Here Be Dragons - 1 by Sharon Penman (best inspirational books txt) 📕

your children, Joanna. That nothing in life turns out as we thought it would, nothing "ON a cloudy, cool day in late May, the Welsh Princes came to Aber. Llewelyn greeted them in the great hall, but he then led thert into his own chamber for the privacy such a volatile gathering required. He had not been entirely sure that they all would come. But he kn«jw that if Maelgwn came, so, too, would his brother, Rhys Gryg. There was no love between them, but they had finally reached a grudging accord, more than a truce, less than an alliance.There was no question in his mind that his cousins Madog and Hywel would come, for he knew neither one was proud of the part he'd played in last summer's campaign. And Gwenwynwyn would come if the others did, for he had far too suspicious a nature to allow such a council to take place without him-"I thought Aber was burned, compliments of your wife's father."There was mockery in Gwenwynwyn's smile, but Llewelyn ignored it, said evenly, "I had it rebuilt... on a larger scale."Maelgwn took a seat next to Ednyved, giving him a cool nod; theV were brothers by marriage, but not friends. "What of my renega(^e nephews? Did you not invite them?""Owain and Rhys were unwilling to come," Llewelyn s^id regret' fully. "Their defeat at John's hands seems to have left lasting scars up0" their souls." He saw no reason not to come straight to the poin'- expect you've guessed why Iasked you to Aber, to talk about forrnin?a league of amity. I think it time we put aside our differences, band t°" gether against a common enemy, the EnglishKing.""You expect us to forget years of bad blood, mistrust, betray3'5'

T365Gvvenwynwyn's voice was scornful. "Nor do I believe you've suddenly become such a bloody saint yourself, willing to overlook the part we played in Your defeat at Aberconwy.""I've no claims to sainthood, but I like to think I'm capable of learnne from past mistakes. What about you, Gwenwynwyn? Can you say as much?""You think I could ever trust you? I'd sooner deal with the Devil!" Llewelyn shrugged. "You think you could ever trust John?" Madog had yet to take a seat.Now he moved toward Llewelyn, stopped in front of him. "Your mother and my father were sister and brother; that makes ours the most significant of bonds, one of blood. It eives me the right to speak plainly. You're making a great mistake, Cousin. John's hatred for you is mortal. You move into thePerfeddwlad, and you'll see an English army in Wales within a fortnight. He'll take all of Gwynedd this time, Llewelyn, and then he'll burn every hut, every tree if need be, in order to run you to earth. Need I tell you what befalls a man charged with treason? He's dragged behind a horse to the gallows, hanged and cut down whilst he still breathes, gelded and disemboweled ere he's finallyand mercifullybeheaded. And there are even worse deaths. You need only remember Maude de Braose's fate." Llewelyn had heard enough. "You're overlooking something, Madog. Whether I keep the truce or not, sooner or laterJohn would find an excuse to move against me. Besides . . . this time I do not intend to lose."Madog shook his head; there was on his face an expression of genuine regret."As you will. But I want no part in this. If I must come to terms with theEnglish King in order to hold on to my lands, so be it. I know the limits of my power, would that you did yours." He walked to the door, paused. "I wish you luck, Cousin. I very much fear you'll need it"With Madog's departure, a pall settled over the room. Llewelyn sought to dispel it by saying defiantly, "Of course we can do nothing, £an 8° on as we always have, fighting one another, allowing the English ngs to play their sport of divide and conquer. Is that what you want, ae'gwn? You want to wait until John has the time to deal with your ellion, until you find yourself facing an English army?"You made a mistake in taking Ceredigion," Maelgwn said coolly.na then I made one in backing John. I expect that makes us even . . .lik 3St ^°r now- Y°u do not have to talk me into an alliance. I might not11 any; for certes, I do not like you. But it makes sense." v , We'yn grinned, looked toward the others. "What say the rest of y^el nodded, grinned back. Rhys Gryg glanced over at his

366T367brother, then rose to his feet. Maelgwn was by far the more physically impressive of the two. Rhys was balding, freckled, with bloodshot blue eyes and a harsh, rasping voice, the result of a throat injury which had earned him the name Rhys Gryg, Rhys the Hoarse. As Llewelyn thought him to be fully as capable as his brother, although less trustworthy, he waited tensely for the older man's verdict."It seems to me," Rhys Gryg said slowly, "that you could act verily as a magnet for disaster, could draw John's wrath down upon us all. You did not have much luck against John last summer. What makes you think this time it will be different?""I made it easy for John, let him cut me off from my natural alliesotherWelshmen. This time he will not be able to play us off against each other.This time we're not acting as rebels, but at the urging of the Pope. And this time we'll have allies. I've sent envoys to the French court; even now they are negotiating an alliance with Philip."Rhys Gryg looked startled, then impressed. "That alone would sign your death warrant with John," he said. "I see you've been thinking about this for a long while.""I've had nine months in which to think of little else. We seem to agree that the English kings have had great success in exploiting our weaknesses.