The Dark Age

by Traci Harding

  Maelgwn was heading to the kitchen to make a pot of tea when he was distracted by a knock at the front door. Upon answering it, he was confronted by a man who appeared not much older than himself and whose nationality was unfamiliar to him. His reddish skin was much darker than Maelgwn’s, and the man’s size and build were similar to Brian’s. His eyes were very dark, almost black, as was his hair, which was braided into a long plait that fell all the way down his back. The man stood out as a warrior, unlike most of the men the King had met here, so Maelgwn figured him to be one of Brian’s students.

  ‘Is Brian home?’ The visitor appeared just as stunned by the sight of Maelgwn’s huge presence in the doorway.

  ‘No, sorry. But Tory be.’

  ‘Tory!’ the man cried, aghast. ‘May I see her please?’

  He made it sound as if he had every right to speak with her, so Maelgwn inquired, ‘Who are you, sir?’

  The man smiled broadly. ‘Tell her Teo is here.’

  ‘Her sensei?’ Maelgwn remembered the name.

  ‘The same,’ Teo confirmed, appearing a little curious. ‘And who might you be?’

  ‘Maelgwn, Tory’s husband.’ He held out his hand in greeting.

  ‘What?’ He pushed Maelgwn aside and stormed down the entrance hall calling out, ‘Tory!’

  It took but seconds for her to appear at the top of the stairway, having recognised Teo’s voice the first time he’d cried out her name. ‘Teo, what are you doing here? Brian said —’

  ‘Your husband!’ He pointed a finger in Maelgwn’s direction. ‘You got married?’

  ‘Well, yeah. I thought you’d be happy for me.’ Tory was confused. She had only ever known Teo to be calm, gentle and full of reason, but the man before her seemed to be a completely different person. They’d had a brief affair, so what? It had been his decision to end it, so why all the drama? Unless, of course, their story had also unfolded differently this time round.

  ‘Happy for you!’ He gripped his brow with both hands. ‘Could I speak with you a minute please … alone.’

  ‘Of course.’ She beckoned him towards her father’s library, then looked to Maelgwn with a shrug. The King appeared irked as he folded his arms. ‘Please Maelgwn, I shall explain later. I promise.’ She ventured a kiss before heading to the library, scratching her head. As soon as I find out what’s going on, myself.

  Just as she closed the library door, Teo was upon her. He spun her around, backing her up to the door, his lips and body pressed hard against her own.

  What in hell’s name? Tory jabbed him in both kidneys before thrusting him away from her. ‘Have you taken leave of your senses, I just got through telling you I am married!’

  ‘I lost my mind, alright, and my best friend. Over you!’ he appealed in anger. ‘To discover that you were off getting married to some … giant! Tory, how could you do this to me?’

  ‘What is all this guilt shit, Teo! Don’t try to lay that on me, my friend, ’cause I am over it! For starters, Brian has told me that he realises his mistake and has every intention of apologising. Secondly, you were the one who decided you couldn’t teach and sleep with me at the same time, not me! And thirdly, I would have let you all know what had happened to me, if I’d been able to.’

  ‘So where were you then? Where were you that you couldn’t pick up a phone or post a letter at least, huh?’

  Good question, Tory thought, and she wasn’t sure if she should confide in Teo in his current mood. But surely Taliesin wasn’t referring to himself when he warned me to beware of who I took into my confidence. Still, something inside told her to be careful. ‘I had a bad fall and suffered amnesia for a time,’ Tory explained without too much of a pause, so it sounded quite believable.

  ‘So that’s how you ended up married to someone else.’ Teo’s tone became more intimate as he again tried to approach her.

  ‘No, Teo. Let’s get this straight right now. I married Maelgwn because I love him, understand?’

  Tory withdrew from his grasp, yet he was not swayed. ‘I don’t believe you, Tory. You’ve just forgotten.’

  ‘I forget nothing.’ She stopped and held him at arm’s length. ‘For heaven’s sake, when we split up you said if I found somebody else, so be it.’

  ‘But I didn’t mean it!’ He took hold of her hand and held it to his heart. ‘We had something special, didn’t we? I just presumed that in the end …’

  ‘I know you did. But you made all your own choices, Teo, as did I.’ She slid her hand out of his grasp and placed it on his shoulder. He appeared dazed and hurt, but he had calmed down since she’d made contact with him. ‘I can’t say I’m sorry, Teo, when I’m not. I have just had the best year of my life. I had no way of knowing what you were going through,’ she added quickly to appease the anger that was again rising in him. ‘If it’s any consolation, when my memory finally started to return, I did miss you. Brian tried to contact you, but nobody seemed to know where you were.’

  Teo nodded, his head bowed low, and unexpectedly he collapsed into tears. This caught Tory off guard; she had never seen him cry before.

  ‘I don’t know what’s happening to me, Tory.’ He sounded scared.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I don’t know, I’m not myself, am I?’ He raised his head and stared deep into her eyes. ‘Don’t you think I’ve changed?’

  Tory’s heart sank and her stomach churned. Indeed he had, he was so negative, so angry. ‘You’ve been in torment, Teo. But you don’t have to feel that way anymore. Things will sort themselves out now, you’ll see.’ She gave him a hug.

  Teo had no real kin and had been on his own all his life. His childhood hadn’t been so good, but his interest in the martial arts had saved him.

  ‘I’ve lost you, though.’ He pulled himself together, and Tory wiped the tears from his face.

  ‘No you haven’t, I’m right here. You just can’t shag me anymore.’ This got half a laugh out of him.

  ‘But that was the best part.’ He invited a punch and received one. ‘Ouch, I meant to mention that before, your strikes have improved.’

  ‘You’d better believe it.’

  Teo stayed for a cup of tea then left peacefully. He apologised to Maelgwn for his rudeness, but Tory knew he did this more as a good show for her benefit than because he was truly sorry. Teo said he would return to see Brian in the next day or so and asked Tory to give her brother his regards.

  ‘He has a darkness about him,’ Maelgwn said as they watched Teo drive off.

  ‘I noticed that, too. But Teo’s been through much worse than this little trauma, and he will get over it, given time.’

  They returned inside where Maelgwn sat Tory down at the kitchen table. ‘He was thy lover, was he not?’ he asked in a very civil manner, not jealous as he’d been in the past.

  ‘Aye, Maelgwn, he was.’ The confession saddened her. They had never spoken about her past, or his, still it was bound to come up sometime. ‘The first and last, before thee. I was going to say something about him, but when thee never asked, I guess I put it off. I was afraid thee would be disappointed that the Goddess had not sent thee a virgin. And never in a million years did I think that the two of thee would meet, or I would have told thee sooner, I swear!’

  ‘Tory, calm down. I am not angry with thee, nor disappointed. In my experience, there be no great thrill in taking a virgin to thy bed. I would have wed thee if thou had known a million lovers before me.’

  ‘Really?’ Tory sprang to her feet and hugged him. ‘I do love thee, Maelgwn of Gwynedd.’

  ‘And I love thee, Tory Alexander.’ He held her face in his hands and kissed it.

  ‘So what about thee? “In my experience” thee said just now. How much experience is that exactly?’

  Maelgwn’s smile was broad, his cheeks flushed. ‘Well I was in the monastery for some time, as thou art aware.’

  ‘And how about before and after that … hmm?’

  As Maelgwn seemed to be having a b
it of trouble answering, Tory thought she’d give him a hand. ‘At what age did thee lose thy virginity then?’

  ‘Five and ten.’

  ‘Five and ten!’

  ‘That be late, Brockwell was only two and ten when he lost his.’

  ‘I’d believe it. So who was she?’

  ‘Why, I do not know.’

  ‘I was referring to thy first love, Maelgwn, not Brockwell’s.’

  ‘Oh I see. I do not know that either.’

  ‘Thee must have been there, Maelgwn. How could her identity escape thee?’

  ‘Well, it was the feast of Beltaine, and King Catulus was giving a huge celebration as I had rid his kingdom of the dragon. He was into masquerades at the time, so we all wore masks. Yet I have to confess, I am fairly sure it was his daughter.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And what?’ He laughed.

  ‘And so how many others have there been?’

  ‘None, that I have felt enough for to even recognise.’ He raised Tory and seated her on the table before him. ‘Now let us forget my conquests a moment, I have need to ask thee something.’ He paused to look her in the eye, suddenly serious. ‘Dost thou still love him, Tory?’

  She smiled at his concern. ‘I believe I did once, though thinking back, it may have been more curiosity and lust. But, he be a dear friend, always was. Please do not judge him from what thee saw of him today, Teo be a good and learned soul really.’

  Maelgwn wasn’t so sure and he felt awkward speaking his mind; he didn’t want to seem as if he were condemning her friend. ‘Hast thou told him anything of thy journey?’

  ‘Nay, I said I fell and got amnesia. But I did intend to tell him the truth.’

  ‘I’d rather thee did not and I cannot really explain why, only that I wish it. Please Tory, if thee would do this for me, I would be most grateful.’

  As the request seemed so important to him, she agreed.

  Six weeks later, Tory discovered that she was pregnant. She had conceived at exactly the same time as she had the year before. The child was due just before summer solstice, which meant that she could give birth in the safety of a hospital. Tory just hoped the baby was on time.

  Maelgwn was ecstatic and wasn’t prepared to accept that any problems might arise. This was fate as he saw it, and best of all, his wife and unborn child were completely safe. In this time nobody knew, or would even care that Tory carried the heir to the throne of Gwynedd. This was the perfect sanctuary, as Taliesin had obviously foreseen, and it proved to be yet another reason why the Merlin had insisted that Maelgwn accompany Tory to the twentieth century.

  When the rest of the family were told the news they were overjoyed. Tory had assumed that Brian would tease her about becoming fat and so forth. But when he didn’t she finally realised that he was not a child anymore, he had matured just as she had. In fact, Brian was rather excited at the prospect of becoming an uncle and his delight equalled that of their father, who was more than ready to become a grandfather. Tory laughed as she watched Maelgwn’s enthusiasm wane when Brian explained that in this day and age, the father was expected to attend the birth.

  ‘Maelgwn hast studied medicine, thus I expect the whole process shall interest him greatly. Be that not right my love?’ Tory added to his discomfort.

  ‘Don’t let her trick you, bro,’ Brian advised. ‘She just wants thee close so that when the pain gets really bad, thee will be within striking distance.’

  ‘Now stop confusing the poor lad.’ Renford had seen his children’s routine before; Brian and Tory often ganged up on others in this way. ‘I was present at the birth of these two and I assure you, Maelgwn, I would not trade that experience for all the knowledge of the Ancients.’

  Tory and Brian appeared quite touched.

  ‘Indeed, I have not known a single day as joyous since.’ Renford chuckled as the expression on his children’s faces changed, and they both grabbed for the closest cushion to throw at him.

  It was a stormy winter’s day and everyone decided to stay indoors. A fire was blazing in the lounge and the whole family sat around, doing little more than drinking tea, eating and reading.

  Tory was reading out and translating a book on childbirth to Maelgwn, while Renford silently read a book on Myrddin that was hidden by the cover of the latest spy novel. Aunt Rose had started knitting baby’s clothes already and was finishing off a bonnet in blue, as she and Maelgwn both insisted the child would be a boy.

  Brian was the only one who seemed disgruntled by the peace and quiet, and when Rose noticed she called him over. ‘Show me your hands, Brian.’

  ‘Cool, are you going to read them?’ He had been wanting her to do this ever since he’d discovered she could read palms.

  Rose usually steered away from reading the fortunes of those she knew, afraid of seeing something tragic, but today the mood took her. She studied her nephew’s palms carefully and then gasped, nearly scaring Brian out of his wits.

  ‘What? What is it?’ Brian asked her, ignoring the phone that had started to ring in the hall.

  ‘Why thou art about to fall madly in love, my boy.’

  ‘Really. How do you know?’ Brian frowned, as the ringing was starting to bother him, and nobody else seemed to hear it. ‘Isn’t anyone going to get that?’

  ‘Yes, you are,’ Tory said. ‘It will be for you, anyway.’

  ‘Hold that thought.’ Brian made for the phone and answered it with an air of annoyance. ‘Hello? Who? Naomi! Yeah, I remember you.’ He sounded pleased, closing the door to speak with her.

  All eyes looked to Rose, rather amazed.

  Even Renford had to laugh, knowing who the woman on the other end of the phone was. ‘You’re good, Rose, I have to say.’

  Rose and Tory were rather rocked by his statement, not that the professor noticed as he’d gone straight back to his book.

  ‘Read mine, Aunt.’ Tory approached Rose holding out her hands before her.

  Rose sat staring at Tory’s hands for some time and finally looked at her niece, completely stumped. ‘I can see nothing. The lines on both your hands are exactly the same, child. Usually right is past, left is future, so this would indicate that for you, time has simply stood still!’ her aunt joked, unable to explain it.

  Of course, I should have known. Tory had nearly forgotten about her immortality, though her new state of being had made her pregnancy noticably more comfortable this time round. Her morning sickness was practically non-existent and she certainly wouldn’t have to worry about dying in childbirth or the scars it might leave. ‘Must have something to do with the time travel,’ Tory put forward as a feasible excuse.

  Brian returned, appearing as white as a ghost. ‘They found another statue, Dad.’

  Renford removed his glasses as he looked to his son. ‘Oh dear.’

  Tory asked what he meant, and so it was confession time.

  She suggested that perhaps Brian recalled seeing the statues in her photos, bringing them out again for him to look over. But once she’d sorted through them, she realised she had only photographed one of the statues.

  ‘Then how did I know there was more than one? You didn’t mention it.’

  This was true and Tory confirmed that his guess that there were eight or nine statues was exactly right; it had to be a past-life experience.

  ‘They would represent the nine muses who warmed and guarded the sacred cauldron. They each bequeathed one of the nine metaphysical laws,’ Renford informed them.

  ‘How knowledgeable of you, father.’ Tory was surprised at the information he stored in the recesses of his mind. But in truth, Renford had just been reading about them in his concealed copy of the book on Myrddin.

  Brian snatched up one of the other photos. ‘The babe! Of course, that’s where I’ve seen her before.’

  ‘Seen who?’ Tory inquired.

  ‘The babe in the photo, she’s Naomi. I knew I’d seen her before.’

  Tory and Maelgwn both laughed at the news. />
  ‘What’s so funny? It’s the truth!’

  ‘Then you’re in big trouble, bro.’

  ‘Aye, she be a spirited creature to say the very least,’ Maelgwn agreed.

  ‘Well, she’s invited me up there for the weekend,’ he boasted, not at all worried about their comments.

  ‘That is purely so she can quiz you about the statues. I’ll stake my life on it,’ Tory teased.

  ‘If she wants to know bad enough, I just might get laid,’ Brian scoffed. ‘So, if you will all excuse me, I’m off to pack.’

  ‘If Professor Paradis has you locked up, I’m not coming to bail you out,’ Renford warned his son as he left the room.

  ‘Fear not Dad, no woman can resist me.’

  Tory and Maelgwn were reduced to laughter again.

  ‘That’s what he thought last time,’ Tory said wryly.

  When Rose left the room to make supper, Renford seized the opportunity to confide in his daughter and her husband. He told them his own strange story regarding the visit to Llyn Cerrig Bach, and of the whispering voices he’d heard.

  Tory explained that she too had heard the voices, however their message to her, if any, had not been audible. Her words proved to Renford that he was not going mad, but this didn’t really make him feel better. If anything, he felt worse, as he couldn’t write the experience off to senility.

  ‘It may not have been ghosts,’ Maelgwn suggested. ‘It could have been the trees.’

  ‘The trees!’ the professor repeated, sounding even more horrified.

  ‘Aye. As a shaman, Myrddin had a great understanding and communication with all forms of life, especially trees.’

  Renford knew his son-in-law’s comment to be in accord with what he’d read of the Merlin. This was the one thing about Myrddin that Renford could identify with; he did love his native woodland.

  Renford resolved to spend more time in the countryside becoming attuned to nature once the warmer weather returned. Until then he would study all the sites associated with the Merlin, like Dinas Emrys. This was where the story of the boy Myrddin and Vortigern had unfolded. Myrddin reportedly lay sleeping in a cave at this site, with the Thirteen Treasures of Britain. It was said he awaited a particular person, a youth with blue eyes and golden hair. When this youth approached the cave, a bell would ring. A black dog with yellow eyes would appear and lead the youth to the spot where the cave would be revealed to him. Apparently all false seekers who pursued the treasure were turned from the quest by storms or sinister omens.