“For not making me stop you by force. Others would’ve. I did not wish to hurt you but I would have done so if I had to, and I would’ve got into trouble with the King.” I nodded and continued up the then hill to the Keep.
As I entered the building I met a servant walking purposefully down the corridor, who almost recoiled when he saw me. He looked alarmed.
“What’s the matter, friend? You look startled,” I asked, though I thought I knew the answer. The other took a moment to compose himself while I regarded him calmly and, I hoped, kindly. “Well?” The servant swallowed hard then replied with a nervous stammer.
“M-m-m-Magister, I was just s-s-sent to l-look for you, not a m-m-m-minute ago.”
“Well, you’ve found me.” The servant was still regarding me nervously, so I prompted him gently. “As I say, you’ve found me. And what message was it you were to deliver to me? That the King requires my presence?” The servant could only nod, if anything even more anxious. His eyes were wide, the whites showing all the way round his brown pupils. “You’ve delivered it, swiftly and well.” The servant remained rooted to the spot. “I presume you have other business to be about?” The servant nodded again. “Then you may be about it and maybe even finish sooner than you thought. If you do you may find you have a few quiet minutes to yourself, when you’d expected to be busy all day. That’s a pleasant prospect, I’m sure, yes?” The servant nodded again. I was teasing the poor man and after the way I’d felt about Owain’s antics this morning I should really know to behave better, and so I decided to set him at ease. “I knew King Owain would want to see me,” the servant took an involuntary step back away from me, and I smiled: “because he asked me this morning to attend him before luncheon. I began to feel hungry, so here I am.”
The servant breathed out heavily and his shoulders dropped as if he’d just released a great burden.
“Oh, my Lord, I mean Magister. I can’t tell you what a relief it is that it isn’t magic that brought you here. They were saying below the stairs that you were a magician, and dangerous.”
“And what did you say?”
“I said that I didn’t believe it, that you didn’t look like a magician, nor even behave like a Druid, though you have the same hair.” By which he meant my tonsure.
“And was there, perhaps, a small wager involved?” The servant smiled and nodded.
“Yes, Magister.”
“Well, you win that one. Tell your friends that you have it on the highest authority - mine - that I am not, never have been, and never will be, a magician. Remember to share your winnings charitably with those who’ve lost to you.”
“Yes, Magister,” the man replied, though he looked a little crestfallen. Then he perked up again. “And there was another wager, from one who said you had the Sight.”
“You lose that one, I’m afraid. I do indeed bear that burden. But it’s nothing that need frighten you.” The servant’s head dropped again.
“Then all I’ve won, I lose. I should’ve known. Iolo normally never bets, he must have known. It’s not fair.”
“It seems perfectly fair to me. You’ve lost what was never yours to begin with and would have been ill-gotten had you retained it. Let that be a lesson to you. The best reward comes from work and devotion, not from blind chance. But I’ll have to pray for this astute Iolo’s soul before he becomes too enamoured of wagering.” I looked keenly at the servant, who I could see was quite young.
“I’ll also pray that the path of love runs smooth. She must be worth more than a kiss won in a bet, if she’s worth anything. Off you go now, and don’t worry about me. I can find my way to the King’s quarters. He’s in his chambers, is he?” The servant shook his head.
“No, Magister, he’s in the Great Hall, where we had the feast last night.”
“I will find him there - and you see? My Gift isn’t infallible. I didn’t know where the King was!” I smiled again and offered a blessing to the young man, who hesitated a smile in return and then bowed briefly before running off to be about his other chores. They would be many, I was sure. The few moments of leisure he could gain from the day would be welcome and precious.
Did I see into his mind about the girl who had caught his eye? No; no Gifts or extraordinary powers were necessary to discern the desires of a young, single man who had hardly any time on his hands. Even I was young, once.
9
Judgement Day
In the Hall, Owain and Gawain were holding court. Queen Gruach was also in attendance but of Ieuan there was no sign. A gaggle of interested spectators, made up of warriors low and (in greater number) high, some citizens, a clerk who noted everything that passed, and friends, family and neighbours of participants muttered and milled around the floor. A high-ranking Druid sat in Ieuan’s chair but it seemed that he was a mere spectator himself. He was mostly not consulted at all but, every so often, the royal ‘trinity’ remembered him and courteously asked his opinion. His expression betrayed the fact that he was not enjoying the experience in the least. Druids were normally treated with much greater respect. They had power and a role to fulfil in arbitrating on points of Law. They guarded their status as Keepers carefully and I knew of a number who so loved their positions that they could lecture for hours on tiny points of ambiguity, on special circumstances and on precedent and practice. To be fair, I knew of Christian priests and monks who would do the same and such prelates were the bane of ordinary folk and busy kings. Simple cases could last for hours with their help, and sessions like this one could go on for days or weeks until everyone was exhausted or had slipped away. Owain had evidently decided that this wouldn’t happen today, so his consultations were as brief as possible, usually asking no more than whether or not the Druid disagreed strongly with the decision already taken.