The Realm of the Sun

Treason and Ribbons

          The following day when Eirainna took her seat in the Great Hall, Sir Connor and Queen Maeve had already begun their heated debate. It had been a long sleepless night for Eirainna and every time she closed her eyes, her dreams betrayed her. She was careful not to look at Sir Connor, even when he spoke.

          "My people are starving and suffering, because they are unable to be granted land or crops as long as Ulster is a dependent province of Connaught. The distance alone should be enough to persuade you, but what's more, the people of Ulster are unhappy. And until they are satisfied, we will not rest," Sir Connor stated with tireless passion. By his voice, Eirainna could tell he was not softened by Maeve's hospitality the previous night, as she gathered many of the Ulaid had been. The illusion of a growing unity between realms at the ball had lowered their guard, but it seemed Sir Connor's guard was even higher.

          "Sir mac Nessa, I understand and appreciate your point, but Ulster is now a province of Connaught and as long as it is, Ulster shall be under my rule. You claim that my laws do not serve your people well, but that is because they are not being effectively applied in the provinces further away from Tara."

          Eirainna could see that the knights of both sides were surprised by the Queen's charged rebuttal after an evening of unity. She wondered what had happened after she had gone to bed so early.

          "In that case, your majesty, I don't see any substantial reason why we should not have complete independence, and then we could govern and regulate ourselves...you admit it that Ulster is difficult to rule from so far away, you have just now said it yourself. Making Ulster an independent realm could serve you as well, your majesty."

          Maeve interrupted him immediately, her voice climbing octaves with an underlying fear at first, "The realm of Ulster has come to the end of its royal bloodline, Sir mac Nessa," she dropped her voice and regained her composure before continuing, "Queen Niamh of Ulster's death has left your people with no choice other than to become a province of Connaught. Her death meant the end of Ulster's monarchy, and therefore the end of Ulster altogether if we don't step in. You seem to be forgetting Tara's generous effort to save your people."

          "Generous?!" he exclaimed, a laugh escaping him, "Generous? Nothing about the way your domain has acted regarding my people could be deemed as 'generous'. The way you've treated us...why it's hardly humane—nonetheless generous."

          "Sir mac Nessa—" she attempted to get a word in, but his voice carried across the hall and the sudden, rousing support of his army overpowered her calm, collected approach to regain control of the situation.

          "What you are too blind to realize, your majesty, is that there are other ways a domain can thrive than as a monarchy," Sir Connor argued, making a valiant effort not to lose his patience. The room fell completely silent. Eirainna looked up to him at last, unable to help herself. This was bold even to his comrades' ears. Utterly shocked, Maeve did not break the silence. Eirainna lifted the fabric of her skirt clinging to her lap to allow some air to reach her skin. The mid-day heat steadily rose with the volume of their impassioned voices.

          "Tell me, Sir mac Nessa," Maeve proposed, after tapping the wooden ledge in front of her as a means of demanding order, "How can Ulster thrive independently if it has no ruler?"

          "I never said Ulster would have no ruler," Connor replied, matching her tone and demeanor, "But why does that ruler have to have so-called 'royal blood?' I'd rather a qualified peasant rule the realm than an unqualified person who happened to be born with jewels and an unrelenting sense of entitlement," he argued. Eirainna's jaw nearly fell from her body. She wondered what possibly could have happened between the queen and Sir Connor since the cordial ball that had taken place only hours before this fiery dissent.