Heart of Alban

by G L Roberts

  “Then if we choose to release them from a daily companionship, they remain tied to us?” Thalynder asked.

  “Yes, their visits would be as unexpected guests we cherish and adore.”

  Arryn looked down at the eggs. “Do we have to decide now?”

  “Not at this very moment,” Bryn said. “But we will have to make this decision before we leave here. I propose to have them take us over the southern sea and to the land of the Romans. We will see what is in store for us. Upon our return to Alban, I would wish to set them free. As a council, I would hope we all came to the same conclusion.”

  “What else is there here for us to see?” Kenna asked.

  “Surely, there are no more surprises,” Malcolm said.

  “Ah, but there is more,” Bryn said. “This whole cavern is one big surprise.” Bryn led the council out of the room and through another long dark hallway. Her torch threw light out toward another doorway at the end of the hall. She walked through the arch into the middle of the room and held her torch aloft. The room began to glow. Among the alcoves and small spaces, the spines of books glinted in the torchlight.

  “Books!” Thalynder said. “Hundreds of books.”

  “In these books are the chronicles of all the dragon riders,” Bryn said. “Here, you will find stories, journals, diaries telling of how the world was, and what led to the demise of many generations.”

  “Demise?” Lothan said. “What demise?”

  “Demise of a unified world,” Malcolm said. “Well, at least a unified country. How else do we explain kingdoms and realms, clanns and tribes? Separation because of ideologies that clashed. The history of Alban alone contests to this demise.”

  “Are we not trying to rebuild a nation?” Kenna asked. “Is this not why we formed a council? Not just to fight the vík ingr but to defend against any outsider who would usurp us.”

  “Defend yes,” Cinnia said. “We must have a strong defense. Train all of Alban to be warriors first.”

  “We must have an offensive posture,” Rythale said. “Surely, you all agree we must remain vigilant and prepared.”

  “It has been the way of my people all along,” Lothan said. “We hide stores and livestock. We build defendable structures. We arm everyone.”

  “Including children,” Thalynder said. “We have seen this first hand. The Inceni children are as feared as their parents.”

  “We do not arm our children,” Malcolm said. “We protect them.”

  Lothan took a step toward Malcolm. “You sat idly while the Inceni died by the hundreds every year at the hands of the Norse!”

  “Betony would brook no interference,” Arryn said. “King Thamen offered to aid many times.”

  Bryn threw the torch to the floor. “Stop!” The room shook at her command. The others stopped and stared at Bryn.

  “This is the infighting which led to the demise of a united Alban in the beginning. We cannot defend against any outside invasion if we cannot unite under one banner. This council must agree to differ. Then, and only then, will we come together to obtain what is right for the entire nation. If we are going to debate why we did not unite sooner, we will never unite.” Bryn walked over to one of the alcoves. She picked up a book and threw it on the floor.

  “The lives of ancestors are here for us to learn from, not debate, which was the more just or right.” The book burst into flame. “All the words of all the ages are useless if we cannot stop to understand why and how we got to where we are now.” She took another book out of the alcove and tossed it into the air. It too burst into flames. “Where do we draw the line? How many more lives will be lost? How many more voices silenced.” She reached for a third book.

  “No!” Arryn said. “Do not destroy the books! You did not bring us here to erase all who came before us. You brought us here to learn from the past.”

  Malcolm bent down and picked up the remains of the first book Bryn had thrown to the floor. He wiped the cover of the book with his hand. When Malcolm looked up at Bryn, his tears fell unchecked. “We knew the Inceni were in trouble,” he said. “My grandfather knew, my father knew. That is why I remained with you when we first went to the Stones.” He wiped his face with the back of his hand. “I felt in my heart you truly loved all of Alban. I believed you wanted to unite the island. Tearing down barriers and walls which had grown tall and hard between the people.” Malcolm turned to look at Lothan. “I cannot speak for my father or my brother, but from the depths of my soul, I promise to never let the past repeat itself.”

  Lothan paused for a moment. He looked down at the book Malcolm held gently in his hands.

  The Annals of Malcolm I, King of Northumbria

  “You are named for a King of Northumbria, my homeland?” Lothan said.

  “You are kin,” Bryn said. “You are all kin. In these books are the histories of Alban. The histories tell how the Bridei separated from the Epidii and why the Brae went north. They tell of when Northumbria and Wessex were once ruled by the same queen and more.” Bryn took the book from Malcolm. She held it to her chest, and it became whole again. “You cannot erase the past. We are tethered to it like the roots of a tree. The future can only grow from the past. Come, there is much more for you to see.”

  Malcolm put his arm around Lothan. “We can be the start of something bigger than ourselves.”

  Bryn led the council to another long dark hallway. At the end of the corridor was a soft light.

  “Where do we go now?” Thalynder asked.

  “To a window,” Bryn said. She took Thalynder’s hand and felt it tremble. “Are you all right?”

  “I continue to be amazed at what is happening to you,” Thalynder whispered. “It frightens me a little.”

  Bryn pulled Thalynder’s hand to her lips and kissed Thalynder’s palm. “You need not be frightened, my Lynder. I would never cause you harm.”

  Thalynder gave Bryn a weak smile. “And if I anger you?”

  Bryn stopped and stared at Thalynder. Only then did she realize her emotions were a source of concern. She glanced at the others who stood silently behind her. They were still as stone. Bryn took a deep breath. Oh no, she thought. What have I done? She stepped toward the others, still holding Thalynder’s hand.

  “I am so sorry,” she said through her tears. She sank to her knees. Thalynder knelt down beside Bryn. “I cannot do this. I cannot bear this.”

  “You can,” a voice from the dark said.

  The council drew swords and instinctively formed a circle around Bryn and Thalynder.

  “Who is there?” Malcolm demanded.

  “Lower your swords, Council of Alban. There is no danger here,” Ua said. “The Lady Athebryn meant to show you how to unite a country. Perhaps, you are not quite ready for the lesson.”

  “Who speaks?” Arryn demanded.

  “One who has seen more days on this earth than there are blades of grass,” Ua said. “Rise, Athebryn. Take them to the window.”

  Bryn stood up. She leaned into Thalynder. “I do not have the strength.”

  “Then I will be your strength,” Thalynder said. “Where are we going?”

  “Through this hall to the light ahead of us,” Bryn replied.

  Thalynder started to walk toward the light with Bryn leaning hard against her. Arryn stepped up and lifted Bryn in his arms. “Lead the way, Princess. We will be right behind you.”

  Malcolm stepped up and walked with Thalynder. The others closed rank behind Arryn and walked toward the light—together.

  They walked in silence. As the group neared the source of the light, they could see it was the opening to the outside, and the glow was coming from the full moon. Thalynder stopped at a waist-high wall at the cleft. In the distance were snow-covered hills and mountains. Below, was a vast white expanse of snow and ice. Above them, the moon shone bright and unchallenged.

  Arryn set Bryn down, and she stood with her hands on the wall. She looked at her friends. Bryn swallowed and gave them a weak smile.
Her eyes still stung with unshed tears.

  “This is where the first dragon came to earth. It is the birthplace of the dragon as we know them now. They were not always form and substance.”

  “What were they?” Leus asked.

  “Stardust,” Bryn replied. “Celestial Fire. Brilliant to behold, deadly to touch. Queen Athyl was the first life to touch one. She died instantly. So quickly, the dragon felt a great sadness at the death of life. It took the essence of Athyl and added it to its own. It was the birth of the first corporeal dragon.”

  “Why then do they still seek us out?” Thalynder asked.

  “Because you are amazing creatures,” Ua said. The council turned to look behind them to where they heard Ua’s voice. Before the company stood a being of pure light. No taller than any tall elf, with nothing to distinguish it from a ray of moonlight.

  “Who are you?” Malcolm asked.

  “I am the first,” Ua said. “Athebryn believed in you. It is why we remained. I am called Ua.”

  “You speak of the first Athebryn,” Kenna said. “She knew you?”

  “You could say that,” Ua said. “We were twins.”

  “Twins,” Thalynder repeated. “Without form, how are you, twins?”

  “Twin stars fell to earth together,” Ua said. “You will have to broaden your mind a little, princess.”

  Malcolm drew his sword. “She does not deserve your disrespect, Ua.”

  The sword fell from Malcolm’s hand—white-hot.

  “No, she does not, but then again, I am unused to you,” Ua said. “Excuse me, princess.”

  Thalynder took Bryn’s hand in hers. “You seem to know Bryn.”

  “I do.”

  Bryn stood a little taller. She looked first to Thalynder and gave a small nod. Bryn turned then to Ua. “Enough of your play-acting, Ua,” she said. “Show yourself as you are here on earth.”

  Ua chuckled. The light form changed shape and grew. It grew taller and broader and filled the opening where they stood. The profile changed, and wings formed. Scales glittered in the moonlight. A dragon, large and magnificent, stood before them.

  “This is my form here on earth,” Ua said. “Do I impress you?”

  Arryn laughed. “Yes, yes, you do. But only because you are so large. I can imagine riding on your back and being able to touch the clouds.”

  Ua laughed, and it shook the floor. “I like you Epidii! Athebryn was right to believe in you. You are true of heart. You saw through me from the beginning.”

  Arryn walked over to Ua and ran his hand over the scales. They twinkled and sparkled under his touch. He stepped back to the group. “Feels just like any dragon, only warmer.”

  Malcolm touched Ua’s scales. “Needs to be warmer up here.”

  Ua laughed again. “Yes, I like them all. Athebryn, there is only one decision left to be made. How do you choose?”

  “We have not as yet come to a mutual decision,” Bryn said. She wiped the tears from her cheeks. She kissed Thalynder’s hand then let it go. Bryn walked over to Ua and touched the dragon’s chest.

  “Releasing our friends from our lives is going to be difficult,” she said. “We love them as we love no others.”

  “I know this,” Ua said. “To release them is to save them. To allow them to die at the hands of hate is cruel.”

  “I did not think it through,” Lothan said from behind Malcolm. He stepped out where he could see Ua and Bryn. “I did not realize death at the hands of hate could take away the possibility of renewed life among the stars.”

  “What?” Cinnia said. “What do you mean?”

  “Think about it,” Rythale said. “Death, when surrounded by love, is the perfect departure home. Death at the hands of hate and you may never see the halls of your ancestors, or whatever your belief may be. For the dragons, this would mean the stars.”

  “Not to see the faces of all those who wait for you on the other side,” Leus said. “It would be the death of a soul. There would be no eternal rest.”

  “Now, they understand,” Ua said. “Stay long enough to decide. You are all needed elsewhere. Fear not, Council of Alban. Athebryn is right. You are true of heart. You are the Heart of Alban.”

  Ua disappeared into a brilliant cloud of white light. The council held their hands before their eyes to shield them from the brilliance.

  Bryn turned back to look out over the moonlit landscape. “This will be a good home for them.”

  ❦

  The moon had set, and the sun had not yet kissed the horizon. Bryn stood at the window. Her outer tunic was belted with her scabbard and her sword, Calibairn. The Tree of Life on the front of the tunic sparkled with its own light. She ran her hands on the tunic's hem with its embroidery of the emblems and seals of the clanns and kingdoms of Alban. The jewel at her forehead was bathed in silver light, and silver tendrils wove themselves throughout her dark hair. She moved her eyes over the sky around the mountains and saw the tiny dots as they appeared in the distance. Bryn smiled at them briefly before the frown returned to her brow.

  “I will miss them,” she said.

  “They will not be far,” Meydra said. “They will always be just a thought away. Held in your heart forever. Eggs will hatch, and you will have their lives to revel in as well. You will not be alone.”

  “Forever is a long time. And I will be alone. My friends will all die. My beloved, Thalynder will be gone long before I even find the first gray hair.”

  “You will get used to it,” Ua said.

  Bryn looked over at Ua. “So you say.” She looked back out over the snow. “Tell me one more time.”

  “There will be many,” Ua said. “You and Thalynder will have children. Those children will have children. Alban will grow to be a strong country.”

  “And you will live to see it all,” Meydra said.

  “And my daughter?”

  “She will be the teacher of a great leader. Alban will go through birth pangs, but your daughter will guide those who rule. Alban will remain strong.”

  “And her name? Tell me again.”

  “You will call her Merlyn,” Ua said.

  Bryn smiled. “Sounds like the name given to a high dragon.”

  “Yes,” Ua said. “It does.”

  Epilogue

  Merlyn, or Merlin, as she was come to be known, indeed became the mentor to a young boy. The boy grew into a good and fair king. He was called The Once and Future King. It was a title befitting someone who came from a long line of dragon riders. The dragons remained in the north, far away from those who would have their heads as trophies. Now and again, they would rejoin their companions and live among them for a time. Many years of peace prevailed between Alban and Götaland. The Vikings, as the vík ingr became known, settled in the north of Alban. Their numbers joined the armies of Alban and lent strength and compassion to the young and newly united country. When Alban was later invaded by the Gauls, then the Romans, it was the Viking descendants who gave them the most famous battles. Fiercely loyal to their new country, the Vikings fought as Albans. With shields that bore the likeness of a high dragon and swords forged in the dragon’s breath, Albans and Vikings stood as one.

  Many years passed and so too did the dragon riders of the original Council of Alban. All were carried to the stars on the backs of their dragon companions. All but one. The Lady Athebryn, as legend tells us, went away to the far north after the death of the last of the Council. The deaths of the first members of the Council of Alban were steeped in myth. It is told each member lived longer than all others born in their same birth year. Queen Thalynder herself, the last of the Council beside Lady Athebryn, was one hundred and eighty years when she died. Some say it was the kiss of the dragon. Others say it was the gems given to her by a dragons’ tear that prolonged hers and the other lives of the council members. When Queen Thalynder was placed on the back of her dragon, An-Yun, Lady Athebryn and her dragon Meydra escorted them to the sky. Neither Lady Athebryn or Meydra were ever seen
again. Their children carried on the Council’s legacy of a healthy and vibrant country.

  ~ Clann of Brae Writings and Teachings, Arch Druid of Brae ~

  From the personal journal of the Lady Athebryn:

  The elves were the first to disappear. The cost of uniting Alban carried a burden I knew they would not care to endure. It would have meant for them to seek out the humankind. To live among them and live as they lived. Unfortunately, the elves balked at the bravado of men. My brave kingdom dwellers were the hardest to convince the need for change. Thalynder and I spent many long nights trying to find ways to persuade the kingdoms a parliamentary style of government with one ruler would best serve all of Alban. The elves who did remain were those who had always desired to learn more about humans. Those elves found a home among the druids. The others, the elves who craved secrecy, became a myth. After a time, the elves were all but forgotten. I continue to carry their memory in my heart and will always wish them well.

  The warrior clanns found the change to Alban palatable. Lady Kenna and the Bridei led the clanns of Erui back to the arms of Alban. There they thrived in the armies. Many became the captains of troops of men and women from all over Alban and Erui. They united the two islands for a time. The tattoos the Picts bore, became the battlefield emblems which soon adorned their uniforms. Alban became a country of well-trained troops. By the time the first Council of Alban decided to step down, Alban had taken on the Roman army. After many years of fierce battles, we drove the Romans out of Alban, as we did the Gauls before them. My dear friend Prince Arryn united the clanns of the West and with the help of King Malcolm, brought together realms, kingdoms, and clanns that would have otherwise remained separate and isolated. Too soon though, pockets of renewed dissatisfaction at being ruled by a council sprung up in the southern counties. The legend of dragons fell once again into myth. I kept Meydra and the others out of sight until my dear friends grew weary and began to wish for death. Soon, I will return to the Cavern of the High Dragon to spend my remaining days on earth, filling the archives with the deeds of this first Council. The daughters and sons of that Council will take Alban into the next millennium.