Warrior of the West (67 page)

I have been silent concerning Myrddion (Merlin) and his capitulation to the lure of Nimue. I could not bear to make him the ‘dirty old man’ found in Tennyson’s
Idylls of the King
. My Myrddion would never have lost his life and his intelligence in pursuit of a pretty face.

Myrddion is reluctant to acknowledge his love for his apprentice. More importantly, he isn’t vulnerable to seduction by a fair face and a lush body. It is Nimue’s spirit and intelligence that undo him, as we should expect from a man who is so powerful, so knowledgeable and yet so inexperienced in matters of the heart. He is prepared to kill treacherously to keep Nimue safe. Myrddion has no choice but to leave his beloved Artor when he finally accepts that Wenhaver will never permit Nimue to live safely at Cadbury.

As always, the common and faceless servants are my heroes, including the courageous, plain-speaking Gallwyn, who gives Nimue the love that is so necessary for her to grow to adulthood as a whole person; the faithful and cynical Gruffydd who is gruff by nature but a sentimentalist at heart, and the gallant Percivale, Gareth and Odin who are a little careful about showing their real faces but who amply prove what loyalty really means.

I am also sorry if you find King Artor a little less likeable than the youthful Artorex. He is Uther’s son, after all, but he attempts to grapple with this aspect of his character as sternly as possible. It’s certain that gentle, decent men make terrible rulers, killing more of their followers than leaders whose motives are less pure. No saint could survive years of war, political struggle and cultural division. Although he gives of his best, my Artor often creates the outcomes he attempts to avoid, but his flaws and his virtues are necessary to hold the kingdom together.

The Garden of Gallia is also my invention and is perishable, although the legends often refer to various places of great beauty within the Arthurian setting.

Cadbury is another matter entirely, and many scholars believe it to be the site of the legendary Camelot. I’ve made it as beautiful as I know how without creating a fantastical world. After all, it was a Celtic fortress, and it was softened by the lives of the common people into something that remained rare, fleeting and fragile. When you stand on Cadbury Tor, you know that the man who ruled here and designed this fortress was no cuckold, no weakling and certainly not a distant, faceless dream. Real blood, great heart and a fierce intelligence made Cadbury strong. Go there, and taste the sense of history that time has bequeathed to us as you gaze out into the morning mists.

Ultimately, I chose to interpret the legends my way. You may agree with me or not, for you are the true arbiters of the tale. My story is very violent at times, and occasionally vicious, but so is the story of humanity, and I make no apology for my excursions into blood and sin.

At times you might find my lovers are overly romantic and noble, but others, such as Wenhaver and Artor, are foils for any rosy view of love. As for the pure love that exists between friends, I believe that such caritas is possible, and even desirable, in a world devoted to dog-eat-dog.

My hero does the best he can with what he has - and who can ask for more of anyone?

Ave, Artor!