King of the May by Myers Karen

Author:Myers, Karen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Contemporary, Heroic, Arthurian, Myths & Legends, Folk Tales, Mythology
ISBN: 0963538454
Publisher: Perkunas Press
Published: 2013-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Several days later, Maelgwn stood quietly in his favorite corner and marveled at the changes in Angharad’s rooms. One entire bedroom was given over to clothes for Rhian’s ceremony, but the biggest change was in the main room, open as usual to the corridor. Sketches hung all over the walls, and a painting in the early stages occupied one of the easels. The man-servant assigned to her quarters, Bedo, had a hard time keeping it reasonably tidy.

Maelgwn had noticed that Bedo always seemed to be there when Angharad was hard at work, but he left him alone after his foster-mother’s warning that first day. He seemed harmless enough, but Maelgwn kept an eye on him anyway.

She put her palette down and laid her brush aside when Bleddyn appeared in the doorway and ushered in the latest candidate for her apprenticeship. This one was a woman of middle years. The last one had been a young man.

“Angharad, may I present Glynis?” Bleddyn said. He took a comfortable chair and left his guest standing.

The woman curtsied low. “I would like to learn whatever I can from you, my lady.”

Angharad nodded to her. “You are welcome. Would you please do a sketch for me?”

She pointed out a pile of paper on the worktable, and an array of pencils and charcoal sticks.

Glynis took her seat. “What shall I draw, my lady?”

“A red deer’s head, in antler,” Angharad replied.

The woman glanced around the room. Studies of red deer were everywhere, in a variety of different hands. On Angharad’s easel was a partly finished painting of George as Cernunnos, the deer head and neck on the human body.

She swallowed and began sketching.

Maelgwn watched Bedo position himself unobtrusively to observe as the figure took shape under her fingers. He shook his head slightly as if in private judgment on her work and indeed after twenty minutes or so Angharad dismissed her politely, sending a pointed look toward her seated mentor.

“Hang this with the others,” she told Bedo.

She rounded on Bleddyn. “Why bring me a candidate like that?” she said.

“There aren’t that many available,” he said, “and you wanted a constant stream of them.”

She looked down. Her temper was fraying but it wasn’t her mentor’s fault. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Do keep them coming, and I thank you.”

Bleddyn took his leave and was almost knocked down by Lludd striding in with wrath on his face. Lludd glanced at the sketches on the wall in a fury.

“What do you mean by this?” he demanded.

“My lord king?” she inquired, coolly.

“These deer heads,” he spat out.

“Why, that’s the subject for my next painting.” She gestured at the work on the easel, “and of course I need to do studies for that. As you can see, I find it convenient to set these apprentice candidates to the same task, for ease of comparison.”

“I’ve heard the stories about Gwyn’s huntsman,” he growled. “Find something else.”

“I think not, my lord.”

Maelgwn braced himself for an outburst. Bedo put his tray down and backed up and stood beside him, watchful and quiet.

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