Davydd the time he'd need. But you'd best think this through, Joanna You're talking about causing Llewelyn a great deal of pain." "I know." She shook out her crumpled veil, stared down at the bloodstains. "Will you help me, Ednyved? If not for Davydd, for Gwynedd?" "Yes," he said. "I'll help you. How?" "I do not know yet," she admitted. "But I'll find a way. Somehow I'll find a way." JOANNA'S mission to Shrewsbury met with surprising success. She was able to patch up another peace, to stave off a confrontation between Llewelyn and the English crown. But she was not sanguine about the long-term prospects of this truce, suspected it would be of fleeting dura tion, for Hubert de Burgh was not content with his acquisition of Mon gomery Castle, was casting covetous eyes upon the neighboring We commote of Ceri. Gruffydd reacted with predictable fury to Llewelyn's announ^ ment of a truce, and after quarreling bitterly with Llewely1' withdrew from his father's court for several weeks. Joanna usual y corned his absences, but for the first time she found herself waltl"glvto patiently for Gruffydd's return. She had finally hit upon a plan/Jl e

  5S3 be successful bv its VP>"«= , , sr-i - "*«; ssri^sss* A MIDDAY SUn Was sfalti -»-. i_ , Aber's great ha,, In te^nt^? ?7? ^ ^^^n floor of Davydd Benfras was replied h ^f ^ W3S m Progress All around hum men w£ ^^T^" ^ on h» ^rite Lp grees of enthusiasm, rubb^° tdd. /"I "^ Wlth dlffeg de- mg harnesses, wh.tthng v^S*? ^T ^ 8°°Se Srease' -endWomen were chumlng b^«er 1 ' T^' tOyS f°r chlldren abo^r^t£^b^^^ rarely had Joanna been so t^nsT Sh* Pe^ ^T^^ tranqu>"'ty, but woo, upon a trestle table, w^e cutfn " f ^ ^ H/d Spread a length of could not keep her mind or^ ^"f ^ a §OWn ff Cathenne But she away from Gruffydd ' haXld' COuld not keep her eyes emng li^slTaS^ ^nnro^T cC"^8 '^ SCt the sharP«« cup, then ,mgered to till and r ^ U8ht ^ 3 br"4 the moment F.rst she'd had t J°anna s nerve« grew more taut bv *ehaU,not wantm^ ^"h"d to ""' **<***ydd'S S°n °^ «o leave *nZ^Twltt^ sGfnirx-^^ -rtweaked - ;^^s5~^r - fjly ^used that Senena ^^^ "^ K ^ 3nd Joanna ^s 50 desplsed na' tc*o, had adopted the style of a people she 3$p£^tttttt ^-^ssf^r5^^^ CSTe«° hme' ^ust ^ she k^elr f SUjre!hat GrUffydd str^ ^1 :Uffydd ^s hke L,ewe,^rn^Tehyn ^ °CCaS'°nally Stra/ed "S women, he was hke LJeS^. . he C0tlld have hls Plck of very ^omanf nu^rous, ever-chant^ fn °' " * at he Seemed to have no DfiW'th *e wife who 0^^ f ^^ ^ W3S COntent «th one ^l°afsh- a« -y itt^oufd7b?^ h^' ^ ^ aS ft^ 3 e«« ana,ogy, JcMnna .^^ ^^ ^ ^ ^^

  584 maned male lion, awesome to behold but actually dependent upon h' less flamboyant mate, the rangy lioness who did the hunting. Seneria of the watchful cat-eyes, Senena who was more calculating than her tem pestuous husband, and thus more dangerous. But no, she was bein unfair now, letting her dislike of Senena lead her astray. How could sh blame the woman for being loyal to her husband, her children? Thev had three now: nine-year-old Owain, six-year-old Gwladys, and a second son born just that spring, named after Llewelyn. Joanna frowned, brought her mental ramblings to an abrupt halt Why was she going on like this? Yes, Gruffydd was a caring husband, a loving father. What of it? Why was she culling out his virtues from amongst his failings, searching for those few traits she might justifiably honor? After some moments of conjecture, she thought she knew. It was as if she were seeking to reassure herself, to show that she was not acting out of malice, that her hatred of Gruffydd played no part in what she was about to do. Well, mayhap her motives were not as pure as she'd have liked, but she'd not be lying when she answered to the Almighty for this, when she avowed that she could see no other way, no other choice. At last Senena was moving away. Joanna laid her scissors down, stood up. Her eyes searched out Ednyved. He nodded almost imperceptibly, started toward the door. Joanna braced herself, then crossed the hall, sat down beside Gruffydd in the window seat. Gruffydd could not hide his surprise. "Yes, Madame?" he said coldly, warily. "I thought you might want to congratulate me. I did avert a war, did I not?" This was so unlike Joanna that Gruffydd's suspicions kindled like sun-dried straw, and he responded with uncommon caution. "No, you did not. You did but delay it. You did my father no service by you! meddling, for Hubert de Burgh will take our restraint as weakness. Hell be all the more likely now to move into Ceri, because we failed to hai him at Tre Faldwyn ... or as you Normans call it, Montgomery." "I'm sorry you take that view. But I cannot say I'm surprised. AKe all, you have such a limited understanding of political matters, n fortunate for Gwynedd that Davydd and not you shall rule in Lie*' lyn's stead." Gruffydd caught his breath. "Just what do you want from me. This was not going as she'd hoped it would. Gruffydd was fun ^ but so far he was keeping his voice as low as hers; they'd yet to a attention. Moreover, she was finding it harder than she'd exp' iected< provoke a quarrel in cold blood, to insult without the excuse ofang*

  585 "There is no mystery, Gruffydd. You remember that davi , n, at Cncieth Castle, that day you deliberately baited Lle^^'S that crazed stallion? I knew that was not mischance, knew whlTyou hal in mind, letting a poor dumb brute do your killing for you I ^could not prove it... until now." y )Ust could Gruffydd was on his feet before she could finish speaking "That's a lie, an accursed Norman lie!" 8 Joanna rose, too. Heads were turning now, swiveling in response to Gruffydd s shout. From the corner of her eye, she saw Llewelyn and Ednyved entenng the hall. But she saw, too, that Senena was hastening toward them. She reached out, put a hand upon Gruffydd's arm as! seeking to placate him, and said softly, "As I said, I have proof One o SffiESL? me'confessed he found a splked bu" -d- *e She got no further. Gruffydd's outrage, his sense of injustice and mjury overrode all else, swept aside the last shreds of his restra nt He d always suspected Joanna of trying to poison Llewelyn's mind against ,m, but in his worst imaginings he'd never expected her to concfc so latant, so brazen a lie. Had she been a man, he'd have already exacted his vengeance. But his was a society in which women were not tote subjected to violence. Even now the ingrained discipline of a iLtime held, and he dld the only thing he could do, flung the content o his wine cup into Joanna's face. utterJOanndnaah8a?Prd; ^ 1Jln8efhad to feign a^r. "You're a lunatic, an u v The h . I ^ Cried' baCking ^ fri8htened by his ury _The hall was in pandemonium; through a roaring in her ears she in IT! rT
g' S3W a Wur °f shocked faces' * registering Scheed he t I*? ^ jUSt ^ And then LleweVhal h s la h ^?' T She f°rg0t the PretenSC' for§ot she had sprune Sd pu'reTete!" """^ ^ ** 3rmS With 3 heartfdt' "Th-? he sZ°nU're n0t !!Urt?" He W3ited °nly for her to shake her head before or yl found" t0 C°nfr0nt,hiS S0n' "A" y°Ur Hfe IVe made «cuses not even b T80"8 CXplain '^^ ^ deran8ed behavi°r- I can- Cer^ BT "^ timeS 1Ve OVerl°°ked ^ temP«s, your unde s. But no more. This time you'll answer for what you've done " ^ But it was not my fault!" ^uniableT1" 1S/ ^ "? Y°U/re alWayS the in'Ured innocent' never ace«1s wi h h' y°Ur °Wn aCti0nS' It/S 3S " y°Ur Cntire history be& and '*» yl rs a^VT ^ 8P6nt EngHsh PriS°nS- Wdl' that was thiyears ago/ Gruffydd, and my patience has at last run out " Vi*hTmen,aorUUgging frantkally 3t Gruffydd's arm- "Do not argue mm, love, I beg you. Do not say what you may later regret!"

  586 Gruffydd ignored her, did not even hear her. "Your patience? What of mine? You talk of making excuses for me. What do you think I've had to do for you? I've watched for years as you shamed yourself, shamed us all, watched and could do nothing about it. I do not know why this last surrender surprised me so. You're so eager to stay in the good graces of the English King that nothing else matters to you . . . least of all, pride. I once accused her"he pointed toward Joanna"of bewitching you, and you denied it. But how else explain your actions? You demean yourself before the English King, allow de Burgh and Pembroke to humiliate you, to" "That is enough, Gruffydd!" "What do you call it, if not humiliation? You can posture all you want, boast that you're a brother sovereign of the Scots King, but the truth is that you've shackled us to the English throne, made us vassals of John's son. And yet we're likely to look back upon your reign as the Golden Age of Gwynedd, in comparison with what would befall us under Davydd! Christ, Papa, you must see him for what he is, a craven weakling, a pampered milksop who'd panic at the first hint of trouble, and yet you'd have him over me! You'd forsake your firstborn, abandon our ancient laws of inheritance, and all to please a Norman-French bedmate!" "I do see Davydd for what he is, and I see you for what you are, irresponsible and willful and foolish beyond belief. You talk of governing Gwynedd, and yet you cannot even govern your own temper. You're a child, Gruffydd, a child at two and thirty, and it is time you faced the truth. I would never have turned Gwynedd over to you. Should evil befall Davydd in my lifetime, I'll choose Tegwared then, or even Adda's son. But not you, never you, for you'd blunder into a war you could never win, destroy the work of a lifetime in less than a twelvemonth." Gruffydd was stunned. "You'd do that? You'd truly choose Tegwared over me?" "Yes." Llewelyn's voice was very cold. "If it came to that, I would. In the silence that followed, Gruffydd could hear the ragged, la' bored sound of his own breathing; it seemed so loud to him that he feared others, too, might hear. Senena was plucking again at his sleeve/ her eyes were wet with tears. "Beloved, please. Come away now." "Not yet." His voice sounded strange to him, as if coming from a distance. "So you do not think I'm fit to rule? Well, go ahead, have Davydd acknowledged by the English, by the Pope, the Marcher lordsThe Lord Jesus Himself can anoint him, for all I care. For it will avail yo naught, old man. Your power stops this side of the grave. Once yo°