Dragon of the Island (15 page)

“It is beautiful here in the highlands,
isn’t it?” Maelgwn said expansively, stopping and leaning heavily
on her.

“And the fortress is very impressive. Tell
me, what is that building?”

“I do not want to talk about buildings
tonight,” Maelgwn protested, nuzzling her neck. “Now is the time
for bed... but we could go somewhere else, if you don’t want to go
back to the tower.”

“Where?”

“Like my office in the barracks or outside
in the grass.”

Aurora shuddered. It would serve no purpose
to have him bed her on the damp ground and ruin her dress. Maelgwn
was being very persistent, and he was probably not drunk enough to
fall asleep without having his way with her. She must think of some
other means of distracting him.

“No, let us go back to the tower,” she said
resignedly.

“It was a good celebration, was it not,
Aurora?” Maelgwn began again, seemingly talkative.

“Aye,” Aurora replied sullenly.

“So, we are not such monsters after all, are
we?”

“Who?”

“The Cymru—the wild savages of the west that
your people fear, that even the Romans could not conquer.”

“I do not know yet,” Aurora said sulkily.
“It’s true that your people know how to wage war and how to dance
and make merry, but whether they can do anything else, I have not
seen.”

“And make love,” Maelgwn added. “You know,
don’t you, that the Cymru are great lovers?”

“Hah, I have seen none of that. You are just
crude rutting pigs like all men!”

“Do not talk to me that way! You have liked
to feel my hands upon you since that first day in your father’s
garden.”

The memory of that hot, dizzy afternoon
invoked shameful memories for Aurora. How could she have let
Maelgwn fondle her so? No wonder he had no respect for her and
treated her like his private slut.

“That is not true.” Aurora said, trying to
pull away from Maelgwn’s fierce hold. “You think because you are a
man and stronger than me that you can use my body any way you wish,
but it does not matter. You cannot make me care for you!”

Maelgwn laughed coldly. “It’s not your heart
I desire tonight—it is your body. And I will have it.”

They reached the tower door, and as Maelgwn
paused to open it, Aurora twisted away from him and ran up the
stairs. Despite her head start, Maelgwn caught her halfway up and
pushed her against the rough stone wall. He began to kiss her
sloppily, breathing his wine-stained breath upon her, shoving his
hand down her dress.

“Maelgwn, please,” she cried. “You’ll ruin
my gown.”

“I care not,” he answered, slurring his
words. “Why did you run away from me just now?”

“Because I don’t want you tonight! You are
stupid with wine—you reek of it.”

“What makes you think it matters what you
want?” he asked in a voice so cold it made Aurora shiver with fear.
She pulled herself up regally, pushed him away, and answered him in
a voice just as harsh.

“So, I see you as you really are—not the
civilized commander who bargained for peace with my father, but the
ruthless warlord who takes what he wants by force. You are like a
greedy little boy who grabs for what he wants but has no right to.
I have nothing but contempt for you!”

Maelgwn answered her by leaning over to suck
noisily on her neck. Panic surged in Aurora. He was going to win.
Even drunk as he was now she could not hope to fight him off. For a
moment, Aurora considered trying to push him down the steep stairs.
Something held her back. Maelgwn was her husband, and she did not
want to hurt him. There must be some other way!

Maelgwn stopped his caresses to unfasten his
sword belt Aurora saw her chance and pulled away, escaping into the
tower chamber and struggling to shut the door behind her. Maelgwn
lurched after her and forced his shoulder against the door. She
could not hold it. She gave up and Maelgwn crashed into the room,
sprawling awkwardly on the floor. He picked himself up and moved
steadily toward Aurora, who crouched near the bed.

“You do not want me?” Maelgwn growled.

Aurora shook her head. Her voice had
deserted her, and her eyes were fixed upon Maelgwn’s
murderous-looking face looming closer and closer in the flickering
lamplight.

“Why?” Maelgwn asked, pausing a few feet
away from her. “What have I done to you?”

“Your sister...” Aurora choked out. “You let
her humil
i
ate me. You said nothing to
defend me.”

“That is not true,” Maelgwn argued. “I told
her that you were no concern of hers.”

“You walked away,” Aurora reminded him, her
voice shaking with rage. “You left me to face her alone.”

“It does not matter,” Maelgwn answered. He
realized how tired he was, his head had already begun to
throb
. But he felt there was a point to be made. “You are my
wife, Aurora. It is my right to have my way with you.”

Maelgwn’s voice was quiet, but he moved
toward her steadily. Aurora climbed over the bed so that it lay
between them and faced Maelgwn with bold recklessness.

With a sudden lunge, Maelgwn grabbed for
her, nearly jumping across the bed, but Aurora was quicker. Her
head was clear now, and she realized just how dangerous her
situation was. Should Maelgwn catch her, she did not know what he
would do. From his angry, bloodshot eyes and grim mouth, she feared
that rape was the least of his intentions.

She flew around the bed nimbly, always
keeping just out of reach. Enraged, Maelgwn lunged for her, once,
twice... the second time his foot caught on a small chest Aurora
had left on the floor. He stumbled. His reflexes were slow and
clumsy from drinking, and he scarcely had time to put out his arms
to cushion his landing before he hit the hard stone floor. He
groaned once and lay still.

Aurora stood frozen. She could hear the
violent thud of her heart and the throb of blood in her ears. At
any moment she expected Maelgwn to get up and begin his pursuit
again. But he did not, and she cautiously ventured over to where he
lay face down upon the floor.

Staring at Maelgwn’s slack, motionless body,
a new fear overwhelmed Aurora. What if her husband were dead or
badly injured? Aurora could scarcely breathe at the thought. If
Maelgwn was dead, her own life was over. She would surely be
killed, perhaps horribly so.

Still holding her breath, Aurora bent over
him. She caught the rasping sound of his breathing and sighed in
relief. He was not dead after all, and she was very glad. She had
never wanted him to die or even be hurt, only to leave her alone
for one night. She was exhausted and confused. What should she do?
If she tried to get him into the bed, Maelgwn might wake and start
his shameful advances against her again. No. Better to leave him
there. He seemed to be breathing normally, he was snoring now. With
luck he would sleep until morning.

Aurora shivered as the cool night air blew
through the narrow windows. She was numb with fatigue, and she
walked stiffly back to the table by the bed and quenched the lamp.
With leaden fingers she took off her gown—now badly soiled and torn
at the neck—and climbed into bed. By the time her body had begun to
warm the blankets, she was asleep.

Maelgwn woke with a horrible taste in his
mouth and a fierce ache in his head. The pain was much worse than
the usual dull throb that too much wine left, and as he lifted his
head, the agony intensified. He opened his eyes and looked around.
There were strange square patterns next to his face, marked with
uneven patches of sunlight. He blinked, feeling dizzy, and realized
he was lying face down on the floor of his bedchamber.

His body was stiff and cold, and Maelgwn
raised himself with painful slowness, trying to remember how he had
come to be there. He glanced around the room, noticing the messy
tumble of clothes and baskets and the disarray of blankets on the
empty bed. Aurora—it was morning, and she was gone.

Maelgwn struggled to organize a confusion of
memories from the night before. His recollections were misty,
almost dreamlike, but the events came back to him, He had fought
with Aurora... chased her... fallen. He recalled his own drunken
desire, his rage and humiliation at Aurora’s rejection. He could
even remember her cold, mocking words.

Maelgwn put a hand to his head, feeling the
lump on his forehead that spread hot fingers of pain into his eye
and scalp. He had fallen hard. No doubt he already had the
beginnings of a black eye—he could feel the healing blood filling
the swollen soreness on that side of his face. Carefully, rather
unsteadily, he straightened his clothes and picked up his fallen
dagger from the floor. He badly needed a drink of fresh water and
some food. Aurora, wherever she was, could wait.

The courtyard was quiet this morning. Few of
the soldiers were up after the night of revelry, and the women and
servants who went about their business only nodded at him politely
and then looked away. Maelgwn was relieved not to have to face his
men yet. The bruise on his face was nothing to be ashamed of. Many
men had fallen at one time or another when the wine muddled their
brain and left them as clumsy and ungainly as a newborn colt. It
was Aurora’s rejection of him that truly stung. He might be the
king, but his wife had turned him out of her bed like a callow boy.
Worse yet, she had left him lying on the floor all night!

Maelgwn found that his anger made his head
hurt, and he tried to control it. He must eat and have the bruise
tended to before he did anything else.

The old Irish cook in the kitchen gasped
when she saw him.

“Nah, nah, Maelgwn, what foolishness have
you been up to?” she clucked at him solicitously.

“The same as many a man last night,” he
answered as heartily as he could. “It seems the floor got the best
of me.”

“You fell then?”

“Aye, it seems so, though I hardly
remember.”

“And where was your new wife?”

Maelgwn smiled weakly. “She was in no
condition to help me.”

“Let me call Torawc,” the old woman said as
she stood on tiptoe to wipe his face with a damp rag. “A blow to
the head can be dangerous.”

“‘Tis nothing.” Maelgwn said impatiently.
“Just get me something to eat and have someone find Balyn. If I’m
going to be awake and miserable, I want him to suffer as well. It
was Balyn who kept pouring the wine last night.”

“Of course, my lord,” the cook answered. She
motioned angrily at the young servant who had stopped his work and
was staring dumbly at Maelgwn.

While he waited for his breakfast to cook,
Maelgwn closed his eyes and leaned his head on the heavy battered
table. No wonder he drank so seldom, he thought miserably. The
price the next day was much too high. He longed desperately to go
back to bed. The peaceful kitchen sounds seemed to lull him into a
half-waking doze, and he scarcely heard Balyn’s footsteps when he
returned with the servant.

“By the gods, Maelgwn, what happened?” Balyn
exclaimed when Maelgwn lifted his head.

“I fell.”

“We were worried about you last night, but I
thought surely with Aurora to help you...” Balyn’s voice trailed
off. He felt very guilty for not paying more attention to his king.
He, too, had drunk too much; he hardly even remembered Maelgwn
leaving the feast.

“Aye. Aurora—my loving wife,” Maelgwn
answered sarcastically.

Balyn’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the
king’s scathing tone. “She did not...” Balyn gestured toward
Maelgwn’s battered face.

“I fell through my own clumsiness. I do
think though, that she wished me dead last night. It seems she
considers me—now what was it—a filthy rutting pig I believe she
called me.”

Balyn stared at Maelgwn incredulously. “She
said that to you?”

“Aye, when she was not pushing me away and
telling me she did not want me, that I was a stinking drunk and a
brute because I didn’t defend her against Esylt.”

Balyn made a choked sound, and tears were
gathering in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Maelgwn,” he said between
muffled guffaws. “I know it is not funny, but I cannot help it—I
can just see her taking you on—Maelgwn the Great, bested by a mere
girl. Oh Jupiter, we can’t let Evrawc find out about this. He’ll
lose his place as most abused husband in Gwynedd!”

“You think it’s funny?” Maelgwn was trying
hard to be stern and commanding, but a grin was forming painfully
on his own face. “You should try it sometime, if you think it is so
amusing.”

Balyn turned away, struggling to compose
himself.

The smile quickly faded from Maelgwn’s face.
“You see, don’t you, that I can’t tolerate her defiance?”

Balyn turned sober, too. “It is a tricky
situation. You may have been in the wrong, but now she’s made it so
you can’t easily apologize to her and make up.”

“Apologize! I have nothing to apologize
for!”

“Begging your pardon again, Maelgwn, but it
does seem to me that your behavior wasn’t the best. My wife made
sure to tell me this morning that your attentions toward Aurora
were crude last night. More than a few women wondered why you
didn’t wait until you got to the bedchamber to fondle your wife. I
also heard that Esylt insulted Aurora quite publicly yesterday when
you introduced them. You should have done something about
that.”

“I did! I went to Esylt afterwards and was
very clear about how she must treat Aurora from now on.”

Balyn shook his head. “I’m afraid it was too
late for Aurora. It is obvious that she is a woman with more than a
little pride. You must bear in mind that she was raised as a
princess.”

“But she
is
just a woman, and my
wife. Perhaps I have different ideas of what a marriage should be
like than you, Balyn,” Maelgwn said coldly. “I intend to command my
wife and have her obey!”