Nos colan - prologue
This is a piece of original (well ok its an uber) fiction that I'm slowly trying to turn into a novel for publication.
December 2005.
Lady Lowri Lloyd-Morgan had once been married to the late Welsh king Tristyn Lloyd, he had been the love of her life, a mouning widower with two young sons and a country to try and hold together. So Lowri had married him and brought some stability both to a country and a family that held a special place in her heart, something which she continued to do even now that Tristyn had been gone for nearly ten years. Placing a hand against the freezing stone wall that made up the main hall of Caerdydd castle. Lowri allowed her fingers to run along the uneven surface as she moved slowly towards the throne room.This had been her home for fifteen years and she had never once considered relocating to one of the more modern homes that Parliment had offered since Tristyn had passed away, yet she did wish that they had central heating and not the old fifteenth century system. About ten feet away from the enormous entrance doors into the throne room she stopped and glanced out of the lead lined window, her dark blue eyes absently following snow flakes as they drifted past. Today was a great day of mourning within the ancient castle, it was one year to the day that Princess Eira Jones had died in a tragic car crash.
Eira had been the fiancee' of the young King Kynan Saith Lloyd-Morgan, and he had taken her death very badly which had Lowri and many others within the family dreading this very day. He was a beautiful young man and at barely twenty-one years of age he had experienced more pain and suffering in his limited years than most people did their entire lives, yet he continued to function and move their country into a new era. Lowri had brought him up since he was four years old and loved him like her own, had comforted him during those dark days of last christmas and hoped that one day he would find happiness again. Which was why when Gavin had called her private residence and told her that Kynan was drinking in the throne room she hadn't hesitated to throw on her dressing gown and hurry down into the lower levels, terrified at what she would find.
Closing her eyes, Lowri took a deep breath and exhaled slowly trying to compose herself to the scene which would be awaiting her on the other side of the doors. Finally turning around she nodded to the two footmen who opened the doors and allowed her to walk through into the largest room in the castle. It was a magnificant room with a five hundred year old buffet table in the middle and a high beamed ceiling. However none of it beauty interested Lowri at this moment, instead it was the defeated figure sat in front of the huge fire on the far side of the room which caught her attention. Kynan was seated on one of the antique chairs, his long legs pulled up so that his chin was resting on his knees.
"Who cares if I get drunk?" he suddenly demanded loudly, turning an angry glare in the direction of the kitchen door.
"You'll care in the morning." Brett London, head of royal security, came striding out of the kitchen and snatched an empty brandy glass out of the king's hand.
Lowri paused in her movement across the room at his presence, knowing that Kynan wouldn't appreciate being ganged up on in a vulnerable state and her step-son was much more likely to take Brett's advice than he was hers. Plus there was the fact that Lowri just liked watching the man work, broadly built and ridiculously good looking he had broken many hearts in his time but she had seen him calm down a little over the past few months and found that he was actually an extremely loyal man.
"Fuck you," answered Kynan, hugging his knees closer to his chest.
"Not this time buddy." Brett grabbed Kynan's wrists and bodily pulled him to his feet. "Now come on its past your bedtime."
Never in the history of the Welsh royal family had a monarch ever been as manhandled by a member of staff as Kynan was by Brett, but then there never had been a more stubborn man than their king.
"Bugger off." Kynan stumbled at this and would have fallen if he had not managed to grab a handful of Brett's shirt so hard that Lowri heard the shoulder seam give way from across the room.
"Now that kind of language isn't going to get you anywhere," said Brett with amusement colouring his voice, as he wrapped one strong arm around Kynan's waist and steadied him. "Plus I thought nice private school boys like you weren't supposed to speak like that."
"I'm the king, I can do whatever I want," slurred Kynan, poking the older man in the chest with his index finger.
"Ah," answered Brett. "I forgot, we don't have kings in America remember."
"But you have lots of Queens?" laughed Kynan. "Twpsod."
"That's true," said Brett.
Suddenly Kynan pulled Brett closer using his handful of shirt and wrapped him in a bonecrushing embrace, and from the expression on his face Lowri could tell that it had come as much of a shock to Brett as it was to her. That was when their eyes met across the room and Lowri saw the battle that was raging inside the fearless man, there was the desperate desire to comfort a man he had become attached to and the need to keep a professional distance while in her presence. Allowing a small smile to come to her lips Lowri slowly nodded her head in assent that Brett should show his young king affection. At that Brett drew him in with one hand on his lower back and the other sliding through his dark hair as he guided the other man to rest his head on one broad shoulder, and held the slender trembling body close. She had never expected Kynan to seek out comfort from this particular man, in fact it was Brett who had been driving the car when Eira had been killed and there were many both within the family and out of it who had voiced there belief that he should be relieved from duty and sent back to Indiana. Kynan had refused to place blame and even though he was angry at Brett he had realised that was part of the grieving process and couldn't be extended into their professional life, personally Lowri was proud of him but she also knew that the talk had started the moment the king made a decision.
She watched as Kynan ran his hands up Brett's spine and pulled him closer, and in that instant the atmosphere in the room changed thickening and seeming to push down onto her like a fog. It took her breath away and she watched as Brett closed his eyes and nuzzled Kynan's hair before gently pulling away with more regret in his face than Lowri had ever seen.
"I want ..." began Kynan in a hushed voice but was quickly cut off by Brett shaking his head.
"You don't want anything," he said. "And tomorrow you won't even remember this, so don't say anything you're going to regret when Lady Lloyd-Morgan tells you in the morning."
"What...?" Kynan spun around clumsily to face her, a drunken smile appearing on his face. "Mam?"
Lowri walked forwards, around the table to place a hand on his shoulder. "Gavin told me you were down here."
With a roll of his eyes Kynan stepped back and moved away from them. "Of course he did, is there anything he doesn't tell you?" It was said with such bitterness that
Lowri closed her eyes before looking to Brett for help. There was nothing there, just overwhelming guilt and sadness.
"Kynan stop acting like a petulant child and let me help you," she said.
He turned her and pinned her with a glare, before crumbling and breaking down into wretched sobs. "I just miss her so much."
"I know you do darling." Lowri pulled him to her and cradled him like he was a five year old boy who missed his mummy again. "But it'll get better I promise."
He clung to her, great gasping sobs ripping from his chest as he dampened the shoulder of her dressing gown with tears.
"I'll be retiring then," whispered Brett, and he started to walk away.
At that moment Kynan's arms tightened and he began to shake uncontrollably.
"No," she said, releasing her burden. "You get Kynan settled, I'm far to old and he's far to drunk for us even to make it to the stairs." She looked at where Kynan was beginning to slump against the table. "And there is no way I can carry him to his quarters."
As if to strengthen her words Kynan collapsed to the floor and stared, unblinkingly up at the ceiling.
"I'll leave him with you Brett," she said, patting his arm as she strode past. "I want him to know that I wish to speak with him in morning, his behaviour tonight was completely unacceptable we are not the Finnish here."
With that she turned and walked from the room, not looking back even though she could hear Kynan swearing loudly and Brett trying to drag the man to his feet.