The Dragon Lord's Daughters

by Bertrice Small

  He came to her every night after that, taking her hand in his, and together they would rise into the skies, traveling to his castle where soon Maia was lying in her mystery lover’s arms, her head spinning with his kisses and his caresses. Her innocent heart had been engaged from the first moment he had come into her life.

  “Why will you not go to my father and ask for my hand?” she inquired of him one night.

  “I will come, my love, when you are certain that your heart cannot be captured by another,” he told her quietly. “If you love me, Maia, you can love no other man. I would have you be certain.”

  “I am not even certain this is real!” she had cried to him.

  She could not see the smile, for he remained faceless even when he kissed her, but she could hear the smile in his voice when he answered her.

  “When you awaken in the morning, my love, you will find the proof of this night, and all the others that have gone before it, on your pillow,” he promised her.

  And when Maia awoke the following morning she found a tiny, delicate silver and gold replica of his castle set within a blue sapphire on a twisted silver and gold chain lying by her head. With a surprised cry she picked it up, examining it, amazed by the exquisite workmanship. Like his castle, the pendant was something the like of which she had never before seen. She slipped it about her neck, hiding it beneath her chemise. If she attempted to explain the pendant and chain her parents would become upset, for even Maia understood there was magic involved in what had been happening to her.

  And now suddenly she was very curious to know just who this man who came to her every night was. She had sent her suitors away, and set about to wait. He would come. Of that she was very certain. He was as real as the pendant and chain. No figment of her imagination, or a fantasy. He would come. And then one day Maia felt compelled to wear her pendant and chain in full view of her family.

  Ysbail’s sharp eye was the first to see it. “Ask your daughter, Argel, where she has obtained that beautiful chain and ornament she is wearing today.”

  Argel reached out to finger the chain. Her look was puzzled. “Indeed, my daughter, where have you found this jewel?”

  “It is a gift,” Maia answered her mother.

  “From whom?” Argel asked.

  “From the man I will marry,” Maia said. “He will come soon, Mother, and I will wed none but him.”

  “Who is he, my daughter? And how have you met him, and we have not?” Argel said quietly.

  “I do not know,” Maia said honestly. “He comes to me each night in my dreams, and we go to his castle in the middle of a beautiful lake. When I questioned the reality of these dreams he said he would leave me proof they were real. When I awoke the following morning the chain and pendant were by my head.”

  Argel looked stunned by her daughter’s revelation, and Gorawen reached out to take her friend’s hand in hers. “This is magic,” she said. “And it is great magic.”

  “I love him,” Maia spoke softly.

  “She is bewitched!” Ysbail screeched, turning pale and crossing herself. “I can but hope this sorcerer has not harmed my Junia who sleeps by her sister’s side!”

  The other two women turned to look at Junia, and Argel spoke.

  “Has any of this obvious magic disturbed you, child?” she queried the young girl. “Have you had any part in your sister’s dreams?

  “I do not awaken from the time my head touches my pillow until the morning, nor do I dream,” Junia replied. “This is the first I have heard of Maia’s dream lover. I think it very exciting. I should like to have a dream lover, too.”

  Ysbail jumped up and slapped her daughter’s pretty face. “Foolish one! Do not tempt the devil as this proud girl has done!”

  Junia cried out, and her hand went to her cheek as tears slipped down her face.

  “Sit down, Ysbail,” Argel ordered the woman in a quiet, but firm voice. “You should not have struck Junia. She did nothing to merit such punishment. She is yet a child. Maia, take your sister, and go into the garden. I must speak with your father. We will call you when we desire your presence once again.” She smiled at the two girls as they arose, and curtseying went out of the hall. Argel signaled to a house serf. “Fetch your master. Tell him I would see him as quickly as possible.”

  The servant ran from the hall. “I wonder who this magician is,” Ysbail said.

  “I wonder when he will come for her,” Gorawen replied, “for he surely will.”

  “Should we resist him?” Argel directed her question to Gorawen.

  “I doubt that we can,” Gorawen answered. “This is strong magic indeed that this man practices. Still, Maia has no fear despite the fact he remains faceless to her.”

  “He is probably horribly deformed,” Ysbail said grimly.

  “Or wonderfully beautiful,” Gorwen responded.

  “Then why hide his visage?” Ysbail demanded.

  “Perhaps he wishes to be loved for his character, and not his face,” Argel said wisely. “I wonder how long before we have the answers we seek.”

  “Soon, I suspect,” Gorawen replied. “The year wanes. He will want her as his wife before the winter sets in, I think.”

  Merin Pendragon entered his hall. His wife and his women arose and curtsied to him as he settled himself before the fireplace. He had been breaking a young horse. His graying hair and his shirt were damp with his exertions. “Rafe said it was important, wife,” he said. “I am not unhappy, however, to be called in. The beast is very stubborn.” He motioned his three women to sit down, and they obeyed.

  Argel quietly explained the tale that Maia had told them. “I expect that is why she turned down so many eligible suitors, husband,” she explained.

  “You are certain that she and Junia are not playing some clever jest upon you?” he asked them.

  “Where would she get the pendant and chain?” Argel said.

  “You are sure that it is real?” he responded.

  Argel nodded.

  The Dragon Lord looked to Gorawen. “You concur?” he said to her.

  Gorawen nodded. “The chain is of particularly fine workmanship. As for the pendant, I know of no way but magic that that dainty replica of a castle could be enclosed within a jewel. If this man did not give it to her, how else could Maia have come by such a precious possession?”

  Pendragon nodded slowly. “Is this good, or evil?” he wondered aloud.

  “We cannot know until we know the man, my lord,” Gorawen said.

  “And she says she will marry none but this man?” He looked to his wife now.

  “She will have none but him,” Argel replied.

  “We shall see,” he said. “I wonder if he will want her without her dower of land? Perhaps it is that he seeks.”

  “He has a castle,” Gorawen reminded the Dragon Lord.

  “Or so he has led the foolish girl to believe,” Ysbail spoke up sharply. “If he can do the things he does, mayhap this castle is but an illusion.”

  Both Argel and Gorawen snorted derisively.

  “Nay, my loves,” the Dragon Lord said, “she has a point. I will need to be certain there is a castle in good repair for Maia in which she may make her home.”

  Maia and Junia reentered their father’s hall.

  “It is growing dark,” the older girl said.

  “And the wind is beginning to rise,” the younger added.

  “Come by the fire,” their father invited. He drew Junia into his lap, smiling as her head came to lay against his broad shoulder. “Now, my fair Maia,” he said, looking at her, “is what your mother tells me the truth? This is not some jest you would play upon us?”

  “ ’Tis no jest, Father,” Maia answered her sire.

  “You have never seen his face?” Merin Pendragon was very curious. “How can you love a man whose face you do not know?” he asked his second daughter.

  She shrugged. “I understand not, Da, but I can tell you that I love him for his voice, and his kind w
ays. Those who serve him seem to love him, too. His dogs run to him at the sound of his voice. He is gentle and tender with me. I believe that he loves me, Father, and have I not said I would wed no man who did not love me?”

  “Ahh,” Merin Pendragon said, “there is the rub, my daughter. Is he indeed a man, or some wicked spirit come to lure you away for nefarious purposes?”

  “I care not,” Maia replied. “I love him, and that is all that matters.”

  “Then I would meet him,” the Dragon Lord said quietly.

  “He says he will come soon,” Maia responded in sure tones.

  “Good!” her father answered her, but he was troubled. What kind of man snuck into a man’s house and seduced his daughter in her dreams? He was uneasy, but Argel and Gorawen seemed at ease with this situation they all faced.

  That night as Maia walked with her lover in his castle garden she said softly, “Show me your face, my lord. It matters not to me if you are disfigured or scarred.”

  “I am not,” he assured her.

  “But if you do not show me your face, my lord, how am I to know you when you come to my father to ask for my hand in marriage?” Maia wanted to know.

  “You will know me, my love,” he promised her. “Your innocent heart has come to trust me even if you cannot see my features, and that is why I am assured that you will know me when I come to Dragon’s Lair.”

  “Soon?” she pressed him. “Ohh, my lord, I would be with you all the time, and not just in a dream at night!”

  “I promise you that I will come very soon, my love,” he swore to her. “You sense it, which is why you wore your pendant today for all to see.”

  “I did!” she exclaimed.

  He laughed, and then his thumb and his forefinger took her chin between them, and she felt his lips on hers.

  Maia did not dream of her lover the next night. She awoke weeping and agitated. None could calm her until a servant ran into the hall to announce that a rider approached Dragon’s Lair. Leaping to her feet the distraught girl dried her eyes as best she could. “He has come!” she cried. “He has come!” She ran from her father’s hall, her long red hair flying behind her, and followed by her family.

  “How does she know? How can she be certain?” Ysbail demanded. “Junia! Remain by my side.”

  He rode up the hill on a large black stallion. When he dismounted they could see he was tall, and lean. He wore his wavy black hair short. His eyes were a dark gray. His features were perfect. He was, Gorawen thought, the handsomest man she had ever seen. To their surprise Maia gave a sharp little cry, and threw herself into his arms.

  “You have come for me, my lord!” she said, looking up adoringly at him.

  His arms enclosed her in an embrace, and his eyes lit with pleasure. “I have indeed come for you, Maia, but only with your parents’ permission.” He kissed the top of her head. Then he set her aside, and bowed to Merin Pendragon. “I seek your daughter’s hand in marriage, my lord.”

  “A matter to be discussed in private, my lord,” Merin Pendragon said. “First, your name. We do not know it.” The Dragon Lord’s eyes took in the man before him.

  “My name is Emrys Llyn,” the deep musical voice answered him.

  “The Lord of the Lake!” Gorawen exclaimed.

  “I am, lady,” Emrys Llyn replied with a small smile.

  “How perfectly fitting,” Gorawen said softly.

  He laughed. “I suppose it is. I had not considered it before now.”

  “What is it?” Argel asked Gorawen as they entered the hall.

  “This lord descends from King Arthur’s knight, Lancelot de Lac, and the Lady of the Lake. Is that not so, my lord?” Gorawen said.

  “Their blood flows in my veins, ’tis true, lady,” Emrys Llyn said.

  “But did not Lancelot betray King Arthur with the king’s own queen?” Ysbail now found her voice.

  “He did,” Emrys Llyn replied, “and in doing so he broke the heart of the Lady of the Lake who was his wife, and who loved him too well, I fear. They say that one of Arthur’s half sisters, and all were skilled mightily in the dark arts, cast a spell upon the queen and Lancelot so that they would deceive the king. Then Mordred, Arthur’s other son, took advantage of the situation. Thus began the downfall of Camelot that led to King Arthur’s death. ’Twas a terrible tragedy for all involved.” He set his dark gaze upon the Dragon Lord. “Your ancestor took no part in any of it, did he?”

  “No,” Merin Pendragon acknowledged. “It was Merlin the Enchanter’s decision that my ancestor would remain hidden in order for Arthur’s line to continue. Arthur had not yet met his three half sisters before he was crowned. He was warned by Merlin to say naught about his son by the lady Lynior. So they never knew, and my ancestor was safe. Yet you know of my descent, Emrys Llyn. How is this possible?”

  “The Lady of the Lake was one of the few in Merlin’s confidence. ’Twas she who guarded the king’s sword, Excalibur, before Arthur knew his true identity. Lancelot returned Excalibur to her on Arthur’s death. It is said she still keeps it safe within her watery bower. It has been believed within my family that a union between our families would wipe away Lancelot’s sin against Arthur. But until now it was never possible.”

  The Dragon Lord nodded. “I must know you better, Emrys Llyn, before I allow you to marry my daughter Maia. While I recognize your family name and your lineage, I do not know you. Maia is dear to me, and she is my one legitimate daughter. Her dowry includes land.”

  “I have no need of your land, Merin Pendragon,” the Lord of the Lake answered. “I will gladly accept whatever other dowry Maia possesses, but I should take her even without a dower portion. I love her.”

  “My lords,” Argel said. “Let us sit within the hall, take refreshment while you discuss the future of my daughter.” She motioned them into the chairs of honor by the fireplace, and served them sweet wine in her best silver goblets. Then she directed the other women to the benches to sit with her as they had not been forbidden to listen to the two men in their discussions.

  “How came you to know of Maia?” the Dragon Lord asked Emrys Llyn.

  The Lord of the Lake smiled. “I have inherited my family’s magic,” he said, “and I keep myself informed. I was aware you had three daughters, two of marriageable age. I cast their star charts, which told me your golden haired daughter traveled a different path, but more important, her stars and mine were not compatible. Then I cast Maia’s stars, and discovered that should I choose to make her my wife, our stars were sympathetic to one another. But first I had to know her. Sometimes when the stars are consistent with one another, the union is still not advisable for other reasons. But I loved her from the moment I knew her.”

  “Why did you keep your face from her, then?” Merin demanded of the younger man.

  “Because more times than not an innocent maiden will fall in love with a handsome face. I do not believe I am being immodest when I say I know my visage is a beautiful one. I wished to be loved for who I am, and not for what I look like. And as you see, your daughter knew me instantly even though she had never before laid her eyes on my face.” His eyes found Maia’s and he smiled at her.

  Her heart leapt in her chest. “Father, let us be wed today!” she begged her sire.

  “No,” the Dragon Lord said. “I must know more of this man before I will entrust you to his care.”

  “I will die if I cannot be his!” Maia declared, distraught.

  “Obey your father, my love,” Emrys Llyn said. “He does what he believes is best for you. He has not forbidden us. He simply wants more time. That is his right.”

  “You will abide with us, my lord, will you not?” Argel said, attempting to calm both her husband and her daughter who were both known for their tempers. “Maia, you and Junia will prepare the chamber in the tower for our guest. Go, now.”

  The two girls arose, and casting a longing look at her lover, Maia and her sister left the hall to do as they were bid.

&nbs
p; “There, now,” Argel said quietly. She turned to look upon Emrys Llyn. “Tell me, my lord, where is your castle, for Maia has declared it beautiful and peaceful. She says it is in the middle of a lake. Is it the lake?” She smiled at him.

  “Aye, ’tis that lake in which the guardian of Excalibur is said to dwell. She raised up the castle in which your daughter and I will live, for her husband, Lancelot. She planted and tended the gardens that surround it. Sometimes she is said to be seen walking in those gardens in the moonlight, for it was believed, like all magical persons, she was immortal,” he told his fascinated audience.

  “Humph!” grunted Merin Pendragon. “A romantic tale to be certain, but you have still not said where this castle is located.”

  “Not far, my lord,” Emrys Llyn told them. “To the north, and to the west, just before you come to the sea is a valley, well hidden among the mountains. My lake, and my home, is there. I would like to take you to see it, Merin Pendragon, so you will know I do not lie. It is but two days’ journey. If I took you there by means of magic you would not believe the evidence of your own eyes, would you?” His long mouth twitched with amusement at the look on his host’s face.

  But then to everyone’s surprise the Dragon Lord laughed. “Nay,” he said, shaking his head. “I probably would not.”

  “Let me have a few days with Maia in this world, and then I shall take you to see for yourself,” the Lord of the Lake promised.

  Gorawen spoke up. “I think that a fine idea, my lords, but I believe, Emrys Llyn, that we would all be more content if you would promise not to visit Maia’s dreams while you are here at Dragon’s Lair with us. What think you, Argel? Maia is your daughter, after all.” It was cleverly done. Both Merin and his wife were quite taken aback by the Lord of the Lake. Gorawen realized that she would have to act for them in the area of common sense if this was to work out well for Maia.

  “Yes, yes!” the Dragon Lord agreed, and Argel nodded. “You must swear to me you will not come into my daughter’s dreams by night while you are with us.”