13: It Has Pockets

Chapter 13 of "A River Trembles", Book Two of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles

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The story began in A Grail for Eidothea. You really need to catch up to make sense of A River Trembles. Go on, save this post and go have a binge read. You deserve it.

The Esteemed ended the interview with a sudden loss of confidence and before Eidothea revealed all. Her family and Llyr’s gathered to plan how to launch the Chosen Court. Ondined joins the Chosen Court, the serpentine mark of Healer upon her brow.

I took Grandmother’s hint at keeping this conference focused and made my own suggestion. :If we could get a private audience with the Esteemed…: I had met with him once in private. A second time did not seem implausible.

:Ha!: Ceridwy scoffed. :A private audience won’t make an ounce of difference. It’ll only give him time to come back at you, at us. No, we must be very public, so there can be no denying the Chosen Court’s existence.:

:Will that not put us at odds with the royal family and the council?: I asked. :We need all the support we can get.: I decided not to ask her about the torcs she and her children wore, the ones connecting them to the royal family.

Ceridwy blinked. :The Council?:

:Will there need to be a Council with a Chosen Court?: Rhiannon’s songs had yet to mention interactions between them. :How many sit on the Council?:

Ceridwy’s gaze narrowed. :Eight. Five councillors, one ex-councillor for advice, two councillors in training. It keeps everything moving forward. There’s almost always been a Council. They support the Court and to give the common dreigiau môr a voice.: She sent a sharp look in Grandmother’s direction. :What have you been teaching her?:

:Eidothea only knew a handful of the old stories, most of them centred around the Greal and our interactions with humans. I will move politics to the top of her curriculum.: Grandmother bowed her head in acknowledgement, but not before giving me a sharp look.

:I have been learning about past monarchs and the stories told of the chosen Court. Llyr promised to share what he learned from Maeve, but he has not done so.: I wanted to make it clear they could not entirely blame my patchy education on my grandmother and Rhiannon.

Llyr scowled. :These bandages prevent me from gadding about.:

I may have made a rude noise. :You are here now.:

Grandmother pushed a small package toward him. :This will help. You cannot shirk in your duty as prophet to your monarch.:

His scowl deepened. :I have my reasons.: He ignored the package.

:I know,: Grandmother returned in a cool tone before I got a word out. :You needed time to recover from that personal blow but the longer you two remain separated, the harder it will be to cross the chasm between you.:

Llyr and I exchanged uneasy looks. In his gaze, I saw his hurt, gentle accusations. What he saw, what he felt from me, I had no idea, but he looked away first.:

:If we could get back to making announcements about the Chosen Court…: Ceridwy began.

:We may talk about it,: I interrupted, :but I need more time before we make any announcement. What if I say something to offend, like I did just now about the Council?:

Llyr’s eyes narrowed. :What happened to your need for haste? You have to accept you are the monarch…:

:Oh, I accept that, even though I do not fully know what that entails.: I could not resist that jab. :It’s…: I bit my lip. :It’s that the Chosen Court may already be broken.:

:What do you mean?: Ondine asked, eyes wide.

:Jasper,: Llyr said flatly, his arms folded tight across his chest. We sat a table width’s away but he seemed so much more distant.

:Jasper,: I agreed, :but not because he would be a traitor in our midst, but because he is dead.:

My grandmother patted my arm. :We don’t know if that is true.: She explained to the others. :Ladon thinks he is dead, Lady Tregallas flat out disowned him—:

:—Not that she claimed him in the first place,: I muttered, loud enough to hear.

:Cornelian regaled me with tales of what he does to those who betray him, and it is usually quite final, according to him,: Grandmother related, sipping from her glass. :Was he so with Jasper?: she mused. :Who knows.:

:Why would he tell you that?: Ondine asked, frowning, her fingers twisting a lock of her long dark hair.

:He wants us to publicly include them in the new search for the Greal. My guess is he wanted to prove his loyalty by showing what he’d do to those who betray the search.: Grandmother added, :I have by the way, sent out family members to search along with every other dreigiau môr family even though I know we have the Greal. I don’t understand why he has to be officially invited.:

:If Jasper is dead,: I said, bringing us back to the topic. :Should we even acknowledge a Chosen Court if it is doomed to fail?:

:We are doomed to fail if we never begin,: warned Llyr. :Chosen Courts have lost members before. Even Maeve—:

:No.: I cut him off. His cold glance reminded me of Maeve’s suggestion of murdering troubling members of the Chosen Court. I shuddered.

:I am not sure they were telling the truth. They like to hurt people.: Grandmother mused.

:Agreed,: chimed Ceridwy. :Besides, if he is deceased, perhaps another is meant to take his place, or his part in this Court is already complete. Could we get back to planning the announcement? I have laid some groundwork as has Elin. It is time to give shape to the rumours…:

The discussion went on for hours, with Elin and Ceridwy evaluating different strategies. I let their talk wash over me. I had my own plans.

After a time, Grandmother noticed my silence. :Eidothea, why don’t you and Llyr go to the atrium? Your lessons on the functioning of the Chosen Court are well overdue.:

Ondine stayed with her mother. I would have wished for some space between Llyr and I so it would not be so awkward, but I dared not ask for it.

I led him to the small atrium. My grandmother had installed lots of verdant plants in varying hues of green and the temperature dropped a few degrees. Llyr wandered about the space, examining each plant as if it was of great interest.

In no hurry to begin either, I watched from the centre of the atrium, and at last broke the silence. :I am sorry, Llyr. Hurting you was the last thing I wanted to do and holding back just made it worse.:

Llyr made a slow pivot to face me. :You have already apologised, but thank you for saying that. I wish I could have spared you the pain of a love betrayed.:

I winced. I had not spared him in the slightest, in the end.

:Yes, I am still tender also.: Llyr brushed a hand over his mouth. :I don’t know what to do with these feelings. I thought, when we bonded, you had finally fallen for me… but it turned out your heart had gone to another.:

I remembered experiencing his love as if it were my own, how beautiful it had been. :If I could change the past, I would.:

:Would you? You wouldn’t keep me at bay and fold Jasper into your arms?: Llyr observed me from across the room. I had no answer for that and turned away, hiding my shame. :Right now it doesn’t feel like it will get any better between us.:

:So let us not make it worse,: I murmured. I wanted to move toward him and comfort him but I knew he would spurn me, or worse, I would cause more hurt. I assumed a businesslike tone. I faced him. :Tell me about the birthmarks. What are the possibilities? How can we find everyone?:

Llyr canted his head, examining my features. :You’re not concerned with how we’ll be revealed as the Chosen Court?:

I lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. :It is being decided by those most familiar with we dreigiau môr.: I sighed. :I am not one to stay indoors, or idle, but it feels like the pieces are not all in place.:

Llyr murmured in agreement. :I feel that also, but I don’t know why. I’ve not had any new visions and I expected …: He sat on one of the stone couches in the space and returned to my question. :Maeve gave me a list of birthmark shapes and the roles they could represent…:

When he was done with that lesson, he started to tell me about the first prophet Llud and his queen, Seren. He did not get very far when Ondine arrived to bring us back to the meeting room. Our awkward hurts still hung between us, he still blocked me from feeling any of his emotions, but we had succeeded in setting all that aside. I resolved to ask Rhiannon to tell me the whole of the story of Llud and Seren.

Back in the meeting room, Ondine pushed Grandmother’s package at Llyr. :You haven’t opened this yet.:

Llyr sketched a short bow before sitting. :My pardon for that oversight.: He unwrapped the package. His eyes widened and Ondine cried out in delight.

He picked up the armband I’d commissioned for him from the armourer. Copper rings knitted and woven together tight enough that the band was opaque. The armourer had woven a thicker strand in even undulations along the strip’s centre.

:It is to cover your mark,: I told him. :Now you will be free to move—:

:And look like he is seeking favours from Tregallas?: snapped Ceridwy. :This is not wise.:

I saw only Llyr’s small smile of pleasure. Maybe we could be friends again. :Others are having them made,: I told her, while Grandmother bristled, :for we had to pay a premium to have ours finished first. Like them or not, the Tregallas have sparked a new fashion and it frees us from our bandages.:

:It shows alliance,: Ceridwy persisted.

:Is that not what the Esteemed wants?: I shot back.

:I can wear it under my robe,: Llyr offered. :To move about the caer freely once more. Even Cychwr has stopped wearing his sling.: His fingers curled around the armband and he tucked it into his sleeve.

I blinked. :Wait! Our robes have pockets?:

I dove my hands into the opposite sleeves and rummaged around for them. I withdrew my hands, disappointed.

Ondine patted my forearm, her lips twitching in amusement. :You should have them. Maybe it’s because you are a unique draig môr?:

Ceridwy rose and bowed. :Elin Grealseeker, I believe we are agreed. We shall take our leave.: She departed with her children.

:All decided without me?: I asked, blinking. While I had preferred that, it rankled that they had not explained it to me.

Elin chuckled. :You will be presented at the next Council session. The Esteemed will be there—and he cannot silence the Council.:

I nodded. :When will that be?:

:Fifteen nights, a pythefnos from now. It will be quiet and dignified. A gentle entrance for such a huge seachange to our world.:

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