Lyonesse II - The Green Pear and Madouc (112 page)

At one seat the silver plate was missing, and only the ancient bronze plaque into the black wood remained. The herald stopped at this place, where no one sat, read the bronze plaque, leaned forward incredulously and read again. He went to summon King Audry and led him to the empty place.

King Audry read, then read again. By this time the attention of everyone in the chamber was fixed upon him. Slowly he straightened, and spoke to the room at large. "Sirs and ladies, the Cairbra an Meadhan is imbued with magic, and it has been at work. There is now no plate of silver at this place; it has disappeared. The bronze which over the centuries marked this place now reads: 'HERE IS THE PLACE OF DHRUN, WHERE IN HIS GOOD AND FULL TIME HE SHALL SIT'."

Silence held the hall. King Audry spoke on. "I cannot guess the meaning of this magic, nor the exact thrust of the words. A single point is clear: the table recognizes the presence of Prince Dhrun and has indicated his proper place! Prince Dhrun, you may sit."

Dhrun came forward, step by reluctant step. Behind the chair he halted and spoke to King Audry: "Sire, today I prefer not to sit! I will stand, if I may."

King Audrey spoke in exasperation: "You must sit! We are all waiting for you to take your rightful place."

"Sire, I am not prepared to join your august deliberations at this time. It is more proper that I stand, pending the arrival of my father."

King Casmir spoke in a voice which he tried to hold even but which grated with harshness. "Come! Let us not waste any more time! Sit, Prince Dhrun! This is what we expect of you!"

"Quite so," said King Audry. "We do not wish to deliberate while staring at an empty seat. You must sit."

Madouc could no longer restrain herself. She called out: "Dhrun, do not sit! Today I will sit in your stead, and be your deputy!" She ran forward, and slipped into the place marked in Dhrun's name by the bronze plaque. Dhrun stood close behind the chair. He spoke to King Audry:

"Your Majesty, so it shall be, by my choosing! Today Princess Madouc shall be my deputy and sit in my place, and, if necessary, speak with my voice. The formalities are thereby served, and the colloquy may properly begin."

King Audry stood bewildered. "This is strange conduct! I fail to understand what is going on!"

King Casmir roared: "It is absurd! Maclouc, get yourself hence, and quickly, or know my full and awful displeasure!"

"No, Your Majesty. I will sit here. Today is not the proper time for Dhrun to occupy his rightful place at Cairbra an Meadhan."

King Casmir turned in a cold fury to King Audry: "Your Majesty, I urge that you bring your footmen and remove this foolish maiden from the chair, so that Prince Dhrun may take his place! Otherwise, the colloquy cannot proceed with dignity!"

King Audry spoke in a troubled voice: "Madouc, is this one of your famous caprices?"

"Your Majesty, I assure you to the contrary! I sit here only so that Prince Dhrun need not occupy this place today!"

"But Madouc! Notice the bronze plaque! It states that here is Dhrun's place!"

"'In his good and full time'! But not today!"

King Audry threw his arms out in a gesture of defeat. "I see no great harm in the situation. The princess sits in the place by the will of Prince Dhrun."

King Casmir spoke again. "Madouc, once more I bid you depart the place of Prince Dhrun, that he may be seated."

King Audry looked around the table. Some faces were drawn into lines of displeasure, others were amused, others seemed to care little one way or another. He turned to King Casmir: "Your Majesty, I tend to the opinion that no harm can be done by allowing the Princess Madouc to sit as she wishes."

King Casmir said: "With your permission, I will deal with the matter myself. Cassander, be good enough to escort Madouc to her chambers. If necessary, ask Sir Camrols for assistance."

With a limpid gaze Madouc watched the approach of Cassander and the stalwart Sir Camrols of Corton Banwald. She made a small gesture and a hissing sound; Sir Camrols leapt high into the air, where he seemed to hang suspended a moment, his feet twisting rapidly one about the other. He alighted on his hands and knees, where he remained, staring at Madouc in bewilderment. Madouc looked at Cassander, and hissed again, as softly as before. Cassander performed a strange double-jointed jump, as if in two directions at once, and fell sprawling, to roll over and over.

Dhrun said: "Prince Cassander and Sir Camrols have chosen to entertain us with their gymnastic feats, rather than molest the princess; I applaud their good judgment and we should let the matter end here."

"I am of this opinion," said King Audry. "The princess evidently has good reason for her apparent caprice. Perhaps it will ultimately be made known to us; am I right, Princess?"

"It is certainly possible, Your Majesty."

King Casmir spoke again: "It is a farce! Here we sit dawdling, the sovereigns of important realms, while this insolent tippet monopolizes our attention!"

"It need not be," said Dhrun reasonably. "Let the business of the colloquy proceed!"

King Casmir pounded the table with his fist. "I am offended and outraged! I will not participate in the business until Prince Dhrun takes his rightful place!"

Madouc said in a clear voice: "I see that I must explain my action and the reasons for King Casmir's outrage. Perhaps it is better, after all, that the facts be known. Listen then and I will tell you the information which came to me from my mother.

"Long ago King Casmir heard a prophecy from Persilian the Magic Mirror. He was told that the first-born son of Princess Suldrun would sit his rightful place at Cairbra an Meadhan and rule from the throne Evandig before his death. If this were so, King Casmir would never fulfill his yearning to conquer far and wide, and to rule the Elder Isles!

"King Casmir never knew the name of Suldrun's first and only son, and he lived in a state of anxiety. Only recently the priest Umphred revealed the truth to King Casmir and put the name 'Dhrun' to Suldrun's son. Ever since Casmir has been scheming for a means to void the prophecy.

"For this reason he called for a colloquy here at Falu Ffail. He cares nothing for amity or peace; he intended only that Dhrun should fulfill the prophecy, so that Dhrun might then be murdered."

"Last night Prince Cassander persuaded Dhrun to sit on the throne Evandig and utter an order. Today Dhrun need only take his place at the Round Table to satisfy the terms of the prophecy; then he might safely be murdered, perhaps this very night. An arrow from the hedge or a knife from the shadows, and Dhrun is dead! Who would do the deed? There were four who rode north with us; I dare not call them villains and murderers for fear that I might do them a wrong, but they were neither knights nor soldiers."

"Now everyone knows what I know and my reasons for denying Dhrun his place. Judge for yourselves if they are caprice; then let the colloquy proceed."

Silence held the Hall of Heroes.

At last King Audry said uneasily: "The colloquy is both shocked and somewhat addled by your revelations. We have heard a most unusual set of charges, which regretfully ring with the clear tone of authenticity. Still, King Casmir perhaps can refute these charges. What, then, do you say, Casmir of Lyonesse?"

"I say that this sly little whelp lies from her teeth, inward and outward, in all directions, with a vile contempt for truth, and an even viler relish for the taste of pure turpitude! Upon our return to Lyonesse Town, she will be instructed at length in the virtues of veracity."

Madouc gave a jeering laugh. "Do you think me insane? I am not returning to Lyonesse Town!"

"I think you insane indeed," said Casmir carefully. "Your tales are the ravings of lunacy! I know nothing of Persilian the Magic Mirror, nor yet his prophecy!"

A new voice spoke. "Casmir, you lie, and you are the liar!" King Aillas came slowly into the Hall of Heroes. "I myself, with my own hands, took Persilian the Magic Mirror from your secret place and buried it under the lime tree in Suldrun's garden. My only new knowledge is that concerning the priest Umphred, who had already caused Suldrun untold woe. Someday there shall be an accounting with Umphred the priest."

King Casmir sat in silence, face flushed. King Audry said: "I had hoped that this colloquy would induce a new sense of fellowship among the kings of the Elder Isles, and perhaps a reconciliation of all our old grievances, so that we could reduce our armies and abandon our forts and send our yeomen home, to till the soil for the greater prosperity of all. Perhaps I am idealistic in this hope."

"Not altogether," said Aillas. "I will frankly admit that I despise Casmir the man. I can never forget nor forgive his acts of cruelty. Still, I must deal with King Casmir of Lyonesse, and I will do so politely if it will further my policy. I will reiterate it here and now, since it is simple and all should understand it. We will not allow a strong aggressive country to attack a passive peaceful country. Explicitly, should Dahaut marshal a great force and attack Lyonesse, we would fight instantly on the side of Lyonesse. If Lyonesse foolishly chose to invade Dahaut, our forces would instantly march against Lyonesse. So long as peace reigns, we will uphold the peace. That is our national policy."

King Kestrel of Pomperol said skeptically: "All very well! Still, you took South Ulfiand and then North Ulfiand by conquest!"

"Not so! I am rightful King of South Ulfiand through the laws of descent. The kingship of North Ulfland was fixed upon me by King Gax, as he lay dying, that I might repel the Ska. This I did, and the Ulflands are now free of their ancient fears!"

King Audry said dubiously: "You hold lands in my western marches, and refuse to render them to me!"

"I conquered the fortress Poëlitetz from the Ska, which you could not do, and I hold it now because it forms the natural boundary between our countries. Poëlitetz indirectly serves to guard Dahaut itself."

"Hmf," said King Audry. "I will not argue the point here; it is more or less a trivial concern. Let us work around the table, taking the opinions of each participant in turn."

Each notable at the table had his say, for the most part pronouncing cautious amicability. At last it came to the place of Dhrun. Madouc cried out: "Since I sit as proxy of Prince Dhrun, I will in his name endorse the policies of King Aillas. Speaking for myself, Princess Madouc of Lyonesse, I decry the-"

King Casmir roared in sudden fury: "Madouc, be silent! From this moment henceforth you are no longer princess at Haidion, or anywhere else! You are the nameless whelp of some prurient halfling and a hedgerow vagabond, without pedigree or known parentage! As such, you have no personal voice at this table of notables; be silent!"

King Audry cleared his throat. "The point raised by King Casmir is well taken, even though his terms were immoderate. I rule that the maiden Madouc may no longer speak in her own voice at this colloquy, no matter how entertaining her observations."

"Very well, Your Highness!" said Madouc. "I will say no more."

King Casmir spoke in a heavy voice: "I see no point in pro longing this discussion, certainly not under conditions as they now exist."

King Audry said unhappily: "Today we have heard some divergent points of view, and indeed not a few sparks of contention! But perhaps these sores can be soothed and our differences reconciled at a later session-perhaps at the end of the after noon, or even tomorrow. At this time, we shall have ordered our dispositions and resolved on the concessions which we all will choose to make, for the general weal."

'Concessions'?" demanded burly King Dartweg of Godelia. "I have no concessions to make. To the contrary! I want Audry to chastise his Wardens of the March! We have no goodly forests in Godelia, and when our huntsmen venture into Dahaut to track down a fine stag, they are set upon by the damnable Daut patrols! There must be a cessation to this boorish practice!"

"That is quite unreasonable," said King Audry coldly. "I make a far more urgent complaint against you: to wit, your support of the Wysrod rebels, who give us no surcease!"

"They are good Celts," declared King Dartweg. "They are deserving of land, and Wysrod is their choice. Every honest man should lend his hand to help them. It is shameful that you, King Audry, bring this case out into the open!"

King Audry spoke angrily: "My attempt to bring wise men together for a feast of logic and a banquet of reason has lured a number of lackwits and mooncalfs into our august presence, though protocol forbids me the naming of names! I have lost hope, faith and patience and I hereby declare the colloquy terminated."

The dignitaries and their ladies who had assembled in the Hall of Heroes filed slowly out: through the Court of Dead Gods, into the reception hall, where, with many a glance to right and left, they gathered in uncertain groups to discuss the morning's events in guarded voices. When the ladies spoke, they tended to focus their attention upon Madouc. Her behavior was analyzed from a dozen directions; terms such as 'brave', 'stubborn', 'theatrical', 'vain', 'madcap', 'intractable' were all used, as well as the word 'precocious'. While no one could exactly define the manner in which the word applied, all were in tacit accord that the word was appropriate.

As for Madouc herself, she went to sit unobtrusively to the side of the reception hall, in the company of Prince Jaswyn. For a time the two sat in silence, with Madouc gloomily wondering what to do with herself next.

Prince Jaswyn presently found his voice and put a tentative question, in regard to the mystery surrounding her birth. "Your mother is truly a fairy?"

"Yes. She is Twisk of the Blue Hair."

"Do you love her, and does she love you?"

Madouc shrugged. "The word means something different to a fairy than it does to you - or to me."

"I never noticed before, or thought to wonder, but now, when I look at you, the fairy phase is plain to see, as well as a certain jaunty carelessness which could only come from Faerie."

Madouc smiled a wan smile, and looked off across the room to where Casmir stood talking with King Dartweg of Godelia. "At the moment I feel anything but careless, and far from jaunty. My fairy blood runs thin; I have lived too long away from the shee, among human men and women."