A Blink of an Eye

by Troy A Hill

  “Talian,” she said, her melodic voice pushing his name before him with authority. He dropped to one knee.

  “Milady,” he said. “How may I serve?”

  “Good Talian.” Her voice again lit our little part of the world. “Your loyalty, your dedication, and your spirit are those of a true champion. You have already served us well.”

  “I pledge my life to your service, milady,” he said boldly.

  “So be it,” she said, and bent to retrieve something from the floor of her skiff. When she stood, she had both halves of the sword I had just tossed into the mists. She touched the pieces to each other. As they met, a bright light flashed from the joint. When it dissipated, the blade was whole once again. The boat had drifted closer to the bank on which we gathered. Its long prow was close enough she could touch us.

  “Will you serve my daughters and champion their cause, and the cause of all Britain?”

  “On my honour, and my life, I shall,” Talian replied.

  The Lady raised the sword and touched Talian’s head with the reunited blade. “Arise, Talian. You, too, have my blessings. A young lady awaits you. Know your union is blessed as well, and your heirs will prosper on this land.”

  Talian took to his feet, but bowed deeply to The Lady.

  “Lord Ruadh,” the goddess said. “Your service has been much appreciated.”

  “Tis nothin’, Milady,” he said. A chuckle rumbled from him. “I be finding the saving of pretty lasses to be me life’s calling.”

  She held forth her hands. He stepped forward and placed his palms together and set them in her open hands. The Lady closed her divine fingers around his.

  “Ruadh, as I asked long ago, you have championed my daughters well. Will you continue on this path with them?”

  “Aye, Lass,” he rumbled. “I will do me best. Long as they let a smelly old bear around them.”

  The Lady smiled. “Blessings, dear Ruadh. Your curse is now yours to control. No more shall you be ruled by the heavenly body and its light.” The smile faded from Ruadh’s face as the import of her words sank home. Short of removing the curse, that was the best any werebeast could hope for. Being able to avoid the transformation when the moon was full in the sky was a reward I hadn’t even considered possible.

  His face lit up with a huge grin that cracked his furry red beard. “Thank you, lass.”

  Her slender fingers, enhanced with the dragon ring from my dream of the chessmen, reached out in invitation. I placed my hand in hers.

  “Rise, my daughter,” she said.

  I had not been in the presence of many deities. None I knew of until I had come to Britain. I wasn’t sure I wanted the attention right then. I wasn’t done grieving. Now was when I wanted to be alone. But I had little choice. I rose, as The Lady had asked.

  “My daughter, you have served us well. We could ask for no one better to be in our service.”

  I released her hand and curtsied. “I have found this land to be enchanting, My Lady,” I said. With the loss of Gwen, my instinct was to run again. To be far gone, and put the memories behind me. I glanced as Raudh. He was watching me, and his face lit when he noticed my attention. Ruadh. My friend. If I ran, I’d leave he and my other friends, my family behind… were they enough to fill the Gwen shaped hole in my heart?

  I let my eyes return to the small boat.

  The goddess looked so much like Gwen. They could be mother and daughter. Perhaps prolonged service to this Lady had that effect. I wondered how I would look in a century or two with blonde hair.

  The Lady must have sensed my thoughts. She smiled and reached out to stroke my cheek.

  “We love you just the way you are, daughter.” Her tone went sombre. “I would desire to know what you seek as a reward.”

  “Love.”

  My answer was simple and immediate. I glanced down briefly, then back up into her sparkling blue eyes. “I thank you for the time I shared love with Gwen. That alone was the greatest reward I could ask.” Then another thought crossed my mind. “My master…” I drifted off, not sure I should continue.

  “Yes, child?”

  “The cup my master gave me, the one I lost in the fire. It was a symbol I carried to remind me of my master’s love. I would have something to remind me of Gwen’s love, to replace what I lost with that cup.”

  The goddess reached down into her boat once again. This time she retrieved a small bundle of red silk. She unwound it and held a wooden cup out to me. I accepted it and ran my fingers across its surface. Every nick and groove on my master’s cup was engraved on my memory, and this was it.

  “This is only the smallest of the gifts I give you today. Know I love you as my daughter and am proud of all you have done for our land.”

  I was happy to have my master’s cup once again. But I had hoped for more. For any small token of Gwen’s life where it had touched me, something I could carry for her memory.

  The goddess turned towards Seren.

  “Do you love the land as well?” she asked.

  “I do,” Seren replied, her back straight and her chin high. The fear she had lived with under her husband Dewi had fled. Here, indeed, was the daughter of Rhian.

  “Your time as a bride in the normal sense has ended, unless you desire another husband?” the goddess asked. “Will you, instead, work with my other daughters to protect this land and her people? To stand against our enemy?”

  “I will always be my father’s daughter,” Seren said, “ but I would vow to be yours as well, and serve to the best of my abilities, I so pledge.” Seren’s voice was resolute.

  Seren had just accepted her full role with the goddess. No more apprentice. She was now my sister in service to The Lady. A faint smile touched my cheeks. Something good had happened today.

  The goddess turned her attention back to me.

  “Maria,” she said, her eyes mischievous. “You said you loved this land?”

  “To love Gwen was to learn to love all she loved.” I held my gaze steady on The Lady’s eyes. I was sure I was being tested, but for what, I didn’t know.

  “If you will stay, and walk this path,” she said, “I can offer you nothing more than I offered in that seaside tavern room. Will you continue in my service?”

  What would Gwen tell me? To follow my heart, of course. But she, more than anyone knew my desire. I wasn’t staying here because I had loved Gwen. My love for her was just the beginning. The start of my love for Penllyn and all of Cymru. For all of my new family. Gwen, and I would have it no other way.

  “If it pleases Milady.” I held my chin up, resolute in my thoughts. “I will serve you as best I can.”

  “As will I,” Seren said, stepping next to me.

  “We all will,” a familiar female voice said on my other side.

  Hardly believing my ears, I turned toward the sound.

  47

  Love Wins

  Whatever the goddess said was lost in my shout of joy. I felt Gwen’s arm slide around my waist. I wrapped myself around her. I buried my face in her shoulder and hair. The familiar smell of lavender greeted me as we embraced. I kissed her neck, then her cheek, and finally her lips. When I opened my eyes, Gwen gazed at me. I collapsed into her. I knew I leaked red tears on her dress. But I wasn’t going to move. Ever. She was here now, and I would never let her go again.

  “Dearest,” she said, as she stroked my hair. “The Lady…”

  I forced my gaze from her lovely face. I didn’t want to lose sight of her again, but I turned to where her eyes were pointing.

  The boat drifted into the mist again. The goddess held the Sword of Light, its tip resting on the boat’s deck.

  “Go in peace, my daughters. Go with my blessings.”

  Gwen and I bowed, along with Seren. The men flanked us, both on a knee. Gwen reach out her other arm and pulled Seren into our hug. The three daughters of The Lady watched their goddess drift back into the mists.

  I hugged Gwen tight and kissed her again.
This time slower, with all the affection I had stored away in my time of grief. When we parted, I asked, “How?”

  “I am of this land,” she said. The bright blue twinkle of her eyes sparkled again. I blinked, on purpose. She was still there. “The land, The Lady, is not finished with me yet. Do you remember when she asked me if I would die for the land, die for her?” She ran her fingers along my cheek. “She already knew the answer. I always knew I was not the one who will be The Lady’s warrior in the battle to come. You are.”

  “Battle to come?” I repeated. “What are you talking about?”

  Gwen laid a finger on my mouth. “Hush, girl. This is not a day for worry, but for friendship and love. All in good time, dearest.”

  “I second the notion!” Ruadh’s gruff voice reminded me that we were not alone. “Nae to be breakin’ up yer reunion, but we be standing here hungry. Ye got any more meat in that smoke house?” He tilted his head towards Gwen’s smokehouse down in the valley below.

  Gwen laughed. He wrapped her in his great arms, picked her up, and hugged her.

  “Welcome back, my friend,” he said. “Me heart is full, but my belly empty.”

  “You’ll have to go set snares again. But make sure you do so down in the valley. Or cast a line in the lake.” He set her down and she pointed to the logs and the fire pit. “A fire would brighten the day. Then you all should return to Caer Penllyn. I believe this young man has a wedding to attend.” She smiled at Talian.

  “A wedding?” Talian asked. “Who is getting… oh.” He blushed.

  Gwen laughed and hugged him.

  “Your lady is on her way to meet you at Caer Penllyn, Talian,” Seren said.

  “I understand Bleddyn has put together a celebration befitting a hero,” Gwen said. “Thank you, good Talian, for all you have done.”

  His blush deepened and he dropped to his knee again.

  “If ye be done getting his knees grassy, lass,” Ruadh rumbled, “we should be g’tting' on with that fire. Can ye see if there be any of them berries out there, already fermenting? This business of doin’ a goddess’ work is a thirsty matter.”

  “Oh, Ruadh,” she said and hugged him again. “We will find the berries while you get us a fire and some fish.” Gwen made a fiery slit to the Otherworld and pulled out the reed basket I had made her, two blankets, and her water jug.

  “I should return to Caer Penllyn,” Seren said. "For the time, I still have duties to attend.”

  For the first time, I noticed she was dressed in white.

  “Oh Seren, I'm sorry for your loss," I said. "I'd forgotten that Dewi died in the battles."

  "Thank you, sister," Seren said and glanced at the lake. "I always sensed that I was waiting for something to change in that marriage. But I see now it wasn't Dewi that would change. I would. The goddess had plans for me. The marriage put me on the wrong path."

  She bit her lip for a few seconds then looked at us. "The goddess sent me dreams while you travelled here. Gwen is right. Our tasks are not finished. This is merely the first of many battles. It's better that Dewi's brother becomes heir. I could not serve both Mechain and The Lady of Britannia at the same time.”

  “Did she tell you Gwen was here?” For a moment, I felt intensely hurt. How could Seren, or even the goddess not have told me?

  “I felt her arrive last evening,” Seren said, “and came to find her here naked on the shore of the lake. She was like a new baby and could hardly stand.”

  “She helped me and filled me in on everything that’s happened,” Gwen said. “Do you forgive me my little charade? My sense of time is still off kilter. I had no idea you hadn’t finished mourning yet.”

  I smiled and pulled her in for another kiss.

  Seren hugged each of us farewell, then opened a slit in a tree and disappeared. Ruadh and Talian took to the shore to fish while Gwen and I headed into the woods to gather berries.

  Gwen and I laughed and giggled every other moment. I found excuses to touch her as I tried to get my mind around the idea she wasn’t dead. When our basket was filled, we walked hand-in-hand back to the lake.

  “The Otherworld and its energy,” she said as we walked, “is what the lady uses to rejuvenate, to heal, and to reward her servants.”

  I squeezed her hand, but stayed quiet.

  “I died. Just as you did, love, when your master crossed you over, to be his child, and gave you part of himself so you could live again.”

  “What was it like for you?” I asked, staring at the path. Of course I knew. Or rather, I knew what it had been like for me. I felt I wouldn’t truly know my love without knowing what it had been like for her.

  “I remember a dream,” she said. “The Lady was there as I stood in the creek in her part of the Otherworld. She showed me two paths. One led into the mists, towards peace and contentment. The other led here. To return, I had to go through death again, but in reverse.”

  Gwen’s hand squeezed mine more. “She asked me which I chose.” Another pause. This time she glanced at me with a sly smile. “The pain of my death grabbed me again as I moved to return to you. She had one question for me, but I suspect that she already knew: Why?”

  “What did you tell her?” I asked.

  Before Gwen could explain, Ruadh’s laugh drifted on the damp air. We were already back at our clearing by the lake. A small fire danced in the fire pit, with several fish speared over it on sticks. Ruadh and Talian sat against the logs.

  Ruadh spotted us and waved. “The fish be about ready. The lad and I have bellies rumbling.”

  Gwen and I smiled at each other. Apparently, our time of solitude was over. Gwen’s eyes sparkled with the promise that she would finish her story later.

  We approached the fire and Gwen handed Ruadh the basket. He sampled it eagerly as we sat down.

  “Lass,” he said to Gwen, but winked at me. “Bleddyn need to be teaching you how to ferment these into proper drink.”

  “You’ll be better off with clean mountain water,” Gwen responded. “You think clearer when your brain isn’t addled with all of Bleddyn’s mead, old bear.” He dropped his gaze, like a child being chastised. Gwen chuckled, and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

  “My friend, I am happy that you are here.”

  “You not be half as happy,” he said with a huge smile, “as we are that you be alive.”

  Gwen laughed, and held out the clay cups as I poured water into each from the pitcher Talian had filled.

  For several hours, we sat by the lake, reliving the battles we had faced and renewing the friendships we had made.

  “Well,” Ruadh concluded, cleaning the last of the fish bones, “we put the sword back in the lake. What next? Will ye be coming home with the lad and I? We be leaving here shortly to get him to his wedding.”

  “No,” Gwen replied. “Mair and I have much to discuss. We will meet you at Caer Penllyn.”

  “Come on then, lad,” he rumbled. “Get the horses ready.” He looked at me. “Do ye want us ta leave yer horse here?”

  “No,” I said, “I suspect we will go by a different route.”

  Gwen and I helped them saddle and pack the horses. Ruadh received our hugs and kisses with a grin. Talian, however, returned my hug stiffly. He kept his gaze down. I was sure the Witch Hunter’s tales of my kind and what we could do with our gaze had stirred in his mind.

  I kissed his cheek firmly and took his hands in my own. He found his resolve and raised his eyes. His mind was his own, and I would not intrude.

  “Thank you, Talian,” I said and saw a smile creep into the corners of his mouth. “Bethan could select no finer man to wed than you. I am in your debt for the kindness you showed me.”

  He stammered, then straightened. “Thank you, Lady Mair. I would be honoured if you would perform the hand fasting. And that I may call you friend.”

  “I will be there, Talian my friend.” I kissed his forehead, then wiped my eyes again. My sleeves were positively ruined from crying red tears to
day.

  As Gwen and I watched the men mount up and ride down the path, my mind reverted to our earlier question.

  I slipped my arm around her waist. “Tell me now, Gwen. When The Lady asked why you chose to return,” I asked, “what did you say to her?”

  Gwen’s hands cupped my face and she leaned in for long kiss. Her blue eyes shone in the lightest, happiest hue I had ever seen in her face.

  “Love wins, dearest.”

  The tale did not begin with Maria’s arrival in Penllyn. Bleddyn, Rhian, Neirin, Ruadh and the others have their own stories.

  You can learn more about the people of Penllyn in The Penllyn Chronicles Collection 1. This collected volume includes: Penllyn, Emlyn, and Ruadh’s Stories, as well as never before published story Tempting Fae.

  Get your copy today to continue the adventure.

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