by Jacky Gray
‘What? Stop trying to back out.’ Archer grabbed his arm and began twisting.
‘All right, I admit, I heard Sophia whisper three recounts when she brought the note.’
At that instant, a call went out for all Worthies and sixth year juniors to return to the main stage for the Garlanding. Archer shot a look of disbelief at Finn who grinned wickedly.
22 The Garlanding
Archer’s first task as May King was to give the final ruling on the Garlanding, a task he could not have managed without Bethia’s guidance and support. He had no clue how to judge which hoop or cross was better than any other one, yet she managed to find something complimentary to say about each one before directing its maker to one of three tables. Although not obvious to him initially, the garlands on the middle table were slightly better than the others. Original use of colours or textures made them stand out.
He had a vague memory of Ganieda helping him in his sixth year to make something which ended up getting mysteriously broken into little pieces ...
Nobody saw it happen; his garland was in the display with all the others. When he went to collect it at the end, however, he spotted the remains under a display table. Although Archer had a good idea who was responsible, as far as he was concerned, no real harm was done. It wasn’t the first time he had lied to Ganieda about a possession which had been damaged, or gone missing. He simply couldn’t get worked up about a few flowers and ribbons. Unfortunately, she could. His foster mother stormed over to the table searching for it, but he’d done a fairly good job of hiding the remnants. Embarrassed by the fuss, he tried to think of a good reason why it wasn’t there. Professor Gail approached, saving him the need for further lies.
‘Is there a problem Ganieda?’
‘Archer’s garland isn’t there. He thinks maybe one of the other children has taken it accidentally.’
‘Oh I don’t think so. Some of the best ones were taken for display in the council building. What did it look like?’
Gail said she had noticed the elegant simplicity of the one Ganieda described. ‘Would you like me to go and get it back?’
‘Not at all. It was simply ... I leant him one of my mother’s ribbons.’ She waved a hand. ‘It is of no consequence. What an honour, I must look for it. Well done Archer.’
He remembered the expression on Gail’s face as she too had been caught out in a lie. Although nothing was ever said, she took him aside at the end of a lesson a few weeks later. Handing over the ribbon, she said, ‘I think this belongs to Ganieda. We’ll say no more about it. Unless there’s something you’d like to tell me?’ He declined. After that, she seemed to go out of her way to ensure Edlyn and his bullies were kept away from Archer, at least during her lessons.
The last boy came, looking as though he had been dragged through a haystack and his garland with him. Bethia gave a welcoming smile, however Archer could see she was struggling to think of something positive to say. With the memory of his own Garlanding fresh on his mind, he had an idea about the boy and his little bundle of twigs. Gesturing at them, he smiled. ‘You spent a lot of time on that, didn’t you?’ The boy nodded.
‘And there’s a reason behind them isn’t there?’
The boy sniffed, his eyes blurring at the kind tone.
Pretending he hadn’t noticed the tears, Archer asked, ‘What’s your name?’
‘Reagan.’
‘Well Reagan, would you like to tell us the story?’
Drying the tears with a surreptitious flick of his thumb, the boy nodded again. Archer reached for the wooden tray used to carry their refreshments from the pavilion, indicating that Reagan should reassemble his garland on the tray.
He put the two long twigs down first saying, ‘The oak is for strength and truth, the rowan is for communication and life energy. The hawthorn is to open the heart for love.’ He arranged the May blossoms, crossing them with the smaller twigs. ‘The juniper is for health and purity, and the birch for fertility and good luck.’ He picked up the red ribbon. ‘This is supposed to be the blood which binds them all together.’
Bethia clapped her hands together. ‘That is so beautiful. I’ve really learnt something today. Do you think you might become a healer?’
Reagan seemed embarrassed by her attention; his hand slipped and it all fell apart again.
Archer could understand the boy’s reaction; she made him feel slightly clumsy. He was starting to understand why Fletch and Finn were under her spell. ‘Hey Reagan, why don’t you take the tray over there and tie it all together again? Then I’d like you to put it on the middle table.’ He checked with Bethia.
She nodded enthusiastically. ‘Definitely the middle table.’ As the boy picked up the tray, Bethia leaned over and kissed Archer’s cheek. He blushed red as she whispered, ‘What you just did was amazing. I would never have seen all that.’
As the next hopeful came up, he glanced over to where Patricia and Chrisya were supervising the garland tables. They were staring and it was quite obvious they had seen Bethia’s kiss. Neither seemed very happy.
When the last garland had been sorted, they went to the middle table. Patricia and Chrisya had chosen the best three garlands from the girls and the best three from the boys. Bethia picked Reagan’s up straight away.
‘That’s a bit plain, what about this one?’ Chrisya selected an impressive-looking cross, woven with exotic leaves, pale flowers and bright berries. ‘Don’t you think it’s better, Archer?’
He picked it up, studying the craftsmanship. Although highly unlikely it was all the work of a twelve year old boy, he couldn’t say anything without suggesting some form of cheating. ‘It’s a very fine example, but I must agree with Bethia, the one she picked represents everything Beltane is about.’
All three girls chose the same girl’s garland, a beautiful ring woven with lilacs, may blossom and bluebells and he was happy to go along with it. Then he and Bethia presented the prizes to the winning pair. All the sixth year students received a warm, berry-filled oat cake, and a glass of honey and lemon mead, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Next, was the thing Archer dreaded more than anything, the maypole dance. No matter how much he had practised with the girls, he felt completely inadequate. As they walked over to the main stage to line up for the procession, Chrisya forced her way in between him and Bethia, holding both of their arms. ‘Isn’t this so exciting? My two best friends are the May King and Queen. And you’re going to dance together. Do you remember the moves I taught you Archer?’
She explained to Bethia how she taught him some dance moves after he had shown her some techniques with the javelin and bow.
‘A bit like Fletch showing me.’ Bethia said, smiling.
‘Not really. Patricia …’
He didn’t get to finish as Chrisya interrupted to distract Bethia. ‘Talking of Patricia, did you know there was only one point between you and her in the final vote?’
Bethia froze and Archer could have cut Finn’s tongue out. What did he think he was doing, telling everyone?
Bethia’s smile dimmed. ‘No I didn’t. I’m not surprised, I think she deserved it more than me, she did better at everything.’
‘No she didn’t, you both got the same points for sports and knowledge.’ Archer regretted springing to Bethia’s defence quite so quickly when he saw the expression on Chrisya’s face. He had no doubt she would get great satisfaction out of describing his reaction to Patricia.
‘Well anyway, Edlyn overheard a couple of the professors saying they had to recount it five times.’
Archer knew from Bethia’s reaction that she thought the recounts meant they wanted Patricia to win. He tried to reassure her. ‘I’m sure it’s the normal procedure when the voting is so close. Sorry Chrisya, we have to line up now.’ Squeezing Bethia’s arm, he bent closer and whispered, ‘Take no notice of her,’ just as Patricia walked past, lowering her head to avoid looking at them. He sighed and shook his head. Why was life always so complicated w
ith girls around?
They lined up with the person who’d reached the same level in the contest or had won the same award. Bethia seemed to be lost in her thoughts and Archer reckoned he could say nothing to help, especially with Patricia directly behind. She refused to meet his eye, and Edlyn glared at him until he turned away, feeling vaguely isolated. His glance had taken in Fletch and Kayleigh jesting with Finn, while Chrisya had turned round to talk to Tybalt and Rhianna.
Looking further down the line, he realised that all his closest friends had won an extra medal except Logan. Although they had not exchanged a word since Archer was crowned, this would not cause a problem as his friend would understand he had been busy. Catching his eye, Logan smiled, giving a victory salute. That was the difference between girls and boys, no nastiness or trying to stir up jealousies. Logan seemed genuinely happy for him, just as Archer would be if it were the other way round.
Malduc invited everyone to follow the procession through the arches made from woven rowan and hawthorn branches. They were covered with stripes of white May blossom and dried rowan berries resembling the red and white of the maypole. Archer was trying to decide if this was actually the worst moment of his life or if he was simply being melodramatic, when it got even worse.
As they neared the pole, he could hear drums, not just Doug, but the whole crew. Gaelic Sound were performing the music for the dance. That could only mean one thing. At some point, they were going to sing their song about him.
23 The Maypole
Apart from the fact he didn’t disgrace himself by falling over or tripping anyone else up, two things remained with Archer about the maypole dance. Firstly, Bethia was a really good dancer; secondly, how different it seemed with decent music. It was the same old “Lord of the Dance” they always played, but Gaelic Sound’s performance truly made him feel like dancing. Although the girl singing with them was not Leticia, she too had a pure, clear voice. He didn’t remember much about the first few lines, he and Bethia were on their own until the second and third couples joined in. He felt less visible as they weaved the ribbons and could relax because he knew the chorus:
‘So, dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he
I will live in you if you’ll live in me,
And I lead you all in the dance, said he.’
The next two couples joined in the next verse; Finn took Archer’s red ribbon while Chrisya took Bethia’s white one. Seconds later, they were joined at the back of the queue by Edlyn and Patricia. Once more, she wouldn’t look at him, taking an interest in everything to avoid meeting his eyes.
When they went back into the dance for the second time, they had to unravel the ribbons by travelling in the opposite direction. It seemed a little more complicated, yet they managed it. Most of the boys were getting restless as they swapped in for a third turn and were thankful when the weave finally completed. The band accompanied the procession down to the bonfire, repeating the chorus and last verse:
“I danced in the bonfire when the flames leaped high
I am the fire that will never, ever die
The Beltane drums call out to you
Clap your hands and join in too.”
Malduc thanked the trees for giving up the wood, and said prayers for the couples who had married at the previous eve’s handfasting ceremony. Archer and Bethia each had a torch which they lit from Malduc’s candle. Circling round the bonfire, they lit the red branches which had been soaked in oils to make them burn quickly. The five ignition points formed a star and after lighting the last one, they hurled the torches up to the top of the bonfire. The band played traditional Beltane songs while two people from each family lit a torch, taking it home to re-light their house fire with the powerful energy.
The Worthies had another break and Malduc suggested they went to the pavilion and had a well-earned beaker of ale. Several boys were quick off the mark, sprinting to be first in the queue. Archer was surrounded by the girls congratulating him on his splendid dancing skills, so he followed at a more sedate pace.
Chrisya was definitely starting to unnerve him. She tried to let everyone know they were a couple, in the same way Fletch was desperate to let everyone know he and Bethia were a couple. If Archer heard her say to one more person it was no accident why they had chosen matching Worthies, he swore he would … what? The most he could do would be to tell her off. As if that would make a difference.
Tybalt was giving him such dark looks he was sure Finn must have told him about the mix up with the votes, although how it could possibly be his fault was a mystery. He wanted to talk to Patricia, but she stood in a tight little group with Rhianna, Dervla and Lexie. With Chrisya dogging his every step it simply wasn’t going to happen. Archer was grateful to Logan for making his escape from Chrisya possible by asking for a word in private. She seemed a little upset. Luckily, Tybalt chose that moment to ask if he could try some of the magnificent cake which was her craft entry.
Archer waited until they were out of earshot before clapping Logan on the back. ‘Thanks mate, I owe you.’
‘No problem, I thought you looked like you needed rescuing.’
‘You can say that again. Maybe we should do the same for Tybalt. After five minutes.’
‘Do that and he’ll be using his new found warrior skills on you. Don’t you know he’s had a crush on her since last summer?’
‘No. Tybalt likes Chrisya? That would explain why he’s been giving me the evil eye. He’s welcome to her. She’s nice enough, but a bit too clingy for my liking.’
‘Not like Bethia. Looks like you’ve been doing all the clinging there.’
‘What? I think not. We’ve simply been thrown together because of the May King and Queen thing.’
‘If you say so. I’ve been watching Fletch watching the pair of you and he looks like he’s itching to lay one on you. If it had been anyone else with his girl, I think he would have done.’
‘Hang on. When did Bethia officially become Fletch’s girl?’
‘About a month ago. They kept it quiet until today.’
‘Have I missed an important announcement which says all juniors must have a partner before they can graduate?’
‘Archer, you are such an innocent. Beltane, the celebration of unions. You know, couples handfasting?’ Logan was in his element. ‘The maypole dance, binding the ribbons together?’
‘Yeah, I see that, but …’
‘Even the Worthies come from an old tradition. Apparently the juniors competed to see which boys and girls had similar skills. You know, the way we were all paired up. The idea was to find a good match for lifelong partners.’
‘Oh no, does that mean me and Bethia …?’
‘No. At least, no one forces you to these days.’
‘You seem very well informed.’
Logan looked embarrassed. ‘My sister’s doing a task for her folk lore studies and she asked me to quiz her on it. Did you know more couples get together on the nights of Beltane and Midsummer than all the other nights of the year put together?’
‘Fascinating. I can’t see it happening to me at present. I’m not jumping the bonfire with anyone for a few years yet.’
Logan gave him a sceptical look as Edlyn and Melvin walked past. Waiting until they were some distance away, he lowered his voice. ‘That reminds me, watch yourself tonight, I think those two are up to something. I heard him mutter about “taking that upstart down a peg or two,” but they shut up when they saw me.’
‘Oh great. I’ve got to spend the next couple of hours with him. They’ve put us on the same table.’
Archer led Bethia to her seat and stood behind his chair until everyone had sat down. He began the thanksgiving prayers by inviting everyone to appreciate what had gone into the making of the meal, from the animals which had given up their lives to the cooks who had prepared the food. He gave thanks on behalf of the juniors and proposed a toast to all the people who had worked so hard to make
the whole day such a wonderful experience. Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip of the pink May wine. The fruity drink had a distinctive flavour given by rowan and juniper berries and unfortunate results if drunk too quickly.
As runner up, it was Edlyn’s duty to give thanks to the May King and Queen for their hard work on the day and to everyone at the lehren, the professors and all the other people who worked behind the scenes to help them reach this point in their education.
Fletch stood up to take his turn, but he wasn’t satisfied with Edlyn’s brief mention. Once again, he became the Lionhearted King. ‘I am not happy with this thanksgiving. I think those people who have worked so hard to make us what we are, deserve much more than a mere glass raised in their honour. So will you join me in showing your appreciation for the meal and the day?’ He raised his hands high, encouraging everyone to join in the applause. Malduc raised his eyebrows at Sophia as she shrugged, joining in heartily. Fletch held up his hands for everyone to stop. When he had total silence, he paused for an extra second, like the showman he was, before continuing. ‘Your professors and everyone else at lehren.’ This time the juniors were stamping their feet as they clapped.
He let it go on a little longer before signalling for quiet. Then he announced, ‘Your May King and Queen. Say thank you to Archer and Bethia, they have been truly Worthy.’ Everyone rose to their feet and people were thumping the tables and banging forks against beakers to make the most noise they could. Archer could hear the drums as he bowed and Bethia curtseyed.
Fletch stopped it short. ‘And finally, the biggest thank you has to go to those people without whom we would not even be here – our mothers and fathers. To our families, who give us help and support.’
Archer admired the way his friend had the confidence and wit to stir up the crowd. It put his ordinary speech to shame and he joined in with, ‘Three cheers for the families, hip hip ...’
