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She told him of Igraine's death and that she lay buried in Tintagel, and that Igraine's last act had been to tell her of her child. Of the Sight she said little, but she did ask, looking at the old man with troubled eyes, "Sir, do you know where dwells Morgaine, that she did not come even to her mother's deathbed?"
He shook his head slowly. "I am sorry, I know not."
"But this is scandalous, that Morgaine should not let her kin know whither she has gone!"
"It may be that-as some of the priestesses of Avalon do-she has gone on some magical quest, or secluded herself to seek vision," Taliesin ventured, and he too looked troubled. "In that case I would not have been told, but I think, if she were in Avalon, where my own daughter dwells with the priestesses, I would have known. I know not." He sighed. "Morgaine is a woman grown, and she need not seek leave of any man to come and go."
It would serve Morgaine right, thought Gwenhwyfar, if she came to grief for her own stubbor
"See, this is how we spend our prisoned days, good father."
"It grows swiftly," said the Merlin, smiling. "I see well that there is no time-what is it your priests say, the Devil finds work for the idle- you have left no place for the Devil to do his work here, you are as busy as a hive of bees, you two. Already I can see the beautiful design."
"And as I wove it, I prayed," said Gwenhwyfar defiantly. "With every stitch I wove a prayer that Arthur and the cross of Christ may triumph over the Saxons and their pagan Gods! Will you not rebuke me then, Lord Merlin, that I do this when you bid Arthur fight under their pagan ba
The Merlin said mildly, "Prayer is never wasted, Gwenhwyfar. Do you think we know nothing of prayer? When Arthur was given his great sword Excalibur, it was sheathed in a scabbard into which a priestess worked prayers and spells for safety and protection, and she fasted and prayed for five days all the time she worked upon it. And no doubt you have taken note that even though he is wounded, he sheds but little blood."
"I would have him protected with Christ, not sorcery," said Gwenhwyfar hotly, and the old man smiled and said, "God is one and there is but one God-all else is but the way the ignorant seek to put Gods into a form they can understand, like the image of your Virgin there, lady. Nothing befalls on this world without the blessing of the One, who will give us victory or defeat as God shall ordain. Dragon and Virgin alike are the signs of man's appeal to what is higher than we."
"But would you not be angry if the Pendragon ba
He stood close to her, reaching out a wrinkled hand to caress the brilliant silks. "Such a thing of beauty as this is," he said gently, "and made with such love, how could I possibly condemn it? But there are those who love their Pendragon standard as you love the cross of Christ-would you deny them their holy things, madam? Those of Avalon-Druid, priest and priestess-would know that the ba
Gwenhwyfar thought of the little people of Avalon and the far hills of Wales who had come bearing bronze axes and even little arrows of flint, their bodies smeared crudely with paint. She shuddered in horror that a folk so wild and savage should fight at the side of a Christian king.
The Merlin saw her shivering and mistook its cause. "It is dank and chill here," he said. "You must go out more into the sunlight." But then understanding touched him and he put his arm around the woman at his side and said gently, "Dear child, you must remember-this country is for all men, whatever their Gods, and we fight against the Saxons not because they will not worship our Gods but because they wish to burn and ravage our lands and take all that we have for themselves. We fight to defend the peace of these lands, lady, Christian and pagan alike, and that is why so many have flocked to Arthur's side. Would you have him a tyrant who put the souls of men in slavery to his own God, as not even the Caesars dared to do?"
But she only shivered, and Taliesin said he must go, but that she should send him word if she had need of anything.
Elaine asked, "Is Kevin the Bard in the castle, Lord Merlin?"
"Yes, I think so-I should have thought of that. I shall send him to come and play his harp for you ladies while you are cloistered here."
"We would willingly have him," said Elaine, "but what I was asking is, might we borrow his harp ... or yours, Lord Druid?"
He hesitated, and said, "Kevin would not lend his harp-My lady is a jealous mistress." He smiled. "And as for mine, it is consecrated to the Gods and I may let no other touch it. But the lady Morgaine did not take her harp with her when she went away; it is in her rooms. Shall I have it sent here, lady Elaine? Can you play it?"
"Not well," said Elaine, "but I know enough of harp music to do it no harm, and it would give our hands something to do when we are weary of stitching."
"Yours," said Gwenhwyfar. "I have always thought it unseemly for a woman to play on the harp."
"So be it, unseemly then," said Elaine, "but I think I shall go mad shut away here if I have nothing to do, and there is none to see me, even if I dance naked like Salome before Herod!"
Gwenhwyfar giggled, then looked scandalized-what would the Merlin think? But the old man laughed heartily. "I will send you Morgaine's harp, lady, and you may indulge in your unseemly pastime-though indeed I see nothing unseemly in the making of music!"
That night Gwenhwyfar dreamed that Arthur stood beside her, but that the serpents on his wrists came alive and crawled to her ba
"I ca
"What is it, Gwen?" he whispered, drawing her into his arms. "My poor girl, being shut up here has made you ill ... I was afraid of this!"
She fought to control her tears. "I dreamed-I dreamed-oh, Arthur," she begged, sitting bolt upright in bed and throwing back the covers, "I ca
He put his arm round her and held her close. "I wish it did not mean so much to you, Gwenhwyfar. I am sorry. I will carry it to battle beside the Pendragon ba
"God will punish you if you keep a vow you have made to pagan folk and not to him," she cried. "He will punish us both-"
He put away her clinging hands. "My poor girl, you are sick and wretched, and no wonder, in this place. And now, alas, it is too late to send you away even if you would go, there may be Saxon bands between here and Camelot. Try to be calm, my love," he said, and went toward the door. She ran after him, holding to his arm.