Dragon of the Island (10 page)

“Aye, there was a great tragedy there. The
fortress was burned in a battle, and everyone perished.”

Aurora’s eyes widened. “Aye, I have heard
the story. They say Maelgwn burned his whole family to death.”

Elwyn shook his head. “Not his whole
family... just his brother and mother... enough, I suppose, to make
men whisper dark, evil things about him.”

“Is it true that Maelgwn ordered the fires
set?”

Elwyn looked deeply at her, his hazel eyes
murky with pain. “Aye, it is true, but you must remember, it was
war. If Maelgwn’s brother Maelfawr had been the one on the outside,
he would have done the same thing.”

“But his mother...”

“No. Maelgwn didn’t mean for her to die. The
fire was set not to take lives, but to drive the soldiers out to
fight. It was an accident that women and children were killed.”

“An accident!” Aurora’s voice was
incredulous. “Why did Maelgwn not think of the risk before he
ordered the fires set? I can’t help wondering if he’s not as
ruthless and savage as his enemies say!”

Elwyn shook his head. “Maelgwn has grieved
deeply over Dinas Brenin for years. Despite what men say about him,
Maelgwn is not a hard-hearted man. I know. I was sent to Maelgwn’s
father’s household for fostering at the age of seven, and I have
served the king as long as I can remember. There is not a better,
more just king in Britain.” His eyes returned to her face, soft and
pleading. “If you will give him a chance, you will find my words
are true.”

Aurora was silent. She had been told that
Maelgwn was a monster, a cruel, power-hungry man. But Elwyn didn’t
seem to think so, and her own experience with her husband had not
proven him to be entirely a brute. She remembered the tender,
provocative way Maelgwn had loved her in the forest. He had taken
pains not to hurt her, to give her pleasure. If he were truly a
barbarian he would not have given her feelings any consideration.
Perhaps Elwyn was right. Perhaps she should give Maelgwn a
chance.

Aurora sighed. Her worry that Maelgwn meant
to void the marriage and the alliance was leaving her, but another
fear was replacing it. Now that he knew what a shrew she was,
Maelgwn might well decide to ignore her, to use her body only to
beget an heir and then leave her for a more agreeable woman. The
idea made Aurora even more wretched. Maelgwn might not be the man
she would have chosen to marry, but he was her husband now. She
wanted to be his wife, his queen, not just a hostage to secure her
father’s loyalty.

Aurora stared at the brooding majesty of the
blue-tinged peaks and wondered if she would ever feel at home in
the formidable land called Gwynedd. When the sun shone, the deep
green valleys, glistening rivers and sparkling waterfalls enchanted
her, but more often it was overcast, and the land seemed untamed
and desolate. In six days of traveling they had passed no towns nor
villages. Only an occasional farmstead or shepherd’s hut suggested
that anyone inhabited the stark highlands and misty valleys except
the eagles and hawks who circled far above. How homesick she was.
Maelgwn had not come near her since the first night, and she had
begun to worry that he intended to shun her forever. When she
questioned Elwyn, he shook his head sadly and told her he didn’t
know Maelgwn’s plans, but the king must be mad to reject such a
beautiful woman.

Mad, aye, he might be, Aurora thought
gloomily. Her husband’s behavior so far had been baffling. He had
avoided her since their fight, but his men had made sure that she
had fresh food and water to wash with after every meal. Obviously
Maelgwn had listened to her complaints and was trying to make her
journey as pleasant as possible. Why then did he not come to her?
Had she ruined things between them with her taunting words? Or was
the truth that she had never been anything more to Maelgwn than a
hostage to control her father?

No, he had wanted her once, Aurora thought
stubbornly. She could still recall the thrilling eagerness in his
kisses and the way he had moaned when he came inside her body. The
memory made her shiver. Would Maelgwn ever touch her that way
again? Surely he would have to, if he meant to beget a legitimate
heir. She was his wife, and he had no choice but to share her bed
occasionally. Ah, but a man did not need to give a woman
satisfaction to plant his seed and make a baby grow, Aurora
reminded herself. If Maelgwn hated her as much as he seemed to, he
would make sure their coupling was quick and infrequent.

She sighed softly and glanced down at the
valley below, searching for a glimpse of her husband. Despite the
agonizing confusion that the sight of him stirred within her, she
could not help watching for him. She squinted and saw him very far
below, directing some soldiers as they forded a small river with
one of the supply wagons. His long dark hair and the huge stallion
he rode were unmistakable. Aurora’s stomach convulsed with tension,
although whether from anger or longing, she could not say.

She glanced quickly at Elwyn, hoping he did
not guess her turmoil. She had tried to guard her emotions
carefully and not to let him know how upset she was. She did not
want word of her distress to get back to Maelgwn, lest her arrogant
husband think she cared if he spoke to her or not.

She also didn’t want to worry Elwyn. He had
been so sweet to her, so kind and considerate. How wonderful it
would have been to marry a man like Elwyn, someone who truly cared
for her, someone she could talk to. No, she thought wistfully, a
man like that was not likely to possess the wealth or power needed
to make a profitable alliance for her father. She was doomed to wed
Maelgwn. If it had not been him, it would have been another foreign
chieftain, perhaps one who was old and ugly, his belly thick with
fat and his teeth rotten. Would that have been any better? Perhaps,
Aurora thought ruefully. At least then she would not care if her
husband ignored her.

“Aurora, you are so quiet. Are you feeling
well?”

Elwyn’s sympathetic words interrupted her
thoughts, and she turned and forced herself to smile at him.

“Aye, I am well. I was just wondering how
much longer we will be traveling. I am heartily sick of
riding.”

“It’s not much further,” Elwyn answered,
smiling back. “Tonight we will camp at an old Roman fort called
Tomen-y-Mur. From there the road leads straight to Caer Eryri. We
should be there by midday tomorrow.”

Aurora nodded, feeling the familiar anxiety
twisting in her belly. Tomorrow she would meet Maelgwn’s sister and
the rest of his household. If they were anywhere as cold and cruel
as Maelgwn, her future was grim indeed.

* * *

“Maelgwn!”

Balyn was coming toward him, moving quickly
through the chaos of wagons, horses and men. It was almost sunset,
and the damp air rang with shouts and curses as the army set up
camp.

Balyn smiled broadly and held out a
wineskin. “Mead from Constantine’s private store. One of the
serving girls gave it to me. She was ever so grateful that we did
not burn the place down.”

Maelgwn laughed. “Was she now? I imagine you
led her to think the worst.”

Balyn shrugged. “We have a reputation to
uphold. I did not think it out of place to remind our hosts that we
are rude savages. Anyway, it seems like fine stuff.” He shook the
skin gently. “If you join me around the campfire later, I’ll make
sure you get a share.”

Maelgwn nodded distractedly. He didn’t feel
much like celebrating. The memory of the fight with Aurora still
gnawed at him.

Balyn at once detected his gloomy mood.
“What is it, Maelgwn? You’re one day away from returning from the
most successful campaign of your life, and yet you frown as if you
had just lost a war.” Balyn glanced over at the king’s banner,
flying above his tent at the center of the army camp. “Is it
Aurora? Has your quarrel with her brought on this morbid
temper?”

Maelgwn nodded, his eyes distressed, his
brow furrowed. “I don’t know how to right things with her. I keep
meaning to go to her, but I can’t think what to say.”

“That’s easy. Beg her pardon, tell her how
beautiful she is and then insist that you can’t live without
her.”

“I can’t do that!” protested Maelgwn,
looking aghast.

Balyn shrugged. “It’s the easiest way—just
ask any married man here.” The twinkle left his eye as he forced
himself to be serious. “But even if you can’t make yourself grovel
before your princess’s feet, you’d still better work out some
arrangement with her before we arrive home. At the very least you
must negotiate a truce. Tell her that you’ll forgive whatever it is
she said to you, if she will forgive your violent loss of temper.
Remember, there is much to be gained in mending this rift between
you. Esylt will make boiled mush of you both if she guesses you are
already fighting!”

Maelgwn nodded and sighed. “I had not
expected my marriage to be like a war bargaining table
already.”

“What did you expect?” Balyn asked
pointedly.

“I thought... I thought she would want to
please me, that she would be eager to do my bidding. She seemed so
sweet and lovely.”

“Some young women are like that, but not,
apparently, Cornovii princesses. You’re going to have to change
your strategy to suit your opponent. Although there is perhaps
another consideration.” Balyn smiled slightly. “Love.”

“Love! Cease your jesting at my expense,
Balyn. I am a king. I can’t afford to fall in love!”

Balyn shrugged. “Well then, the battle lines
are drawn, and if you don’t want to fight, you’d better sue for
peace. At any rate, you’d be wise to make your move before we reach
Caer Eryri, and Esylt changes the thrust of the battle
altogether.”

Maelgwn nodded, then walked off, still
looking troubled.

Balyn shook his head as he watched the king
go. Maelgwn was very astute in judging people, but he had obviously
not realized that the rules were very different when it came to
women, especially wives.

Maelgwn walked slowly, contemplating Balyn’s
words. The comparison to a battlefield had its merit. He had
underestimated his opponent, and she had surprised him nastily. Now
he must make concessions until he had the advantage again and could
take
her
by surprise. Somehow the thought of subjugating his
wife as if she were a rebellious chieftain, displeased him. He’d
had enough of war in his life. With his wife he wanted peace and a
safe haven from the brutal demands of being a battle commander.

When he entered the tent, Aurora was sitting
cross-legged on the bedplace, combing her thick dark hair. The
sight of her loose, luxuriant tresses aroused him to tongue-tied
admiration. She jumped up quickly, as if frightened of him, and
stared back at him with her soft, gray-blue eyes. He flinched at
the sight of the deep purple bruise on her cheek and turned away,
regarding the terra-cotta urn on the table with grave interest.

“Aurora—I’ve come to beg your pardon.”

She nodded, then said, “I should not have...
brought up subjects that displease you.” She paused, seemingly as
tense as he was. “I also want you to know that I am grateful for
the better food and the other considerations you’ve given me.”

Maelgwn nodded also, unsure how to continue.
He didn’t know how to talk to women. He felt comfortable with them
only in bed, their bodies soft and yielding beneath his. That was
what he wanted now with Aurora, but the sounds of soldiers laughing
close by the tent reminded him of their lack of privacy. He could
hardly take his pleasure with his wife in the midst of a bustling
army camp. He looked at Aurora again, in awe of her beauty, her
devastating desirability. Then he reached out for a lock of her
wavy hair, twisting it idly in his fingers.

“I must join my men now. It’s sort of a
celebration, before we get home, before we have to deal with
everything there.”

She accepted his regrets gracefully, nodding
her head and saying nothing. He leaned over and kissed her softly,
lingering his lips on her neck. She trembled.

He released her, went to the tent opening,
then turned and permitted himself one last look at Aurora’s lovely,
exotic features.

“There’s no need for you to wait up for me,
Aurora. I’ll wake you when I come to bed.”

Aurora stood frozen for a moment, then
hurried to the tent flap and stared after her husband as he strode
away in the fading light. His walk was powerful, graceful, and as
he disappeared into the purple twilight, she was helpless with
longing. She sighed. She was relieved, but also a little angry. She
had endured days of exhausting riding and she was lonely, tired and
anxious. Did Maelgwn really think he had only to speak a few words
of apology and everything would be right between them?

She sat down on the bed wearily, trying to
collect her thoughts. Even if she hadn’t forgiven Maelgwn, she was
eager to welcome him back to her bed. As much as her husband
infuriated her, there was something about him that made her as weak
and helpless as a child. His dazzling blue eyes and passionate face
unnerved her; his deep, rumbling voice made her knees weak.

But now he had left her again. She could
hear the laughter of the soldiers outside the tent. There was an
easy, careless ring to their outbursts that made Aurora think they
would be up late tonight. She was exhausted, but she knew she would
not rest. Not until Maelgwn came to her bed, if ever he did.

“So, the king leaves the pleasures of a
married man and joins his men tonight,” Balyn said, flashing
Maelgwn a warm smile and moving aside to make a place for him near
the fire.

Maelgwn sat down, trying to shake thoughts
of Aurora from his mind and join his men’s exuberant mood. The
soldiers’ excitement was almost palpable. They were returning to
their homes healthy and rich. Their wagons were loaded with
valuables and foodstuffs, the men were weighed down with armor,
jewels, and other booty. Now that they were deep in the high
country, there was no way any army could follow them. Their
campaign had been an unqualified success.