Summary: A back story about prudery's unsheathed sword. This is kind of an anti-love one-shot between him and his wife when they are young. Written 3rd shift.
Disclaimer: If I owned Prydain, seriously, I'd never write this mess.
Pryderi's eyes danced around the cold stone walls of his chambers before they, primarily out of exhaustion, settled on his young wife. For her part, her eyes stayed glued to her needle work, deliberately. Even when he spoke.
"Cigfa."
Nothing.
"Cigfa"
Again, the maiden didn't budge.
"Cig"
"Oh for Belins sake! Stop evoking my name, what is it you want?" she demanded.
Pryderi was at a loss. He was wanting to find a synonym for depraved that he could rhyme with her name and weave the two into a little song, but her unprecedented response killed this small dream.
"I uh.." he managed. Pryderi was a creative person, but his improvisational skills left something to be desired.
"…I hate the rain."
"The farmers need it. We don't have enough surplus to possibly provide for them this winter unless they generate a decent harvest now, if you look at--"
She continued to talk but Pryderi's eyes, now rested, resumed there journey around the walls, his mind tagged along. Pryderi loathed Cigfa's accent, but more than that he hated the words she said. Cigfa had dedicated herself to two things since first coming to his father's kingdom, feudal politics and extra domestic relations, neither of which concerned Pryderi in the least. He gathered that this deeply bothered his wife, but he tried to tell himself that he had no need for her opinion. He was a prince, and she was the daughter of some well-loved warlord who won a battle for Pryderi's father Pwyll ages ago. They had been betrothed since he was 3 and she was just emerging from her mother. He tried to tell himself that he was above her in every area that really mattered.
Because really, there was no telling her.
"I..hate..the..rain. Rain…rain…go…away" he sang angelically. A minstrel picked up his harp and plucked along to the melody. Pryderi loved his power. He raised his hands and the minstrel continued with the song, although his voice proved far less lovely.
Cigfa was dark. Her midnight eyes matched her raven hair, and her lightly tanned skin maintained its shade even though royal protocol kept her indoors most of her days. She was admittedly striking, but the only people who would call her beautiful were people who hadn't had the pleasure to stare at Pryderi, the young lord thought as he again looked her over.
That reminded him of one of his favorite pastimes.
Jumping to his feet Pryderi unsheathed his sword. The minstrel stopped playing abruptly. And Cigfa looked up from her needlework with a slight hint of surprise.
Pryderi repositioned himself in his hair again and held his blade at an angle that would reflected his perfect features back to him. He smiled his most debonair smile and smiled exuberantly at the results.
"You'll send them running for the hills I'm sure," Pryderi's eyes rose from utopia , "with that face, I mean."
Cigfa gave a cold smile. The royal minstrel suppressed a laugh.
"What in the summer country are you talking about?' Pryderi recoiled defensively, tough he really had no clue what his wife was alluding to.
"In battle, I can just see you, beaming at your enemies, hoping they will find you as attractive as you seem to find yourself"
Pryderi could see this logically happening, not that it would be his plan of action of course. He had long been trained in the art of war and fancied himself and expert on strategy and battle. That said, he was aware of where this conversation was headed, and attempted to steer in in a direction more to his liking.
"What, you don't think I'm gorgeous" he half joked.
"Yes, your gorgeous." Cigfa said earnestly.
It may have been the first compliment she had even given him. Feeling empowered by this Pryderi started again,
"Then--"
"Beauty fades, dumb is forever" she nonchalantly interrupted.
Pryderi was not dumb, granted he was vein, self centric, and often insensitive to the needs of his constituents. But he was a strong, effective, if not slightly machiavellian ruler. He had proven himself on many accounts politically and intellectually to higher society, if not to his wife.
Truth be known, he thought very highly of her. It was rare for a woman to be educated. It was rarer still for a woman to have ever seen battle, and it wounded him that a woman who was both thought so seemingly little of him.
It hurt the blonde more knowing that it was not his looks or intellect that her respect hindered upon.
"The sons of Don--"he started.
"I'm tired with this already" Cigfa sighed. Normally Pyderi would be relieved but he wanted to pursue this a bit further. He had a reasonable point and he would prove it. "ushered in a time of peace,
there are no battles to be fought under there rule"
"There is Annuvin"
Pryderi wasn't exactly sure how to respond. Annuvin was more a fallacy than a place, and though individuals of authority would sometimes speak of leading some intangible crusade to retake what was lost to that domain, Pryderi though that such reasoning was moronic. After all the legendary book of three still rested in Prydain, and in it lied all the knowledge of the world. He knew that going to war with Arwen or any of his cohorts was a waist of men and resources, and he knew that his wife felt the same way. He couldn't figure out why she was bringing this up.
"Did you hear about that pig-boy"
"Yes." Pryderi never heard of a 'pig-boy.
"Supposedly he has defeated the aptly named 'horned king"
Now Pryderi knew what she was referring to. About a month ago, message came that an 'assistant-pig keeper' had done something of merit. He figured she had no idea what an assistant pig keeper was.
He didn't.
"Your point?"
"He is younger than you, raises swine and has seen war. You are a prince, nearing manhood and you use your sword to gaze in wonder at your own face"
Somewhere along the way she had gone too far.
Pryderi's voice raised and his carefree temper became clouded with spite, "Well I didn't see you out there fighting!"
Cigfa grew vengeful as well, but kept her voice to a low, "I'm not allowed to leave this wretched castle until I've supplied you with 'an heir and a spear'". They both laughed in spite of themselves.
"Your mother's policy"
They laughed again.
Queen Rhiannon had but one child, and after securing his position as the next under load of the region wasted no time at all with Pwyll.
"But really" Cigfa's smile faded, " I think--"
Not waiting to hear how she'd chose to phrase her insult, Pryderi said "I just haven't had a chance to prove myself"
"Exactly."
"Exactly…what are you saying ? That I force some kind of opportunity? First you talk about our lack of resources then about some nameless swine farmer and 'horned king'..its rubbish! "
"All I'm saying is that maybe instead of using your weapon to admire your visage you might work on something, anything, to give you a militaristic edge. Times are changing and--"
"But there is no war to fight--"
"You could strengthen our army, go to--"
Pryderi picked up his sword and pointed it at Cigfa.
"I have a battle. I'll win. I'll win your heart"
"You'll cut it out?" she questioned.
"I'll prove to you that my worth has no basis in how many I have or have not killed. I'm still young. And you're deranged, but weirdly talented at things I prefer not to do. It is to be expected of
someone from your class," She huffed., "but I love you and I'll wear my blade unsheathed everyday to symbolize my fight for you everyday until I win!"
Cigfa stood in complete shock for several moments before she responded.
"You might not want to go outside then"
"Why?"
"Your blade will rust in this weather"
Pryderi, who was heading for the door, stopped abruptly, and turned on his heal.
Wordlessly, he approached the black haired princess and forced her lips into a kiss. To his supries, she kissed him back with just as much fury and passion.
"Did I win?" Pryderi asked.
" Not yet, but you have an uphill advantage"
He pressed his lips upon hers again.
Pryderi really did loath her accent.
The royal minstrels started playing a triumphant tune, and the pair started laughing again.
"Do I compete with the pig-boy"
"Pryderi."
"eh?"
"Stop looking for praise"
She took the sword from his belt and put it back into his sheath.
"You look ridiculous"
FIN.
A/N: I've always had this idea that Pryderi had a rather unsatisfying marriage and didn't intend for this story to be nearly is 'fluff' or pseudo-political is it became. The names Cigfa and Rhiannon are taken from the Mabiongion. Hope you guys were briefly amused!