by Sean Poage
The next morning Gawain and Peredur met with Bedwyr and the rest of the Guard. Everyone expected Gawain to return, so there was no feeling of farewells. Gawain could not put his finger on the reason he felt depressed as he and Peredur rode out of the north gate, each leading a spare horse. It had settled on him when he mounted his horse and Bedwyr had looked up, smiling and said, “May God bring you safely to your family in the north and not let you forget your family here in the south.”
The return trip followed roughly the same path the army of Alt Clut had taken south, though Gawain insisted that they avoid major settlements, taking their rest in camp or accepting the hospitality of farmers or villagers.
It struck both Gawain and Peredur hard to realise that of that entire army, they were the only ones returning. Gawain also anticipated a very painful meeting with Gareth’s mother. Overall, it dulled the excitement both felt about returning home after a year away.
After a mostly uneventful journey of just over a fortnight, in which they twice had to evade outlaw bands, they found themselves back in the familiar lands of their youth. Gawain chose seldom-used paths until they stood in the eaves of the forest that surrounded the fields around their hilltop home.
“I assume you took this round-about way for a reason?” Peredur asked. Gawain sat in his saddle, staring up at the distant stockade, the light of the sinking sun shining on the limewashed timbers.
“Gawain?”
“It feels like we’ve been gone for ages,” Gawain said distantly, “and it strikes me as odd that everything looks exactly the same, while I feel like a foreigner.” He shook himself out of it and looked over at Peredur, smiling sheepishly. “I apologise. Peredur, would you do me a favour?”
“Of course.”
“The moment we approach the gate, we’ll be swarmed,” Gawain said, nodding up towards the fort. “I crave a quiet moment with my wife and child before I have to face everyone else.”
“I’ll lead your horses to the gates and keep everyone distracted for as long as I can,” Peredur grinned. “In fact, I might enjoy being the hero for a spell before you show up.”
“When I tell of how you saved my life and single-handedly routed the Vesi, they’ll erect a stone in your name,” Gawain chuckled. He dismounted and tied the horses together in a line.
Peredur turned back into the forest and followed a path to the road leading to the fort. Gawain, on foot, stole quietly through the fields. His familiarity with the lands allowed him to remain hidden from sight until he had climbed the steep slope and was a stone’s throw from the walls.
Often there would be a single sentry, a boy usually, tasked with keeping a watch along the battlements. He did not see one, but he did not have to wait long before he heard a slight commotion at the gate. Taking the cue, he ran lightly forward, leapt across the stagnant water at the bottom of the ditch and climbed the far bank to the wall. He found the barely perceptible toe and finger holds he had used as a child, and with much more difficulty than he remembered, heaved himself up and over.
Sure enough, a small crowd had gathered excitedly at the gate around Peredur and his line of horses. Gawain slipped around the side of his house just as the door opened, and Gwalhafed stepped out to investigate the noise. Gawain raised his hands up to stop Gwalhafed’s outburst of surprise, and the old warrior immediately looked around, fearing an attack.
Gawain embraced him and quickly whispered his intentions. Gwalhafed, pure joy on his face, smiled and motioned for him to stay back as he opened the door and leant in again to call Gladus and his children outside to see a new litter of pups. He led them off to the gate before they could see Gawain.
Gawain, wishing he had thought to wash at a brook, took a deep breath and, surprised to find himself trembling, pulled open the door and stepped in. Across the room, Rhian sat with her back to him, singing a lullaby as she combed out a handful of wool. The light from the fire made a golden halo about her and Gawain stood transfixed, unable to speak or move. Finally, she turned to pick up another handful of wool and froze, seeing Gawain by the door.
Her eyes lit up, then turned to dread and the colour drained from her face as Gawain did not move or speak for those few heartbeats. Gawain suddenly realised she feared he was a shade, come to inform her of his death. He hurried forward to prove he was real and alive, sweeping her up in his arms and holding her tight.
“Dear God, Gawain, is it really you?” Rhian asked tears spilling out of her eyes.
“It is, my love,” Gawain whispered, his own face wet with tears. They held each other for a long, long moment, kissing and touching until Gawain paused to look around. He found the cradle beside the fire, and the sleeping child swaddled within.
With eyes full of pride, Rhian disentangled herself from his embrace, stooped to gently lift the small bundle and placed it in Gawain’s arms.
“Gawain, meet your daughter,” she smiled, revelling in the look of joy and wonder in Gawain’s eyes as he held her as if she were made of glass.
Gawain, finding no words, pulled Rhian in close. The little girl’s eyes opened and looked into his, and he forgot entirely about war, glory and riches.
Not The End.
Author’s Note
In 1987 I was a terminally bored high school student that found history to be the only class I looked forward to. But English class required a term paper, and with no ideas, I wandered around the school library until the librarian handed me a book and suggested I would find it interesting. She was right. The book was The Discovery of King Arthur by Geoffrey Ashe.
I was fascinated, and Mr Ashe’s thesis inspired me to put more work into that assignment than any I ever had. Unfortunately, I had different ideas of how to structure the paper than my teacher and received only a B+, rather than the A+ I felt it deserved. But I kept that paper, and somehow it survived many years and relocations.
Years passed, and whenever an Arthurian topic crossed my path, Mr Ashe’s thesis would cross my mind. I learned of many different theories of who Arthur may have been. With so little written documentation from the period and no definitive evidence in support of, or even against, nearly any particular theory, it pretty much comes down to the mental image of one’s favourite Arthur. I have two favourite Arthurs. One being the gritty Dark Ages warrior who fought the Saxons to a temporary standstill, and no more. The other is the Arthur that began like that and, for a short time, became so much more that, despite a lack of written records, his fame continued and expanded over the centuries.
I found myself wishing that someone would make a movie or write a novel based on that Arthur, the one described in Geoffrey Ashe’s book, true to the era and filling in all the elusive details. Warriors in chain mail rather than plate armour. Castles made of wood, not tall towers of stone. Then it occurred to me that maybe I should do it. At the very least I could create a tale that I would like and, with any luck, others might enjoy as well.
So began an intense period of research, which I often describe as “drinking from a firehose”. There was so much to learn, and my studies took me into details and subjects I would never have considered relevant and opened me up to new ideas. I became fascinated by the oldest stories, the vaguest ancient mentions of Arthur from long before the much later “Romances” that brought us a sword in a stone, a Lady of the Lake, a Round Table or a Grail.
Those later Romances certainly have nothing to do with any real Arthur. But perhaps some truth lingers from ancient stories passed down over centuries. So while my goal is a story that is as historically plausible as possible, I have tried to imagine ways that later legends may have formed from subtle shadows of centuries earlier. I hope you’ve enjoyed my version of this story and all the historical and legendary shadows that make it up.
Thank you,
Sean Poage
Meet Sean Poage
As a lifelong explorer, sleuth and amateur historian,
Sean Poage has travelled the world and worked in a variety of occupations, including soldier, police officer and computer geek. His curiosity about beginnings, journeys and what motivates people drew him to prehistoric linguistics, Neolithic Britain, the ancient Sumerians, Mycenaean Greece and the enigmatic world of the “Dark Ages” in Europe.
Discovering that the ancient origins of “King Arthur” and his knights were far more interesting than the well-known stories written centuries later, Sean’s research took him deep into the history and legends of the Arthurian Age. What began as a mental exercise examining one promising theory resulted in his ground-breaking novel, The Retreat to Avalon. The second book in the series, The Strife of Camlan, will carry on from the events of the first book, while the final book, The Three Terrible Revelations, will take us back to the beginning of the Arthurian Age and answers the remaining mysterious questions.
Sean is a graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Networking from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. When he isn’t writing, Sean works as an IT manager and enjoys spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their blended family of four children, a cat and a dog in Maine, USA.
List of Terms
Locations
Andecava Angers, France
Aletum Saint-Malo, France
Anderida Pevensey, East Sussex
Aurelianis Orléans, France
Argentomo Argenton-sur-Creuse, France
Alt Clut An ancient stronghold near Glasgow, Scotland, now known as Dumbarton Castle. The political makeup of the region at that time is not well known, nor are the names used, so for the purposes of this story, it is also the name of the “kingdom” that later becomes Strathclyde.
Autissodoro Auxerre, France
Berneich Early name for the Briton kingdom later known as Bryneich, then Bernicia under the Anglo-Saxons.
Blesum Blois, France
Biturigas Bourges, France
Cadubrega This is the name I have given to the ancient hillfort at South Cadbury, Somerset. Not satisfied with the current guesses of origin for the name Cadbury, I learned that “Cadubrega” would translate as “Battle Hill” in Brittonic. The hillfort is known to have been the site of a battle between the invading Romans and the Iron Age tribes of the region, so I believe it fits to imagine a traditional name passed down by the Britons, eventually converted by the conquering Anglo-Saxons to become Cadbury, today. Archaeologists have found evidence of major refortification and reuse of the site in the late 5th century, leading many to believe this may have been the site of Arthur’s headquarters. Note: “Camelot” was a much later invention of the Arthurian Romances.
Cair Cerin Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Cair Durnac Dorchester, Dorset
Cair Ebrauc York, Yorkshire
Cair Gloui Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Cair Guinntguic Winchester, Hampshire
Cair Guricon Wroxeter, Shropshire
Cair Legion Chester, Cheshire
Cair Ligualid Carlisle, Cumbria
Cair Lind Colun Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Cair Maon Kenchester, Hereford
Cair Maunguid Manchester, Lancashire
Cair Pensa uel Coit Ilchester, Somerset
Cair Sul Bath, Somerset. The current name is derived from its Anglo-Saxon name, Baðum. The Roman name was Aquae Sulis, or Waters of Sulis, an earlier Brittonic goddess. The name used by the Britons of the 5th century is unknown. Some people, including Geoffrey of Monmouth, thought that the Anglo-Saxon name derived from a Brittonic name (and associated the location with the Battle of Badon) but a Brittonic expert informed me this could not be the case, so I have decided on this name for the purposes of the story.
Cair Teim Cardiff, Glamorgan
Cair Uisc Exeter, Devon
Caledonia The Roman name for the area now known as Scotland, at the time being the lands north of Hadrian’s Wall. Also known as Pictavia (Pictland), for the Picts.
Cathures Glasgow, Scotland
Clut The River Clyde in Southern Scotland
Comberos Quimper, France
Din Eidyn The ancient stronghold of the Gododdin, now Edinburgh, Scotland.
Din Pendyrlaw The ancient hillfort of the Gododdin, at Traprain Law in East Lothian, Scotland.
Din Tagell Tintagel, Cornwall
Dolens Déols, France
Dolus Dol-de-Bretagne, France
Dumnein The Briton kingdom originally called Dumnonia in South-West England, centred in the area now called Devon, but including modern Cornwall and part of Somerset.
Gaul The name for the region of Europe composed today of France, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, Northern Italy and parts of the Netherlands and Germany.
Germania The Roman name for parts of north-western Europe composed today of parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, western and south-western Germany, Switzerland and eastern France.
Gododdin A Brittonic kingdom, later known as Lothian, centred around the area of Din Eidyn and Din Pendyrlaw. It appears to have been alternately independent or under the control of Alt Clut/Strathclyde in the era after Rome’s withdrawal and before being absorbed by Anglian Bernicia in the 7th century.
Grimm’s Dyke This is a possible early name for the Antonine Wall, which stretches from the Firth of Clyde to the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It was built by the Romans in 154 AD for the same purpose as the better known and earlier, Hadrian’s Wall to the south. By the 5th century, the wall had mostly deteriorated to a deep ditch and earthen dyke and the origins had been forgotten by most. In this story, the locals believe it to have been created by a giant.
Guent The Early name for the Briton kingdom later known as Gwent in Wales.
Hibernia The Roman name for Ireland (see ‘Iwerddon’).
Hispania The Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula, now composed of Spain and Portugal.
Iwerddon The Early Welsh name for Ireland (see ‘Hibernia’).
Leger River The Loire River in France.
Letavia An early name for the region that would become Brittany.
Lemovis Limoges, France
Namnetis Nantes, France
Paguis The Early name for the Briton kingdom later known as Powys in Wales.
Parisius Paris, France
Pictavis Poitiers, France
Redones Rennes, France
Suessionum Soissons, France; Syagrius’s capital.
Tolosa Toulouse, France; Euric’s capital.
Tornai Tournai, Belgium; Childeric’s capital.
Treveris Trier, Germany; capital of Arbogast’s realm.
Tuedd The River Tweed in Southern Scotland
Turonis Tours, France
Ynys Witrin Brittonic for “Isle of Glass”, now called Glastonbury Tor, Somerset.
Peoples
Britons The collection of Celtic tribes originally inhabiting what is today known as England, Wales, southern Scotland and the region of France known as Brittany.
Burgundi An East Germanic collection of tribes who, with Roman cooperation, established a kingdom within the empire, in the western Alps region where modern Switzerland, France and Italy meet. “Burgundii” would signify the people of the Burgundi tribe.
Celts This is a modern name loosely defining a group of peoples that shared similar languages and cultures but not necessarily ethnicity. They were mostly centred in Gaul and the British Isles. The term originated from Greek explorers who described the tribes of Gaul as “Keltoi” and may have been the name those tribes used. There are two primary divisions based on the form of Celtic spoken. One form, known as P-Celtic, is the language of Britons and Gauls, and possibly that of the Picts. It evolved into modern day Welsh, Cornish and Breton. The other form, Q-Celtic, was spoken in Ireland, evolving into Irish and Scottish Gaelic. It is important to note that at the time, the people making up the Celtic tribes would not have considered themselves “Celts” or have any shared identity, even within smaller regions like Ireland or Britain. They would have identified themselves by their t
ribal names or, if part of the Roman Empire and heavily influenced by Roman culture, would have considered themselves Romans. It is only with the end of the Roman occupation and under pressure from outside invasion, such as from Germany or Ireland, that they might have adopted something approaching a shared regional identity, like “Britons”.
Picts A collection of tribes in what is today Scotland. Little is known of them, though they are thought to be closely related in language and culture to the Britons to their south.
Ripuari A branch of the Franks, a Germanic tribe.
Sali The other branch of the Germanic Franks. They became dominant with the rise of the Merovingians, the dynasty founded by Merovech, the father of Childeric I.
Saxons A Germanic tribe first recorded as living near the North Sea coast of what is now Germany and Denmark. The term was often used as a general term for any of the Germanic tribes that raided and settled Britain, including the Angles, Jutes and Franks.
Scoti A Celtic tribe from Northern Ireland, they colonised parts of western Scotland, eventually subsuming the Picts and Britons in that region and lending their name to the modern country. Due to their frequent raiding, the name Scoti was often used as a general term for any of the tribes of Ireland by Britons and Romans unfamiliar with the other tribal names.
Visigoths The “Western Goths”, a branch of nomadic East Germanic tribes referred to collectively as the Goths or Gothi. By the 5th century AD, they controlled most of central and south-western Gaul as well as Hispania. Also known as “Vesi” in vernacular Latin.
Miscellaneous
ap “Son of”; in the time before surnames, people were often identified by their given name and a parent’s name, usually that of the father but sometimes that of the mother. For instance, “Gawain ap Gwyar”.
Arian In Christianity, Arianism is an early concept which asserts the belief that the Son of God did not always exist but was begotten by God the Father. It stood in contrast to the Nicene, i.e. Catholic, belief and was eventually declared heretical. It was widely practised among East Germanic tribes such as the Goths until about the Seventh Century AD.