THE BARD OF CAERWYN by Lonsdale Stephen

Author:Lonsdale, Stephen [Lonsdale, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

“ How dare you ,” bellowed Laikolen as though he had read Cadoc’s mind and understood the condescension in his thoughts. The old man sprang to his feet, throwing off the wolf pelt and spilling the cup of broth. “You are a sniveling, young whelp! What do you know of the world? You sneak about thieving and rutting, preying on women, committing offenses in every village you enter without care! Have you ever thought about honing your skills and committing to an ideal, to live within the traditions and give back to those who give you succor? No! You just move on!”

Cadoc was shocked by the outburst and deeply offended. His fear of this mysterious old man was forgotten as he too jumped to his feet in rage.

“You know nothing of me! I have given where I can and have only taken what I needed to survive. I have never taken anything for personal wealth. I haven’t committed to any ideals because I see none worth more than my own survival. That is what my father taught me! No village has accepted me. I am an outcast without a place I can call my own. I travel in search of belonging! The world has taught me it is a frightful place full of violence and those who would take advantage, just like the raiders who destroyed Caer Celli and those who captured me as a slave! I have been beaten near to death, cut, whipped and spat upon. Do not presume to tell me I know nothing of the world old man, for it is you who knows nothing about the contents of a man’s heart!” Cadoc did not realize he held Edlyn’s saexe in his hand. He saw Laikolen’s eyes dim and the old man sat heavily down once again.

The elderly grandfather took over from the fierce elder warrior that was Laikolen’s image a moment ago. Cadoc then felt the saexe in his hand and sheepishly sheathed it, his face conveying an apology. He sat. Silence ensued, broken by the popping and burping of the campfire.

“The Greeks thought of our race as mysterious, learned men, and fierce warriors worthy of admiration. These men were considered gifted astronomers, orators and counsellors. They called us, “ keltoi ” believing we kept ourselves hidden from the world because we wrote nothing important on stone or parchment or vellum. Romans, those carrions who picked at the carcass that was Alexander’s empire, thought us to be barbarians, filthy, violent and all of us untrustworthy drunkards. Their suppression began under Augustus. Caesar invaded our lands and Tiberius continued the suppression. It was General Paulinus who broke our will at Ynys Mons . Then came the Sacsonaidd, ironically by our own invitation. They soon fought us. They call us “ waelas ” and it is by that moniker we Britons are now known, as we are pushed into the marshes, our beloved Cymru, our nation, forever dwindling before the Sacsonaidd onslaught. “Waelas,” the meaning of which

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.