“At your will, then, Lord,” said Ieuan, knowing his match when he met it. “At your will.”

After that things went smoothly, and it was not long before we joined the others in the hall for the evening meal. As we walked across the courtyard I tried to say a few words to Neirin in explanation, but he cut me short. “Na, na,” he said, laying his arm across my shoulders for a moment and smiling, “you need not explain, brother: I know his type well. A plausible rogue; well for you that you got shot of him when you did.”

“Na, it is not that,” I said. “He was good to me often enough on the road, and before; it is only…”

“Sa, sa, I know,” said Neirin, squeezing my shoulder. “Let it be: there are too many ears here, and I want my dinner.” And with that we entered the hall.

In some ways it was like stepping back in time; I had spent several days here on my previous visit, and the people and place were familiar to me. I saw the Lord Cadwaladr, tall and lean and red-headed, seated at his high table with our three Masters; his lady Braint, calm and dark-haired and graceful beside him; girls and boys grown older but still recognizable; and other men and women whose faces I remembered from the long evenings when I had entertained them with my tales. The warmth and comfort of the hall and the good food and drink in plenty lulled me into a sense of contentment, so that I almost forgot our reason for being here. Presently, at our masters’ bidding, Neirin and I took it in turns to entertain the company, and got our due in applause: and this too was good.

As the feasting was breaking up one young woman sitting in the shadows at the far side of the room caught my eye, a dark-haired lass much my own age with a dark-haired infant at her breast. I had seen Ieuan seated beside her earlier, but he was now busy with the other men who were taking down and stacking the trestle tables, and banking the central hearth-fire in preparation for the night. As I stood there uncertain, the woman looked up and met my gaze and smiled, and I went over to join her. “Gwernin!” she said. “I am so glad to see you again—it has been a long time!”

“Indeed, and it has,” I said, sitting down on the bench beside her. “Anwen, is it not?”