Arthur, King. William Speir

      Chapter 12

      The messenger from Gododdin arrived at Ambrosius’ fortress of Venta Belgarum on Britain’s southern coast two weeks later. Even though the great walled city was no longer the busy economic center that it had been under Roman rule, its location at the center of Britain’s southern coast and as the westernmost fortress guarding the Saxon frontier was strategic to Ambrosius. It also functioned as one of Ambrosius’ capitals, along with Londinium and Caerleon. Ambrosius housed one of his three armies inside its walls, and it served as his primary military headquarters.

      A servant escorted the messenger to Ambrosius’ war council chamber, a large room with a great wooden table in the center, covered in maps. Ambrosius and three of his generals – Gaius, Marcus, and Lucius – stood at the far end of the table, staring at one of the maps. Ambrosius’ standard – the gold dragon on a field of red – hung on the far wall.

      “The messenger from Gododdin, my King,” the servant announced.

      Ambrosius looked up and smiled. “What news from my friends in the north?”

      “I have urgent dispatches from Lord Merlin and General Galerius, Great King,” the messenger said.

      Ambrosius’ expression turned serious. The messenger stepped forward and removed the dispatches from his pouch. Ambrosius took them with a nod.

      Ambrosius gestured to the servant. “See to it that this messenger is given lodgings and food. I want him to stay for a day or two in case I have messages to send back with him.”

      “Yes, my King.”

      The messenger bowed and followed the servant out of the chamber.

      Ambrosius broke the seal on Merlin’s dispatch first. “What could Merlin have to say that’s so urgent…?”

      He read Merlin’s account of the Anglian spies. When he was finished, he handed Merlin’s dispatch to Lucius and read Galerius’ dispatch. Galerius gave an account of the incident involving the Irish settlers slaughtering the Pict army that invaded Strathclyde. He also gave an update on his efforts to train Gododdin’s army to fight like Ambrosius’ southern armies.

      “We knew about the Irish settlement from Lord Ceretic,” Gaius commented when the generals had finished reading the two dispatches.

      “I know,” Ambrosius agreed. “But we don’t know what they’re planning or why they’ve settled near Strathclyde’s northern border. We should send an emissary to this Dal Raita to see what their intentions are. I don’t like the idea of Irish colonies springing up all along our western shores.”

      “Why is Colgrin sending raiding parties to Gododdin?” Marcus asked. “As far as we know, he hasn’t sent raiding parties to Rheged or Bryneich. What’s strategic about Din Eidyn to him?”

      “I don’t know,” Lucius replied. “But trouble in the north is the last thing we need. Hengist and Horsa have invited more of their kinsmen to sail for Britain. There are too many people living in the Saxon territory as it is. They’re practically starving, and yet more Saxons are coming. They’ll have no choice but to try expanding their territory soon. If Colgrin moves against the north, we’ll be fighting two wars at the same time.”

      “We need to send scouts to keep an eye on Colgrin,” Marcus suggested.

      “I agree,” Gaius said. “We must know what’s going on up there.”

      Ambrosius looked at his generals, thinking about what they said. “It doesn’t make any sense,” he muttered.

      “What doesn’t make sense, my King?” Lucius asked.

      “Colgrin sending men against Din Eidyn,” Ambrosius replied. “It doesn’t make any sense. If he knew that Gododdin’s army was away fighting the Picts, attacking the hillfort wouldn’t hurt Gododdin’s army. If he didn’t know that the army was away, then why go after Gododdin’s capital and bypass Bryneich? His men had to go through Bryneich to get to Gododdin. Did he think that it was better to hit Gododdin first and then Bryneich? Wouldn’t it be easier to hit Bryneich first, invade and occupy Lord Nudd-Lludd’s kingdom, and then attack Gododdin? I don’t understand Colgrin’s objective.”

      “That’s why we need send men north to watch him,” Marcus said.

      “Unless that’s what Colgrin wants us to do,” Lucius said.

      “Explain,” Ambrosius demanded.

      “If we’re looking north, we might miss what’s happening in the south, right? Colgrin is Hengist’s ally. If Hengist is getting ready to move against us, which we know that he has to do at some point, what better time to do it than when our attention is focused on Colgrin in the north? It’s possible that the attack on Gododdin was just a way to distract us from what’s happening down here in the south.”

      “So the attack on Din Eidyn was supposed to fail?” Gaius asked.

      Lucius shook his head. “Not necessarily. If the attack had succeeded, killing Lord Merlin, General Galerius, Prince Arthur, and the soldiers would have been a blow to our northern defenses. I’m merely suggesting that the attack on Din Eidyn was supposed to be a diversion to force us to direct our attention onto Colgrin and off of Hengist and Horsa.”

      “So you don’t think Colgrin is preparing to do anything?” Ambrosius asked.

      Lucius shrugged. “If he is, then the northern kingdoms can watch him and stop him. But if I’m right, then we should be strengthening our defenses along the Saxon frontier to prevent Hengist and Horsa from moving forward with whatever it is that they have planned.”

      Ambrosius walked over to one of the maps near the center of the table. “Rheged, Bryneich, and Ebrauc have Colgrin penned in to the west and the north, and our forces control the lands south of him to keep him from joining his territory with the Saxon territory. If I have Lords Mor of Ebrauc, Nudd-Lludd of Bryneich, and Gwrast of Rheged deploy men to surround the Anglian territory, then that frees us up to block Hengist and Horsa from any attempts to cross their frontier into our lands.”

      “I think that’s the best strategy, my King,” Lucius said.

      “What if you’re wrong and Colgrin is planning to invade the north?” Gaius asked.

      “Then we’ll have fallen into Hengist’s trap,” Ambrosius replied.

      Four and a half weeks after leaving Din Eidyn for Venta Belgarum, the messenger reached the causeway at the base of the Gododdin hillfort, carrying messages for Merlin and Galerius.

      Galerius met the messenger just inside the gates. Merlin was in the great house, teaching the young princes to read and write.

      “How was your journey?” Galerius asked.

      “Tiring, but uneventful, General. King Ambrosius kept me in Venta Belgarum for two days while he prepared dispatches for all of the northern kingdoms. I had company on the way back all the way to Bryneich.”

      The messenger dismounted before reaching into his pouch and removing the dispatches. He handed them to Galerius and then took his horse to the stables.

      Galerius read the dispatches as he strode to the great house to share them with Merlin.

      When he reached the great hall, Merlin was regaling the boys with the story of Queen Boudica, the Celtic leader who had almost succeeded in driving the Romans out of Britain four hundred years earlier.

      “I thought that you were teaching the princes to read and write today,” Galerius said as he approached Merlin.

      “I was,” Merlin replied. “But I’m also teaching them the history of our island.”

      Galerius held up the dispatches. “Replies from Ambrosius.”

      Merlin took the dispatches and read them. “He thinks the Anglian attack was a diversion to mask what Hengist and Horsa are doing?”