Mac Tire � Son of the EarthPart 14 - The King's DilemmaLij woke after three hours sleep. He listened carefully for any sound coming from the next room. There was none. The music had gone. The music has gone...out of my heart, out of my life. Dom! I was too hasty. Oh, Isis - I have been a fool! Lij turned in his bed and saw Pen-Nekeb curled up in a ball on the very edge of the bed. Despite his inner anguish he smiled to himself. Faithful friend! He fears to disturb my sleep, so he hugs the very edge of the bed rather than touch and wake me. Lij rose and shrugging on a red woollen robe, went to the window, and opening the shutters, looked out upon Tara. It was raining again - did it never stop? - and the cold breeze made him shiver. He felt his arm, it was not paining him, now, and feeling grateful to Ede for discovering the cause and treating it, he got back into bed, chilled. The door to the corridor opened stealthily, and Lij sat up. Into the room came a young girl of about ten years of age, carrying a bundle of wood and a basket of peat bricks. She hesitated when she saw Lij was awake, and looked afraid. "It is well, my dear. You did not wake me. Go on about your task," Lij smiled at her. She smiled tremulously back at him, and went to the hearth to tend the fire. It was still burning but very low. Skillfully she raked the ashes out and rebuilt the fire. Soon it was burning brightly. She turned to leave. "You will not tell the Lady Ede that I woke you, my Lord?" She looked anxious again. Lij winked at her. "You did not wake me, so I need tell no-one. What is your name?" "Orla," she murmured as she slipped quietly out of the door . Nekeb got out of bed. "I could not rise, Lord, with the girl present. It would not be decent. I would frighten her, I think. Do you wish for food?" Lij shook his head. "Thank you, no, Nekeb. I will bathe after Ede has seen to my arm, though." Nekeb dressed swiftly, and combed his hair through, braiding it quickly up and tying it with a leather band. "If you will excuse me, Lij, I will go to find some food. I must admit to being hungry." Before he could reach the door it opened and Ede appeared with a large tray. Behind her were two men with pails of hot water. She put the tray on the table, with a smile. "I anticipated your needs, so I did." On it was bread, cheese and meats. A jug of warm mead tempted Lij, and he asked Nekeb for a cup, and drank it slowly whilst Ede tended to his arm. "There seems to be no problem with it, Lij," remarked Ede, satisfied. She stood up. "Lij, I must ask you to preserve a united front with Dom this morning when you meet Connor - and, indeed at all times in his presence and in the presence of others you may meet. He has seen you as a couple. It would not do to have him ponder why you have fallen out so soon after reaching Tara. He is better ignorant." Lij put down the cup. "I will leave you to your bath." She crossed to the adjoining door and unbolted it. "I shall return soon. I must speak with Dom, too, about this." Dom was alone and lying on the bed, his eyes open. He sat up quickly when the door opened, but fell back when he saw who it was. "Oh, it is you," he said, dully. "What do you want?" She shut the door behind her and came and sat on the edge of the bed. "Seaneen. It will be better for all concerned if you seem to like me - at least in public." She then repeated what she had said to Lij. Dom nodded. "Yes, I see the sense of it. And what does he say to this?" Ede smiled. She knew there was only one he on Dom's mind at the moment. "He knows it is necessary. He is bathing now. He is a man for the water, is he not?" She shifted her dress on her knee, pleating the material, not looking at him. "He is very lovely, Seaneen, I can see why you fell for him. You have been together long?" She raised her eyes to his, sending a searching glance at him. He refused to meet her gaze. "I saw him, and it was over for me. I have never loved another....neither before nor since, Ede. You must know the truth of it." Ede stood, smoothing down her gown. "I know you never loved me, Sean -Adomnan, but that did not stop you wanting me, or marrying me, or making love to me every night in our bed...this bed." She patted the blanket. "You had quite an appetite for love, then. Has it fallen away?" She glanced at his groin, then looked up and grinned. "I see it hasn't. I shall leave you to your own...ministrations. Or shall I send you a boy...or a girl. Or both?" "Get out, witch. I want nothing of your providing. If I cannot have Lij I will have no one. Leave me, now. I shall see you soon enough in the Great Hall, and that will be too soon for me. Go!" he said quietly, but none the less his words held heat. Ede moved to the door back to Lij's room. "We shall see, Seaneen. Troubles make for strange bedfellows." She said, enigmatically as she left, and Dom heard the bolt slide home, behind her. He went over to it and pushed the bolt to on his side also. What he needed to do did not need an audience. "Oh, Lij!" he thought as he touched himself, hard and needy under his robe. * The Great Hall had not changed much in the years he had been absent, Dom noticed - except for one thing. Instead of one throne and a smaller chair beside it for the queen, there were now two thrones side by side. Two beautifully carved chairs with one smaller one by the side of it. The emblems of all the minor kings still lined the high stone walls, together with the flag of the new king hanging from the thick wooden rafters over the thrones. The walls contained the same huge shields, the same swords, the same spears. Dom felt a pang as he remembered clearly the day he first entered it as Ard-Ri - High King of all Erin. The sense of responsibility still hung heavy on him. It was not his fault he was snatched from his lands by slavers. It was not his fault that Colm had been voted in after him. It was not his fault that Colm and his wife and children got in the way of vaunting ambition and perished on the ramparts above him. It was not his fault that his wife, believing him dead, had married the young man who had brought her to be once again, Queen of Tara. She was older by far than Connor. She had been older by fifteen years than Dom when she had first seduced him in the orchard of her father's house by the Curragh of Kildare. He had been fourteen. Two years above the Age of Choice. She was still a beautiful woman, now. No sign of her age was upon her. Firm of body and breast, perfect for a young man ripe for teaching. As he had been. But what she had taught him in their bed he had never taken out of it. He blushed to remember it. He stood in the Hall waiting for the assembly. He was early, but he had had no desire to sit moping in his room, thinking sad thoughts, or like Pen-Nekeb and Cass to go exploring the castle. He knew every nook and cranny of the place. All its secrets. It had been his home for over twenty years. There was nothing it could teach him. Lij had not met him outside the door to accompany him here. At his hesitant tap, Nekeb came and said his lord would be slightly delayed and to please go on without him. Dom wanted to see Lij. Just to see him. To look into his eyes and see that he still loves me as I love him. Just that. The Hall was filling up. Twenty or so young men and women wandered in, glancing at Dom, but not approaching him. He heard the word "ollave" whispered in sniggering tones by one of the men, who seated himself in one of the chairs lining the walls. It was nearer the thrones than some of the others. He obviously thought he had some status here. Then Lij entered, followed by Nekeb. This morning he was dressed in a rich green robe, which served to emphasize the deep blue of his eyes and the creaminess of his skin. Dom, clad in the grey and black he had worn yesterday felt like a sparrow vying with a peacock. Several admiring glances were sent Lij's way, but he ignored them all. His eyes met Dom's. Dom was hard put to determine the expression in them. Something of sadness, and regret? Dom smiled at his love and was rewarded with a small smile in return. Lij came up to him and stood by his side. He stared at the bruise disfiguring Dom's face which overnight had turned to a deep purple and red. "I am sorry, Dom," he said in a low voice. Just then the big doors swung open and Ede and Connor appeared side by side, dressed in robes of red and gold. Cormac came in behind them. He wore a rich blue, which admirably complimented his fair looks. He was very unlike his mother, who was as dark as a raven's wing. All rose and bowed. All except Lij, who had bowed to no man, ever, except Dom. Dom nudged him, whispering "You are not at home, Lij. You forget yourself. You are not king here, I am, and even I bow before usurpers, when it is politic to do so!" Lij bowed, glancing across at Dom with respect in his eyes. Dom however, had not seen this look. His gaze was firmly set on the three seated upon the dais at the end of the room. Two servants came in, carrying Osian, and placed the large harp in the centre of the room. Connor indicated that Dom came forward. He stood at the foot of the dais looking up into the young fair face - and wondered that the mind behind such an innocent face had encompassed so much evil. "We would invite you to play for us, Prince of Galnach, that the court might hear and judge if you are worthy to grace our halls." Dom bowed low. "I am honoured to be judged by such a knowledgeable assembly." He privately thought that none of them could get a tune out of a flute, but kept his face neutral. A snigger came from a nearby seat. It was the same man. "Where, by Dhia, is Galnach?" he asked of his neighbour, a woman with a long nose in a face very reminiscent of a horse. "I believe it is a small island off the coast somewhere. Probably all the inhabitants are sheep," she sneered, glaring at Dom for some reason. The man put his hand up and whispered in her ear. She sniggered loudly. "I have no doubt of it," she smiled. Dom, meanwhile had gone to his harp, ignoring the banter coming from the side of the Hall. He sat and ran his hands over the strings. Lij had gone to sit on the very end of the row of seats where the detractors were sitting. It was the seat next to the thrones. The man cleared his throat pointedly at Lij. "Those two seats are reserved for princes, man. You may not sit there." Lij turned to the thrones to see that Ede and Connor were whispering together and had not heard any of the recent conversations. However, Cormac was glowering at the man. Lij had stood to move to another seat, when Cormac spoke. "Be seated again, Great King. There is no seat in the Hall more befitting of you, unless it be mine - which you may have with my good will - or Connor's there! Morne, you will keep a pleasant tongue in your head when you speak before such a puissant prince as is Egypt." Morne blushed to the roots of his hair and muttered at Lij something that might be construed as an apology. Lij sat down again and looked down his nose at the discomfited youth. Ede interrupted her conversation with Connor and looked amiably around at the sound of her son's voice. "That was well said, a stor - but the Lord of Galnach is waiting to begin. You hinder him. You may begin, my lord." Ede nodded at Dom, who bowed back and began to play. Morne continued to mutter under his breath to his companion, until the man sitting on the other side of the long nosed woman reached around her shoulders and punched Morne with a large fist. "Silence, oaf! There is a master playing here!� Dom, after finishing his first tune, was now playing one of his favourite love-songs, and Lij turned his glance to Dom just as he started to sing "Oh, could I but sing the beauty of thine eyes!" There were tears standing in Dom's eyes, but they did not fall. Lij struggled to keep his mouth from trembling. He was practised in the art of keeping a public face - but this was different. He had just repudiated his love - rejected him like a pair of worn sandals. Injured his beloved face. Hurt him beyond understanding. And I shall never love another as I love him. Never! I am a fool. He will tell me his heart...he will...he must. I cannot bear it if he does not. He dragged his eyes away from Dom, and fixed them upon the opposite wall. When he had commanded himself, he glanced around himself to find Cormac's eyes were glued upon him. He tried to smile at the youth, and failed. Lij could see that Ede and Connor were both listening with pleasure to Dom's song. When it finished, Ede interrupted the recital by clapping loudly. "Well done, my lord. That was most sweet. Another, if you please." Dom inclined his head, and sang again. Lij was in torment, and Dom could see this, so he sang of ships and sailors and billowing waves. Lij could see the people sitting against the opposite wall. People who had never even seen a large ship, sway back and forth in their seats as if they too, stood on the deck with the captain, as his ship went down. There was no sound in the vast room, but Dom's beautiful voice and his harp. Lij was so proud. Dom had taken on these people and he had conquered them. After an hour the end came. It was time to eat. Even Morne, although still scowling, applauded as loudly as everyone else. When the noise died down, and the people rushing to congratulate Dom had trickled away, Connor invited Dom and Lij to his table whilst Ede excused herself as she said she had business to see to. Lij felt slightly sick, but he knew this was due to his over-emotional state, and that he would feel better for a small helping of food. He told Nekeb to take his fill in the big dining hall, and joined Dom who was talking with Cormac in a doorway. As Lij came up to the pair, Dom said with real pleasure, "It is Cormac here who has kept the instruments in such good order, Lij. He, too, plays. We will hear him later." Dom went to take Lij's hand and was more than shocked when Lij gently removed it, a sad smile on his lips. "We keep the king...we keep Connor waiting, Dom. Boldness before princes is all very well, but bad manners are not acceptable, I am sure, at this court or any other. Come, my love." Lij and Dom moved into the small dining room side by side. They sat together. They smiled and talked together. They ate together. But they did not touch again. As they walked back to their apartments to change for a ride that Cormac and Connor had suggested they take in about an hour, Lij voiced a thought he had been keeping silent. "Cormac is not your son, Dom, is he? He is fair like you, and Ede is so dark. I..." Dom grabbed Lij's arm. "My son? Lij how can you think...?" He hesitated, releasing Lij from his grip. "I am sorry. I will try not to touch you again, as obviously it disgusts you. I will find Ede and get her to tell you herself that Cormac is not my son. If he is you shall know that, too. May I come to your room later...to talk?" Lij rubbed his arm. Dom had a fierce grip. "You may. Nekeb will be present, of course. I shall dismiss him if you really wish it." Dom bowed low and strode away. He found Ede in a small room off the solar, writing at a desk. She stopped when he entered, and pointed to a chair, raising an eyebrow at his expression. "Upset again, Seaneen? It is a week of dramas, is it not?" She folded the papers she had been writing and tied them with a leather thong. Dom put out his hand and pulled a blank page from the few remaining on the desk, and stuffed it in his pocket. "Lij is discomforted. I would relieve that pain for him, as I can do nothing about the other questions that he has. You will tell him that Cormac is not my son. He is not my son, is he, Ede?" Dom looked at her sharply as her laughter rang out in the tiny room. "Cormac, your son? No, Seaneen. I have borne no son of yours; no - no daughter either. I swear this upon my own life, which as you know, is very precious to me. If it will comfort dear Lij, of course I shall tell him so." "Will you swear it, again, properly, Ede?" She swore, binding herself by heavy oaths. "He is seventeen, Dom, nearly eighteen in fact. You were still in the schoolroom when he was born, and I had not yet met you. His father was a good, kind man, but he had a wife and child. I never told him he had a son. It is still a great sorrow to me that I did not. Lij...and you...may rest peacefully. Now, go, or Connor will be kept waiting, and, despite his amiable looks, he is not a patient man." Dom hurried back to his room and changed quickly. Cass came in just as he was finishing and helped him on with his boots. "I have been going about the castle asking some discreet questions, Dom, and..." Dom put his hand on his guard's shoulder. "When I return, we will talk, Cass. One should not keep kings waiting." He thrust the blank parchment into a chest and flew out of the door. * The horses were frisky, but all of the men were good horsemen. Connor and Cormac were already mounted, but Dom saw to his amusement that Morne was helping Lij up. Lij needed no help, but he accepted the assistance with a smile. Obviously Morne had been chastised for his rudeness, for he offered Dom a short greeting and a wintery smile. "She has sworn to me, Lij, that he is not mine. And I was foolish to even think so. The lad is years too old to be any getting of mine. I was still a child myself when he was born. She will tell you of it herself, later," Dom said in a low, hurried tone, as his horse sidled near to Lij's. Lij looked at Connor and smiled, but spoke quietly to Dom. "I am glad of it. It would only have been another thing to come between us. And that would be a pity...I like Cormac." Dom lowered his head, and urged his horse to Connor's side. Lij and Cormac riding behind them. The four men followed by four attendants rode down the hill and out of Tara. |