Eleyne sighed. I wish Gruffydd and Dafydd didnt quarrel all the time.
That is your fathers fault. He should have stood up to your mother and made it clear that his eldest son would remain his heir.
If Dafydd becomes papas heir instead of Gruffydd, Isabella will one day be the Princess of Aberffraw, Eleyne went on thoughtfully. I hope she doesnt get big-headed. She suppressed the treacherous thought quickly. But it will be nice to have her living at Aber so I can see her all the time.
Rhonwen frowned. Eleyne had forgotten, as she was always forgetting, her own marriage to the Earl of Huntingdon, the Scots prince who would one day be Earl of Chester, the greatest earl in England. The reality of her position that she would not be living at Aber forever meant nothing to her yet, and it was something Rhonwen preferred not to think about. It would be four years at least before Eleyne would have to go to her husband. All the time in the world. Anything could happen in four years. She took Eleynes hand. Look, theyre fighting near the stables now. We must go in. If we go round by the herb gardens we wont be anywhere near them. She dragged Eleyne away from the door and around the base of the tower towards the south side of the castle.
The sun was setting behind the distant peak of Cadair Arthur, Arthurs Seat, the greatest of the great beacons, sending long shadows from the walls across the ground. It was almost dark in the comparative peace of the little herb garden. Eleyne stooped and picked the heavy golden head of a dandelion and twirled it in her fingers. When will we go home, Rhonwen?
Soon, child. Dont you like it here? In the small oasis of silence away from the fighting Rhonwen found herself glancing round suddenly and she shivered. Was she here too, that unseen presence whom Eleyne saw all too clearly, the woman who had laid out these herb gardens so many years before? She turned a speculative eye on Eleyne. The child was sensitive, but how much could she really see, and how much was due to an overactive imagination?
From the moment of Eleynes birth she had watched and waited for the signs of Brides hand on the child. Sometimes she thought it was there the Sight other times she wasnt sure.
I love it here with Isabella, Eleyne went on dreamily, but I miss the sea. And there is something here, something I dont like. She frowned, holding the fluffy golden flower head against her cheek. I sometimes feel strange, as if Im watching the world from outside, and Im not really part of it. She gave an embarrassed smile. Do you know what I mean?
Rhonwen looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, but all she said was, It sounds to me as if you dont go to bed early enough, young lady.
Eleyne laughed. She tossed away the flower. If she had been going to confide further in Rhonwen, she changed her mind. The strange feelings troubled her. They set her apart, made her feel distant sometimes, as if she were waiting for something to happen, something which never did. It made her restless and uneasy. She had mentioned them guardedly to Isabella, but her friend had laughed and Eleyne had never spoken about them again.
Eleyne moved into the shadow of the wall where it was already dark, and turned to look back through the archway towards the courtyard where sunlight still played across the cobbles. It was happening again now. She could hear the shouts of the men fighting in the distance; she could see Rhonwen standing near her, the blue of her gown vivid, very vivid, against the grey stone wall. Suddenly she could hear so clearly that the least sound hurt her ears. The birds singing deafened her; the rush of feathers as a robin flew down near Rhonwens feet; the crackle of dead leaves, the chiming of a raindrop as it fell to the ground from the lip of a gargoyle high on the old tower. She stared up to see where it had come from and felt her heart stop with fear. There were flames licking from the top window: the window where she and Isabella had sat in the darkness. For a moment she could not believe her eyes. Then she saw smoke pouring from the roofless walls.
Rhonwen! Look! Fire!
Terrified, she pointed. Figures were running in all directions. The flames were spreading as she watched. The old keep was already engulfed and beyond it the stables against the walls. She could hear the screams of the trapped horses.
Sweet Christ! She pressed her hands against her ears. Why dont they do something, Rhonwen? The horses! For Brides sake, save the horses! Invictus! Where is Sir William?
A flame ran along the top of the wall, where the wooden scaffolding had rested, and shot across the archway to the door of the main hall.
Eleyne was rooted to the spot, sobbing with shock. Rhonwen, do something! Where are Isabella and the others? Rhonwen!
She felt Rhonwen put her arms around her, restraining her, and she pulled away violently. Her nose and mouth were full of smoke, her eyes streaming. Help them. We have to help them!
Eleyne, listen to me!
She was aware that Rhonwen was shaking her by the shoulders.
Eleyne! There is no fire! Rhonwen slapped her face hard.
The shock pulled Eleyne up short. Trembling violently, she stared round. The fire had gone. The spring evening was as it had been; the robin still sat on a pile of earth near the bed of knitbone, and as she stared at the bird it began to sing its thin sweet trill into the clear air.
What happened? Eleyne swallowed hard. She was shaking uncontrollably as she stared round her. There was fire everywhere
You had a nightmare. Briskly Rhonwen pulled off her cloak and wrapped it around Eleynes shoulders. You dozed off for a moment and you had some sort of a bad dream, thats all. It is all over now. There is nothing to be afraid of.
But I wasnt asleep
You were asleep, cariad! In her agitation Rhonwen spoke harshly. She put her arms around the child again. You were so tired you fell asleep where you stood. It is what I told you before. Too much running around the castle at night and not enough rest. You come now, to bed. Do you understand? Then I shall find you some broth in the kitchens and Ill put some valerian in it to make you sleep. Youll feel better in the morning and tomorrow Ill speak to the Lady Gwladus again about going home.
She gave Eleyne no time to argue. Hustling her inside, she propelled her up the winding stair to the high bedchamber. There she pulled off the girls shoes and pushed her, fully dressed, into the bed. Pulling the covers over her, she sat down for a moment beside her, chafing Eleynes hands in her own. Dont think about your nightmare, child. Think about something nice. Think about the horse. Hes well and safe and nothing will happen to him. Perhaps tomorrow you can ride him again.
Eleyne looked up at her with frightened eyes. The concession alarmed her. You are sure the dream wont come back?
Quite sure! Rhonwen spoke emphatically. At last it had happened, the thing she had dreaded for so many years. A cold breath of icy wind had reached out and touched the child she thought of as her daughter: the kiss of Brides fingers. She closed her eyes, holding Eleynes hand. When Einion found out she would lose her to him and what would she do then?
Rhonwen? Eleynes voice was still hoarse from her screams. Im cold.
Rhonwen pulled another coverlet over her. Wait. Ill build up the fire, then Ill go down and get you something hot to drink.
Reaching into the basket, she threw a couple of logs on to the fire, then with a glance over her shoulder towards the bed, let herself out of the room.
Eleyne lay still for a moment, then she sat up and, pulling the coverlet around her shoulders, she crept out of the bed. She stopped several feet from the fire and stood staring down at it. The damp bark threw off a thick aromatic smoke. She could smell the different woods the sweetness of apple, the spiciness of oak, the sharp resin of pine; see the red and blue flames licking over the fissures in the bark, just as they had licked up the walls of the tower. She shivered violently. Whatever Rhonwen said, she had not had a dream. She had been awake and she knew what had happened. At last the strange other world, which before she had only glimpsed, had broken through the fragile barrier of her mind.
CHAPTER TWO
I
You cannot prevent me from seeing my father!
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn smashed his fist down on to the table. Where is he?
He is not here! His half-brother Dafydd looked at him coldly. Here was the ty hir, the long stone-built house which formed the royal familys private living quarters in the palace or llys at Aber on the northern edge of Gwynedd, nestling on its hillside on the edge of the mountains of Eryri, overlooking the sea and the Isle of Anglesey.
You are lying!
Gruffydd swung round to face his small sister who was standing miserably between them. Where is he, cariad?
Hes not here Dafydds telling the truth. Eleyne looked from one brother to the other unhappily. Their father had ridden towards Shrewsbury to meet his wife who had gone three weeks before to try to intervene in the quarrels between her husband and the King of England. In the continuing problems over the Welsh borders between Llywelyn and her half-brother, King Henry III, Princess Joan had proved herself an able and intelligent ambassador. That her efforts were all intended to ensure her son Dafydds succession over Gruffydds had not endeared her to the latter, nor to his followers.
And in Shrewsbury she has tried yet again to interfere on Gwynedds behalf with the English king, I suppose! Gruffydd turned away in exasperation. Dear God in heaven! Can father not see what she is doing?
She is working for peace, Gruffydd, Dafydd put in smoothly. By negotiating with her brother.
She is working for peace, Gruffydd, Dafydd put in smoothly. By negotiating with her brother.
Her brother! Gruffyd exploded into anger. King Henry recognises her as his sister now it suits him. Not so long ago she was just another of King Johns bastards!
How dare you! Dafydd had his hand on his dagger. My mother was declared legitimate by Pope Honorious III. And at least shes married to our father. He laughed harshly. You are the bastard here, brother, and father cant wait to disown you, from all I see.