Wales c.540 a.d.,Maelgwyn,King of Gwynedd,has just succeeded to the high-kingship of the Britons,he was a very ill tempered man! and with a highely immoral personal life!his illegitimite son Rhun being his only male heir!to improve his standing in the eyes of the church he badly needed to produce a legitimite male heir!the ideal candidate for the job was the daughter of king Morgan of Powys-Princess Morfydd-as Morgan had no male heir of his own,this would mean Powys would be swallowed up after he died!he had already promised the throne of Powys to his cousin-Brochwel,it is decided that a servantgirl in his daughters personal household-Bronach-a girl captured by Saxon pirates in Ireland and sold to him in exchange for some lands south of the city of Chester-Tarvin[the word means 'boundary']would take Morfydd's place-she was a real beauty!and the absolute equal in looks to Princess Morfydd-a beautiful dark haired girl of 25,with blue eyes,Bronach was just 17 years old and had flaming red hair and beautiful blue eyes and milky white skin!a month later at Llys Maelgwyn-king Maelgwyn's 'court''Morfydd' was married to the most powerful ruler in the British isles-Maelgwyn laid on a magnificent wedding feast for his bride!kings were treated as honoured guests-including king Morgan Himself-another of the kings present at the feast was Usai of Ceredigion-unknown to both kings,the real Morfydd had been his secret mistress 10 years earlier! when she sought refuge in his realm for refusing to marry the son of the king of Brycheiniog.there had always been close ancestral ties between Ceredigion and Gwynedd-both kings being descended from Cunedda-Usai requested a private audience with the king.Maelgwyn was beside himself with anger!'i will leave no living thing alive in that accursed kingdom!'he raged-he collapsed in a fit of coughing!'sire you are ill!' a courtier says 'you must retire to bed!'Maelgwyn looks forlorn!'i will be all alone in it!'he face darkens!'i want that imposter flogged!then her head cut off and placed on a spear!i want my son to use it as his battle standard!'.Bronach was seized by Maelgwyn's guards-taken down into the castle dungeons,stripped of her beautiful blue wedding dress-blue being the colour worn by royalty[Maelgwyn's own wedding robes were also in blue]she was chained to the wall and given 40 very severe lashes with a cat-o-nine tails-it left her back torn to bloody ribbons!it was now the turn of the executioner to cut off Bronach's head-the guards all left-they were so saddened to see Bronach treated this way!the poor girl had no choice!she was only obeying her king! and her beauty was worthy of a queen!even if she herself wasn't one!.the executioner was a man called Cadell-he was only 20 years old and very good looking-when he saw Bronach-weeping pitiably after being almost flogged to death,he couldn't bring himself to execute her!'i have a plan!please come with me!'the two of them leave the dungeon-King Maelgwyn sees them!'where are you taking her!i ordered her to be executed!'he roared!'sire,this worthless whore shames your noble court! and she doesn't deserve an easy death!a flogging is much too good for her!she should be strung out on the virgin's promontory![Penrhyn Rhianedd-the headland near Llys Maelgwyn]let the ravens pick out her eyes!let the wolves devour her vile flesh!'Maelgwyn nodded in approval!the girl had made a fool of him!her death should be slow and agonising!but he needed to assemble his army and give instructions to his son-Powys had to be utterly crushed!and before any help could come to it!he feared the high-king of Ireland-Tuathal,may come to Morgan's assistance!the Irish wanted Ynys mon[Anglesey]and Cernyw[Lleyn Peninsula]back![Maelgwyn's father,King Cadwallon,having conquered it from them 40 years earlier-these areas still contained a lot of Irish peasants-who hated his rule!]'my son will have to carry my lion banner instead!'[Maelgwyn's royal banner was a white lion rampant on a red backround]'please go ahead and have your fun with the whore!'.Maelgwyn's army was utterly merciless!they ravaged the whole of Powys!king Morgan had to go into hiding-Morfudd was very soon caught by the rampaging army and taken to Rhun himself-despite being armed with a sword and now minus all her incriminating royal clothes-she was trying to pass herself off as a naked female Pictish warrior!a ruse that didn't work![Maelgwyn's rampaging army actually contained some Pictish warriors-a gift from King Girom of the Picts after Maelgwyn married his daughter Hagdwyn -producing two sons-Girom and Bridei-but as the picts were still'pagan'that marriage wasn't acceptable to the nobles of Gwynedd]Rhun ordered her to reveal the whereabouts of her father- but she refused! so Rhun then had her tied to a tree after he threatened to flog her unless she talked-still she refused!she died after 100 lashes!'we will use her head as our battle standard!'Rhun says-having one of his soldiers cut off her head-the look of naked defiance still detectable in her now sightless eyes!'.Maelgwyn's fury didn't stop at Powys!he ordered his son to capture all the other kings of Wales as well!'i want you to cut off their beards!' he told his son 'i will make a belt out of them!'.by the end of the year,all of Wales was tributary to Maelgwyn,hundreds of innocent people were slaughtered!a tribute of 100 cows on each cantref of Wales[a cantref was a subdivision of a welsh kingdom]imposed-many poor peasants starved to death!few people had the courage to speak out against Maelgwyn's cruelty-save a monk,Gildas,writing from the safety of his monastery in northern Brittany-he attacked him for his acts of cruelty and debauchery,condemning Maelgwyn for raping the wife of his own nephew!Gildas also attacked several other 'immoral'kings as well-Cynfelyn of Rhos,Gwrthefyr of Dyfed,Cystennin of Dyfnaint and Cynan of Gloyw-it seemed as though the whole of Britain was sinking into a moral cesspit!surely God would intervene?Maelgwyn's cruel reign finally came to an end in 547-plague was ravaging the land!he sought refuge in the church of Llanrhos-but the plague caught up with him even here!and what of poor Bronach the slave girl?'i used to be a trader before i entered king Maelgwyn's service' he tells her as they make for Penrhyn Rhianedd 'Britain is finished!one day the Saxons will advance once again and exterminate the British race!i want our children to grow up in a safe land!have you ever heard of Brendan the navigator?'Bronach shakes her head 'one of your fellow countrymen!'he explains'about 10 years ago he came back to Ireland after discovering a paradise!some say he discovered the garden of Eden itself!'Bronach's mouth gaped open!she still had dim memories of her parents back in Ireland telling her all about Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden-they were both lost to her forever now,'it may be all just a myth!but-perhaps you and me can find our own Eden?'Bronach's eyes filled with tears!'anywhere is Eden with you!'she kisses him-he gently responds-the marks on her back then magically seem to disapear as a beam of sunlight came out!the couple walk into the waves-now kissing passionately!soon they are making love!they then see a beautiful girl in a boat beckoning to them!'welcome my children!welcome to the isle of the blessed!'-'Avalon!'Cadell exclaimed!'where Arthur is said to rest!'[the high-king Arthur was said to be buried here]'Tir na Nog!'Bronach exclaimed!in her native land of Ireland the legendary land of eternal youth!'since 'the fall' it has had many names in many lanquages!'the girl says gently'but for you both today it has just one-Home!SECRETSPANKER
