Princess Elen, the heir to Ederynion sat with all the dignity she had inherited from her mother, Queen Olwen. She was small for her eight years, delicate and slender, with rich auburn hair. The little girl would be a beauty like her mother one day. A slight smile crossed Gwydion’s face, remembering his brief time with Olwen years ago.
Angharad, the Captain of Olwen’s teulu, laughter in her light green eyes and her red hair braided and wound round her head, bent over to say something to Elen that made the little girl giggle. Young Iago, new to his post as Olwen’s Druid, laughed with them, his dark eyes sparkling. It was obvious that he adored the child.
Prince Elphin, the eleven-year-old heir to Urien of Rheged, had brown eyes that brimmed with mischief as he chatted with Esyllt, King Urien’s Bard. Esyllt had a sensuality that caught every man’s eye. Her rich, light brown hair and sparkling blue eyes drew admiring glances. By the look in Trystan’s green eyes, the Captain of Urien’s teulu was interested in admiring even more of the lady. A good thing that March, the lady’s husband, was not here to see it.
By rights Gwydion, as the Dreamer of Kymru, should have been sitting up front also. But for now, he preferred to lean against the stone wall next to the doors. He had not seen his uncle yet today, and he was far too tense to take a place where all eyes would be trained on him. As befitted the formality of the ceremony he wore the traditional Dreamer’s robe of black, trimmed with red. Quite a few admiring glances from the ladies were sent his way. But he did not see them. All he saw was the memory of his uncle’s eyes, dark with the pain that Gwydion’s demand had given him.
The graduating apprentices and journeymen began to file in and onto the empty benches. The apprentices wore plain gray robes, while the robes of the journeymen were sea green. Elstar entered through a small door to the right of the dais, wearing a robe of sea green trimmed in silver. Around her brow she wore a silver circlet with a pearl in the center. She carried a silver staff and solemnly rapped the floor with it three times. As she did so the crowd fell silent. She lifted the staff and began the prayer to Nantsovelta.
O vessel bearing the light,
O great brightness
Outshining the sun,
Draw me ashore,
Under your protection,
From the short-lived ship of the world.
Then Myrrdin walked in slowly, mounting the steps to the dais and turning to the waiting crowd. His robe was silver, trimmed with green. Around his shoulders he wore the traditional Ardewin’s cloak of white swan feather. He carried a staff of gold, and he looked haggard and haunted.
“Who comes here now before Nantsovelta, Lady of the Moon?” Myrrdin asked in a solemn voice.
Elstar answered her voice clear and light in the sudden hush, “Five apprentices who seek to become journeymen. May I present them to you?”
At Myrrdin’s nod the five apprentices in gray robes came to stand before the dais. “I declare,” Elstar went on, “that these are worthy. They have shown proficiency in herbal lore, in anatomy, and in surgery. They have mastered Anoeth, the secret language of the Dewin. They have learned the ways of clairvoyance and can Life-Read and Wind-Ride. I deem them worthy of becoming journeymen. Will you accept them?”
Myrrdin stepped forward and spoke to the first apprentice in line. “Are you, Llwyd Cilcoed, ready to dedicate yourself to Nantsovelta and the ways of the Dewin? Are you ready to accept the responsibilities of your gifts and to let truth guide your deeds?”
Llwyd Cilcoed spoke proudly in the silence. “As I walk in the ways of Nantsovelta may I show honor to the Lady of the Waters. May She continue to bless and guide me through this turn of the Wheel, and may I return to Gwlad Yr Haf when this life is done with wisdom and honor.”
Myrrdin nodded and Elen of Ederynion stood, poised and dignified. “I declare that Llwyd Cilcoed is a true man of Ederynion,” she said, in a high, clear voice. “For this, my mother, Queen Olwen, gives him a horse of his own, to aid him in his journeys.”
Elstar then handed Myrrdin a round disk made of crystal that had been threaded with a long silver chain. The crystal was etched with three sinuous lines projecting outward, dividing the disk into three equal parts. “To you, Llwyd Cilcoed, I give the crystal triskale. Wear it with honor as a journeyman of Y Ty Dewin.” Llwyd bent his head slightly as Myrrdin hung the crystal around his neck. “You are assigned to assist the Dewin at Neigwl in the cantref of Gwinionydd in Rheged. Serve with honor.”
The next apprentice was a woman from Gwynedd, and Arthur stood to declare that Uthyr had given her a horse. His speech was letter-perfect, and, as the child spoke, Myrrdin watched him closely.