The king of Connacht did not understand why Medb wanted to attend the festivities. Things had not been good of late. She had tried to avenge herself on Ulster through his son and had failed. She had tried to avenge herself on him through her sister’s son and had failed. There was nothing for Medb to celebrate. So why did she want to be here at the festival of the winter solstice?
Ailill had been surprised by the High King’s invitation. After the death of Furbaide beside the stables in Crúachain, Ailill felt Connacht had been marginalized by Lugaid, as though he blamed Medb for the death of his brother before he had a chance to question him. The look on the new High King’s face as he had looked down into the dead eyes of Furbaide had been one of fury. Even Medb, who took most things thrown at her without pause, had blanched at that look.
Despite the time that had passed, to receive a messenger from the High King requesting their presence at Temuir had been unexpected. But he had been even more surprised by his wife’s acceptance. Since the failure of her plans she had withdrawn into herself and nothing he could do would console her. What had changed in the time since Lugaid was crowned? Ailill did not think anything had changed. At least not anything of real significance. Lugaid had become a father. Cú Chulainn had become invincible. Mac Nessa had become ever more powerful.
The king of Connacht frowned and looked at his wife sitting in front of the polished bronze mirror combing her hair. She was as beautiful as ever. He had never understood what she saw in him. He was not a keen warrior, or an athlete. He did not sing like a bird or tell tales that would have his audience enraptured. He did not look like a demigod, like Cú Chulainn, or couch a lance like Conall.
He knew he was an object of derision in the Five Kingdoms because of the relationship Medb and he had. She ruled Connacht and the warriors of Ériu deemed that to be his failing. They considered him weak.
Ailill did not consider himself weak.
He would die for Medb and for Connacht.
Most of the warrior caste did not believe it of him, but it was true. Since he had heard of Medb’s shame, he would also kill for her. It was only her strength that had stopped him. He would rip off Mac Nessa’s manhood and feed it to him with his oats and mutton if Medb would let him off the leash. But she would not. His queen wanted to do it her own way. She did not just want the fat king dead, she wanted him to suffer.
So why are we at Temuir, not far from where the slob had defiled her? the king wondered. “You look as radiant as a spring sunrise, my love,” he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Have you been at the mead already, Ailill?”
“Ah, Medb, just a drop to warm me from the winter chill.”
***
Medb turned around and frowned up at her husband. He seemed to need the warming of mead more and more of late. She did not begrudge him, though. Unlike most warriors of the Five Kingdoms, mead did not turn him into a ferocious animal, it just made him more placid. She supposed he needed that peace because of their situation. He was the only king in the Five Kingdoms to be ruled by his queen and she knew it hurt him, even though he would not admit it.
“You are looking forward to the festivities?” he asked.
“No, Ailill. I think we will be leaving before the festivities get underway.”
“Oh. Why are we here then?”
“We are here to ask Mac Nessa for the loan of a bull.”
“Which bull? I hear that Donn Cuailnge is a mighty beast.”
“Are you sure you have only had a few, Ailill?”
“Yes, Medb, I swear by the Tuatha that I have had no more than two, or maybe three.”
“Saying we have come for the loan of a bull was intended as sarcasm. We came here to see if there was any opportunity to cause mischief. And as it happens, I think there is, so we can leave again.”
“Oh, how so?”
“I have discovered Mac Nessa’s favorite is having a relationship with the queen of the Five Kingdoms.”
“Pah, how can you possibly know that?”
“I saw the two of them leave the same guest roundhouse at dawn. The way they skulked between the roundhouses did not instil a sense of innocence. They were up to no good and when no good involves a warrior and a queen it can mean only one thing.”
“You are making assumptions, Medb. Without proof, I would not consider raising your suspicions with anyone but me. I suspect that Emer, although appearing strong, would be easily upset and the High King is still little more than a child, so who knows how he will react.”
“Emer is the wife of a warrior. You really think she would be upset to learn of his dalliances?”
“From what I understand of their courtship, Medb, I think she expects her warrior to behave differently from what is accepted as normal. But that is also a little beside the point. If you raise allegations against the wife of the High King and they are not proven to be true, he is likely to take your head. You saw the way he handled Furbaide.”
“But think of the damage we would do to the fat king if his favorite was exposed rutting with the queen. With Longas, Conall, and Fergus under our vassalage and The Hound disgraced, he would be at our mercy.”
“I do not like it, Medb.”
“I have a meeting with Emer shortly, and I mean to tell her. She can use the information as she sees fit.”
“You will hurt Emer and Lugaid. Neither of them has done you harm, Medb.”
“That cannot be helped. I will have my revenge, come what may.”
“If they are hurt it will leave a taste in your mouth like bitter cherries. No good can come of it.”
“I hope not, Ailill. I sincerely do,” the queen responded before getting up and leaving. Ailill was not sure whether she was referring to the bad taste or that no good could come from her schemes. Either way, he felt sure there would be repercussions.
***
“Are you well, Emer?” Medb asked, a short time later. She was looking peaky at best. They were in the roundhouse of Emer and Cú Chulainn.
“I am just very tired of late. A slight ache in my back is keeping me awake. I toss and turn all through the night. So much so that Setanta has taken to sleeping in a different roundhouse.”
“I am sorry, Emer. I hope you get well soon,” Medb said while doubting it was her tossing and turning that was driving Setanta to sleep elsewhere.
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“How can I help you, Medb?” Emer asked with a sigh.
“I wanted to tell you something. I hope it is not an intrusion.”
“No, no intrusion. Please, what is it?”
Before speaking, Medb looked at Emer. She could see a blush of vibrancy in her cheeks, which were glowing with good health. Unless the queen was mistaken, Emer’s breasts were fuller than she remembered.
She is with child, Medb realized. Even I am not so harsh as to destroy the dreams of an expectant mother.
She would do most things to get her own way but taking away the support for a woman with child was not one of them. She knew how much a new mother would rely on her man. Not that the warrior caste did much, but they did provide meat and mead.
“How is it going with Cú Chulainn?” she asked, while trying to think of a reason she could give for requesting the audience.
“He seems a little distant. He talks constantly of Dervla. It is as though she holds something over him.”
“What sort of something?”
“Some sort of enchantment, or spell.”
“Well she is certainly very beautiful. Most men find her hard to resist.”
“Am I not beautiful, Medb?” Emer asked with a pout.
“Yes, Emer, of course you are beautiful. Some say the most beautiful in the Five Kingdoms.”
“But not those who have seen Dervla.”
Medb smiled. Despite no longer being of a tender age where naivete was responsible for much, Emer seemed to be wrapped up in the pettiness common in the very young. She was soon to be a mother and maturity was a requirement of that position.
“You have another to think about now. You should not be caught up in the petty jealousies of the courtly women.”
“I would like to know what the Jute has that I do not. Is that so bad?”
“There is to be a contest of all the women to assess desirability. You should enter and prove yourself to be the most desirable.”
“You believe that I could win, Medb?” Emer had known of the contest and had already decided to enter. She had raised the question of desirability because she wanted Medb’s approval or blessing perhaps.
“I do. I think you are the most desirable woman in the Five Kingdoms, even with the bump of a new arrival.”
“How did you know?” Emer asked.
“We are both women, Emer. I have had many children and can spot the signs.”
***
Cú Chulainn watched Emer combing her hair. Her movements were lacklustre, as though she had no energy and did not want to attend the feast. He was surprised, because he thought she and Dervla had become close friends.
“Are you ill, Emer?” he asked.
“No, Setanta, not ill exactly. Where were you during the night?”
“I slept in a guesthouse again.”
Emer looked at him. She knew that he was not being entirely honest with her. She thought she knew what Medb had intended telling her. She knew the queen had been deflected from her course when she realized that Emer was with child. Emer spoke with Lugaid frequently and knew Dervla was often out all night to creep back with the dawn. Emer thought she might understand Dervla’s need to stray. There were many years between her and Lugaid and she had been given to him in marriage, so there was no love between them. But she did not understand the same need in Setanta. Oh, she knew it was part of the manliness of a warrior to have many women, but she had thought her man to be above that. He was different from the others. She thought she had uncovered that when she fell in love with him.
She had also thought he had loved her.
“You were with her again,” she said matter-of-factly.
“With whom, Emer?”
“Do not take me for a fool, Setanta. You were with that Jutish slut.”
“How dare you call her a slut?”
“What would you call her? She is sleeping with my husband,” Emer seethed. “Not only that. She is the queen and sleeping with my husband.”
***
Setanta did not see the point in denying the accusation. He was a warrior. Having a wife and several concubines was normal. “So what if I am sleeping with her? I am a warrior. It is what we do.”
“I thought you a better man, Setanta.”
“I am not the man to change a tradition that has persisted for hundreds of years.”
“You are weak, you mean.”
“Enough, Emer!” he shouted.
He was also beginning to lose his temper. He supposed it was because of guilt and not because Emer was doing anything wrong. He knew she expected better of him. He expected better of himself.
“Get out of my sight, Setanta. I no longer want to see you. You have betrayed me and the life inside of me.”
“What life? What are you talking about?”
“I am with child.”
“Who is the father?”
Setanta watched the face of his wife turn white and then red. He realized the question had been ill advised a second before Emer threw her brush at him. The brush was ornate and decked in bronze. Had it struck where it had been intended, it would have caused considerable pain. However, he side-stepped and caught the brush as it passed. He raised it as though he was going to throw it back at Emer, but let it drop at the last moment and strode away from his wife in fury.
***
Emer watched her husband storm from the roundhouse and started to cry. She had not intended talking to him about his affair. She had intended taking the higher ground. But seeing him obviously tired from his night’s efforts, had caused her to lose her composure. She hated herself both because she could not control the anger or the tears it caused. She was no different from the warriors of the Five Kingdoms, hating to show any weakness.
“Be strong,” she admonished the walls of the roundhouse, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. She had just cleared the last of the tears, when Lugaid entered the roundhouse.
“Emer, I saw Setanta ride out of Temuir. What is wrong? Can I help?”
“There is nothing you can do, Lugaid. He has taken against the news I gave him.” Emer did not have the heart to tell her friend what had happened. She had suspected that her husband was being unfaithful but had not had any proof. Setanta’s admittance had hurt more than she believed possible.
“What news?”
“I am with child. Setanta does not want children. Not with me, anyway. Maybe with another.”
“What do you mean, with another?”
“Setanta is not like you, Lugaid. He would never be satisfied with just one woman in his life. He is a warrior and has a warrior’s appetites.”
“Ah, Emer, not you as well. Just because I do not wield a sword and become deranged on mead every chance I get, it does not make me less of a man.”
“No one thinks you less of a man. I think you are more of a man that you love only one woman. Warriors use their manliness as an excuse to rut with anything that has a snatch.”
“I am sure Setanta is different from most warriors, Emer. I will ride after him and talk some sense into his thick head.”
***
Emer could not believe what she had witnessed. It was not supposed to happen. Dervla was supposed to have been vanquished and Emer was supposed to have been proclaimed the most desirable.
The courtly women were standing around the columns of snow the warriors had built before retreating to the feast hall earlier in the day. Dervla’s urine had penetrated to the ground, twice as far as Emer’s, making her the most desired woman in the Five Kingdoms and not even Irish. The women were dazed, looking from one to another. Emer felt an anger begin to rise at the base of her guts. This woman had come to Ériu and had taken her man.
“She has cast a spell,” Emer hissed.
The women of the Five Kingdoms looked at her before they grasped the idea as one they could use. They began to crowd around the woman they perceived as a threat. Emer could see the bestiality rising in them as they crowded around her husband’s lover.
“What are you doing?” Dervla asked, becoming nervous because they were advancing on her and she did not think what they intended was a game.
Someone threw something, perhaps a clod of turf, and it acted as a catalyst. Others began to throw stones, turf, wood, until Dervla fell to her knees crying for them to stop. On her knees, her beautiful blond locks were within easy reach and Emer saw a hand snake through the crowd and grab a handful. She had seen enough and backed out of the crowd, intent on returning to her roundhouse.
It was as she settled in front of the newly lit fire that she heard the first scream.