The Dragon's Banner (6 page)

They would travel by sea to Aquitania, then
across southern Gaul and through the mountain passes into Italia.
Uther would have sooner fought through the guardians of Hell than
stay onboard another moment, but he knew his duty, and he
endured.

Through the intense discomfort he found
himself thinking time and again about Igraine. He could see her
coppery red hair as it lay about her shoulders, beautiful in the
sunlight. Her eyes, her lips, the sweet sound of her voice. He
couldn't banish her from his thoughts for more than a few moments.
Longtime companion that he was, Leodegrance could see his friend's
distraction. Never had he witnessed Uther show any interest in a
woman that outlasted a night's passion, yet this one clearly held
him in her spell. Why not, he thought, for surely Uther would one
day take a wife. Why not Igraine? She was of high birth and the
daughter one of his father's greatest barons.

"Ah, my afflicted friend, your body still
fights the sea, but I fear your mind is not here. It is, I suspect,
with a certain red-haired lady. Do I err?"

Uther's gaze shifted to his friend, his face
ashen, looking as though even this bit of movement stirred his
insides. "I cannot forget her, Leo.” His voice was wavering, weak.
"When we return, I shall make her mine."

"You are the son of a royal house, my friend,
and you must marry. I have been betrothed since we played at battle
with sticks, you and I. Igraine is the daughter of one of your
father's greatest lords. It is a strong match."

"My father still hopes to see me in a
priest's robes, my friend, and I fear he is as stubborn as I. But
Igraine shall be mine and, if needs be, I will disobey my father to
make it so."

Leodegrance paused, considering the
implications of such an act, but decided that counsels of patience
and caution were best saved for another day. Hundreds of miles, and
a long and dangerous journey lay between Uther and any fateful acts
of rebellion. "Doubtless such will not be needed. I am sure your
father will be pleased to see you married and settled."

"We shall see." Uther spoke then quickly
thrust his head over the side and wretched, his whole body
convulsing. "Gods," he rasped, "what could be left in me to come
out?"

Thus went the journey across the Narrow Sea
and down the Gallic coast, and it was days more before, at long
last, Uther set desperate eyes upon the sandy shores of Aquitania.
The ship made for a long stretch of open beach, and Uther was the
first man ashore. Out of the surf he stumbled and onto the soft
sand, where he collapsed and lay motionless in the sun.

Leodegrance laughed loudly. "Ah, my friend, I
fear you have missed the solid ground under you far too much."

"Leo, it has been days since I strode upon a
surface that does not move. The sea, I fear is for others. My
battles shall be on land, I trust, or I shall surely meet my
doom."

They both laughed, and Leodegrance went to
supervise the landing of their party, allowing Uther to rest. They
had brought with them ten warriors as escort, along with a
considerable supply train - food, tents, gold, gifts for the lords
they would meet, plus horses and mules - and servants to manage it
all.

It took several hours to get everything
unloaded, by which time Uther looked considerably less pale and
sick. He even took one of the wineskins and drank deeply. On ship
it had been a task to get him to take a few sips, but now, suddenly
aware of his raging thirst, he took it and almost drained it.

"You look better, Uther, my friend.”
Leodegrance smiled broadly as he spoke. "And we have plenty of
wine, so drink your fill."

Uther handed over the almost-empty skin. "I
have done so already, for I didn't realize how thirsty I was until
I started to drink."

Leodegrance looked up at the sun, hazy red
and soon to set. "I know you are exhausted from the voyage, but I
think we should march inland before making camp. We may attract
pirates if we camp to close to the coast and, while I run from no
fight, our task is to reach the Emperor, not battle with barbarians
and thieves."

Uther had a fragile smile on his face. "I am
quite ready for anything." He paused, still looking a bit unsteady.
"Or at least ready to ride my horse a few leagues."

They mounted, but rode slowly, for the
servants leading the mules went on foot. They traveled from the
beach and followed a sandy path winding slowly uphill. After an
hour they found themselves along the top of a hillside, and they
paused to look back over the sea. The sun was deep orange now, and
low on the horizon, the reddish light rippling off the gentle
waves. With a last lingering look, Uther turned and rode on over
the crest of the hill, gratefully leaving the sea behind.

Another hour they rode, to the outskirts of a
forest of tall, sparse pines. Near a small stream they ended their
day's journey, and they set up the camp by torchlight. Soon they
had a cluster of canvas tents pitched around a roaring fire, and
the servants set to preparing the evening meal.

They supped on simple fare. Leodegrance ate a
whole chicken, roasted in the fire, with loaves of bread with
butter. Uther was more cautious, for though he felt better, he was
still a bit uneasy where food was concerned. A loaf of bread he
ate, and another wineskin he drained. They had brought apples from
the autumn's first picking; they were small and hard, but good
nonetheless. Uther was very fond of apples, and he finished with
several, pronouncing them not quite ripe, but satisfying
nonetheless.

With the meal over, Uther took his leave and
retired to his tent, for his ordeal at sea had left him fatigued to
the bone. He stripped off his belt and boots, and threw himself
upon the pile of skins that would serve as his bed during the
journey. He was soon in a deep sleep, disturbed only by a dream of
Igraine. She was standing on a tower looking out at the
countryside, tears in her eyes and her hair blowing in the wind. He
awoke long after sunrise, and he found that a night on solid ground
had done much to restore his constitution. He was troubled by his
dream, but most of all he was hungry. Ravenous, as he could never
remember being.

The smell of the cook fire drew him out of
the tent, and he found the camp bustling with activity. Most of the
tents were struck, and the cooking was well underway. Uther found a
wineskin that had been hung outside his tent, and he drank
deeply.

"At last." It was Leodegrance's voice, loud
and cheerful. "I feared I'd have to leave you behind and go on
myself."

Uther stretched slowly. "I had quite
forgotten what it is like to sleep on solid ground. I shall, in
future, remember to be thankful for that which I have always taken
for granted."

"Indeed, my friend, you do seem to look quite
like your old self. Come, let us break the fast together."

Leodegrance sat on the ground near the fire,
taking two dark loaves from a small pile and handing one to Uther.
He clapped his hands, and the servants began laying out a
substantial breakfast.

"I did not see you eat but a morsel until
last night from the day we set sail over a week ago. I guessed you
would be hungry after a night's rest."

"Hah!" Uther bellowed loudly. "Hungry?
Starved, rather. I wager I could eat a wild boar myself." He set to
the food in front of him with commendable enthusiasm, beginning
with the salted pork and cheese, then working through more bread,
with mounds of butter, then apples and nuts, all washed down with
flagons of excellent ale.

Finally, even his bottomless hunger was
sated, and the servants quickly cleared the rest of the camp so the
party could set out. Uther strapped on his sword and leather jerkin
and, last of the expedition, he mounted his horse and declared
himself ready to set out.

They agreed to make it a long day of travel,
and to put some miles behind them before resting for the night. The
path led first through the depths of the pine forest. The trees
were tall and thin, with little or no underbrush, and the ground
was flat. They kept on for some hours, skipping their midday meal,
and riding until the sun was well past its high point.

Eventually the forest became sparser, and
they began to emerge into the country beyond. Over rolling
hillsides they rode, and past houses, some great, others small,
surrounded by vineyards and stands of olive trees. Some were
occupied, but many seemed abandoned. Yet others were but burned
shells. This was once a rich part of the empire, but it too had
apparently declined along with imperial power.

They had ridden for three days without
encountering any but farmers and peasants, but on the fourth they
were challenged. A group of riders, at least 50 strong, barred the
road. The leader rode out a few paces in front and called out for
the Britons to halt.

Uther commanded the company to stop, and he
rode forward. "Greetings, warriors. I am Uther, son of Constantine,
of the house Pendragon. We are ambassadors from Britannia, come to
seek an audience with King Euric of Toulouse."

The leader was richly arrayed and clad in
mail. "I am Thudis, marshal of these lands that you cross, and
though I offer you welcome, in times such as these I cannot allow
your party to ride on unescorted. If you would continue on your
journey I bid you to surrender your arms and accept our escort to
Toulouse. Else I call upon you to depart these lands in peace and
return from where you have come."

Uther answered Thudis’ challenge, his voice
loud and cheerful. "I greet thee, Lord Thudis, in the name of my
father and king, Constantine II of Britannia." He held up a small
metal disk. "Here is the seal of King Constantine. Gladly would we
accept your escort, yet to surrender our weapons would be to yield
our honor. We have come for counsel, not battle, and we are not
arrayed for war."

Thudis sat upon his mount, studying the
visitors. "Lord Uther, I mean no dishonor to you or your party, yet
still am charged with defending these lands. You bear yourself with
the honor of a princely house. I shall accept your oath on behalf
of your party and allow you to retain your swords."

Uther put heels to his horse and rode forward
toward the Visigoths. "My oath you have, Lord Thudis, sworn freely.
And my thanks as well."

"Then let us ride together, and tonight you
shall be my guests, for my villa is but a brief journey from here.
If you are not averse to long marches, we can reach King Euric's
court in three more days."

"Again, our thanks to you, Lord Thudis. We
would be pleased and honored to accept your invitation. A night
under roof would be most welcome." Indeed, Uther could think of few
things more appealing than sleeping in a proper bed, at least for
one night.

The two parties merged together, and
continued down the road in a loose column, three abreast. Thudis
rode alongside Uther and Leodegrance, and they traded news and
stories of their lands. From Thudis, they learned that the empire
was in a far more parlous state than they had anticipated. The
emperor they had expected to meet, Glycerius, had been deposed by
the governor of Dalmatia, Julius Nepos, who had the support of the
eastern empire. The Visigoths had warred on Glycerius, with great
success in Gaul and less in Italia, though they had been at peace
with Nepos in the year or more since he'd seized the purple. All
the scant lands remaining to the western empire were in chaos, the
legions of old but a fading memory.

Just before sunset they arrived at Thudis'
house, a great old Roman villa perched on a hilltop. It was
surrounded by grapevines and olive trees, with outbuildings
clustered along the base of the hill. Uther and Leodegrance
marveled at the scale of the structure, all built of stone. Even at
Caer Guricon, only the old keep was built even partially of stone;
the rest of the castle and the town were of wood. The villa
reminded them of the great houses in Londinium, though most of
those were abandoned, and many had been scavenged for building
materials. Thudis' villa was occupied and maintained, though when
closely inspected it was apparent that the newer repairs were of
inferior workmanship to the old.

Thudis rode alongside Uther and Leodegrance
as they travelled up the hill toward the main house. "I would be
honored if you would sup with me, my lords, while I have rooms
prepared for you in the villa. My servants shall see that your
warriors and attendants are provisioned and given shelter."

Uther was momentarily uneasy. Separating the
two of them from their escort would certainly make assassination
easier. A glance over at Leodegrance confirmed that his friend had
the same thought. They had known this Thudis only for the past few
hours, and they were in a strange land far from home. Wisdom
demanded caution.

But, Uther thought, Thudis had done nothing
to arouse suspicion. His invitation was proper and courteous, and
indeed, it was the least honor demanded when treating with noble
guests. Thudis had been courteous, and he bore himself with great
dignity, as one born to rank and position. It was obvious he was a
Visigoth lord of considerable power. To refuse his invitation would
be an insult. They did not come all this distance, Uther decided,
to offend the lords they met along their way, and he had never been
one to allow caution or fear to influence his actions. He looked at
Leodegrance, with whom long years of friendship had created an
almost wordless communication, then turned to face their host.
"Lord Thudis, we accept your invitation with great pleasure. Your
hospitality is too kind, and we are most grateful to encounter a
friend on our road, so far from home."

Their caution, in any event, proved baseless,
and they shared a pleasant supper followed by an even more
enjoyable night's rest in the accommodations provided by their
host. The villa was very comfortable, even if it lacked the
opulence it had clearly displayed in some past age. All around were
signs of shoddy repairs over what had been once been flawless
craftsmanship, but Uther and Leodegrance were awed nevertheless,
for this Visigothic lord's residence, fading jewel that is was,
outshone any in their native land. Darkness and the fall of empire
had come late to these fertile lands in southern Gaul, but in
Britannia night had fallen early, and the land was almost beyond
living memory of richer times.