Читать книгу Arthur, King - William Speir - Страница 22

As hard as he tried, Arthur couldn’t get near the cliff steps. Someone always prevented him from reaching the hidden doors that led to the space between the north wall and the stables. The blacksmith seemed to be constantly aware of what Arthur was doing when he visited the smithy, and at least one groom remained near the stall with the other door. Arthur tried to sneak out of the great house and reach the hidden doors in the stables and the smithy late at night and early in the morning, but he couldn’t slip past the guards posted around the enclosure.

After a while, Arthur realized that at least two guards watched him at all times. Merlin must really not want me to explore those steps!

By the time Cai and Bedwyr arrived in mid-June, Arthur still hadn’t succeeded in using the hidden doors to explore the cliff.

King Cynyr of Gwent sent an escort of twenty mounted soldiers with Cai to take him to Din Eidyn, along with two supply wagons. Cai wasn’t used to riding horses, but Cynyr had found a well-behaved horse that was the perfect size for his eight-year-old son. By the time they reached Bryneich, Cai rode more confidently.

Cai and his escorts stayed in Bryneich for a few days before continuing on to Din Eidyn with Bedwyr and twenty of Nudd-Lludd’s cavalry. The two wagons from Gwent were joined by another supply wagon from Bryneich.

Like Cai, Bedwyr had little experience riding horses, and his horse was skittish and prone to panic, making the journey to Din Eidyn eventful. On more than one occasion during the first day of the journey, Bedwyr’s horse bolted, and his escorts had to chase after it to keep Bedwyr from being injured. The chase made the horse panic even more. Bedwyr’s escorts tried to convince their prince to ride in one of the wagons, but Bedwyr refused. “I won’t arrive in Gododdin like a baby or a piece of luggage.”

By early in the afternoon, a rope had to be looped through the horse’s halter. Two escorts held the rope, so the horse couldn’t run away again.

Late that afternoon, Bedwyr’s horse tried to bolt again. When it couldn’t break free, it started bucking. Cai, who rode next to Bedwyr, reached out to help keep Bedwyr from being flung off. Cai had to back out of the way when Bedwyr’s horse started kicking.

Bedwyr was terrified. He also felt angry at his horse for making the journey so difficult. He tightened his legs against the horse and clutched its mane, holding on tightly as it bucked and tried to break. The escorts tried to help the young prince, but they couldn’t get close enough to subdue the crazed colt.

Bedwyr held on for dear life. Several times, he feared that he’d be thrown off the horse, but he managed to hang on. After a while, the horse began to tire. Bedwyr kept a tight grip on the horse’s mane. The horse bucked one last time, and then it stopped. Bedwyr released his grip and slowly sat up in the saddle. The horse didn’t react, and Bedwyr smiled as he reached for the reins.

The lead escort rode alongside Bedwyr and grabbed the reins. “My Prince, I must insist that you ride in one of the wagons for your own safety. Your father would never forgive himself if you were injured by a horse that he selected for you.”

Bedwyr shook his head and took the reins back from the escort. “I’ll stay on the horse for now. Let’s see what happens.”

The lead escort stared at Bedwyr for a moment. “I can’t allow that, my Prince.”

“It’s not a question of you allowing it,” Bedwyr snapped. “I’ll decide when and if I’ll ride in one of the wagons.”

The lead escort started to protest, but Bedwyr glared at him. The escort shook his head. “Very well, Sir.”

The horse behaved itself for the rest of the day, much to the relief of Bedwyr’s escorts. The next morning, as the escorts broke camp, Cai walked over to Bedwyr. “Do you want to ride my horse today? He’s calmer than your is.”

“Thanks, but I’d like to give mine another chance,” Bedwyr replied. “Father warned me that he might be too young for the journey, but he’s the perfect size for me. Maybe he just needs to get used to having a rider.”

Cai nodded. “The offer stands, if you change your mind.”

As Bedwyr mounted his horse, it was quite docile compared to the previous day. Bedwyr rode around the camp, and the horse didn’t try to bolt. It seemed content to have Bedwyr riding it.

Two escorts tried to loop the rope through the horse’s halter, but Bedwyr waved them off. “If he tries anything, then put the rope back on.”

The mounted soldiers took their positions around the two princes, and they set out for Din Eidyn. Bedwyr’s horse behaved itself for the rest of the journey.

Cai and Bedwyr had never met before Cai’s arrival in Bryneich, so they used the ride to Gododdin to get to know one another. Bedwyr discovered that Cai’s father, King Cynyr, was married to Vortigern’s daughter by his first wife. She was King Cynyr’s second wife. His first wife, Cai’s mother, was a half-Irish, half-Welsh woman who had died when Cai was still a baby. Even though life was very different in southern Wales than it was in northern Britain, both boys soon discovered that they shared many things in common. And though they both knew that they’d miss their families while staying in Gododdin, they were both excited to be with Prince Arthur; and they looked forward to learning from Merlin and Galerius, who had the reputation of being the two greatest minds in Britain.

Arthur stood on top of the south wall above the hillfort’s gates, watching the causeway. Merlin and Galerius stood with him, trying to hide their amusement with the young prince’s impatience.

“They’re supposed to be here by now, aren’t they?” Arthur asked for the third time. “You told me that they’d be here by mid-morning, and it’s nearly noon.”

“They’ll be here soon, my Prince,” Merlin said.

Arthur began pacing along the wall.

“Your father used to pace like that when he was anxious,” Merlin commented. “It’s amazing how much alike you are.”

Arthur smiled at his regent. “Thank you, Merlin. Sometimes I wonder if I’m anything like him.”

“You are,” Merlin assured him. “That’s how I know you’ll make a great king someday.”

One of the guards on the wall shouted. “Riders approaching!”

Arthur looked down the causeway and saw mounted soldiers surrounding two boys.

“Is that them, Merlin?”

“I believe it is, my Prince.”

Arthur was already halfway down the stairs before Merlin and Galerius realized that he was gone. They followed him, and the three of them waited at the gates with Galerius’ captains for the riders to reach the top of the causeway.

Merlin and Galerius both recognized the leader of Bedwyr’s escorts. “Welcome to Din Eidyn, gentlemen,” Merlin said.

Greetings, Lord Merlin, General Galerius,” Bedwyr’s lead escort said. Looking at Arthur, he added, “Do I have the honor of addressing Prince Arthur?”

Arthur nodded, but he kept his eyes on the two boys.

Bedwyr’s lead escort gestured for his prince to come forward. “My Lord, King Nudd-Lludd of Bryneich conveys his best wishes to his northern neighbor, and he is pleased to present his son Prince Bedwyr.”

Bedwyr dismounted and walked up to Arthur. “Good to see you again, Arthur.”

“Good to see you again, too, Bedwyr,” Arthur said, grinning.

Cai’s lead escort spoke up. “My Lord Arthur, Lord Merlin, General Galerius… King Cynyr of Gwent also conveys his best wishes and has commanded me to present his son Prince Cai.”

Cai dismounted and joined the Arthur and Bedwyr. “I’m pleased to meet you, Arthur.”

Arthur nodded to him. “Welcome to Din Eidyn, Cai. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Merlin looked up at the escorts. “When do you return south?”

“Tomorrow morning, if we may impose upon your hospitality for the night,” Bedwyr’s lead escort replied.

“Certainly,” Merlin stated. Turning to Galerius, he said, “General, please have someone look after these men while I get the princes settled in the great house.”

Galerius motioned for one of his captains to lead the escorts to the stables. Merlin pointed to the wagons, and two servants ran forward to collect Cai and Bedwyr’s belongings, which were packed in several large trunks.

Merlin walked to the great house with the three princes. “My Lords, I assume that you’re hungry. Allow me to show you to your chambers, and then I’ll have lunch served.”

Arthur was unable to hide his enthusiasm at having guests his own age. He ran to the great house, followed by the two princes.

“Galerius, why don’t you eat with us?” Merlin asked as the princes disappeared through the main doors of the great house. “The lads should get to know both of us before the lessons start.”

Galerius nodded and followed Merlin.

Sunlight streamed into the great hall from the windows just below the roof, creating pools of light that accentuated the colors of the flagstone tiles.

Cai grabbed a chicken leg from the platter in the center of the table. “I can’t wait to learn how to rule my people. A king needs to know how to tax the people to pay for things.”

Merlin stared at Cai. “Ruling has nothing to do with taxes. Any thug can collect taxes, and most tax collectors are thugs. Ruling is about leading the people.”

“Leading where, Merlin?” Bedwyr asked. “We aren’t nomads. We stay in the same place all year.”

Merlin smiled. “I didn’t mean ‘lead’ in the literal sense. I mean that to rule is to serve your people, to lead by example and show them how to live a good life.”

“Is that what you’re going to teach us?” Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded. “I’m going to teach you about being a king. We’re going to look at the Kings of Britain, the Emperors of Rome, and the Kings of Ireland, the Anglians, and the Saxons.”

“Why are we learning about our enemies?” Cai demanded. “What can they teach us?”

“Everything,” Merlin replied softly. “Let’s look at the Saxons…”

“I’d like to be looking at dead Saxons,” Cai muttered.

“So would I,” Merlin said. “But you need to understand them if you’re going to fight and defeat them.”

Cai looked at Merlin with an expression of disbelief.

“OK,” Merlin began. “Here’s your first lesson. What is Britain’s goal with the Saxons?”

“To drive them out of Britain and back across the channel,” Bedwyr answered.

Merlin nodded. “And then what?”

The three princes gaped at Merlin.

“What do we do once the Saxons are gone?” Merlin asked.

The boys shook their heads.

“That’s what I mean by leading. We’ve been so busy fighting off invaders, that no one has ever stopped to consider what we’ll do if the invasions ever stop! A true leader not only leads men in battle, but he leads his kingdom to greatness after the battles are over.”

“So what makes the Saxon leaders so great?” Cai asked.

“They have a goal,” Merlin replied. “And raiding along our coasts is not it. Their homes were destroyed by storms, forcing them to find a new place to live. They’re looking for a land to call home, and they’ve selected Britain. Every skirmish, every invasion, is part of a larger plan.”

“You sound as if you like them, Merlin,” Arthur said. “How can you like the enemy?”

“I think that Saxons are pure evil,” Merlin stated. “They’re like rabid dogs who need to be sent straight to hell. But I can still admire them even though I hate them. Their strategies and tactics make them a formidable enemy, and it’s by understanding them that we learn how to defeat them.”

“I don’t understand,” Arthur said.

Merlin smiled. “The Saxons attack, and we defend. Who has the advantage?”

“We do,” Cai said.

“Why?”

“Because we’re fighting on our own land,” Cai replied.

Merlin shook his head. “The one who attacks has the initial advantage.” Merlin looked at Galerius. “Right, General?”

Galerius nodded.

“That’s not to say that the one who attacks will always win,” Merlin continued, “but they have the advantage because we don’t control what’s going on. We have to react to whatever the Saxon dogs are doing. Once we determine their plan and get ourselves organized, we stand a chance against them. But while we’re trying to figure out what they’re doing, they have the advantage, and if they can exploit our confusion, then they can win the engagement before we’re ready.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Bedwyr said.

“The Saxons have proven that they’re very good at attacking, and Britain’s kings have proven that they are very good at defending,” Merlin said. “But we’re always reacting to whatever the Saxons are doing. Why doesn’t anyone attack the Saxons?”

“Has no one ever done that?” Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded. “Two men have. The first was Vortimer, the son of Vortigern. Vortigern was the High King before Ambrosius. Vortimer deposed Vortigern and attacked Hengist and Horsa. Four battles were fought, and the Saxons were driven back each time.”

“Why did Vortimer depose his father?” Bedwyr asked.

“Because Vortigern married a Saxon – Hengist’s daughter, Rowenna. Vortimer didn’t believe that his father could be trusted any longer.”

“Who was the second man, Merlin?” Arthur asked.

“High King Ambrosius,” Merlin replied. “When he was young, Saxon raiders overran his lands and murdered his parents. He organized the survivors and led an attack against the Saxons. He drove them out of his lands and back behind their borders.”

“So what?” Cai asked. “Who cares that two men attacked the Saxons? What does that have to do with leading my people?”

Merlin smiled at the Prince of Gwent’s impetuosity. “The Saxons are great at attacking, but they don’t defend themselves well. Every time they’ve been attacked, they’ve lost ground. Rather than try to defend ourselves against them, we should be attacking them and pushing them into the sea. A great leader would have a plan to drive off the Saxons and their allies, and he’d know what he wants to do with his kingdom once the fighting is over. Does that answer your question?”

“What about the Romans, Merlin?” Arthur interrupted.

“For more than four hundred years, the Romans occupied Britain and enslaved us. Once Mascen Wledig withdrew the Roman Legions from Britain to launch his war with the emperor, we were finally able to throw the Roman administrators out. We no longer pay tribute to the empire. But if the Legions had never left, we’d still be under Roman rule. Their military is one of the finest in the world.”

“High King Ambrosius has organized his armies like the Legions,” Galerius added. “And they’re a fighting force at least as good as the Romans ever had. The Saxons have a hard time fighting Roman tactics.”

“This is why we study our enemies,” Merlin said. “To understand how to defeat them, and to understand what makes them successful and adapt that into our armies so we can be successful. As kings, you’ll need to do this if you want to protect your people from your enemies.”

Arthur, Bedwyr, and Cai nodded.

Galerius outlined the military training that he would be providing. When he mentioned knife fighting, Cai interrupted.

“Why do we need to learn how to fight with knives?”

“Because there may come a time when you’re facing an enemy and you won’t have any other weapon with you,” Galerius replied.

“What about my guards?” Cai asked.

“They may be dead.”

“How could that happen?”

Galerius looked at the three princes. “When Vortimer had deposed his father, he grew jealous of Ambrosius. The southern kingdoms were loyal to Ambrosius, not Vortimer or Vortigern. So Vortimer sent three assassins to kill Ambrosius. They entered his fortress, killed the guards, and caught up to him in the hallway outside of his chamber. They each had swords, but Ambrosius had only a dagger.”

Galerius took the dagger in his belt out of its sheath and held it up. “This dagger, to be exact. He gave it to me when he appointed me to be one of his generals.”

He laid it on the table and continued. “So Ambrosius was trapped in the hallway with three assassins. But swords don’t work very well in tight spaces. You don’t have room to swing the blade, and it’s easy for your opponent to step out of the way if you’re trying to stab him. Ambrosius drew his dagger and attacked the assassins. Their swords were useless, and he moved too quickly for them to drop their swords and draw their own daggers. By the time the fight was over, Ambrosius was the only one left alive, and he didn’t have a scratch on him. That’s why it’s important to learn how to fight with knives. As a prince or a king, there’s always the danger of assassination. On the battlefield, there’s always the chance that you’ll lose your sword. You have to be able to defend yourself.”

Later that afternoon, Arthur showed Cai and Bedwyr around the hillfort. They watched the soldiers drill for a while, and then Arthur led them to the stables to check on their horses.

“There’s a secret door in the back of the stables,” Arthur said as the passed the engineers’ workshop. “It leads to a space between the stables and the north wall.”

“Why?” Bedwyr asked.

“It’s a hiding place in case the hillfort’s ever attacked. There’s also a door in the north wall that leads through the earthworks to the cliff. Someone carved steps in the cliff so we can escape from the hillfort if we’re overrun or if someone sets it on fire.”

“Wow,” Cai said. “Where do the steps go?”

“Down to the village,” Arthur replied as they approached the stables. “I haven’t been able to find out where yet. Merlin posted guards to keep me away from the doors. He’s worried that I might injure myself or that someone might see me and discover that there are steps leading to the hillfort that would allow an enemy to enter unseen.”

“We have to follow those steps!” Cai said excitedly.

Arthur pointed to the groom working in the empty stall. “That’s where one of the doors is. The other one’s on the back wall of the smithy. That groom is there to keep me away from the door, and the blacksmith never lets me go near the back wall anymore.”

“What about at night?” Bedwyr asked.

“The guards keep me away,” Arthur replied.

“A challenge!” Bedwyr exclaimed, beginning to sound excited like Cai.

“Oh I’m sure the three of us can figure something out,” Arthur stated. Looking at the sky, he added, “But not tonight. It’ll be dark soon, and I’m not climbing down a cliff at night.”

The other boys nodded. They checked on their horses, and then Arthur finished showing them around the hillfort before leading them back to the great house.

Merlin, Niniane, and Anna joined the boys for supper that night. After they finished eating, Niniane took Anna back to her chamber, and Merlin left to check on the escorts from Gwent and Bryneich.

Arthur led Bedwyr and Cai to the great hall, where a large fire had been built to ward off the cool summer night air. The boys sat close to it, talking for hours.

Merlin discovered them still sitting by the fire well after midnight. Uther’s standard – the gold boar on the field of dark blue – waved above them as the heat from the fire rose toward the ceiling.

Merlin suggested that they get some sleep, and the princes agreed. Arthur escorted his new friends to their chambers.

As he walked down the corridor leading to his own chamber, Arthur was happier than he’d ever been.

Bedwyr and Cai are great! We’re going to be the best of friends.

He climbed into bed, pulling the fur covers up around his face to fight off the night chill. And I’ll finally have help getting past the guards and down those steps.