Chapter Two- Dancing for a King.

We spent the nights locked in a dungeon cell, huddled for warmth. We ate nothing but watery cabbage soup and bread crusts. Eventually we were brought to a huge room to be given our instructions.

"You, girl," the leader pointed at me, "Translate for me." I just bowed my head in submission. "Good. Now, you are the finest young dancers in Southern España, therefore, you shall be given to the great king of Camelot, Uther Pendragon. He has been known to have a taste for the luxuries of the exotic savages." He turned to me. "Ask them if any of them can sing."

"Amigas, Quien eschucha queden cantar?*"

A few of them raised their hands, as did I.

"Good. The king's birthday is coming up in about a week, and you are going to be entertaining his majesty and his son, Prince Arthur. You are to put something together that you can perform at the feast. Your song must be in English…not your heathen Spanish. The king and his guests will be most pleased with your performance. Otherwise, I will personally make sure none of you ever perform again." He smiled at the horror on my face as I blanched at him halfway through the explanation. "Well? Go on, girl. Tell them what I said."

I didn't want to, I wouldn't. But I couldn't let them be unaware. Their faces showed the same fear as I felt so strongly. I turned to the big man. "And what of the king, señor?"

He regarded me curiously. "What of him, girl?"

"What might Su Majestad** say to your treatment of my girls?"

"Your girls? And what makes you think that they are your girls?"

"They are under my protection." I retorted, sounding far braver than I felt.

"Oh, and a fine job you've done of that, dearie." The man moved faster than I thought would be possible for someone his size, grabbing me by the hair and forcing me to turn around to look at the group of frail, scared girls. "His Majesty cares nothing for you pieces of dirt, because that is all you are…dirt." Then he shoved me towards two of the other men. "And since you're so eager for them to be your girls, I have a little present for you, dearie." He looked at the men, "You know what to do."

Oh, the pain. The gift was nothing more than a white-hot brand placed against the skin of my shoulder blade. When they showed me the mark in a mirror, I saw that it was a crescent moon with a dragon rearing inside it. This showed that I was an entertainer that belonged to the King of Camelot.

~z AD z~

A week later, I finally had the girls ready to do the performance. Our outfits were styled after those we would have worn to ceremonies. Remembering this, I cried at the thought that I would never have my coming of age ceremony. We had loose pants cuffed at the ankle with breezy, scarf-like skirts, and half-shirts. We had bells on our ankles and small coins on our belts.

I was looking out through a curtain, waiting for our cue, when I felt something tugging at my shawl.

"Maria, what's wrong?" I asked in Spanish.

"I don't feel so good. My belly is all in knots."

I put my hand on her forehead. Her face was burning up. "Mija, when was the last time you ate?"

"This morning…but I couldn't hold it down at lunch."

I sighed, this was so cruel. "Let's try to get through tonight, ok? Then I'll see if they'll let us see the physician. Do you think you can hold on until then?"

"I can try…" but I wasn't so sure.

Finally we were called in. At the head of the table, I assumed, was Uther, and next to him, Arthur. Oh, the irony of the situation. We got into formation and waited for the minstrels to begin. This was a song from my village that I taught them how to play. It felt just like I was back home…except, the ground was cold and stony rather than the warm dirt I was used to. Suddenly it was over.

"My lord!" the man called, "Allow me to introduce the leader of the girls, the Golden Dragon's Prize of España. Lucky for us, she speaks a bit of English and has agreed to sing for us."

"Please, proceed. I am eager to hear what this foreign girl can do."

The girls stood behind me in their formation, "My lord, if I may?" He waved for me to continue. "I picked something that may remind you of our shared ancestory."

He laughed, "Now I'm really intrigued. What could that possibly be?"

"You shall see. Mis hijas, la Rede."*** They nodded, and it began.

Gyfer prynu o fewn y Gyfraith rhaid i chi, in Love berffaith ac Ymddiriedolaeth berffaith.

Byw rhaid i chi a gadael i fyw, yn deg cymryd ac yn deg yn ei roi.

Am gwadn y Cylch thrice am i gadw ysbrydion digroeso allan.

I glymu'r cyfnod yn dda bob tro, gadewch y cyfnod yn cael ei ddweud yn odl.

Golau llygad a meddal o gysylltiad, yn siarad i chi ychydig, gwrando llawer.

Anrhydedda y Ones Hen weithred ac enw,

gadael i gariad a golau yn ein canllawiau eto.

Deosil mynd gan y lleuad cwyro, llafarganu y dôn llawen.

Widdershins yn mynd pan wnelo yr lleuad pallu,

a'r bonllefau blaidd-ddyn gan y wolfsbane arswyd.

Pan fydd y lleuad Lady yn newydd, cusanu y llaw Ei gwaith dau.

Pan fydd y reidiau lleuad yn ei anterth, yna awydd eich calon yn eu ceisio.

Wrando ar y gwyntoedd nerthol Gogledd gale, clowch y drws a thorrwch yr hwyl.

Pan fydd y gwynt yn chwythu o'r Dwyrain, yn disgwyl y newydd a gosod y wledd.

Pan fydd y gwynt yn dod o'r De, bydd cariad cusanu chi ar y geg.

Pan fydd y sibrwd gwynt o'r gorllewin, bydd pob calon dod o hyd i heddwch a gorffwys.

Mae naw coed yn y Cauldron mynd, eu llosgi yn gyflym ac yn eu llosgi yn araf.

Birch yn y tân yn mynd i gynrychioli'r hyn y Lady yn gwybod.

Oak yn y tyrau goedwig gyda nerth, yn y tân mae'n dod â'r mae Duw

mewnwelediad. Rowan yn goeden o bŵer yn achosi bywyd a Magick i flodeuo.

Helyg ar lan y dŵr yn barod i'n helpu ni i Summerland.

Y Ddraenen Wen yn cael ei losgi i buro ac i dynnu faerie i'ch llygad.

Hazel-y goeden o ddoethineb a dysgu yn ychwanegu ei nerth i losgi tân llachar.

Gwyn yw'r blodau o Apple goeden sy'n dod â ni ffrwyth ffrwythlondeb.

Grawnwin yn tyfu ar y winwydden gan roi i ni yn llawenydd a gwin.

Fir yn nodi bythwyrdd i gynrychioli anfarwoldeb welwyd.

Elder yw coed y Lady i beidio losgi neu melltigedig byddwch yn.

Bedair gwaith y Sabbats Mawr nodi yn y goleuni ac yn y tywyllwch.

Wrth i'r flwyddyn oed yn dechrau pylu newydd yn dechrau, mae'n awr Samhain.

Pan fydd yr amser ar gyfer sioeau Imbolc gwylio am flodau trwy'r eira.

Pan fydd yr olwyn yn dechrau troi yn fuan bydd y tanau llosgi Beltane.

Wrth i'r olwyn yn troi at rym nos Lamas cael ei ddwyn i Magick ddefod.

Bedair gwaith y Sabbats Mân disgyn yn defnyddio'r haul i farcio pob un ohonynt.

Pan fydd yr olwyn wedi troi i Yule golau log Un Corniog rheolau.

Yn y gwanwyn, pan fydd yn dychwelyd nos yn ystod y dydd i Ostara i ddod ein ffordd.

Pan fydd yr Haul wedi cyrraedd uchder o amser ei gyfer Derw a Holly i ymladd.

Cynaeafu yn dod i un ac oll pan fydd y Equinox Hydref yn dod o.

Wrando ar y blodau, llwyn, a choed gan yr Arglwyddes bendigedig byddwch yn.

Lle mae'r dyfroedd crychdonni mynd yn bwrw carreg, y gwir byddwch yn gwybod.

Pan fydd gennych a chynnal angen, nid harken i eraill trachwant.

Gyda ffwl 'run tymor yn gwario neu gael ei gyfrif fel ei gyfaill.

Llawen gwrdd a llawen Rhan llachar y bochau ac yn gynnes y galon.

Gwyliwch y Cyfreithiau Tri-blygu dylech dair gwaith gwael a thair gwaith yn dda.

Pan fydd anffawd yn enow gwisgo y seren ar eich ael.

Byddwch yn wir mewn cariad hyn mae'n rhaid i chi ei wneud oni bai bod eich cariad yn anghywir i chi.

Mae'r rhain yn wyth o eiriau y Rede cyflawni:

"Mae Dim Niwed Ye, Do Beth Ye Will"

The audience was speechless for a moment, before bursting out into applause…even the king. Questions were being murmured when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maria collapse.

"GAIUS!" Uther bellowed, "Come quickly!"

"I'm here, your Majesty. What-" the elderly man stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh, my. Get her to my chambers."

I picked the girl up with almost no trouble, since she was so thin, then turned to the king. "Please make sure the others have good rooms and much warm food. The dungeons is no place for sick girls. And I am no simple Españian peasant, Majestad. My father was Wilhelm." And with that, I followed the elderly physician out of the Great Hall.

*My friends, who can sing?

**His Majesty

***My girls, the Rede

A/N: the "song" is actually this thing called the Wiccan Rede, it's actually in English, but I put it in Welsh. If you want to know the translation, just google it.