It happened that the poisoned draught had little effect on her, because she had long accustomed herself to imbibing poison in increasing doses, until she could withstand a quantity which would be fatal to anyone else. This custom she had started in order to guard against attempts to poison her because, as we have already said, she was feared and disliked by those who accused her of being a sorceress. So she felt only a slight discomfiture and nothing else.
When supper was over, Gillis went to search for Marec and warn him of the entire plan.
Marec, meeting the daughter of Godolphin in the corridor, showed his loathing.
“Know this, woman, I detest you and your shameful intentions. Know also that you can neither hurt me by your witchcraft nor with the blight of your evil eyes.”
In anger, she hurried directly to the lord of Pengersick and told him that his son had grossly insulted her.
“Indeed, my lord, frail woman that I am, I had to defend myself with all my might to preserve my honour even to the point that I had to threaten to plunge a dagger into Marec’s heart until he desisted and left my bower.”
Her fabrications so incensed the lord of Pengersick that he decided to dispose of his son without another day’s delay.
That evening, the wind rose across the sea and a storm blew in from the east. Marec and Utar were walking on the shore and saw a vessel in trouble on the sea.
“She will be on the rocks in a moment,” observed Utar.
The two young men did not delay but went down to the shore and launched their boat, rowing towards the endangered vessel with all their might. As they drew near, they were able to warn the vessel of the approaching rocks. Thus they saved the vessel and turned back towards the shore.
Now a sudden sea mist had come down and they could scarcely make out the shore. Out of the mist they saw something floating in the water. They rowed nearer and found a sailor, exhausted, and near to drowning. They pulled him on board and Marec realized that they had only just saved him.
They rowed back to the shore and bore him to Marec’s chamber, where they removed his wet clothing, rubbed him dry and placed him in sheepskins. They dropped brandy in his mouth and gradually restored him to warmth. Finally, the man fell into a deep sleep of exhaustion.
In the morning, he was awake and well and thanking his rescuers when they told him how they had taken him exhausted from the sea.
The seaman told them his name was Arluth and recalled that he had fallen from the swaying masthead of his ship into the sea. He had tried to keep himself afloat and endeavoured to raise his voice and shout for help. But no one had noticed his fall and he had despaired of ever being picked up. He said that his father was the captain of a ship from the east, which frequently traded at Cornish ports. He feared his father would be in great distress, fearing him drowned, and he wondered how he could find a sea-going ship which would catch up with his father’s vessel.
Marec and Utar found him clothes, for he was a young man like themselves, and also provided him with a good breakfast.
“We will find a ship, such as you seek, at Marazion. There is a market there, Maraghas Yow, or Tuesday’s Market. That is where we shall go.”
So they set out over Tregonning Hill with the sailor riding one of the hunters from the Pengersick stable. As they passed over the hill, a strange thing happened. The hunter suddenly took off, as if chasing hounds. At the top of the hill, a sudden thick mist descended and the horse reared in fright and threw its rider. The sailor, unused to riding, was thrown to the ground and winded. He sat up and looked about. He found himself alone in a thick mist.
He moved towards some rocks. He was startled when a sudden flash of lightning came out of nowhere and split the rock asunder. Arluth reeled backwards. Then it seemed a voice came out of the depths of the rock.
“Fear not, Arluth, beloved son of mine,” came a sweet feminine voice. “Fear not, but seize the sword of your ancestors and win back the kingdom that is rightfully yours.”
There was no one near him and he looked round in astonishment. Near the rock which had been split sat a great white hare, which gazed lovingly upon him and then turned and disappeared into the crack made by the lightning. He went to the rocks, still puzzled, and where they had been severed, he found a naked sword with sparkling jewels in the hilt. It was, of course, the Cledha Ruth, the Red Sword.
Having recovered from his surprise, he picked up the sword. All at once the mist disappeared and he glanced up and saw Marec and Utar nearby, obviously in the process of looking for him. They held his horse with them. He told them what had happened and Marec and Utar were amazed. Now Marec, inheriting some of his mother’s wisdom, for she had been the daughter of a druid, said that Arluth had discovered a magic weapon, which meant that he was destined to achieve great things.
Arluth, however, was more concerned in finding his father and the ship’s company, who would think of him as dead. So they continued on to Marazion, to the great market there. In Marazion harbour, there was the very ship which had nearly been wrecked on the previous night. It was the very ship that Marec and Utar had saved and the very ship from which Arluth had been cast overboard.
However, Marec and Utar did not want thanks and so left their new friend, Arluth, to go his way while they returned home to Pengersick. Once on board, Arluth greeted the captain as his father. There was great joy on the old captain’s face and those of his crew, for poor Arluth had been given up as dead. After they had all celebrated, Arluth told his father the tale of his rescue by Marec and Utar and how he had discovered the sword.
The captain’s face grew sad as he examined the Cledha Ruth. “The time has come to tell you the truth, my boy. I am not your father. I am no kin to you that I know. However, I served your mother, Berlewen, the Gwelhevyn of our sad land. She was murdered by your father, whom she had trusted. Indeed, she had trusted him with this sword of power and he had deceived her, and thus she lost her kingdom to Cadarn the Strong.”
“Who, then, is my father?” demanded Arluth in wonder.
“My son,” said the old captain, “I feel that I must call you son still, though I am only a poor captain and you are, truly, a great prince . . .”
“I would have it no other way,” insisted Arluth, “for you are the only father I have known. But I must know who is responsible for the murder of my mother.”
“So you shall. Your half-brother is Marec, the young lord of Pengersick. The same young man who you now tell me rescued you from the sea. The other was his foster-brother, Utar the miller’s son.”
When Arluth went to speak, the old man held up a hand. “No blame to him. His mother was likewise betrayed and driven to an early grave by the father you share. That same man still plots the death of Marec, his own son.”
Arluth shook his head in bewilderment. “This must not be.”
“It is true, but your duty now lies in returning to your land, the land of Berlewen, now that you have the magic sword which will overcome Cadarn the Strong. You must liberate your people.”
“I cannot leave Marec and Utar if they are in danger. They saved my life and now I must save their lives.”
“It is your duty to save your kingdom, which has been for so long rent by civil war and with no one powerful enough to overthrow the tyrant Prince Cadarn. You must take the magic sword and return,” insisted the old sea captain.
Coincidence is an amazing thing. It was while the old captain and Arluth were thus engaged that none other than Gwavas, the lord of Pengersick, came on board and demanded to see the captain.
When they heard who it was, Arluth hid in a closet and the captain invited the old lord into his cabin.
Pengersick came straight to the point of his journey. He offered a large sum of money to the captain if he and his crew would kidnap Marec and Utar, who he said were a youth and his servant who were lazy and plotting to take his castle from him. He asked the captain to take them to an eastern land and sell them as slaves. For that he would be well rewarded
.
The captain, in his rage, fell on old Pengersick and threw him off the ship before he realized that he could have used the coincidence to his advantage and the advantage of Arluth. However, righteous indignation won the day over subtle scheming.
Angered, the lord Pengersick went to the next ship whose captain had no scruples and, indeed, a deal was struck.
It was when they saw lord Pengersick coming from that ship with an evil smile on his face, that the old captain turned to Arluth and expressed his regret. “Had I but thought of it in time, we could have taken the evil lord Pengersick and given him a taste of the sea instead of his son.”
Arluth nodded thoughtfully. “He has persuaded the other captain to take Marec and Utar as slaves and sell them in some distant land. Send one of our crew to mix with the crew of the other vessel, and see what plans are afoot.”
The crewman eventually reported back that the plan was that at dawn, when Marec and Utar went fishing in their small boat, the slave-ship crew would head off by longboat and attack them, with the view of taking them prisoners.
Arluth ordered that some of the crew arm themselves and make ready in their own longboat. As soon as it was twilight, they saw a raiding party leaving the slave-vessel in their boat. Arluth urged his men to strike out after them and he unloosed the Cledha Ruth, which he now wore strapped in a scabbard at his side.
“May the gods be my guide, for I will use this magic sword to save my brother and foster-brother.”
The boat of Arluth gave chase. They were not able to catch up with the slave-ship until after the slavers had captured Marec and Utar and had them bound. But it was only a moment later when Arluth and his men rammed the slave-vessel and came board. The victory over the slavers was easy and every evil one of them paid the price of his folly.
Marec and Utar were surprised to see their companion of the previous night, and even more surprised when Arluth told them what the old lord of Pengersick had intended for them. He told them to come away back to the old captain’s ship and sail with him. The only thing he did not tell them was that he, too, was the son of the lord of Pengersick.
“Come with me and never more put foot in this evil place whilst your crafty stepmother’s head is above ground,” he urged.
Marec felt that he could not leave without taking with him something of what rightfully belonged to him, for he and Utar were without any money or resources to make their way in the world.
“Don’t touch anything in that accursed castle,” Arluth instructed. “I’ll tell you why. We go to a distant land to the east. There you have a brother, Marec. A brother who will give you gold, silver and share his last coin with you. He would shed his heart’s blood for your safety. This brother of yours will soon be king in that country to which we go. Neither you nor Utar will want for anything. My word on it.”
Marec and Utar were astonished at how assertive Arluth was.
“We shall seek out this brother of mine,” agreed Marec, “but I wish that gods would grant that you were my brother, Arluth. I would more willingly go with you to any land.” Marec was greatly fond of the young sailor.
Utar nodded agreement. “And I. I will go willingly, even now, without a brother to look after me.”
“You have your foster-brother,” Arluth pointed out. “And, in me, you have another foster-brother.”
The three young men then swore allegiance to each other which neither men nor gods would break.
The old captain welcomed Marec and Utar on his ship and they set sail eastwards. And it fell to the old captain to tell of the adventures of lord Pengersick when he was younger and how it was that Arluth was his son. They all embraced now and swore again that they would fight for Arluth’s kingdom.
On the high seas they met the slave-ship, whose captain had agreed to kidnap Marec and Utar, and Arluth led a boarding party, killing the slavers and rescuing the enslaved, who willingly agreed to form a new crew and come with Arluth to fight for the freedom of his country. Arluth took command of the new ship, with Marec as his mate and Utar with them. So now the two ships made sail for the lost kingdom of Berlewen.
In Pengersick Castle, the old lord Pengersick was told that his son and Utar had been out that morning fishing. Neither had returned but their empty boat had been washed ashore with blood in it. Gillis, the steward, who brought the news, was greatly distressed, for he knew that his master had been on board two eastern vessels the day before, and that both had sailed.
Now it was that Gillis came before the lord Pengersick and his lady and accused them of destroying Marec and Utar or worse. The daughter of Godolphin he accused of conspiring with her maidservant, Venna, to destroy not only her stepson but her husband as well. Venna was summoned and, to save herself, she turned against her mistress and confessed all. Old lord Pengersick, realising how he had been fooled, ordered both women to be thrown into the deepest dungeon at Pengersick. Then he mounted his horse and rode in haste to Marazion in search of the slave-ship which he had hired.
It is curious but he felt some link of blood kinship to his son, even though he had sought his death and ordered his kidnapping. Finding the vessel had sailed and finding no other ship to go after it, he rode back to Pengersick at nightfall in a drunken rage, fuelled by his remorse and guilt. He fully determined that at dawn, his wife, the daughter of Godolphin would hang from the tallest tower of the castle and by her side would be her maidservant Venna.
As he rode along the coast road on his hunter, there sprang from a thicket a great white hare, with flaming coals for eyes. It leapt straight into the face of his horse. The horse, terrified, turned and galloped towards the cliff top, and in seeking to escape the pursuing hare, leapt over the cliffs, down into the turbulent seas.
That was the last anyone saw in this world of Gwavas, the lord of Pengersick.
Now it happened that the daughter of Godolphin was rescued from her dungeon by her father’s servants. She had developed a scaly leprous skin; some said it was the result of taking her own poison, others that it was some contagion from the dungeon, while others that it was a retribution for her evil life. None wished to look upon her and so her father had her shut in a dark chamber of Godolphin Castle, where no one would gaze on her.
As for Venna, she used magic arts and escaped back to her aunt, the witch of Fraddam.
Gillis told the people of Pengersick how his master had confessed how he had disposed of Marec, his son, and Utar. The people gave them up for lost, thinking them sold to some slave market far in the east. But Gillis refused to believe that there would be no lords left in Pengersick, and so he took care of everything. He looked after the castle and spent frugally, hoping to use the money to pay a ransom for Marec’s release if he could be found alive.
Far to the east, Arluth’s ships approached the shores of Paganyeth. It was noticed that, since setting sail from the coast of Cornwall, a beautiful great white bird had followed them all the way. It had often come within bowshot, but no one had dared to aim a shift at it for sailors, being superstitious folk, believed it to be the spirit of a seafarer who followed to keep them from harm. And during this voyage, Marec and Utar used to listen to all the tales of Paganyeth, which Arluth and the old captain would tell them to pass the long hours of the voyage.
On arrival in the country, they found it in great disorder, racked by wars. Few people liked the harsh rule of Cadarn the Strong. The old captain began to tell people of the birth of Arluth, and of his recovery of the Cledha Ruth, and soon people began to flock to his standard until he had a fair-sized army. He was proclaimed the Gwelhevyn, rightful ruler of Paganyeth.
Soon, indeed, did Arluth topple Cadarn the Strong, who died under the bright flashing blows of the Cledha Ruth. In truth, however, Arluth, while a good king, would have preferred the command of a good ship at sea than the cares of running his kingdom. Indeed, he regulated his rule as if he were a captain of a ship and saw to it that there were no idle hands in his kingdom, that stores were gathered and the
kingdom was well provisioned.
Arluth wanted his brother, Marec, and Utar, to live with him in the palace and be his Cusulyer or chief advisers. But Marec had heard from the old captain that there was a part of the kingdom, high up in the mountains in a small corner, in which a people dwelt called the Pystryoryon, who were wizards of great skill and learning. He ardently desired to visit their country and learn what he could of their arts and so Arluth, with some regret, provided him with horses and warriors to go and seek them out. Utar, of course, went with him.
Marec remained a long while with the Pystryoryon, studying with them and learning many curious things. While he was there, he fell in love and married the daughter of their chieftain, a lady named Skentoleth. She was as accomplished as she was beautiful. Utar married her chief handmaiden. For some years, Marec and Utar dwelt happily in their land.
Now the old captain had returned on a voyage to Cornwall, to Marazion. He had discovered that Gwavas, the old lord of Pengersick, was dead, that the daughter of Godolphin was incarcerated in her room at Castle Godolphin and that Castle Pengersick was being looked after by the faithful Gillis, longing for the day when he might have word of Marec. Further, the old captain heard that the people of the estates of Pengersick wished for Marec’s return to his rightful place and were willing to pay a ransom for that return.
When Marec heard this, his heart yearned to return to Cornwall, to his own people. He told Skentoleth all about his land to the west under the setting sun. He warmed as he told her about this land and praised its climate, its inhabitants and scenery.
“I have a strong and beautiful castle by the sea, with a green valley beyond where I will build you a bower by the murmuring shore, and where you may wander in tranquil gardens and your pleasure will be my will.”
“Say no more, sweet husband,” smiled Skentoleth. “As great as the delights of your land are, I would heed them not when you are by me. Your home is my home, wherever you choose to dwell. Whatever pleases you is my will. When do we depart for the west?”
The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends Page 45
