Some have said he never learned to read-at least, he could not read French. 'As it lays, pray you,' he said, thrusting the letter into the cleric's hands. 'Spare us nothing.'
The canon took a moment to study the document, collected himself, cleared his throat, and began to read it out in a clear, strong voice. 'Moi Guillaume par le pardon de Dieu, de Bramber et Seigneur et Brienze, qux tres estimer et reverend Guibert et Ravenna. Salutations dans Dieu mai les tranquillite de Christ, Notre Eternelle Sauveur, rester a vous toujours.'
It was the letter Jago had read to us that day in Saint Dyfrig's following the Christmas raid. That Laurent read it with far more authority could not be denied; still, though I could understand but little of what he read, I remembered that day we had gathered in Bran's greenwood hut to see what we had got from the Ffreinc. The memory sent a pang of longing through me for those who waited there still. Would I ever hold Noin in my arms again?
Canon Laurent continued, and his voice filled the room. It seemed that I heard with new ears as I listened to him read the letter again. Adding what I'd learned from Odo to my own small store, the dual purposes behind the words became plain. Yet the thing still held the mystery I had first felt when kneeling in Bran's greenwood hut and staring in quiet wonder at that great gold ring, and the fine gloves, and that wrapped square of expensive parchment. If I failed to see the sense, I had only to look at King William's face hardening into a ferocious scowl to know that whatever he heard in the high-flown words, he liked it not at all.
By the time Laurent reached the letter's conclusion and began reading out the names at the end, William was fair grinding his teeth to nubbins.
'Blood and thunder!' he shouted as the cleric finished. 'Do they think to cast me aside like a gnawed bone?' Turning, he glared at the two knights with him. 'This is treason, mark me! I will not abide it. By the Virgin, I will not!'
Bran, who had been closely watching Red William's reaction to the letter, glanced at Merian, who gave him a secret smile. Straight and tall in the black robe of a priest, hands folded before him as he awaited the king's judgement, he appeared just then more lordly than the ruddy-faced English monarch by a long walk. The king continued to fume and foam awhile, and then, as is natural to a fella like him, he swiftly fell to despatching his enemies. 'How came you by this letter?' he said, retrieving the parchment from the cleric's hands. 'Where did you get it?'
Bran, calm and unruffled as a dove in a cote, simply replied, 'I stole it, Sire.'
'Stole it!' cried William, when Bran's words were translated for him. 'Ha! I like that! Stole it, by the rood!'
'Who did you steal it from?' asked one of the knights, stepping forward.
'It was found among items sent by Baron de Braose to his nephew, Count Falkes in Elfael. The letter, along with a pair of gloves and a papal ring, was taken in a raid on the wagons carrying provisions.'
'You attacked the wagons and stole the provisions?' asked the knight, speaking through Jago.
'I did, yes. The other items were returned to de Braose, along with a careful copy of the letter just read. You have before you the original, and they are none the wiser.'
The knight stared at Bran, mystified. 'Thievery and you a priest. Yet, you stand here and admit it?'
'I am not as you see me,' replied the dark Welshman. 'I am Bran ap Brychan, rightful ruler of Elfael. I was cheated out of my lands by the deceit of Baron de Braose. On the day my father rode out to swear fealty to Your Majesty, the baron killed my father and slaughtered his entire warband. He established his nephew, Count Falkes de Braose, on our lands and continually supplies him with soldiers, money, and provisions in order to further his rule. Together they have made slaves of my people, and forced them to help build fortresses from which to further oppress them. They have driven me and my followers into the forest to live as outlaws in the land our people have owned since time beyond reckoning. All this has been possible through the collusion of Cardinal Ranulf of Bayeux, who acts with the blessing and authority of the crown, and in the king's own name.' Bran paused to let this dagger strike home, then concluded, 'I have come before you this day to trade that which bears the names of the traitors'-he pointed to the letter still clutched in the king's tight grasp-'for the return of my throne and the liberation of my people.'
Into the silence that followed this bold assertion, Bran added, 'A throne for a throne-English for Welsh. A fair trade, I think. And justice is served.'
Oh, that was well done! Pride swelled in me like a rising sun, and I basked in its warmth and glory. It was that sweet to me just then.
'You shameless and impudent rogue!' snarled the elder of the two knights. 'You stand in the presence of your king and insinuate-'
'Leicester!' shouted King William. 'Leave off! This man has done me a service, and though the circumstances may well be questionable'-he turned again to Bran-'I will honour it in the same spirit in which it has been rendered.'
At this, Merian, who had been able to follow most of what was said, clasped her hands and gave out a little gasp of joy. 'God be praised!' she sighed.
'See here, my lord,' protested the one called Leicester. 'You cannot intend-'
'Hold your peace,' cautioned William. 'I do not yet know what I intend. First, I must know what my roguish friend Bran ap Brychan presumes.' To Bran, he said, 'You have presumed so much already, what do you propose for these traitors?'
All eyes were on Bran as Jago conveyed the king's words and Bran answered, his voice steady, 'I leave their punishment in your hands, Sire. For myself I ask only the return of my lands and the recognition of my right to rule my people in peace.'
'You ask a very great deal, thief,' observed the second nobleman.
'And yet it is no more than my due,' Bran countered.
'How do we know this letter is even genuine?' demanded the young knight.
'Do not be an ass,' the king growled. 'The thing is genuine. The imbecile de Braose affixed his seal. I know it well enough. We must think now what is to be done, and that quick. We have a day, likely less, before the others arrive in force. We must work quickly if we are to save ourselves from the trap they have laid for us.'
King William folded the parchment and tucked it under his arm, then stepped forward, extending his hand to Bran. 'My thanks and my friendship. You and your men are forthwith pardoned from any wrongdoing in this matter. Come, friend, we will sit and break fast together and decide what is to be done with those who would steal my kingdom.'
CHAPTER 43
Such palaver with the high and mighty was hard on this simple forester, I can tell you. Ol' Will has had his fill of Ffreinc enough to last him all his allotted days thrice over. If every last one of those horse-faced foreigners were to hop ship back to Normandie, this son of Britain would sing like a lark for joy till the crack o' doom. Nevertheless, here we were up to our neck bones in Normans of every kind, and most of them with sharp steel close to hand.
It fair made me wish for the solace of the greenwood, it did.
And I wasn't the only one with my teeth on edge. Poor Siarles was about as rattled as a tadpole in a barrel of eels. The fella could neither sit nor stand, but that he had to be jumping up every other breath to run to the door to see if any Ffreinc were lurking about ready to pounce on us. Still, though we could hear men moving about the palace, both inside and out, as more of the nobles arrived for their council, they left us to ourselves. The morning passed into midday, and the waiting began to wear on us.
For myself, the pain in my throbbing hand and the toils of the past few days rolled over me like a millstone, and I curled up in a corner and closed my eyes.
'We should go find out what is happening,' I heard Merian say, and Iwan agreed.
'Aye,' replied the big man. 'Bran might need our help.'
The two had just about worked themselves up to go and see what they could discover, Siarles was fussing and fretting, and Cinnia-too frightened to know what to do-had come to sit beside me, when the door opened and Bran and Jago strolled into the room.
