Page 67 of Arise the Queen
Her mother patted her on the arm. “If I could have delivered you, I would have, Gwendolyn. I came here, hoping to convince Baugh to ride to your rescue.”
“But he would not?”
Her mother sighed, then shook her head. “I will never lie to you. He refused. He did not believe it was his right to intervene between a husband and wife. My father is a man who venerates the sanctity of marriage. He believes any person—man or woman—who dishonors his vows is no one fit to lead.”
That did not bode well, Gwendolyn thought, remembering Baugh’s look of disapproval in the glade, and Gwendolyn was quick to explain to her mother that the Llanrhos Druids had dissolved her marriage. She simply didn’t confesswhenthey had dissolved it—no one needed to know that.
“But I suppose Baugh has no problem with abuse,” Gwendolyn said, though she did not mean to complain about things long done. However, she was speaking to her mother, and a mother should know the things her daughter endured. “He was cruel to me.” She lifted a hand to her curls. “Cut my hair… locked me in a fetid room where the stench of his brother’s death remained, and he allowed his awful mistress and his mother to abuse me whenever it so pleased them.”
The dirk at Gwendolyn’s waist screamed for justice, so she also told her mother about Borlewen’s blade, how she’d attained it on the night of her wedding, and all of Loc’s confessions thereafter. However, she did not tell her mother how she’d found King Corineus’ head on Loc’s gate. That would serve nothing but to aggrieve her, and Gwendolyn was ashamed she did not right this wrong before fleeing Loegria. It never mattered under what circumstances Eseld had come to her father, Gwendolyn knew by her mother’s actions that she had loved her husbandtruly—far more evident to Gwendolyn than Eseld’s complicated feelings for her daughter.
They halted, and Queen Eseld turned to face her. “Please understand me, Gwendolyn, your grandfather cares. Of course he does. But…” She sighed. “That stubborn old fool must be convinced of everything. It took me a long while to prove I’d not forgotten my people. But I am certain you will discover this for yourself.”
“I have a sense of it,” Gwendolyn allowed.
And she did. So far, Baugh had given Gwendolyn very little cause to feel welcome here, or even that he was in danger of softening. To the contrary. And yet… vexing though it was that he had given Albanactus any favor at all, mayhap that was a small sign he had any love for his granddaughter at all. He had claimed, after all, that he had done it for her—and by the by, she learned thatdótturbarnsimply meant daughter’s child. Said with such distaste, it was as close as Baugh had yet come to claiming Gwendolyn. Still, it was something.
“A bit of advice for my daughter, the Queen…” She smiled proudly. “Your grandfather will not tolerate disrespect, but he abhors cowards.” She eyed Gwendolyn smartly, then pulled her along again, linking her arm through Gwendolyn’s as they continued strolling through the village market. “Stand up to him, but remember your honor. I have every faith you will find the way to convince him that supporting his granddaughter is the right thing to do.” And then she whirled and threw her arms around Gwendolyn, weeping quietly as she petted Gwendolyn’s matted hair. She drew back suddenly, heedless of her own tears, as she brushed a thumb across Gwendolyn’s cheek.
“Your hair,” she said with trembling lips. “Though even ravished and filthy, art beautiful, Gwendolyn.” Gwendolyn choked back a wave of emotion, tears stinging her eyes. It was nearly too much to bear—so long she’d yearned for words suchas these from her mother. If she but knew this, it didn’t matter to Gwendolyn if her mother admired Ely’s beauty most of all—Gwendolyn did, as well. She only needed to know that she, too, was lovely in her mother’s eyes. Only twice in her life had her mother ever spoken to her so affectionately—once on the day she’d gifted her the dowry chest before her Promise Ceremony, and later, on the day of her wedding. This familiarity between them was not something Gwendolyn could ever have envisioned, but it felt so good.
Gwendolyn hugged her back, heedless that they might have gathered an audience, and when they were done with hugs, and continued along the stroll, Gwendolyn felt a strange, new desire to share everything with her mother—everything, as a daughter should. She took this opportunity to tell her mother about her reflection in the Fae pool—and all the other truths she’d learned along her journey, confirming her mother’s worst fears… that her child was, indeed, a changeling. There was no trace of surprise in her gaze when Gwendolyn was through. But, once more, her mother seized her by the arm, pulling her aside, and turned her about as though Gwendolyn were a wayward child who needed a scolding. But the look in her eyes was anything but berating, and she appeared rueful as she reached up to push a curl behind Gwendolyn’s ear. “You were alwaysmychild,” she said. “I only needed to know—not for the least of which I needed to understand what your role should be. Truly, Gwendolyn. It is no small thing to be favored by the gods, and if I was stern with you as a child, it was only becauseIknewyour worth andI knew your path would not be easy. I only wished for you to be prepared.” She sighed then, allowing her hand to skim Gwendolyn’s cheek. “No matter… I was mistaken to believe your destiny was with Locrinus, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me for this. But perhaps you may if you also know it was by my intervention your father summoned Málik.”
Gwendolyn blinked. “You?”
“With Corineus’ agreement,” Eseld confessed earnestly. “But who do you think put that notion into his head? He, like every southern man, was fearful of the Druids. But Emrys visited my father on so many occasions and I knew him to be a good and just man. I simply could not say so, because, as you know, it is not the order’s preference to engage with the tribes. They leave this dubious honor to the Llanrhos order, and I did not know how to tell Corineus what I knew without revealinghowI knew.”
Emrys had, indeed, confessed to knowing Baugh, and now she also knew why the Lifer Pol order wished to conceal their village. She also understood that fear was an important instrument for them. However, it occurred to her now that Brutus had no knowledge of their histories and did not come to the bargaining table with the same respect for their customs. Although he’d attempted to educate his son in the Old Ways, Locrinus had only used it to disrespect and vanquish them. Locrinus also used fear to his advantage, and considering everything her mother had told her—everything she had learned previously, she now understood that, sooner than later, it was all bound to lead to war…
Her face fell as she dared to ask, “Were you there… when…”
“Corineus,” she said softly, anticipating Gwendolyn’s question before it was voiced. She nodded, her eyes again clouding with tears. “I was… yes.” It took her a long moment to find her voice again. “You must know, it was Albanactus who took me aside and bade me to go into that hall. I was with Lady Ruan, and when he told me what was happening… I ran to stop it… it was already too late—” Again, she shook her head, her hand lifting to her lips to strangle a sob.
This time, it was Gwendolyn’s turn to put the back of her knuckles against her mother’s cheek, caressing softly. “Please,”she consoled. “Do not weep. If you had not fled with Albanactus, I’d have lost you, as well, and this I could never bear.”
Well then… at least she had Albanactus to thank for her mother’s life… if only she could wipe the taste of his betrayal from her mouth.
She still did not know what she would do when she came face to face with that man. But at least now, she better understood what Innogen had meant about Albanactus turning his sights to the north—and despite this, that bitter witch had never, for one moment, confessed the truth of this matter, leaving Gwendolyn to worry that he meant to raise arms against Baugh—or worse, turn him against her.
And suddenly, Gwendolyn realized what her mother had said, and she lifted a hand to her breast, her heart leaping into her throat in dread. “Please tell me… it is not you Baugh gave Albanactus to wed?”
Her mother laughed. “Oh, I am certain Alba wouldnothave consideredthata reward!” She grinned. “Nay, my dear, he is wed to my younger sister. But I beg you, Gwendolyn… find some way to forgive Albanactus. None of us would have been spared were it not for his mercy. He saw us through the gates and made excuses to Kamber to see us north.”
Gwendolyn softened perhaps, knowing her mother spoke true and imagining the same fate dealt to her as Locrinus had seen fit to deal her father—she couldn’t have born it. Eseld smiled encouragingly at her, and Gwendolyn took a deep breath and nodded. Thereafter, they abandoned the market. Arm in arm still, they toured the entire village, with Gwendolyn in awe as she took in the sights. For all its idiosyncrasies, Skerrabra was a hidden gem of a village thriving in the depths of the earth—a wondrous labyrinth of passages and courtyards. Indeed, one could easily lose oneself amidst the winding passages, which were illumined by torches and lanterns. Arched doorways led tovarious living chambers—small but cozy, with wooden doors and thatched roofs.
They walked by what appeared to be a blacksmith’s forge, where vats of liquid metal were being shaped into weapons. “This is where we forge our weapons,” she explained. “We are, as you may have guessed, dependent upon trade for much of our provisions, but we make our own weapons in the Skraeling fashion, so we are well prepared for any threat. As you can see, it is not Loegrian steel, but a proper longsword will do a fine job of lopping off a head.”
This was a topic Gwendolyn was waiting to broach, so she jumped at the opportunity to ask. “What of your armies?” Foremost in her thoughts was that she would need more than fifty warriors to join her cause. As yet, she had seen no proof that her grandfather had a proper garrison. If she was mistaken to place so much hope on her grandfather’s non-existent armies, all was lost.
“Most do not live in the village. They are stationed about the isle, and more on the mainland… to guard against any who approach by sea.”
“But I did not see a harbor. We came by the beach?”
Her mother laughed. “What need is there for a harbor when the entire isle is a port on the sea? You would be surprised, Gwendolyn. We do not receive quite the variety of merchants we did in Trevena, but we welcome more than our share.”
Gwendolyn waved her hand at their surroundings. “Why does this village rest beneath the earth?”
Her mother shrugged. “It is quite temperate here, but the winds are relentless! Only witness my father’s face!”
