Arthur

Maglos, on the other hand, was nearly as broad as Cai, though not nearly as tall. He sat his horse like a stump. But, like a stump, his roots went deep. Maglos ap Morganwg of the ancient Dumnonii possessed his people's easy confidence – brought by long association with wealth and power – but surprisingly little of their stiff-necked pride. Also, he was seldom to be found in an ill humour.

We had not fought alongside these men before, and I wondered if they would be able to place themselves under Arthur's authority as easily as they had placed their warbands under his command. That we would see.

The tent flap opened and Arthur entered with Gwalcmai, Bedegran and Myrddin. The Duke carried a jar of beer in his hand and began pouring the cups with his own hand, then sat down and began passing the cups to the others. Myrddin did not join us at the council table, but remained standing behind Arthur. Gwalcmai sat down at Arthur's left hand, across from me on his right. Bedegran sat next tome.

Arthur lifted his cup and drank deep. He refilled it and let it stand before him. 'We cannot meet Cai and Meurig at the Glein ford,' he said. 'Yrewyn vale is full of Irish and Angli.'

'Angli?' Gwalcmai lowered his cup in surprise.

They are there,' I told him. 'In numbers.'

'How many?' asked Idris.

'Ten thousand.'

The words hung in the air as those gathered round the board struggled to envisage this number. Arthur let them work on it for a while before he said, 'I will send to them with an offer of peace. We will pray that they accept it.'

'And if they do not?' asked Idris.

'If words of peace do not speak to them, perhaps they will heed British steel.'

The table fell silent, calculating our chances of surviving against such numbers.

'Of course,' continued Arthur, 'Cai would be unhappy to miss such a glorious battle.'

Maglos laughed. 'I can think of a few others who should be sorry to miss such.'

'Therefore, tomorrow you will ride south to wait for Cai and the Cymbrogi. Bedwyr and I will take the willow branch to the Irish and Angli camp.'

I breathed a silent thanks to him for this singular honour.

'What if the enemy moves from the vale?' asked Bedegran.

'We will stop them.'

'We cannot engage them,' insisted Bedegran. 'We are too few.'

'Yet I tell you they will be stopped,' replied Arthur, evenly.

Bedegran opened his mouth to speak again, but thought better of it and took a drink from his cup instead.

Arthur glanced at each of the others, to see if anyone else would challenge him. When no one did, he continued. 'Cai is expected in the next few days. He is following the Roman road up through Caer Lial on the Wall. We will ride south and east to meet him where the road ends.'

'All respect, Duke Arthur,' said Idris, clearing his throat. 'Should we not wait for others to join us? At ten thousand they are more than three to one against us. I know I would fight easier with a few more warriors beside me.'

'My father and brother will soon arrive with the warband of Orcady,' offered Gwalcmai.

'How many? Three hundred?' asked Idris hopefully.

'Fifty – '

'Fifty! Is that all?' sputtered Idris. He turned in appeal to Arthur. 'Fifty – '

'Peace, Idris,' said Maglos. 'You above all men should deem yourself fortunate. With fewer kings to divide the plunder, we all get more."

Idris glared at him. 'Tell me if it is fortunate you feel with ten foemen hanging on your sword arm at every stroke. They will cut us to strop leather.'

'Where is your courage, man?' said Maglos. He lifted his cup and said, 'The battle is before us, there is glory to be won. Bring it on! Hie!' With that, he tossed down his beer, and wiped his sopping moustache on his sleeve.

Tray to God that this battle may be avoided,' said Arthur, rising in dismissal. 'Pray all of you that peace triumph.'

The next day, while the others broke camp, Arthur and I mounted our horses and rode to the enemy encampment.

We paused at the riverside to gather willow branches. I cut the biggest ones I could find, lest there be any mistaking our intentions. Still, I had no great hope that the barbarians would honour them.

Then, crossing over the river, we rode on to meet the enemy. They saw us coming, of course, and we were met by a company of Irish and Angli chieftains. They scowled at us, and jeered, but did not kill us outright, and for that I was grateful.

'I am Arthur, Battlechief of Britain,' Arthur told them. 'I want to talk to your Bretwalda.'

At his use of the barbarian word for war leader, the Angli glanced at one another. Then up spoke one of the barbarians. 'I am Baldulf,' he said, and his speech was not good. 'What do you seek?'

'I seek peace,' replied Arthur, 'which I gladly grant to you.'

Baldulf muttered something to one of his advisers, who muttered back. The Irish, of the tribe called Scoti, frowned mightily but said nothing.

'What are your terms?' asked Baldulf.

'You must leave this land. As you have done no harm here, I will suffer no harm to come to you. But you must go from here at once.'

Again Baldulf conferred with his chieftains. Then, turning with a haughty sneer, he said, 'If we do not go?'

'Then you will all be killed. For I have given my promise to God that there will be peace in this land.'

'Kill us then, if you can,' replied Baldulf bravely. 'Maybe it is you and your god who will die.'

'I have given my pledge to you. Peace will abide In Britain, whether won by word or deed. Today, I give you your lives, tomorrow I will take them. The choice is yours.' So saying, Arthur and I turned our horses and rode back to camp.

Everything was ready to move; they were only awaiting our return. Arthur chose sentries jo watch the enemy camp, and we left the valley and started east to meet Cai.

The sun had risen fair in the sky, but clouds came in from the sea laden with rain, and by midday the ground beneath our feet was soft mud. The wagons became enmired and time and again had to be dragged free. The going was miserable and slow.

This should have been a warning to us.

But the first hint of trouble came when one of the sentries returned on the gallop, his mount lashed to a lather. He flew directly to where Arthur and I rode at the head of the columns. They are moving,' he gasped, out of breath from his wild ride.

Arthur halted. 'Which way?'

'Moving up the valley – to the east… '

For the space of a heartbeat Arthur froze, bringing the image of the valley before his mind. The next instant he was all action.

'Bedwyr!' he called, wheeling his horse. 'Follow me!'

'Arthur! Where are you going?'

'If they leave the valley, we are lost!'

I called after him but he did not hear. A moment later I was flying down the ranks halting the columns and turning them onto our new course. I rode to the end of the columns and shouted at the men tending the wagons. 'Leave the wagons here! Fetch your weapons!'

Bedegran and Idris appeared. 'What is happening?' demanded one. 'Why are we turning?' asked the other.

'The barbarians are moving. Arm your men.'

'We are not going to attack them!' Bedegran gaped at me, as if I had lost my wits.

'I do not see why – ' began Idris.

'Arm your men, and follow!' I shouted, and rode to tell Maglos and Gwalcmai, before racing after Arthur, who was quickly disappearing over the broad hump of the hill. Myrddin was with him.

I caught up with them as they sat looking over the vale of Yrewyn – a good deal east of where we had been the day before. There were no Irish or Angli to be seen.

'It is as I hoped,' Arthur was saying. 'They are slower afoot than we are. We have come in time.'

The vale had narrowed to little more than a glen, and I saw Arthur's plan immediately. If the enemy were moving east along the river, they would come through this pinched-up place where we would be waiting for them. Then their superior numbers would not avail them, for we could not easily be surrounded.