Winter's Blossom: The Seasons of Arthur

Chapter 6

And so began our happiest times in Gwynedd. Mordred did indeed leave us alone. Like all bullies he had proven that he was a coward and afraid. In his heart of hearts I think he knew that, and hated it. Mordred wanted to be like his father. He wanted to be feared yes, and he was feared. But he wanted that fear to be paid for by his reputation and his reputation was that of an entitled bully, not of a warrior.

Owain and I had earned the respect of the common people who made up the household, from the lowliest servant to the household warriors. For almost a decade they had watched us be bullied and yet we had not shied away. We were good natured for the most part, even if Owain could be a little sombre and me a little wild. It was also obvious that we had finally found a way to overcome Mordred and his bullying. People liked us and they respected that. People endured Mordred and he did not like that.

We were seeing less and less of Mordred though. At fifteen and already as big as a fully-grown man, Enniaun began to take him away with him. He would take his eldest son raiding in Hibernia or to battle when Ambrosius called his men. He even went along with his father to court, to meet other nobles and sit behind his father at council. He was never there to join in. Whether it was battle or council he was simply instructed to sit back and learn. Nevertheless though, when it was the former, he would come back boasting that he'd raped a dozen Hibernian girls and killed score of Saxons.

We did not believe him. Not about the fighting anyway. His stories made himself sound heroic, as if it was his personal intervention that had turned the battles but we knew his true nature. Whispered stories followed him back though. It spoke of the torture of captured soldiers, of brave men flayed alive. Of women raped and murdered...

Owain and I continued to grow. Owain grew very tall and began to fill out, with thick shoulders and a narrow belly. I too was becoming tall, though not as tall as my cousin. I was broad though, and in truth I probably looked more like a farmer than a nobleman, with the strength to go with it. We were growing though and quickly turning into men, And as we grew into men we discovered the things that adolescents find when they turn into men. Muscle, hair, and the allure of women.

We were always going to be a focus of attention to the girls in the area. We were the son and nephew of the lord of the house after all, the lord of the kingdom and thus we were akin to princes of Gwynedd. It helped that we were not bad looking either, but we were also young and innocent, and women have a curious attraction to be a young man's first. This must be especially true for a young lord's first, so that with all the noble women he may lay with, the princess or queen he may spend the rest of his life with, he will always remember that serving girl who was his first.

Owain, noble as always, spurned their advances with blushing embarrassment, but I had no problem rolling in the hay with a willing girl and it was a slim, young brunette girl called Aed who made me a man in a few clumsy moments of fumbled clothing and frantic thrusting, despite her attempts to slow me down. Afterwards I emerged, blushing, and I came out boasting lies about my sexual prowess and how big my penis was to the hooting laughter of all who would listen. Ector was very stern with me, warning me gruffly not to impregnate any of these girls, but as he turned away, I was sure I saw a smile on his craggy features. I felt a surge of pride at Ector's smile that did not last long when I heard Aed gossiping about her fumble with me and how quick it was. I felt my face burn and fled, hoping that nobody would see that I had overheard.

I did confess my embarrassment to Merlin though. He was meant to be famous with women. However, he laughed at me. 'A woman's pleasure is her own concern.' He told me with a wide grin that caused my face to redden further. 'She will either give it to herself or teach you how to quickly enough.'