Page 24 of Warrior Queen
“Just as Morgawse said,” I replied. “Help for Ebrauc. Their situation sounds worse to me, and potentially more dangerous for all of Britain, than that of the people being attacked by the Irish. Yellow Hairs, intent on ransacking Bryneich and no doubt expanding the territory they already hold in the north.”
I rubbed my temples. “I’ve told them I’d have their message sent on to Arthur. They’re old men, every one of them, and exhausted from their long ride south. They wanted to go and find Arthur themselves, but by the look of them, it might have finished them off. I’ve said they should stay here and rest, but I doubt they will. They may be old, but they’re also proud. Most likely they’ll head back north tomorrow to their king.” I paused. “We’ll make sure they have fresh horses if that’s what they decide.”
“Who will you send to find Arthur?” Morgawse asked, smoothing Medraut’s curls. “Do we have enough men here to dispatch more warriors to him?”
I nodded. “We do. Don’t worry. I won’t leave us poorly defended. We have our craftsmen, our older warriors and our boys. But I think Arthur will need all the men he can get for this.” I paused, setting my jaw in determination. “I’ve decided it should be me who takes the message to Arthur.”
Two sets of eyes flew wide open. “You can’t,” Coventina gasped. “It’s too dangerous for a woman to go.”
I shook my head. “You forget. I’ve killed a man with my own hands– sword– and I took part in the defense of Vindolanda. I’m not some fancy lady who sits and sews all day.”
“You can say that again,” Coventina said. “But just because you’re bad at sewing doesn’t mean you should be leading an army.”
I gave her my best hard stare. “And just becauseyoucouldn’t do it, doesn’t mean I can’t. Where I come from, women do all sorts of important jobs– and some of them fight in battles.”
“Like the Amazon women,” Morgawse put in. “I read about them once, in a book that came from Gaul.” She frowned. “They had one breast removed to better fire their bows. You won’t do that, will you?”
A chuckle escaped my lips. “No. That’s a bit drastic, don’t you think? And Arthur would have something to say about that. But I’ve got my chain mail to wear, and I’ll take a helmet and shield… and my sword. I’ve no intention of fighting, just of finding Arthur, and being able to defend myself if I have to.” I encompassed them all in my gaze. “Archfedd’s big enough now for me to leave. And I know you two will care for my children.”
In the corner Maia’s head shot up from her sewing. I backtracked in a hurry. “I mean, help Maia look after them. She’s as good as another mother to them.” A satisfied smile crept over Maia’s face, and she resumed her stitching.
Coventina’s eyes clouded. “Will you be taking Rhiwallon?” He was fourteen now and nearly as tall as his father, but still willow thin and gawky with it.
“Do you want me to?”
She bit her lip. “He wanted to go with Arthur, but Cei said he couldn’t. He’s bursting with wanting to be part of the army– to take part in his first battle. I don’t know if I should stop him. I feel as though it would be unfair.”
She paused. “Both Cei and Arthur had already been blooded by his age– he keeps on telling me that.” A little smile drifted across her face. “But to me he’s still my baby, even though I have Reaghan now.” She put a gentle hand on Reaghan’s red hair, an exact match for Cei’s and Rhiwallon’s. “I shan’t be having any more, not after last time. I don’t want to lose my firstborn. My only boy.”
“You have to let them go,” Morgawse said, with a sigh, her eyes wandering to where Medraut was organizing the boarding of Noah’s Ark, in a loud and strident voice. “We’re women and mothers. From the moment they’re born, we know they’re only ours temporarily. That one day all too soon they’ll suddenly be their father’s, their king’s, their friends’. It seems only the other day Medraut was on the breast, and now he’s already on the path to becoming a warrior.”
I dragged my gaze from Medraut and returned it to Coventina. “If you want me to, I’ll take Rhiwallon. But if you don’t, you only have to say.”
She twisted Reaghan’s rag doll in her hands, eyes brimming with indecision. “I daresay as how I can’t keep him at home with me much longer. He’d not forgive me for it. He’s always wanted to follow his father. So, yes. I think he’d best go with you. Other boys his age will be, won’t they? His friends?” She laid the doll on the floor. “Those that didn’t ride off with Arthur in the first place.”
Morgawse nodded. “And if Gwen’s intent on going, then there’s no reason for Rhiwallon not to go too. He’s probably a sight better at fighting than Gwen is.”
*
I rose beforedawn the following day, a sense of eager excitement upon me. That I’d be finding Arthur after so long apart loomed largest, the delivering of the message taking very much second place. As I pulled on my leather braccae, it felt almost as though he were here with me, getting ready to ride just as I was. Hugging that thought to my aching heart, I stepped out into the Great Hall in my mail shirt and with my sword hanging by my side.
Elen, the wife of Riacus, magistrate of Vindolanda by the Wall, had taught me how to use my weapon, a thing I’d be eternally grateful for. She and I had slain a Dogman who’d somehow managed to survive the fall from the town walls and escape into the streets. There’d been no time then for shock about what we’d done, and after, when the siege was over, we’d had other things to think of.
In my own world, having had a hand in the deaths of two men would have singled me out for prison, or at the very least, counseling. Here, it made me confident I could look after myself, and brought me up to an almost level footing with my husband’s warriors. They might not have agreed, but I didn’t care.
The heavy rain of yesterday persisted. Not an auspicious start to my journey. Merlin, who’d returned disheveled after nightfall with no explanation as to where he’d been, already sat astride his horse, his cloak drawn close about him, hood up and shoulders hunched.
Cadman and his five fellows were strapping their saddlebags to the saddles of fresh horses. I’d been right– they didn’t intend to take the offered rest. Brave warriors, all of them.
“We thank you for your offer of hospitality,” Cadman said when I walked over to see them. “But my king has need of every able-bodied man, and although we are old, we still have arms to bear weapons and legs to carry us into battle.” His gaze ran over my military outfit. “And I see the stories I’ve heard of King Arthur’s queen are not all the works of fevered imaginations.”
Was that a hint of respect in his eyes? Did he see me differently now I was dressed as a warrior queen?
I smiled, wiping the rain out of my eyes. “If a king cannot go, then a queen must.”
“May God go with you, my lady.” He made a deep bow, and, turning to his horse, mounted up.
My men had already assembled. Last night I’d called them to me in the Great Hall and explained my plan. Surprisingly few of them looked upset that I intended to lead them. Even Merlin, when he finally turned up, offered no objection. I was the Luck of Arthur, after all.
