Arthur, King. William Speir

reached for his standard and lifted it out of the holder. “The red dragon will never bow to the gold dragon, Lord Ambrosius. Not while there’s a breath left in me.”

      He left the great hall, followed by his four supporters.

      When only the kings who supported Ambrosius remained, Uther said, “Hail, Ambrosius, High King of Britain!”

      That night, Uther, Mor, and Nudd-Lludd spoke privately with Ambrosius.

      “We need to return to our kingdoms and prepare for any actions against us at the hands of our enemies or of Vortigern’s supporters,” Uther said. “But it’s not safe for us to cross Rheged any longer, and to go around would put us close to the lands held by the Saxons and the Anglians.”

      “I’ll send three companies of cavalry to accompany you back to your kingdoms,” Ambrosius promised.

      “Thank you, King Ambrosius,” Nudd-Lludd said.

      Ambrosius nodded. “You three are my only support in the north. I can’t risk anything happening to you.”

      “We’ll be ready when you need us,” Uther assured him. “At some point you’re going to have to do battle with Vortigern. The sooner you get that over with, the sooner we can turn our eyes back to our enemies.”

      “I agree,” Ambrosius said. “I’ll keep you informed about what happens with him and his allies. If the Saxons or Anglians make any attempt to send men to support Vortigern’s forces, I’ll need your armies to help drive them back.”

      “We’ll be there,” Mor stated.

      The next morning, Uther, Mor, and Nudd-Lludd set out from Ergyng with ninety soldiers from Ambrosius’ cavalry. They rode east around the southern border of Rheged before turning north along one of the Roman roads that led from Londinium to York.

      On their third day north, Uther noticed Rheged soldiers positioned where the main roads crossed King Gwrast’s borders. He pointed it out to his two companions.

      “That didn’t take long.”

      “I guess Gwrast decided to close his borders,” Mor said sadly.

      “At least his soldiers aren’t coming after us,” Nudd-Lludd added.

      “They’re no match for Ambrosius’ cavalry,” Uther said.

      As they reached the southern borders of Ebrauc, Mor and one company of cavalry left them to ride toward Mor’s temporary capital. Uther and Nudd-Lludd rode on with their escorts and reached Pons Aelius, the capital of Bryneich, several days later. Uther and the company of cavalry that accompanied him spent one night there to rest their horses, and they set out for Gododdin at first light. Five days later, they reached Din Eidyn. Uther offered the hospitality of his hillfort to the cavalry company, but the cavalry commander politely declined. Uther rode up the causeway to the hillfort as the cavalry company turned south to return to Ambrosius.

      Merlin was waiting for Uther when he reached the great house. “How did it go at the Council meeting?” he asked.

      “Ambrosius is now High King,” Uther replied.

      “How did Vortigern take the news?”

      Uther shook his head. “He refused to recognize the Council’s decision. He says he’s going to fight to remain High King, and he threatened to unleash the Saxons on us if we oppose him.”

      Merlin looked shocked. “Surely not!”

      Uther nodded.

      “Who is with him?” Merlin asked.

      “Strathclyde, Rheged, Brycheiniog, and Powys.”

      “No surprises there,” Merlin commented.

      Uther climbed the steps to the great house. “I want to review our defenses after I’ve seen Ygerna and Arthur. We need to consider Strathclyde as a potential enemy.”

      “Lady Ygerna asked me to begin making preparations in case things went this way,” Merlin said. “I took the liberty of moving scouts along our western border, but there’s more to be done that I want to discuss with you.”

      Uther nodded and entered the great house. Merlin followed him, but he didn’t enter the great hall with Uther. He turned down the corridor that led to the chamber he used when he stayed at the hillfort.

      Ygerna sat near the fire in the great hall when Uther walked in. Arthur was in her arms, awake and smiling. Uther crossed the hall quickly. She stood, and he kissed her and his son.

      “I understand that you told Merlin to start preparing our defenses,” he whispered in her ear as he nuzzled her neck.

      “It seemed prudent once we received your letters about the Council of Kings. Did the meetings go well?”

      Uther told her what happened at Ergyng.

      “You supported Ambrosius?” Ygerna asked. “I thought that you wanted to avoid war with your neighbors.”

      “I did, but once Vortigern threatened to use Saxons against us, I couldn’t support him any longer. I’d rather fight Ceretic to the death than have a High King who’d ally with our enemies to help him stay in power.”

      Ygerna nodded. “Well, you’re home, and for now, your kingdom is at peace.” She led him to their private apartments.

      “I need to talk to Merlin about the defenses,” Uther said when they reached the nursery.

      Ygerna put Arthur in his crib and led Uther to their chamber. “That can wait, my Lord.”

      Uther knew better than to argue.

      Weeks passed, and summer arrived with no word about Vortigern or his allies. Uther instructed Merlin to make sure that roads were clear between Din Eidyn and the border with Strathclyde.

      “I want the scouts to have a clear path to get here in case Ceretic decides to move against us,” Uther told him. “Speed is our best defense against attack.”

      On a beautiful morning in early July, guards above the main gates of the hillfort saw a rider galloping up the causeway. The rider passed through the gates and rode for the great house. Uther, who had been alerted about the rider, waited at the bottom of the stairs.

      The rider dismounted and bowed to Uther. “Lord Uther, Soldiers from Strathclyde have crossed our border!”

      “Is it a raiding party, or is it an invasion force?” Uther demanded.

      “It’s too large for a raiding party, my Lord. And King Ceretic is with them.”

      Damn! Why can’t he see that supporting Vortigern is suicide?

      After the messenger provided details about the place where the Strathclyde soldiers crossed the border, Uther called for the captain of his guards. “Send riders to the villages and order their soldiers to head for our western border. The cavalry will leave here in one hour. See to it that they’re ready!”

      “Yes, my Lord!” The captain raced off to carry out his orders.

      Turning back to the messenger, Uther said, “You’ll accompany the cavalry and lead me to King Ceretic.”

      “Yes, my Lord.”

      Uther ran back to the great house to get his armor and his sword, and to tell Ygerna what was happening. Damn! A war between the kingdoms of Britain is not what we need right now!

      Chapter 4

      Uther was concerned as he rode at the head of the column of cavalry on the morning after they had left Din Eidyn. The messenger rode next to him as a guide. Wisps of fog swirled around the ground, and the rays of the early-morning sun created shadows all around, making Uther even more apprehensive.

      As they approached