Arthur, King. William Speir

first one, he said, “Ride for Brycheiniog and tell Lord Brychan that we’ll be forced to attack Ambrosius’ forces before we reach Dinas Emrys. Tell him to hurry with his soldiers.”

      To the second one, he said, “Ride to Powys and tell Lord Cadell the same thing.

      “Yes, my King!” the riders responded.

      Both riders left immediately and rode south.

      Vortigern turned to his captains. “Prepare for battle!”

      The messenger riding for Dinas Emrys made his way south as fast as his horse could carry him.

      When he left the forests and rode into the plains north of Dinas Emrys, he saw mounted soldiers to the southeast. He turned his horse to the west, hoping that the soldiers hadn’t seen him and praying that they wouldn’t want to waste their time on a single rider.

      The commander of Galerius’ cavalry saw a lone rider in the distance. The rider was well-west of the cavalry’s position, riding south.

      He turned to one of his squad leaders. “Intercept that rider and bring him here,” he ordered.

      “Yes, sir!”

      The squad took off to intercept the rider.

      The cavalry commander watched the rider change direction to avoid the squad, but the squad soon had the rider surrounded. The squad returned, bringing the rider with them.

      The cavalry commander addressed the captive. “Where are you bound for?”

      “”I don’t answer to Ambrosius’ men on King Vortigern’s lands,” spat the messenger bound for Dinas Emrys.

      The cavalry commander smiled. “That tells me everything that I need to know.”

      Looking at the squad leader, he said, “Good work! We’ll keep this man as a prisoner. Bind him and put him under guard.”

      “Yes, sir!” the squad leader responded.

      Vortigern knows we’re here, or this rider wouldn’t have been so far off the Roman road. He must have been calling for help from his soldiers at Dinas Emrys.

      “Prepare to deploy the men,” he ordered his squad leaders.

      Vortigern’s forces marched out of the forests of northern Gwynedd into the open plains. Galerius’ cavalry waited for them. Vortigern had almost twice the men that the cavalry did, but he had few mounted soldiers with him.

      Is this all that he sends against me? Where are the rest of Ambrosius’ forces? Does he already have Dinas Emrys surrounded? Was he waiting there for my soldiers to arrive?

      Vortigern shrugged, confused and troubled by Ambrosius’ strategy. “Captains, deploy your men!”

      As Vortigern led his men toward Galerius’ cavalry, one of his captains pointed south. “King Vortigern, look!”

      Vortigern looked where the captain pointed. In the distance, he saw a large force of men approaching from the rear of Galerius’ cavalry. “Can you see whose army that is?”

      The captain peered intently for a moment. “It’s from Powys, my King!” he said excitedly.

      “Are you sure?” Vortigern demanded.

      “Yes, my King. I recognize Lord Cadell’s banner. There’s another banner next to it, but I can’t tell whose it is.”

      “It’s Lord Brychan of Brycheiniog,” Vortigern stated confidently. “His men are with Cadell’s men.”

      Now we outnumber Ambrosius’ cavalry by more than twenty-to-one. They won’t be able to stop us from reaching Dinas Emrys.

      Galerius’ cavalry commander was well-aware of the armies from Brycheiniog and Powys approaching his position from the south. His scouts had been watching them for the last hour. He ordered his men to ignore Brychan and Cadell’s armies and concentrate of Vortigern and his men to the north.

      Let them think that we’re all alone here. Their overconfidence will blind them to what they’re really facing.

      Galerius, Uther, Nudd-Lludd, and Arthwys sat on their horses just inside the forest to the east of where the cavalry was deployed. Their combined armies were behind them, waiting for the forces of Vortigern and his allies to move closer.

      “Brychan and Cadell aren’t even bringing their archers forward,” Nudd-Lludd said, sounding surprised.

      “Why should they?” Galerius asked. “They have the superior numbers. They know that my cavalry can’t fight them, so they won’t waste arrows on a foe who they believe is already defeated.”

      “When do we attack?” Arthwys asked anxiously.

      “As soon as my cavalry rides off to the west,” Galerius replied. “They’ll ride around and attack Vortigern from the north while we hit Brychan and Cadell’s armies from the east. With luck, Ambrosius will be here within the hour, and we’ll crush Vortigern and his allies right here.”

      “Does anyone know where Rheged’s soldiers are?” Uther asked.

      Galerius shook his head. “No one has seen them.”

      “Maybe Gwrast wants to wait and see what happens before arriving at the last minute and throwing his support behind whoever is winning,” Nudd-Lludd suggested.

      “It wouldn’t be the first time that he’s done that,” Uther commented wryly.

      “Are you serious?” Arthwys asked.

      Uther nodded. “He pulled that tactic when we fought the Irish a few years back. Oh, he had a perfectly reasonable excuse for why he arrived so late. I might have believed it, except that one of my scouts saw his men hiding just inside a nearby forest for half of the day. I never called him out for it, though. He’s an ally, and we won the day. But if the Irish had won, I would have killed Gwrast with my own hands as soon as I caught up to him.”

      “I hear he openly trades with the Irish,” Nudd-Lludd said.

      “He does,” Uther confirmed. “Ever since one of his sons sailed to Ireland and stole a flock of Bishop Patrick’s sheep in retaliation for an Irish raid a month earlier. The lad didn’t know whose sheep he stole, and the penance was steep. Gwrast has been trading with the Christian Irish ever since. Bishop Patrick will only let him fight the pagan Irish raiders, so all Irish raiders claim to be Christian when they invade. Just another reason why the church should stay out of politics.”

      “Don’t let Bishop Germanus hear you say that!” Galerius said.

      Uther smiled. “I’m a Christian, too, General. But Germanus, like Patrick, represents the church of the Roman Empire, and I don’t answer to Rome. When it comes to the safety of Britain, I answer to the people of Gododdin, the Council of Kings, and God almighty.

      Galerius was about to say something when he saw his cavalry start riding west. “That’s the signal, my Lords.”

      Uther raised his spear. “For Britain and High King Ambrosius!” he shouted.

      The northern armies moved forward to attack.

      Vortigern watched the cavalry ride off to the west.

      I guess they realized that opposing us is futile.

      The armies from Powys and Brycheiniog were a mile ahead of him.

      My allies will escort us to Dinas Emrys. Then let Ambrosius come and try to dislodge me!

      Vortigern was deep in thought when he finally realized that his captains were shouting.

      He glanced around and saw them pointing. He looked to the east. Where a moment earlier there had just been a forest, now there was a massive army marching toward him.

      Ambrosius’ northern armies! I recognize Uther’s and Nudd-Lludd’s banners