Distress: Day 4

Word Count: 24,007

Summary of Events:

Having experienced a fitful sleep because of fear that she would be discovered, Olwyn got up earlier than the men whom she was sharing a tent with and dressed herself in her disguise so that they wouldn't suspect anything. After a work-filled morning Olwyn ate a hearty lunch and talked with one of the men about some rather dishevelled-looking people who were camped under a different banner close to their camp, whom he explained were the people of Sygæðelwulf . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

“Until about five years ago Sygæðelwulf was the kingdom to the west of Cynehærdwyn,” Cælan replied. “Their king, Urien the Cowardly, killed himself at that time, distraught at the death of his last living heir. With no king to guide them, the people were no match for our enemy the queen and the kingdom was overrun, although our forces have control of the former eastern borders of the kingdom and Glædricgar has the western borders and the southern portion, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Why was he called Urien the Cowardly?” Olwyn asked.

“Because that’s exactly what he was,” Cælan replied. “He was a coward. The refugees themselves have told me that his father had sworn to King Pereður of Glædricgar that he would come to aid in a time of war. He — King Urien’s father — died before he was called upon to fulfill the oath, so it fell to Urien to fulfill it on his father’s behalf when Sæwinstiþ first attacked Glædricgar, but Urien refused and King Pereður had him cursed by a druid.”

“Oh,” Olwyn said.

“Following the fall of Sygæðelwulf most of the people who escaped being forced into our enemy the queen’s armies have been able to find refuge in Cynehærdwyn, because King Pereður mistreats them for the cowardice of their king,” Cælan added. “Few refugees are in the southern kingdoms, as they want revenge on our enemy the queen for having stripped their kingdom from them.”

“I don’t really blame them,” Olwyn said.

“Neither do I,” Cælan said.

“Do you know what their banner means?” Olwyn asked. “All I know is that yellow means justice or mercy, white means truth, and blue means peace.”

“You can’t always guarantee that,” Cælan replied. “The grey represents that the king is dead. If our own king were to be struck down — as we pray that God forbid — I believe the blue of peacefulness would change to grey until the Crown Prince ascends the throne.”

“Oh,” Olwyn said. “So what they have was the banner, with a different background colour, before?”

“I don’t think so, I think they had to make something up, aside from the paw print part,” Cælan replied. “As the name of the kingdom implies wolves are significant to the people, so they have the print of a wolf’s paw on their banner and some even have it tooled or stained onto their cuirass.”

Olwyn nodded, she knew most kingdoms had a symbolic animal of some sort who represented them and was considered important, with skins, feathers, or other parts of the animal being used in special ceremonies like coronations. Once upon a time Cynehærdwyn’s symbolic animal had been the stag, which was still reflected in some of the old buildings in the cities, as well as the antler-like coronation crown and the deerskin kilt Uncle Elaþa — as king — wore on the most special of occasions.

Pronunciation:

Cælan: k'ayelahn