Dragon of the Island

by Mary Gillgannon

  Aurora, repelled, turned away and glanced at Maelgwn, who sat impassively sipping his beer. His face looked calm and imperturbable, but Aurora saw the slight twitch in his jaw, and knew that he, too, was displeased by Cunedda’s and Esylt’s familiarity. It was bad enough for them to fondle each other so obviously in this public place, but it was worse to know that Cunedda’s wives—and perhaps Esylt’s lover—were watching, too. Aurora hoped Maelgwn would never be so crude as to caress another woman while she watched. She had a feeling he would end up with her eating knife in his gullet if he ever shamed her so!

  Perhaps Cunedda tired of Esylt, too, for presently he turned to Maelgwn and began to converse politely with him. Aurora could not quite hear what they were saying, and she let her mind wander, glancing around the large room in curiosity. She picked out the figure of the young red-haired man she presumed to be Cunedda’s brother as he stood near the wall with a group of other warriors. With his extravagant coloring he easily outshone the other Brigante men, and Aurora found it hard to pull her eyes away.

  The young warrior was much younger than Cunedda, and it was likely he had a different mother. He was also leaner and more gracefully built, and the air of fierceness about him came not from brute strength, but from a fiery energy that burned in his sharp-boned face. He was handsome like a wild animal, Aurora thought, intrigued, and as she watched, he looked directly at her, catching her in the act of admiring him.

  Aurora glanced away in embarrassment, realizing too late how inappropriate, even dangerous, her behavior was. As she lowered her gaze, shamefaced, she could feel the young warrior’s magnetic eyes boring into her. She hoped no one else in the room had noticed their quick exchange of glances.

  She looked over at Maelgwn and Cunedda and was relieved to find the two men were still deep in their discussion. But her indiscretion had not gone completely unnoticed. Aurora realized that Esylt was staring at her intently. She kept her glance directed down, avoiding the venomous hatred in Esylt’s glittering blue eyes. Her heart pounded ominously in her chest, and the chill of fear that moved into her bones deepened as she flicked her eyes up to see that Esylt had gotten up and was walking in the direction of the red-haired man.

  Aurora almost jumped when Maelgwn put a hand on her knee to get her attention. She looked into his smiling face for a long moment before she figured out that he was explaining that the next part of the festivities—the gift giving—was about to begin. Within seconds, servants came to take the remains of the food away, and Cunedda stood to formally welcome the Cymru to Manau Gotodin.

  Balyn and Gareth had long since left the hall, and now they returned with the red-haired slave. Each of them carried a heavy load, and one by one, the gifts of Maelgwn to his host were brought forward and displayed—baskets of grain, jars of wine and oil, and then the more luxurious items: a small box of pearls from the Gwynedd coast that was passed around among the delighted women, finely crafted iron tools, and the beautiful skin of a spotted cat, the snarling head still attached.

  Then it was Cunedda’s turn. Several women came forward to present the gifts, and for a moment Aurora’s attention was focused on the women themselves.

  In addition to their exceptional height, the Brigante women looked very strong, and to Aurora, they seemed almost as frightening as the men. They were beautiful, though, in a haughty, lurid way. Their skin was milky white, with blue veins that shone in their necks, and their hair was thick and heavy, in varying shades of red and reddish gold. They wore their hair in fat braids, fastened with ornaments of gold and bronze. Aurora saw in awe that one of the women had braids to her knees.

  The women walked toward Maelgwn with stately, regal grace. The first one brought forward a pile of beautifully dressed hides and laid them at Maelgwn’s feet. Another carried a flash of gold in each hand. When she reached Maelgwn, she kneeled down and placed a heavy gold torque around his neck, where it flashed in the firelight. Sitting as close as she was, Aurora could see that the ends of the torque were formed into snarling wolf heads.

  An identical, but smaller torque was placed around Esylt’s neck by the same woman. At first Aurora felt a stab of anger that Esylt was deemed worthy of such a royal gift, while she was not, but her disappointment faded when she saw the necklace a third woman had brought to place on her neck. It was made out of large creamy white beads that looked like bone, but which had a finer, more delicate texture. Each bead had been intricately carved into a tiny figure, and as Aurora looked down in awe, graceful birds and strange and fanciful beasts seemed to dance around her neck. Many of the animals depicted, she had never seen, but from her lessons with Arian, she suspected that one was a lion, another an elephant. There was even a dragon with a minute arrow-like tail and forked tongue.

  “It’s beautiful!” Aurora exclaimed in delight, and then looked up and saw that her pleasure was mirrored in both Cunedda and Maelgwn’s faces.

  “It’s a rare and beautiful gift for a rare and beautiful woman,” Cunedda said in his heavily-accented voice. Aurora smiled back at him, well-pleased with the extravagant compliment and gift.

  The gift giving did not seem to be quite over. Aurora glanced up and saw that Cunedda’s fox-haired brother stood in front of her.

  He smiled as he knelt down to her, and Aurora smiled back, admiring his strong white teeth. He placed a soft leather bag gently in her lap and then stood and bowed gracefully. The round object within the bag had a familiar feel, and Aurora moved eagerly to open it.

  The drawstring neck opened easily, and Aurora reached inside and pulled out the rather hairy object. It was a human head—dead for some time and beginning to rot. Blind, decaying eyes stared at her from the shrunken face, and Aurora screamed and dropped the head. It rolled slowly down to her feet, and as it rolled, Aurora caught the glimmer of gold lining the inside of the skull.

  Aurora sat stunned, speechless, and looked around at the startled faces watching her. Maelgwn’s face was a cold deadly mask. Cunedda and Esylt had begun to laugh, but the rest of the room was silent, and Aurora could sense their chilling disapproval.

  Aurora moved her eyes up uneasily to face the young man who had presented her with the gift. The muscles of his neck were corded in rage and his handsome face was curdled with hatred. She shook her head pleadingly—she had not meant to offend him—but the gesture seemed to infuriate him even more, for he whirled and stomped off.

  Aurora looked back imploringly at Maelgwn, but his eyes were hard, and she knew he would not help her. Even Balyn and Gareth, who had come to sit by Maelgwn, stared at her in open embarrassment. But it was the sound of Esylt’s cackling laughter that unnerved her. Shaken and confused, Aurora jumped up and ran out of the hall.

  No one moved or tried to stop her, but even out in the damp darkness, Aurora’s panic did not subside. She had the feeling of having done something truly awful, and she expected at any minute to be punished for it. The sound of her own footsteps on the rough, rocky ground sent her heart up into her throat. She kept anticipating a knife in her ribs or a crushing hand on her throat, and for a few seconds she was too terrified to figure out the direction to the guest lodge.

  Gradually the fresh air cleared her head, and her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was a misty, heavily overcast night, and it took some time to locate the hut. When Aurora finally found it and looked inside to see the reassuring clutter of her clothes and possessions, she was so overcome with relief that she rushed in and sank down trembling on the skins near the dying fire.

  As she closed her eyes, the image of the rotting trophy head flashed into her mind, and she gagged. How could the Brigantes even touch such things? she wondered in revulsion. Yet, it was obviously an important and precious gift. The gold that lined the skull must have been enough to make a torque as fine as the ones that had been given to Maelgwn and Esylt. The young man who gave her the head had meant to honor her, Aurora realized wretchedly, and she had managed to offend him, and to dishonor Maelgwn as well.

  A
urora shuddered again in the cozy sheepskins. She felt almost too miserable to cry. She had done something terrible, and then had run cowardly away with Esylt’s taunting laughter ringing in her ears.

  Then it hit Aurora like a thunderbolt. She had seen Esylt talk to the young man after he had caught Aurora staring at him. That was right before the gift exchange began, and Aurora had not seen the red-haired man again until he walked up with his hideous gift. It all made sense now. No doubt Esylt had suggested the gift of the trophy head, knowing what Aurora’s probable reaction would be. Esylt had planned the whole thing; she had deliberately contrived to humiliate Aurora, to disgrace her before one of her husband’s most important allies.

  Consuming anger and hatred replaced Aurora’s shame. She would not take all the blame for her mistake this time. Esylt had gone too far in her attempts to make Maelgwn reject her as his wife. This time Aurora intended to confront Maelgwn with Esylt’s treachery and make him realize what a monster his sister was!

  Maelgwn walked to the guest lodge wearily. His head was spinning with fatigue, mead and the unpleasant surprises of the last few hours. It was as if his worst fears had been realized. He had brought Aurora with him on this journey to impress his ally with her beauty and elegance, and she had ended up embarrassing him and perhaps endangering their future relationship with the Brigantes.

  Still, he could not really blame Aurora for her behavior. Few women who were unfamiliar with the old Celtic custom of trophy heads would not have greeted the gift with some shock. If only she had made an effort to apologize, to smooth things over instead of running off like a distraught frightened child.

  Maelgwn sighed. He was disappointed, but he did not want to be too hard on Aurora. His wife was a spoiled, childish woman, but in a way, that was part of her charm. He could still see the radiant beauty of her face as she fingered the beautiful ivory necklace. She was a woman who was meant to be indulged, and somehow he could not help himself. Even now, tired and discouraged, he could not forget the thrill of watching her naked in the firelight—and the rapture of her silken skin and streaming hair covering him.

  Maelgwn shook off the enticing image. He must be firm with Aurora. If she was to be his queen, she had to learn more self-control. Tomorrow she had to make a public apology for her behavior, especially to Ferdic. Did Aurora even realize that the young man was Cunedda’s oldest son and that someday he would probably be leader of the Brigantes? Maelgwn hoped they could settle things amicably with the young prince. Surely Ferdic would not let something that happened with a mere woman affect an important trading relationship and alliance.

  Maelgwn lifted the hide flap which covered the door of the guest lodge and went inside. He expected to find Aurora in bed, her face tear-streaked and miserable. Instead he found her staring grimly into the fire.

  “About your behavior tonight...” he began, trying to be tactful.

  “My behavior tonight—what of Esylt’s?” Aurora snapped.

  Maelgwn was almost too surprised to be angry. He had not expected her to attack him. “I have told you that Esylt’s behavior is no concern of yours. It hardly reflects on me the way your rudeness does.”

  “What if I told you Esylt planned the whole incident with the... the head? That she deliberately arranged it to humiliate me.” Aurora had jumped up and stood facing him, her eyes flashing in the firelight.

  “I don’t believe you,” Maelgwn answered flatly. “She wouldn’t risk our relationship with Cunedda and his son Ferdic for such an absurd form of vengeance.”

  “His son?” Aurora stopped and her face grew still and thoughtful.

  “Aye. That young man you offended so rudely is the man I may well have to deal with in years to come as the leader of the Brigantes.”

  “I didn’t know. I thought he was Cunedda’s younger brother.”

  “Well, that hardly excuses you!” Maelgwn continued angrily. “Aurora, you must admit that you have no one to blame for your foolish behavior but yourself. It’s time you grew up and thought before you acted.”

  “I tell you, Esylt was behind it!” Aurora cried out in frustration. “I saw her talking to Ferdic right before the gift giving began. I know she put the idea into his head. You saw how she laughed. She didn’t care that her laughter humiliated Cunedda’s son even further.”

  Maelgwn threw his cloak down irritably. “I am tired of your squabbling with Esylt. You blame her for everything that displeases you.”

  “And I am tired of you standing by while she insults me! Did you know that when you were gone to visit the coast, she followed me and threatened me? She warned me to return to Viroconium or she would tell you lies about me.”

  There was a flicker of interest in Maelgwn’s eyes. “Why did you not come to me with this sooner? What lies did she mean to tell me?”

  Aurora stopped, realizing too late how much she had said. “It was... she threatened to tell you that Elwyn and I... that I were unfaithful to you. It’s not true, of course,” she continued breathlessly. “Elwyn was just being kind to me. He would never dream of being disloyal to you, or unfaithful to Gwenaseth.”

  Maelgwn’s face was a mask, calm, unreadable. His tone, ironic. “It’s not Elwyn I worry about when it comes to loyalty... it is you. You have told me enough how unwillingly you came to this marriage. How do I know that I can trust you? “

  Aurora tried to meet her husband’s eyes levelly, but she could not. She was thinking of Esylt’s taunting words.

  “I would never be unfaithful to you Maelgwn,” she said softly.

  Maelgwn took a shaky breath. “No, I suppose you would not. You are probably too afraid of me.” His voice was bitter and scornful, and Aurora wondered what she had done wrong.

  Maelgwn tried to fight back the feelings of helpless jealousy that raged within him. How could he admit, even to himself, that he wanted more than Aurora’s loyalty and fear of him? He wanted her to love him, wanted her feelings for him to be so strong that they erased from her mind the thought of every other man except him.

  Aurora was frightened by her husband’s stark, murderous face as he stared at her in the firelight, but even in her fear, her tongue seemed to form the resentful angry words: “You are a fine one to be jealous,” she shouted. “What of me? You have always chosen to respect Esylt’s feelings over mine. Someday you will find that you cannot have both of us. Someday you will have to choose between us!”

  Aurora’s furious words gradually penetrated Maelgwn’s fevered mind, and the rage and jealousy dropped away from him as quickly as they had come.

  “Aye,” he said softly, staring into the fire. “You are right, I suppose, I will have to choose after all.”

  He turned back to her, and Aurora saw that his face was once again controlled, an inscrutable mask.

  “It doesn’t matter. The important thing is to salvage what goodwill we have left with our hosts.” Maelgwn’s eyes bored into Aurora, and his voice was implacable, commanding. “Tomorrow, you will apologize... to everyone.”

  Aurora nodded. She knew that begging her hosts’ pardon would be easier than making things right with Maelgwn.

  Chapter 19

  The next day Aurora knelt before Cunedda and his son and spoke the words that Maelgwn had taught her. Cunedda smiled at her lustily, and she knew no harm was taken on his part, but of Ferdic she was not so certain. His beautiful blue-green eyes flicked over her face coolly, and she couldn’t tell if the hurt had been soothed or aggravated. She worried she had made a lifelong enemy.

  After an awkward, rather gloomy meal, they set out for home. Aurora could barely stand the sight of Esylt and her crude escort, and she rode as far from them as she could. Maelgwn was moody and preoccupied, seldom speaking to anyone. Aurora found herself riding beside Balyn, and the big man remained friendly and cheerful despite the obvious tension between Aurora and the king. Balyn’s warmth helped Aurora endure the long, exhausting days of traveling, but the nights were nearly unbearable. Aurora slept alone, nursing h
er anger toward Esylt, blaming her sister-in-law for ruining things with Maelgwn. Aurora’s emotions were usually fleeting, but this time her anger did not ebb, but grew and grew. By the time they reached the valley below Caer Eryri, she was seething with hatred.

  Elwyn and Gwenaseth waited arm-in-arm for Maelgwn and the other travelers to arrive. As he drew near to the fortress, Maelgwn smiled confidently and gestured in greeting to his people. Aurora remained grim and unsmiling, her face pale and tense. Gwenaseth and Elwyn looked at each other uneasily.

  “Find out what is wrong with Aurora,” Elwyn whispered. “Something has happened between her and Maelgwn.”

  Gwenaseth nodded.

  Aurora and Gwenaseth climbed the tower stairs, neither of them speaking. The slave boy followed after them, carrying Aurora’s things. As soon as he had left and the door shut behind him, Gwenaseth turned to Aurora.

  “God in heaven, Aurora, what is wrong?”

  “It’s all Esylt’s fault! I’m afraid Maelgwn will never forgive me!” Aurora burst into tears.

  “Tell me what happened,” Gwenaseth said, putting a comforting arm around Aurora’s shoulders.

  In a voice shaking with rage and frustration, Aurora told the story of Ferdic’s gruesome gift and of her fight with Maelgwn afterwards.

  “Well, I suppose you did act impolitely in rejecting the trophy head,” Gwenaseth said when Aurora had finished. “But I’m not sure I would have been able to do much better.” She shuddered. “I told you the Brigantes were not decent people.”

  “But it is not just Ferdic and the Brigantes. Once again Maelgwn has taken Esylt’s side against me.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Gwenaseth pointed

  out. “Perhaps Maelgwn is just worried about what will happen with the alliance.”

  Aurora shook her head grimly. “No, it is more than that. Maelgwn will not speak to me, will hardly even look at me.”