The Mindwalk Pavilion

2021110501

Boudica and Bridget shared rooms on the East side of the castle, and it was to these that they now headed. There were chambers available to Boudica now as Queen, but she needed the comfort of her own bed.

Dawn was about to break and there was a lot that Boudica wanted to do on her first day. She was however exhausted after the ceremonies of the previous day. Not to mention the long night spent meeting, she was quite sure of this, meeting everyone who lived in her country, every single one. Boudica was explaining this as they shed their finery, and dressed in shifts more comfortable by far,. She made Bridget laugh by describing some of the things that people had said to her.

As they were about to retire, someone started knocking, then banging heavily on the door.

"What now?" exclaimed Boudica irritably, "Don't I get to sleep now I'm Queen?"

"I'll send them away." P ulling a cloak about her, Bridget went through to the outer chamber to the door.

Dafydd stood in the doorway, swaying slightly, a hand pressed to a wall as he steadied himself.

"Hello Bridget, I'm just going to see Boudica." He made to push past.

"Dafydd! You can't come in here," Bridget's tone was scolding, but she was slightly afraid for not only was he was very obviously drunk, but his manner was unusually aggressive.

"We're going to bed, the Queen needs to sleep."

"I'm. I'm just going to see her and to learn her It won't take long. Just going to see her for a while."

"Learn her? What do you mean? Dafydd! You can't come in here."

Dafydd stooped down.

"'M going to see her and learn her. She don't need them foreign kings. Needs one of us, needs me."

Bridget looked at the mad resolve in his eyes, and her fear grew. She wondered if there was anyone nearby who could help.

Boudica came out of the bed chamber. She was covered by a dark green cloak that contrasted beautifully with her Copper hair, but she looked tired and cross.

Seeing it was Dafydd she joined Bridget, who was holding the door partially closed.

"What do you want Dafydd, we're both really tired, can't it wait till later on?"

Dafydd brightened seeing her.

"I just want to talk with you."

"But Dafydd, we're tired, I have been up since early yesterday, I need to sleep." The weariness in Boudica's voice was obvious to Bridget, but not it seemed, to Dafydd.

"I'm just going to explain."

"Explain what? Dafydd!" Boudica's voice rose in exasperation.

"Just going to explain about them foreign Kings and that. You don't need none of them, need one of us."

He pushed against the door and into the room, Bridget's slight form being insufficient to prevent this.

"I don't know what you're talking about, which foreign kings? What about them?"

"You do know! Marrying them and making them heirs and all, you need one of us, not some foreign king."

As Dafydd advanced on Boudica, Bridget scrambled to get between them.

"Look Dafydd, you need to go now,please. You can talk to Boudica later when she's had some sleep, you probably need some sleep too."

"Don't tell me what I need. Don't tell me nothing. I'm just going to talk to Boudica, just talk, and then she can sleep and you can sleep and I'm just going to tell her."

"No! You need to go, right now."

Dafydd glared at Bridget, then he swung his arm and hit her, knocking her to the ground.

Boudica screamed "Bridget!" and made to go to her when Dafydd grabbed a hold of her arm.

"Let go, you've hurt her, let go."

Bridget lay still, an ominous trickle of blood pooled near her forehead.

Pushing the struggling Boudica towards her bed chamber, Dafydd ignored her pleas, till Boudica broke free, and slapped him hard. She made to go to Bridget again, but her spun her around and hit her twice with the back of his hand, leaving a small cut where his ring cut into her.

"You need learn Boudica. Need to learn you don't need no foreign kings to make babies, we can do that. You need me Boudica" His grip tightened and he propelled Boudica before him. She fought him now desperately, clawing at him and shrieking loudly. Dafydd hit her again and again.

He pulled the green cloak from her and leered at her, wild and dishevelled in her shift.

"Dafydd stop this, stop it. \please Dafydd I need to help Bridget, she's hurt. You're hurting me and..."

He grabbed her chin.

"Shut up. Now I'm going to learn you proper."

Boudica gave a loud sob as she was turned and pushed face down on her bed. Then Dafydd was lifting her shifty, she reached back trying ineffectually to prevent him, but he hit her repeatedly until she stopped.

She heard him struggling with his clothing, cursing and gasping.

Boudica pleaded for him to stop, to not do this. She hated sounding so weak, so terrified.

Dafydd screamed in animal pain and collapsed onto the floor behind her. Boudica twisted around and saw that he had fallen onto Bridget. He was thrashing about wildly, and there was a lot of blood. Bridget rolled out from beneath him and raised a short but clearly very sharp dagger aiming for his manhood.

"Don't." Boudica screamed. To her relief Bridget instead rolled clear of Dafydd altogether.

Then the room was full of people. Boudica registered William Cecil and Pawl Llewellyn and several guards, and then her mother was there and holding her. Cecil gave instructions, and David Morus was dragged away, he seemed unable to stand.

Cecil then cleared the room of everyone except Bridget, Boudica and her mother Katherine. Shortly though, maids entered and with quiet orders Katherine ordered that the blood be cleaned up. She herself bathed Boudica's cuts and grazes. To Bridget's surprise Katherine then attended to her wounds. She had bruised and cut her forehead when Dafydd's blow had hurled her to the floor.

Katherine did not ask anything about what had happened. Instead she saw that both women went to bed. She then went to the door and had a whispered conversation with Cecil. He'd placed guards by the door. Satisfied, Katherine returned to sit with her two charges. She watched till both were asleep, and despite her own fatigue, kept watch till they awoke much later.

Bridget woke first. Katherine insisted that she should stay in bed, and ordered food and drink be brought for her. Then quietly she questioned Bridget about what had occurred. When Bridget told her how in desperation she had sliced through Dafydd's hamstrings, Katherine startled her by hugging her.

"You saved my daughter from a terrible ordeal, and you will have my eternal gratitude for that."

When Boudica awoke, nearly an hour later, her first question was "Where's Bridget."

Katherine assured her that Bridget was well, and in bed in the next room, but Boudica would not rest till her friend was curled up in the bed next to her. Boudica sat with her arms wrapped around her as though she was never going to let go. Kissing Bridget, she thanked her over and over again till Bridget's face was pink with embarrassment.

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