Catriona, Chapter Seven

Finally, minutes later and painfully slowly, Conor replied, “They have my sister.”
A wave of shock washed over me. “Ceridwen? They have Ceridwen? Who has her?”’

“Aedd MacCaenan is holding her captive. He told me to help Anwyn’s band find you and kill you so that I could have her back- you know that Aedd is afraid of Rome, which is why he does not dare come kill you himself. Well, I helped them find you. And I wasn’t going to hand you over; I was going to save you as soon as I had Ceri back.”

“As soon as? All sorts of things can happen “as soon as.” Oh, Conor... I wish you had told me! I would have helped you! ...If we take all our men now, we could find Aedd and get Ceri back.”

“I don’t know where he is.  He said he would know if you were dead.”

I shook my head. “How could he, if he won’t even come far enough north to find me himself? It is simply a matter of finding where he is hiding and raiding his camp the same way Declan and Bran did Anwyn’s. It worked, didn’t it?”

“He’ll kill her. He said he would, if he had the slightest suspicion that I was coming to take her without giving you to him first.”

I blinked back my tears for Conor’s sake, knowing how much he must be hurting already. “So I was bait. But not in the way I thought I was. You’re not even working for Anwyn, then?”

“Only as much as was necessary to find you. I wanted to get you back, Cait. I-” His words dropped to a whisper again. “I hated it. Afraid you’d be killed or taken away or I would never find you. But you must understand that I have to get my sister back too.”

“Yes.”

Conor studied me carefully. “I am ashamed of myself, Caitriona. I should never have put your life in danger. I intended from the beginning to use it as a means of finding you; by myself, I had made no headway. It was by accident that Aedd found me, wandering too far south, afraid he’d gotten you after all.”

If he had been anyone else, I would have snapped at him in fury. But he wasn't anyone else. I sighed. "I believe you, Conor. You still have a chance to redeem yourself.”

Conor nodded. “Yes.”

I stood, then paused. “Did you get anything to eat? Do you need anything?”

“Yes, and no. Where are you going?”

“To talk to Maelwys.”

Conor said nothing for a moment. Then he met my gaze. “He’s going to want to kill me, you know. You mean a lot to him.”

“No, he won’t kill you,” I told him firmly. “I will not let him. And, well, he feels a certain responsibility for my life.” I sighed. “Goodnight, Conor.”

I slipped out of Conor’s tent to where Bran and Maelwys’ men were still celebrating our victory, hardly in a more subdued manner than they had an hour before. I heard laughter and songs and tales of the day’s adventures all around me,

I laid out my bedroll and lay down, physically exhausted, but not quite mentally able to sleep. I needed to stop despairing over Ceridwen and Conor until I could talk to Maelwys; I needed to not worry about Alector. I needed to pray.

I was about to do just that when Maelwys walked in. His eyes reflected the shadows in the tent, making it hard to guess his mood, until he smiled at me and yawned. “I always forget how much they love fighting,” he said, and I knew he meant his warband. “I am always caught up with the men who have died, and they remind me of the ones still living because of the day’s victory.”

He turned to me again and his expression grew more concerned. “I am worried about Alector. And you, too. If Anwyn had gotten to you...”

“He didn’t,” I assured him.

“Good.” He studied my face intently. “Cait, what is wrong?”

I paled, frightened all of a sudden to admit Conor’s secret. I knew it was necessary, but I did not want to tel him yet.

“Nothing.”

He held my gaze for a moment, drawing me to my feet, until I dropped my eyes to study my hands. When I looked back up, his eyes were silvery green, deep with concern.

“What is troubling you? You can tell me, Cait. Please tell me.”

“I-” I had to look away from those eyes, but I couldn’t, and I caved. “It’s Conor. Aedd has his sister, Maelwys; it was a trap. Aedd told Conor to join with Anwyn in order to find me, or he would kill Ceridwen.”

“He was going to use you to get his sister back? In league with both Anwyn and Aedd MacCaenan? I am going to kill the bloody bastard,” Maelwys growled.

“Mael, wait!” I grabbed his arm as he was turning. He froze, then slowly turned to face me again.

“He was going to save me, too. Once he had Ceri safe he was going to rescue me like Declan rescued us today.”

“No.” His voice was low and dangerous. “I am not going to fall for his sweet talk. His words may move you, Cait, but they do not move me.”

“He would not have let me die!” I cried.

Maelwys ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. “I do not know if you expected me to be more lenient with him now or if you knew I would be angry and planned to keep this from me, but either way, this does not change my opinion that he deserves death for attempting to kill you.”

“I expected you to hear me out! He was my bodyguard and a good friend. He did not choose carelessly what to do! He loves his sister, Maelwys. You cannot fault him for that.”

“I fault him for using you. Why not rescue Ceridwen as he said he would rescue you? Because he knew she would be killed. And so would you. Aedd never would have let you escape alive. Cait,” he laid a hand on my cheek, raising my eyes to his once more, “I simply want to keep you safe. Can we finish discussing this tomorrow? With Bran and Aneirin?”

I nodded reluctantly. “Yes. Just think about my side too, please.”

“I will. I promise you, I will.” He gave me his disarming smile. “Goodnight, Caitriona.”

I realized that he was, for once at least, ending an argument as quickly as I had begun it, and that I could not fault. I smiled back.

Maelwys leaned over, a gleam in his eyes, and kissed my forehead. “I’ll see you when I wake up in the morning. Tomorrow and every day after.”

“Whether you want to or not,” I answered impertinently. “Goodnight, Maelwys.”

I slept well, dreaming about home, Ceridwen, my father, and life with a warband, all happy dreams which made my sleep sweet.

“Cait.” Maelwy’s whisper woke me soon after sunrise.

“Yes?”

“Good morning.”

I resisted the immediate urge to hit him. “You woke me up so you could say good morning?” I closed my eyes again.

“I thought I had better tell you that everyone else will be awake soon, and then we have to decide whether Bran and Ronan are staying here with us until Alector is well enough to ride, or if they will leave for Rheged today.”

I opened my eyes again. “I think they ought to leave when we’re sure everything is safe. And since we’re riding to  Seiont without any idea of where Aedd MacCaenan  is, maybe they ought to leave us some men. Llew said Kian has less than forty men, all told. And there are many more women, children, and farmers than warriors.”

“Bran needs his forty men. We have enough. And I still don’t like the idea of you in Seiont; that’s why we split up before.”

“Bran has forty and is riding home a days’ ride from us where Aedd has never thought to go and Anwyn’s men dare not go. To a smaller caer. And it would only be for a short time. And,” I finished, “they’re really our men! And I am going to Seiont. I will be as safe there as anywhere.”

Maelwys was silent, looking down at me, his eyes dancing with amusement.

“What?”

“You said, a days’ ride from ‘us’, and ‘we’re’ sure, and ‘our’ men.”

“And?” I was confused. “You’re in charge, and I’m-”

“My wife.” His eyes were definitely blue now.

I sighed, wanting to hit him and laugh at the same time. “Maelwys! Why do you always do this to me?”

He grinned. “Do what?”
“Make me mad and then flirt with me until I can’t be angry anymore! I think you enjoy baiting me!”

A hint of sweetness snuck into Maelwys’ smile, something I didn’t expect to see from him. “I can’t help it,” he explained, “when you remind me of my sweet little sister-  only with a very Celtic temper.”

I was taken aback at this confession, and, remembering what it was like to miss my own mother, felt sorry.  “Does it bother you? When I remind you of her?”

“No, it makes me smile.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead again.

“Maelwys-” Alun, one of the warriors who was a good friend of Maelwys’, stood at the door, but he seemed confused, as he simply stopped in his tracks as soon as he walked in.

“Hello, Alun,” Maelwys greeted him, puzzled. “You were looking for me?”

The young warrior glanced at me and back at Maelwys, confused. Maelwys glanced at me, burst out laughing, and grinned at his friend. "We're married."

"What?!" Alun scratched his head, not sure he'd heard correctly.

"We were married before you came and rescued us. Say hello to my wife. Now, what was is you wanted?"

Alun was grinning now, too. "Just to tell you that Lord Bran is awake and would like to speak with you." He left.

"I think we forgot something," Maelwys laughed. "Something important. How did that get left unsaid?"

"It was a busy day." I laughed. "Poor Alun. Jumping to conclusions like that probably traumatized him."

Maelwys pulled a clean tunic out of his pack and slipped into it. “Well, who would have immediately thought, “Oh, Caitriona and Maelwys must have been married while they were away”? Probably no one. I think we ought to tell the rest of them before they all jump to conclusions.”

“Go ahead. I’m going to clean up and I’ll find you in a few minutes.”

“I-” Maelwys stood at the door for a moment, then shook his head. “Alright.

I changed into a clean shift and mantle, foregoing the breecs and tunic until I knew for sure we were riding out, and decided to see Alector before I found Maelwys.

Dafyd stood next to Alec’s makeshift bed of animal skins, and put a finger to his lips when I walked in.

"How is he?” I whispered.

Dafyd’s forehead furrowed. “I am not sure. His wound is not infected, yet he seems to be running a high fever.”


I sighed. “Poor Alector. Is he eating?”

Dafyd shook his head. “Not today. He has not been awake long enough to eat more than what you brought him last night.”

“Thank you for taking care of him, Dafyd. I’ll come back in a short while.” I smiled at the bard and turned to leave, but Alec’s voice stopped me. “Cait,” he called quietly. “Is that you? I am awake now.”

I turned back around. “Good morning, Alector.” I sat down next to him. “How do you feel?”

“Well...” he let his sentence hang, with a rueful smile. “I have been better.”

“I know it,” I agreed. “ Dafyd says you have a fever.”

He shrugged and winced. “I have gotten a fever two out of the other three times I was wounded, and one was just a big gash on my arm. I am just a big baby of a warrior.”

I laughed. “No, you’re not. That’s not just a scratch, you know, Alector. Dafyd also says you’re not eating.”

Another rueful smile. “I have been sleeping too much. That is another thing about little wounds, Cait, they make me tired.”

“If that’s a small wound,” I countered, “I should hate to see a bad one. You don’t look entirely well.”

“It’s from being tired,” he explained. “If I wasn’t tired I would be up with you and Maelwys now.”

I doubted that very much, studying his pale face,  but then, he was a warrior and warriors have their pride. “Of course you would,” I agreed with a small smile. “Look now, you’re yawning again. I’ll come back later. Get some rest. Goodbye, Alec. Goodbye, Dafyd.”

I found Maelwys surrounded by his warband, all of them grinning like little boys. They all greeted me raucously. “Hail, Princess Cait,” they called.

I stood by Maelwys and turned an arch look on the men. “I am not sure what you find so amusing. I need protection for my people, Maelwys needs surety for his, and how else can we assure that? Although,” I added reflectively, “It is a good thing we happened to be in the same tent for five days in a row with nothing to do but stare at each other.”

Next to me, Maelwys snickered. My straight face slipped, and I laughed, too.

“I knew you were teasing,” Ronan said.

“Aye,”  called Alun, “they’re passionately in love!”

“Yes, indeed. That,” Meurig said dryly, “is what I call passionate love, no mistaking it, and sitting in a hovel for a week will do it to you.”

“Stop it!” I cried, blushing. “You are all going to make this extremely difficult for me, aren’t you?”

“Yes!” they chorused.

Fortunately, Aneirin walked up just then. “Bran was looking for you, Maelwys.” he winked at me. “Are they making fun of you? What shall I do to them?”

I laughed, happy to have a big brother to the rescue for once. “Whatever it is you want to do to them.”

"I think they need to go help Bran’s men get ready to ride to Seiont.”

The warband dispersed, still grinning at me. My brother glared darkly at each of them, then broke into a smile. I watched him, laughing, and copied his glare. Once they were gone Aneirin looked down at me and chuckled. “Like looking in a mirror,” he smiled. “You are silly. Now then, what was that all about?”

I rolled my eyes. “Maelwys forgot to tell them that we were married, and of course Alun walked in this morning and thought it was going to be his duty to scold Maelwys on the virtue of chastity and all related topics before Maelwys could tell him we were married.”

Aneirin’s eyes twinkled merrily. “More of Maelwys being Maelwys, eh, Cait?”

"No." I turned his own glare on him. "He was telling me that I remind him of his sister."

“And that prompted a lecture on chastity.”

“No, seeing us in the same tent did. Now stop it, before I hit you. It would bring me great satisfaction to do so, you know.”

Maelwys came back with Bran just then, saving my brother from a smack and me from more teasing. “Bran is uneasy about you riding into Seiont as well but between the two of us we could think of few convincing reasons why you would be much more in danger there than in Derwedd. So there it is, little wife, we ride to Seiont per your orders.”

I studied his face to see if he was angry, but he and Bran just smiled. “That is what you wanted, isn’t it, Caitriona?” Asked Bran.

“Yes! Oh, yes. I am anxious to see my people. As it is, Kian and his men are probably waiting for a message from Derwedd saying we are ready for them. They will be getting anxious as well.”

Maelwys nodded. “I ought to send a few of the men to my father as well. I’ll send three to Derwedd with two horses each; they will reach home before we are in Seiont.

“Will you stay behind until Alector is able to ride?” Asked Bran.

Remembering how long it was before I was fit to ride myself when I had been injured, I doubted this would work.

“We will wait until he can be moved, and make a litter for him. Not a very dignified way to be taken anywhere, but necessary. And in Seiont there may be medicines available that will help him as well. I expect we will wait four or five days and meet you in six or seven.”

Bran nodded again and glanced around our camp. “I will tell my men to be ready to ride within the hour.”

My brother smiled. “I already did. Actually, I told Maelwys’ men to help them. Ten minutes ago.”

An hour later the Rhegeddi, all but ten, had left for Caer Seiont. Part of me wished to be with them, riding toward those I had not seen in almost six months. Yet I had attachments here, and a nagging feeling that would not let Alector out of my mind. And on top of it all I knew Maelwys would not let me ride off without him.

I went to sit with Alector, worried, thinking that he looked feverish. He moved restlessly in his sleep and had a sheen of sweat on his forehead, though he had only one blanket on his makeshift bed, and the air was still cool.

I did not hear Maelwys until he was at my shoulder. He laid his hand on my arm and whispered,“How is he?”

"Not getting better,” I admitted. “Dafyd told me earlier that he has not been eating, because he is sleeping most of the time and does not eat when he is awake.”

Alector opened his eyes. “Maelwys. Are you riding to Seiont?”

“When you are able to be moved, brother.”

With a little effort, Alec shook his head. “Do not wait. They need you both there. Go; I will recover and join you in Derwedd.”

Maelwys sighed, with a glance at me, and laid a hand on Alec’s arm. “No, we can wait. It will only be a few days.”

“Go,” insisted Alector. “I mean it, Mael, those people need Cait and she needs you. I will not recover sooner just because you are here, much as I love you. I just need rest. Leave the men here and go today, with Aneirin and Llew.  That way you will be harder to track anyway, with most of your men here, far from Seiont.”

“He has a point,” I admitted reluctantly.

“Yes, he does,” Maelwys agreed uneasily. “Alec, are you sure you’ll be well soon?”

Alec smiled weakly. “It’s a scratch. Now go, before your people all reach Seiont and leave you.”

I leaned over and kissed Alec’s cheek. “Goodbye, Alec. God be with you.”

Maelwys raised his hand. “Goodbye, Alec.”

Once we were outside Alec’s tent, Maelwys turned to me. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

I sighed and said nothing. He shrugged. “Fine... if you find your brother and Llew, I’ll get ready to go. We leave within the hour.”

“And... Conor? We did not discuss him with Bran and Aneirin.”

Maelwys sighed. “I will send two of our men to bring him to Bran, so that he can send him to Derwedd as originally planned.”

“But now Bran’s men are going to Seiont as well.”

“Yes,” he nodded, “but he can spare a few. They will attract less attention that way, just as well as us. Plans change; Bran will go along with it.” He gave me a searching look. “Is that not what you wanted for him? A fair trial? Cernach will not execute him without us there to try him. I promise.”

“It’s not that... it’s just seeing an old friend bound and carried away to trial.” I shook my head sadly. “I never would have imagined it seven months ago.”

“I’m sorry, Cait.” He gave me a gentle hug and squeezed my shoulder. “You’d better go tell the others.”

I found Aneirin and Llew watering the horses. “Aneirin, Llew, we’re leaving for Seiont. You and Maelwys and I. Alector told Maelwys to leave the men with him and ride today, and Maelwys wants to leave within the hour.”

They set down the horses’ buckets and went to pack their things. In a half an hour all four of us were packed and mounted. Aneirin smiled at me. “Are you ready to see your people?”

“More than ready!” I smiled. “I cannot wait for tomorrow to come. Llew, lead the way.”

“Gladly.” My old friend grinned at me and urged his horse into a canter.

That day was a much less eventful day than the last that had seen us riding out. I rode next to Aneirin for the first few hours; we talked about growing up, about our mother and our fathers, his foster parents, our caers. Aneirin told me that he had become a warrior when he was seventeen, serving in the warband, until he had been noticed for his extraordinary skill with a sword and his leadership abilities and had eventually become second in command. When the captain of the warband had died a year ago, he had become the leader of Londinium’s warband.

“How could you leave, then?” I asked.

“I told Morannon, my second in command, that I needed to leave, and did not know when I would return. For now, he is the one in charge. He is a good warrior and a good leader, and I am not worried.”

“So,” I mused, “that is why you are so popular in Londinium. You are practically in charge of the caer.”

My brother laughed. “When did I say I was popular there? I am certainly easily replaceable.”

“I know things,” I teased him. “You are not replaceable, your position is. Thank you, Aneirin, for coming, and for staying. It means the world to me.”

Aneirin simply smiled. Maelwys suggested then that we stop to eat and rest the horses, so we did not talk more that afternoon. After we had eaten, I rode next to Maelwys. We talked for the rest of the day- neither of us realized how involved in our conversation we had been until the shadows began to grow long and we had to stop for the night. We slept, as we had on our way to Ardnurchar, under the stars, by the fire. I slept between my brother and my husband, and Llew on Aneirin’s other side.

In the morning, I woke to find Llew already awake and watering the horses. We exchanged anxious smiles, and I walked over to speak with him.

“Tell me, Llew, will it be bad? The loss? How many of our own are alive?” I asked quietly so I would not wake the other two. 

“Many of them are in Seiont,” he said reassuringly. “It will be hard, dear one, but it is better than even I had hoped- Merryn, Melyssa, Tewdrig, Seithenin and Kian’s families... many more. There are some two hundred people all told, I think. I do not know how Derwedd will hold them all. For a truth, I do not know how they fit in Seiont. They have expanded the caer to twice its former size.”

“Some may wish to stay,” I mused. “After establishing homes. And I think Bran will take some to Rheged- if their king agrees, and I think he will. Maelwys and Bran are very good friends.”

Llew nodded. “I had noticed that. Is he the king’s son?”

“No, he is the cousin of the three princes, the age of the oldest.” 

“Then he has influence. Good. I would like to see them established somewhere again, Cait. Just until you can safely recover our land.”

I smiled wistfully. “As would I. Now, I had better make some breakfast before the other two wake up. Aneirin will not even open his eyes until there is food, and even then, he will probably not eat it until we are on the road.”

Llew nodded, chuckling. “I like your brother. He reminds me alot of your father.”

I frowned. “We do not have the same father. How could he?”

“They’re the same kind of men, that’s all,” Llew shrugged. “Good men.”

Bran had left us with wheat flour, corn, bacon, and cheese, and Maelwys had packed some of each in our supplies. I made what I could of them, but our breakfast was simply wheat cakes and bacon. Despite this, Maelwys and Aneirin both woke up as soon as I put the bacon on the fire. Aneirin sat up in his sleepy way, pulled his cloak on, and smiled at me. “Smells good.”

Maelwys breathed in the fresh-cooking bacon and sighed happily. “Want some fish to go with that?” He asked.

I laughed. “One would think I would be tired of fish by now, but I’m not, and if you catch enough we can have some on the road as well.”

“Very well,” he smiled, “I’ll go catch some. Don’t eat without me.”

To my great surprise, he was back by the time I had finished the eighth piece of bacon, three fish skewered on his spear.

“How did you do that?” I wondered. “I have never seen anyone catch fish so quickly with a spear.”

“The river is teeming with them this morning. It’s still early,” he replied, spitting them on a green branch. “Lucky for us.”

Fifteen minutes later, the fish was done. I called Llew over, and even Aneirin decided to have his share with us, even if he was languidly silent. Maelwys glanced at me as he pulled apart a strip of bacon. “Four hours, Cait. Maybe five.”
He glanced at Llew for confirmation. “We’ll be there before noon; are you ready?”
“I-” I saw the strong support, the hope, in each of their eyes and nodded. “Yes. I’m ready.” I smiled. “Are you?”

“I am.”

When we set out, shortly after breakfast, I found myself talking to Maelwys about life before the raid. I told him the way life had been for us, about hunting and riding with my father, about my beautiful and sweet mother. We talked about our dreams for our people and about losing our loved ones to the sickness that had taken them, and how hard it had been to move on. I had never seen such open depth in Maelwys before; I always knew it was there, behind his changing eyes, but this was the first time he had shared what his eyes could not say. He had loved his mother and sister deeply, and recovering from his persistent fever had been a long battle because of his grief over their death. “I almost wished that I had died, too,” he admitted quietly. “It was hard to survive when they died. I felt guilty for living.”

“And now?”

“I try to make the best of the life I was given. Because I have it.” He looked over at me. “You must still miss your father terribly.”

I nodded. “I miss him so much. But it’s as if it wasn’t real until I went- home... and he wasn’t there.” I offered him a brave smile. “I am fine. I just miss him.”

We kept talking, so absorbed in our conversation that I failed to realize that he was distracting me from my anxious waiting, and he forgot that that was what he was doing. It wasn’t until Llew called, “There’s Seiont!” that we discovered we had talked for the past four and a half hours. He gave me an expressive smile and said confidently, “ This is it. We can begin putting back your land, Cait.”

Seiont lay just over the crest of a small hill, surrounded by hilly fields and a tame wood, with a river running right along the east side of the caer’s limits. It was much larger than I had imagined, full of people going about their daily work, children playing in front of houses, dogs trotting around looking for scraps. I could already hear the sounds of a happy people, and it raised my spirits.

“Many of them live over there,” Llew told me, appearing at my side and pointing to the southwest corner. Spilling outside the established caer were many makeshift homes, small garden plots, herds of five or ten cattle watched over by small boys and their eager dogs. “They have begun a new life. See how many there are?”
I gestured to the settlement. “You said many live there. Where are the others?”

“Some arrived a matter of days after the raid. They were given homes among the rest- some children and widows live with Seoint's families now.”

We arrived at the open gate, where four warriors stood guard.

“Good morning, Tewdrig,” Llew grinned. “Look who has come with me this time.”

Tewdrig was one of Llew’s warriors. He scanned our faces until he came to mine; when he recognized me, he hollered with delighted surprise. “Caitriona! Princess! We thought you were dead!”

“Hasn’t Bran arrived? The Rhegeddi warchief?”

“Yes, Princess, he has been talking with King Conan since he and his men arrived this morning.”

Maelwys reined in his jittery mare and asked, “Where will we find them?”

“In the king’s hall, lord. Straight that way.” Tewdrig pointed a little to the left. Before we could ride that way, however, Bran appeared, followed by a tall, fair-haired man who was obviously the king. Maelwys dismounted, handed his reins to one of the warriors standing at the gate, and helped me down, handing my mare’s reins to another warrior.

“Maelwys! Caitriona! I thought you were waiting with Alector. I’m glad you came.” 

He and Maelwys hugged warmly before Maelwys replied, “Alec told us to come. He knew it was important to Cait.”

Bran nodded. “I think it is important for Cait to be here, as well. Maelwys, Caitriona, this is Conan, the king of Caer Seiont. Conan, Maelwys, prince of Derwedd, and Caitriona, the Queen of Yr Widdfa, and princess of Derwedd; her half brother, Aneirin, warleader of Londinium; and Llew you know.”

Conan extended his hand kindly to Maelwys and Aneirin, who had stood quietly at my side the whole time, then took my hand politely. “I am glad to finally meet you, princess. Bran and I were discussing your people, but we wished to leave decisions to you and your husband.”

“King Conan, I cannot thank you enough for sheltering my people. We will be forever grateful. Do the people know that we have arrived?”

Conan called a warrior over and spoke quietly with him for a moment. “Word is spreading. We saw you coming, of course, and those you know are coming to meet you. Will you join the council or will you wait?”

I scanned the caer eagerly, then glanced at Maelwys. “Mael, anything you say, I will second. Will you be my voice? I would like to see my people, and I know things need to be done quickly.”

He looked doubtful at first, but when he realized what I was trusting him with and how much it mattered to me, he nodded, giving me a small smile. “I will go along with that. But Cait,” he added as I began to take my leave, “you will come eventually, will you not?”

I smiled. “Of course I will. Save me a seat next to you. Aneirin, you go with Bran and Maelwys; as my brother, you have as much a say as anyone. Llew, you can speak with whomever you wish. Just be around in case I should need you.”

Aneirin hugged me gently. “Enjoy your time with your people, little Cait,” he whispered. “I will speak for you as well.”

I smiled up at my brother, then turned to Conan. “Sire, you will excuse me? I would like to be with my people as one of them.”

The king nodded in appreciation. “I most heartily approve, princess. Your husband and brother seem well able to speak in your interest, and your people are eager to see you.”

I bowed my head in deference, thanking him for his kindness. Maelwys, eyes alight, kissed my cheek and bid me go. “After six months,” he said, “which I am glad you did not expect that first day or you would have killed me, you are here with your neighbors and friends. Are you not glad I did not ambush you?”

I laughed. “I had long ago forgiven you. Thank you, thank you for my life.” I turned and walked down the dirt street in search of my kin, while the men walked to the hall.

The caer was a well-made and handsome one, with large houses full of shiny-cheeked children and pretty wives chasing after them. The men plowed fields, felled trees, and watched herds in the fields bordering the caer. I walked down the dirt road, smiling at children and housewives, breathing in the scent of fresh-baked bread, and looking for familiar faces. I knew then that God was with us here, helping to build my people into a kingdom again.

I meditated on this as I passed through the heart of the caer, until I came to the newer houses, where my people lived. I saw Seithenin and Kian’s parents first, and as soon as they saw me, they ran to me, embracing me tearfully. “Caitriona,” their father cried, “welcome back, welcome back!”

The commotion attracted others, and soon I was surrounded by my people, faces I knew and loved. It was a bittersweet reunion as I saw faces I had missed and missed faces I would never see again. There was Mari, her brother Edrik, and my sweet cousin Mellysa. I greeted them as they came, and then stood and told them why I had been gone. I told them I had been rescued by a stranger, badly injured, and lived in Derwedd while I had recovered, when we had ridden here. It was not the right time or place to tell them about our encounter with Anwyn or Conor’s betrayal, so my story had a happy ring to it which satisfied my people.

“Can we prepare anything for you, princess?” Kian’s mother asked.
I smiled. “Thank you, Mairead, but King Conan has seen to our food and lodging. We are here to hold council, as you know, and soon we will be a people again.”
Mairead nodded, satisfied, and announced, “The princess it tired, can you not see it? Let her rest, let her be at home for a short time.”  She shooed me away gently.

“You need to take it in, Cait. Go ahead.”

I turned gratefully to the rest of the caer, strolling among the newly established
homes, greeting people I knew.

“Cait!” A voice cried suddenly. A slender young woman, blonde hair falling across her shoulders, stood at the edge of a garden plot, staring at me. “Caitriona, is that you?”

Disbelief clouded my vision. I closed my eyes, hoping against hope that when I opened them she would still be there. She was. “Ceridwen?”