Free The Dragon Prince by Mary Gillgannon Page A

should not argue with him and behave so disagreeably, but this
was a thing that had troubled her for years. Why should so many
people suffer—women, innocent children—all because of men’s
stubborn greed?
    He didn’t answer her for a time, and she
grew worried she had made him angry. Then he spoke in a slow,
thoughtful voice. “I first swore allegiance to Arthur because I
believed the priests and holy brothers, like Gildas of Llandudno,
when they said the Saxons were heathen barbarians and any man
devoted to the Christian cause must fight to drive them back into
the sea. That was what sent me to Arthur’s camp. But then, in the
next few years, I came to know him as a man and a king. I saw he
had a vision for Britain no man had ever had before. He wants to
unite the whole of the island, to finally end the futile squabbling
between tribes and chieftains that has always made us vulnerable to
our enemies. It’s a glorious, valiant dream, one that was
irresistible to a youthful warrior, the man I was a few years
ago.”
    “And now?” she asked.
    “I’m no longer certain Arthur’s dream is
possible. In times of crisis, aye, then the chieftains will rally
around and fight side by side. But as soon as the threat has
passed, they go back to their petty disputes, recalling old
grudges, insults made to their fathers’ fathers.” He grimaced. “My
people have a kind of blindness that way. No matter that the
Christos teaches us to forgive our enemies, most of my countrymen
believe the opposite—that a man’s honor depends on vengeance, and
every slight to him or his tribe must be repaid. I think sometimes
it is the curse of our race.”
    He has pondered these matters a great
deal, she thought, observing his intent, serious face.
    He met her gaze and smiled. “My father says
he worries about me because I think like a priest, rather than a
warrior. That I am not ruthless and ferocious enough.”
    “Well, I think it is wonderful you’re not
ruthless and ferocious,” she said emphatically. “I have lived most
of life around men like that, and I do not like them.” She
hesitated, then asked, “Is your father like my uncle, then?”
    Rhun cocked his head. “My father? When he
fights, I know he is as pitiless as any man. But his heart is
tender, and he does not really think like a warrior, either. For
the love of a woman, he nearly gave up his kingdom—not once, but
twice.” He nodded at Eastra’s amazed look. “When his first wife
died, he mourned so deeply that he renounced his title and power
and went to live in a priory for several years. Then, later, when
there was opposition to his relationship with Rhiannon, my
stepmother, he told his chieftains he would remain wed to her even
if it cost him everything he had fought to regain.”
    Eastra was encouraged. If Rhun’s father was
a man who would put a woman before his ambitions, then
perhaps...”It sounds as if your father and you are much alike,” she
said breathlessly.
    Rhun gave a laugh and turned around to
gesture for Bridei to ride forward and join them. “Bridei, tell
her, tell her exactly how well I get along with our father.
How much we are alike.”
    Bridei cocked a brow sardonically. “Well,
they are both very tall, and they have blue eyes, but I would say
those are about all the traits the two of them share.”
    “Truly?” Eastra asked.
    “Truly. You will see when we reach Deganwy.
Every moment they are together, they will argue. Of
course”—Bridei’s mouth quirked—“they still have more in common than
Maelgwn and I. As far as I can tell, the only traits the two of us
share are the blue eyes.”
    “You don’t get along with your father,
either?” she asked.
    “Rhun and he might argue all the time, but
Maelgwn still believes his firstborn is the most noble and
admirable of men. While I...” Bridei shrugged. “He thinks I
inherited all the evil traits of his line, which are many.”
    “It’s not as if you’ve never given him