“I don’t think so,” she said. “He feels secure behind the walls of his palisade. Besides, he trusts Arthur’s honor. He has no concern that the British will attack.”
The warrior nodded. “Then we should be safe here. For a time.”
She took a deep breath, thinking about what she wanted to say. She started to speak just as he did. They both stopped, then laughed.
He gestured graciously. “You first. You are the one who sought me out, although I must say I had made up my mind to have speech with you before this peace council was over.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said. “I have thought about this day for so many years, and now... now it is here and I can’t seem to find the right words.” She gazed up at him. “My name is Eastra. What is yours? What have you been doing these past years?”
“I am called Rhun ap Maelgwn. I’ve served in Arthur’s army since I last saw you.”
“It seems you have risen high in Arthur’s favor if he seats you at his right hand in meetings.”
His mouth twisted wryly. “Not so high. Arthur has other captains. But of all of them, I’m the one he wishes to have at his side when the talk is of peace rather than war.”
“That’s because you are an honorable man, and he knows you will advise him to be fair and generous in his dealings with his enemies.”
“Maybe. Or it could be he knows I won’t lose my temper, no matter how Cerdic might provoke me. I am generally slow to anger and quick to forgive.” He smiled. “Many men count my good nature a flaw and advise me I will never be a strong leader because of it.”
Eastra could not help sighing. “Deliver me from hot-tempered men. My Uncle Cerdic is often rash and unreasonable.”
A strange look came over Rhun’s face. “Cerdic is your uncle?”
“Aye.”
Rhun gave a hearty laugh.
“What amuses you?” she asked.
He shook his head, beaming. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I thought Cerdic was your husband. I was in dread we would be found together and he would not only abandon all thought of a truce, but geld me as well.” He laughed again. “Although I doubt Cerdic would be pleased to learn we had this conversation, at least the transgression is not quite so outrageous.”
“Why did you think I was wed to him?”
“I could think of no other explanation for your place in his household. I thought surely if you were his daughter or niece, you would be wed and gone by now.” His mirth faded. “Are you a widow? Is that why you live in Cerdic’s household and serve his guests?”
She shook her head. “I am unwed.”
His expression grew puzzled, then he nodded slowly. “Cerdic must value you a great deal, that he will let no man take you to wife. My father is like that. I wonder when he will ever let my sisters wed.”
Eastra looked at the ground. “You misunderstand my circumstances. I think Cerdic would be pleased to match me with one of his thanes, but none of them will have me, and Cerdic would never let me marry a sokeman or serf.”
“Not have you? How can that be? You are by far the most exquisite woman I have ever seen, among my people or yours. Surely your father’s clients aren’t blind.”
“You forget.” She heard the bitterness in her voice and, for once, did not try to hide it. “For five years I was a British thrall. My people think I am defiled because of it.”
His voice was tight. “Did you serve as your master’s... concubine?”
“No! He never touched me! In truth, my owners were not cruel. They treated me well, but like a servant, a nithing.” Her eyes stung with tears as she remembered the feeling of being no more important than one of the hounds who slept at Gaius’s hearth.
He reached out and touched her arm. “I’m sorry. It pains me to know you suffered. I have thought many times that rather than leaving you alone in the woods, I should have taken you back to my father’s fortress in Gwynedd. But you would have been a servant there as well, and it might have been no better for you.”
She shook her head. “If you were there, it would have been better. If I could have been with you, I would not have cared that I was a slave.”
Their eyes met, and Eastra felt all the years of longing and dreaming filling her until she could scarce breathe. He was here, in front of her, her rescuer, her brave, kind warrior. He was real and alive and even more beautiful than she remembered. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, to have him hold her not as a man holds a child, but as he holds a woman. She wanted him to kiss her and caress and fill her body with his own flesh.
The moment stretched on. She lost herself in his eyes, their stormy blue-gray depths. She could not speak nor move, only wait breathlessly, hoping he felt what she did, that he wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
But then he stepped back, and his expression grew anguished. “There can be no future for us. Cerdic would never allow it. If we are found together, your uncle will use it as an excuse to call off the truce.” He shook his head, and his eyes glittered, as if with tears. “It’s enough that I have seen you, and know you are alive and safe. I will carry this moment in my heart, and it will content me the rest of my days.”
He turned away. Eastra took a great choking breath. He could not leave her now. She could not bear it! She reached out to touch him, then froze as she saw another man standing in the shadows. A Briton. If they were caught, better it be by his people.
Rhun spoke first. “Bridei, damn you, how long have you been listening?”
The man smiled. He was startlingly handsome, with hair as black as ebony, deep gentian blue eyes, and features fine and graceful enough to be a woman’s. Abruptly, Eastra recognized him as Arthur’s interpreter. “I’ve been here a while,” he said. “Long enough to be quite intrigued.”
Rhun strode toward the man and took him roughly by the arm. “You’re going to forget you ever saw us. She’s Cerdic’s niece, not his wife, so there is no dishonor in my speaking with her. But even so, none of the Saxons can know about this. It would ruin everything.”
“Aye.” The man called Bridei still smiled, a shrewd smile. “I suppose it would. Not the least of which is your saintly reputation. Maybe your cock isn’t made of wood after all.”
Rhun made a hissing sound through his teeth. “Hold your tongue! She’s yet a maid!”
Bridei rolled his eyes. “Oh, aye, but for how long with you around?”
Eastra would not have believed it, but Rhun’s face grew red and he clenched his hands into fists. It looked as if her gentle-natured warrior was on the verge of pounding Bridei’s face into the dirt.
Bridei appeared unconcerned that he might be attacked at any moment. He gave a cheery laugh. “Relax, brother, I’ll not betray you. Oh, no, there is much more sport in keeping your secret and watching how this tale turns out.”
Rhun glared at Bridei. Eastra said, “You are brothers? I can’t credit it. You look nothing alike.”
At her words, Bridei raised his raven-dark brows. “We’re as different as night and day. Rhun outdoes the angels with his purity and goodness, while I possess neither attribute. My brother is also chaste, dutiful, and serious, while I...” He paused for emphasis and gave her a wicked grin. “I am lewd, careless, and as lighthearted as a boy. Rhun wins the admiration of warriors and kings, but who do you suppose the women fancy?”
Eastra could not help herself. She laughed. The fate of all of Britain and both their peoples might hang in the balance, and yet this man jested.
Rhun frowned, and Eastra quickly quelled her mirth. Bridei might be amusing, but it was his brother who held her heart. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to anger you.”
Rhun shook his head. “Never could you anger me. It’s not possible.”
The tension between them built once again. It seemed they could not look away from each other, that their souls were bound together like links forged in a chain.
Bridei broke the spell. “Well. As fascinating as I find this te
nder tryst, I have to agree with Rhun. Cerdic strikes me as a hot-tempered sort. If you were discovered her, he would likely not be satisfied with cutting off my brother’s balls and also try to divest me of mine. In the interest of all the maidens who would be grievously affected by such a loss, I must insist the two of you bid each other farewell, at least until the morrow.”
Chapter 2
“Where did you meet her?” Bridei asked as the two men started back to camp.
“None of your business,” Rhun retorted. His insides churned as he thought of Eastra being enslaved. At least she had survived and was now free and living among her countrymen. Yet she did not seem happy. Her beautiful blue eyes had shone with pain when she told him no Saxon would have her for a wife. Had he saved her only to have her endure a life of misery?
“I could make it my business,” Bridei said. “I’m sure Cador or any number of Arthur’s officers would be interested to know you are acquainted with Cerdic’s niece.”
Rhun observed the canny expression on his brother’s face and swore loudly. “Why must you always seek to make trouble?” he demanded.
Bridei shrugged. “It’s more interesting that way. Indeed, this whole matter is very intriguing. I saw how that woman looked at you, as if you were some sort of god come to life.”
“If you must know, I... helped Eastra when she was a child.”
“Helped?”
“All right, I rescued her,” Rhun said angrily. He didn’t think his brother would betray him, but he might cause trouble in his relentless quest for the truth. It seemed better to give him at least part of the story. “It was many years ago, and I was young and impulsive. She was merely a child, of no threat to anyone. I carried her out of the Saxon settlement we were attacking and left her in the woods. Apparently, she was captured and made a slave, so it’s hard to say if rescuing her was the wisest course after all.”
“And ever since then, she has dreamed of you, her noble hero.”
Rhun grimaced. Eastra’s obvious adoration was disquieting. The worshipful expression on her face, the sense she was willing to do almost anything for him, aroused feelings he did not know how to deal with. Being so close to her lush, golden beauty had conjured some very ignoble thoughts. He wanted to hold her, to taste her full, rosy lips, to—
“I can guess what you’re thinking, brother, and although she’s an exquisite woman, I doubt bedding her would be worth having your ballocks cut off. Cerdic is a ruthless savage, and she is, after all, his niece.”
“I was not—”
“Of course you were,” Bridei interrupted, one dark brow cocked in amusement. “If you want this woman, you’re going to have to arrange to meet her under some other circumstances. While I care little enough for Arthur’s treaty, I do feel an obligation to keep my older brother alive. After all, have you not rescued me time and time again?”
Rhun gave a snort. Bridei attracted trouble as a field of meadowsweet attracted bees. Almost since Bridei was a baby toddling around their father’s fortress, Rhun had been getting him out of scrapes. Bridei seemed to have an infallible sense of how to infuriate their father, the famed warlord Maelgwn the Great. Rhun was always arguing that Bridei was merely being playful and mischievous, that he meant no real harm. But as the years passed and Bridei failed to curb his careless, and often selfish behavior, Rhun began to wonder if his brother was not somehow lacking in moral character. There was always a cynical edge to his words, a hint of malice in his teasing.
“Don’t worry, your assistance won’t be necessary,” Rhun told him coldly. “I will have no more private conversations with Princess Eastra. I’m simply relieved to discover she is alive and safe.”
“Hmm. I don’t think this woman intends to let you get away so easily.”
He glanced at his brother. The smug, mocking look on Bridei’s face irritated him unbearably. “I’m going to meet with Arthur and the others and discuss plans for tomorrow. You can come or not.” He strode off briskly, not giving Bridei time to answer.
It was a relief to take his place in the circle of warriors as they sat around the fire eating the food Cerdic had provided. Rhun heaved a sigh as he accepted a thick chunk of boar meat. This was where he belonged, among Arthur’s Companions. For over ten years he had fought alongside these men, shared jests and wagers. He would not forget the common vision they shared—to preserve Britain for their own people and to drive the marauding Saxons back to the sea.
Of course, that vision was now altered. They all knew in their heart of hearts there was no way to rid the land of the invaders altogether. Some families in the settlements along the Saxon Shore had already lived in Britain a generation or more. There was no way to force them out now. Arthur and his men could only hope to contain the invaders to the eastern and southern fringes of the island, which was exactly what this treaty with Cerdic was about.
Cador ap Cadwallon was speaking now. “The only way to make certain Cerdic keeps his end of the bargain is to take hostages. Only if he knows the lives of his countrymen hang in the balance will he consider keeping the peace.”
“Hostages.” Arthur stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“The hostages must be either from among Cerdic’s trusted thanes or his personal household, someone whose life he would be unwilling to sacrifice.”
The other men nodded at Cador’s words. Rhun took a swallow of wine from the skin the men were passing around and wiped his mouth. He tried to focus on the conversation as the men began to discuss other aspects of the treaty—how much land they would cede to Cerdic and whether the other Saxon leaders would accept Cerdic as speaking for all of them—but his thoughts kept wandering. Poor Eastra. The past years had scarred her. While her ethereal beauty remained untouched, there was such pain in her eyes. He wanted to help her, but knew he could not. Indeed, it would be better if he never saw her again. Her allure was too strong, too intense.
Odd, but he’d never felt this way about a woman before. He’d shared his bed with several over the past years, but usually discovered they cared not for him but for who he was. As Maelgwn’s oldest son, he was heir to the kingdom of Gwynedd. And as one of Arthur’s trusted officers, should their cause prevail, he was likely to end up ruling other portions of Britain as well. Although he’d never particularly aspired to be a king, he knew strong leaders were necessary to bring peace. The difficult part was the loneliness and the sense that people treated him differently because of who he was. He had little interest in women who sought to pleasure him in hopes of improving their own status.
Of course, when he wed, it would be primarily to form a political alliance. That was what marriage was about for a prince. Even his father had married for the sake of politics, although it had ended up being a love match. Knowing his own destiny, Rhun knew he could not afford to be mooning over a woman like Eastra.
He let out a sigh then sought to turn his attention back to the business of Arthur’s council.
* * *
Eastra shifted restlessly on her straw pallet, then rose and wrapped a shawl around her shift. Leaving her bedchamber, she crept out into the courtyard of the abandoned Roman villa that Cerdic had made his fortress. His men had used the stones from the original buildings, combined with timber, to build the palisade wall, and constructed a traditional longhouse where the main dwelling had been, but much of the rest of the complex they had left alone. The stonework around the longhouse was crumbling, the vegetation overgrown and wild, but there were still vestiges of the lovely garden that had once existed there. White and yellow roses grew in profusion around a tumbled down wall, and a plum tree bloomed next to the remains of a fountain, sending the soft perfume of its blossoms into the night air.
A sense of desperation gripped her as she paced on the uneven stone pathway. For her whole life she had been powerless—first as a child, then as a slave, and now as a woman in her uncle’s household. She was sick to death of having her life ordered by others. Having found the man she had dreamed of for so many
years, she was not going to lose him once again. In a day or two, this meeting between Saxon and Briton would be finished and all the warriors would return to the lands they claimed for their own. But she was not going to let Rhun ap Maelgwn simply walk away. When he left, she would go with him.
She’d thought on the matter every moment since their conversation in the forest, and she’d decided what she would do. During the last part of the discussions, hostages had been mentioned. If she were one of those hostages, she would be able to go with Rhun. Although she doubted he would guard her himself, she would at least have a chance to speak to him some more, to convince him that despite the conflict between their peoples, they were meant to be together.
Now all she had to do was persuade Cerdic to go along with her plan. How should she do it? She must not appear overeager, or he would become suspicious of her motives. It would have to be a casual offer, made while he was in the midst of discussion with his thanes. In the morning, before the Britons returned to the council meeting, he would gather his men and plot strategy. She would be there, moving about unobtrusively, serving them food and drink. When the subject of hostages came up, she would quietly suggest herself.
It was a bold, daring scheme. The idea of it made her heart pound with trepidation. But she was determined. This might be the only chance she would ever have to be with the man she loved.
The gods favored her. Or at least Freya, the goddess of love did, she thought the next morning as she arranged pieces of bread spread with butter and honey on an ornate gold tray and prepared to take it in to her uncle’s council. As she left the kitchen shed and approached the longhouse, she could hear the men discussing who the hostages would be. It was clear from their hesitant, uncomfortable tones that they all knew if Cerdic broke the truce, which was likely, the hostages’ lives would be forfeit. None of them were eager to risk their lives or the lives of their close kin.
Her hands trembled as she carried in the tray. How could she speak to Cerdic when he was meeting with his thanes? But she had to. She had to be bold.
The Dragon Prince Page 3
