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are not bereft of hope. Our hope is where it always was: in our own hearts, and in the strong steel in our
hands.
Yes, I began seeing the vision of a free people ruling themselves without let or hindrance from distant
emperors whose hearts had grown cold; a nation of Britons ruling Britons for the good of all who
sheltered in this fair land, high and low alike. . .
It was Taliesin's vision: theKingdomofSummer.
FIVE
The heavenly star-host wheels through the sky, the seasons spin away in the slow dance of years. I squat
on my rock and the rags of my clothes flap around me. Summer sun bakes and blisters, winter wind
slices flesh from bone, spring rain soaks to the soul, autumn mists chill the heart.
Yet, Merlin endures. Destiny waits while Merlin squats on his rock above dark Celyddon.ForestLord. .
. Cernunnos' Son. . . Wild Man of the Wood. . . Myrddin Wylt. . . Merlin. . . he of the Strong
Enchantment, who walked with kings, the very same, who now grubs among rotting apples for his food
 and the future must wait.
How is that, Wolf? The kingmaking? Have I not? Then I will tell you.
Dafyd came to Maridunum the day of the victory feast, and he performed a rite of consecration for me
as part of my kingmaking. With Maelwys and Charis, and several of the chiefs who had been summoned
by news of the raid, Dafyd and I rode to the chapel, where, crowded together in the sweet silence round
the altar, we all knelt and prayed for God's blessing on my reign.
Dafyd then anointed me with holy oil, touching my forehead in the sign of the cross; and he anointed my
sword as well, saying, 'Behind this wall of steel shall Our Lord's church flourish.'
We all said 'Amen' to that. He blessed me from the holy text, then kissed me with a holy kiss, and I him,
whereupon each of the others in the room knelt and stretched forth their hands to cover my feet as sign of
their submission to me. All except Maelwys, of course, but he embraced me like a father.
In this way was I made King of Dyfed.
I began my reign in the usual way, I suppose: I shared wine with the men who would follow me. I
distributed gifts among them and accepted their pledges of fealty. There was singing  Blaise came with
four of the Learned Brotherhood, who gave us such song as is reserved for, well, for a king's ears alone
 and the feasting continued for three more days.
Between the time Blaise had handed me my kingship  I still think of it as his doing; but what of that?;
the druids of old were kingmakers and it was their right  and the time of my crowning, he had
vanished. Only to reappear again with a golden tore. Pendaran had said he would give me his tore and
also the throne he had occupied for nearly fifty years. But as he was still somewhat active in the affairs of
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the realm, that hardly seemed right. Since there had never been a time when three kings ruled in Dyfed at
once, Maelwys ordered a new tore to be made instead.
Blaise must have guessed that this would be the case, and he swept into the hall bearing the tore in his
hands, as if it were the kingship itself that he held. At his appearance the hall fell silent. Men stared at the
object he held. Had they never seen that ring of gold before?
I admit, his entrances and exits could be arresting, but I saw nothing unusual about his bearing a tore to
me. Perhaps it was because I saw it in the hand of a friend, while others saw it in the hand of the bard,
and the more significant for that. However it was, he caused quite a stir.
He bade me kneel before him while he stood over me with the tore, as if with a talisman of power. In the
eyes of the Cymry, I suppose it was a charmed thing. The church had power, most would allow, but so
did the images and rites of old, which had the additional benefit of being hallowed by long tradition. It
was all well and good to be anointed by the priest in the chapel in the wood. Better still to receive the
tore of kingship from the hand of a druid.
Well, I had both.
'Is this necessary?' I hissed under my breath. The hall had fallen silent; every eye was on me. 'I've
already been consecrated.'
'Is it killing you?' he whispered as he bent the soft yellow metal in his hands, spreading the ends to fit
around my neck. 'Just be quiet and let me do this.'
He held the tore before me, and I saw that it had two bears' heads carved at the ends; their eyes were
tiny sapphires, and each wore a collar of equally small rubies. I stared in astonishment. Where on earth
did he get it?
'Did you steal it?' I whispered to him as he placed the tore around my neck.
'Yes,' he said. 'Now be quiet.'
He gently pushed the two ends of the tore together and, lifting his hands to my head, made the kingship
speech in the old tongue. It is doubtful anyone in the hall, or even in all of Dyfed, knew the old Briton
language any more  the Dark Tongue, men called it, from beforeRomecame. Nevertheless, they
appreciated the significance of it just then.
Blaise, Jesu bless him, was trying his best to help me with all he had. He was showing the people [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]