Tales Of Gallanol : Ch.3 (Part2) Girithon

The snow covered road climbed very steeply, zigzagging once the town buildings were passed, up the wooded and rocky scarp slope. The road became narrower as they climbed, and the wind blew stronger and covered the road with deeper drifting snow. Orgwain Gireald warned the company to direct their horses into the hillside, to stay away from the edge. It was becoming difficult, under the snow, to see where the roadside and the scarp precipice was, and the sturdy billowing blizzard wind might force a horse to lose its step and fall if it strayed near the edge.

They were soon within the turret gates of the mansion however, and Orgwain Gireald’s servant retainers greeted them and opened the gates, glad no doubt, thought Deneldinhew, that they could now retire to their beds for the night, relieved of their cold duty.

The horses were taken and stabled, and the party hurried into the house. Deneldinhew looked forward to seeing the family again, and the thought occurred that Ywain, Owen’s older sister would be there. They were all there! They had stayed up late into the night to be polite hosts to their guests. There was Owen’s mother Idris, a dark beauty, beginning to grey and her face beginning to crack. Deneldinhew gave her a kiss on the cheek. As a young child Deneldinhew had adored this friendly woman. He had secretly fancied her and he was pleased now to receive her shy welcome. Ywain was very much like her mother, taller perhaps, and her hair browner, less dark and longer. They smiled at each other but did not touch. They had always been cautious and shy towards each other.

Owen’s younger sisters Morwain and Ola, nineteen and eighteen respectively were very different in character and temperament to their mother and older sister, more closely akin to their father and Owen. Both were again very perfect and attractive specimens, neither as tall as Ywain. Morwain, soon to be married to another Girithon merchant’s son, was a tough, lively, demanding and intelligent woman, dressed in the latest fashionable body hugging garments and her hair tied at the back and fringed at the front. Deneldinhew remembered her mockery when she found him crying in the woods one day, or when he made a foolish mistake at a game of cards, or accused him of being boring when he had nothing to say to her. She smiled goodnaturedly at him and he gave her a friendly kiss. Ola likewise used to be a tyrant. She reached forward and gave him a kiss.

Owen’s younger brother was Rowain, nearly seventeen, a copy of his strong brother, whom he admired, and with whom he got on well. He was dressed all in green and shook Deneldinhew’s hand in an almost military fashion.

Orgwain’s father Lomond was still alive and living in the household. The servants, young and old were also there to shake the hand of Deneldinhew and the leaders of the expedition, and to show them to their rooms. Deneldinhew Owen, Prince Llewelyn, Eric Cadwallon, the Falwentine commanders, Jovian of Gorn and the Galdelleini commander, Anarawd, Hew, Cynan, Bleddyn, Idwal, Rhodri and Morgan; each had a separate room in the Gireald mansion, which had been built to house all the guests who might be invited to parties or who might be friends of the family passing through Girithon.

Owen woke Deneldinhew up with a knock at the door. It was still dark, but there was light in the east and the blizzards had stopped. They would have to keep moving fairly quickly to prevent the Elladeini from having time to organise their defence plans. “I’ll be down at breakfast when you’re ready. I think we’re the first up. I’ll make sure everybody else is getting up too,” said Owen.

Owen sent servants to rouse the other members of the expedition and went down to the breakfast room, which faced the east. The sky was clear to the east and becoming brighter very quickly so Owen could make out the anchored fleet, spread out along the wide river, and his home town clustered and partially walled between the river and the scarp. The riverside plain on both banks of the river was wide enough for fields to be cultivated on both banks of the river, whereas it had been practically nonexistent at Emywid, but the steep and tall escarpments on both sides were covered with dense woodland, interrupted in a couple of places by large mansion houses similar to the Gireald mansion. The designs of the mansions were not particularly similar however, a result of the different tastes of the families who built them or the frequent changes in upmarket architectural fashion, which had consistently occurred in the wealthy history of Gallanol. One of the homes on the opposite bank was based on red brick, and brightly coloured domes built of metals that would glint and shine as the sun came up. The other mansion on the opposite bank was styled in white plaster and protruded into numerous tall turrets and spires of varying length and size. The Gireald mansion used local greystone and white plaster, and was a more symmetrical and stately building with adjoining outhouses which used a lot of glass. It was not as tall as either of the other two and had a smooth brick roof rather than spires or domes.

Owen’s mother Idris came into the room with Ywain and Ola. “Who is the young man with the long hair out there, Owen?” she asked.

“You must mean Jovian. He’s the ambassador from Galdellyn. I hardly know him myself. He represents King Alentin, but the Galdelleini have got a commander as well, so from what I gather he’s not a military man, and I don’t really see why we need him here. Must be well in with the King of Galdellyn. Is he up already? I’ve only just sent Dui to wake him up.”

“He’s been up for quite a while,” said Ola excitedly. “He’s already had a very large breakfast and he’s had a bath. He seems so energetic he mustn’t need much sleep. He asked me to show him round the rooms, so I did. I think he has his eye on Ywain because he was giving her a lot of attention.” Ola laughed devilishly and Ywain blushed and smiled, embarrassed.

“Well where is he now?” asked Owen, evidently not pleased for some reason.

“I don’t know,” said Ola. “He went off to the stables, but I don’t think he was going anywhere. I think he’ll come back when everybody else comes down to eat.”

Owen was irritated that Jovian should have been ready for the day before he himself was even awake, and that he should be making use of Gireald hospitality without waiting to be invited. Secretly he was jealous that he was attracting so much interest from his sisters.

Prince Llewelyn was the next man to enter the breakfast room. He politely wished everyone a good morning and expressed surprise at the unexpected improvement in weather conditions. “Our passage will be made much easier, but we will be more easily discerned by our enemies and lose the element of surprise.”

Llewelyn of Lanardein was a young man who reminded Owen of Deneldinhew in many ways. It was their pride in appearance, their enthusiasm, confidence and ambition, their sense of belief in their people and the values of their great society, which was without doubt superior in all ways to the less comfortable, harsher ways of life to be found in Martainia, Assuria, Telmaria and the North. Gallanol represented a chance for all citizens, however poor, to raise themselves to new levels of responsibility, culture, accomplishment and wealth, simply by strength of character and ability. To Owen men like Prince Llewelyn, and particularly like High King Deneldinhew signified the vitality and strength which was inherent and natural in the soul of Gallanol, and to which he felt confident that Gallanol would continue to return as it was now doing.

Owen did not really know Prince Llewelyn well yet, but he noted with approval that Deneldinhew and Llewelyn were becoming true friends now that events required them to take up arms together. Owen intended to get to know the Prince on more intimate terms during the course of the campaign. Owen did not have much chance to speak with Llewelyn while his sisters were still in the room. Llewelyn was exchanging pleasantries with them about the food on the table and remarking on their hospitality and willingness to take such a short night’s sleep. Rhodric, Morgan and Cynan came in next with Morwain and Rowain. All the High King’s Companions were well acquainted with the Gireald family, although not with the mansion itself, apart from Idwal, whose family had been very close to the Gireald family through trading links.