Prologue: Ealdor

It had been three seasons since Hunith had waved goodbye to her lover Balinor. Three seasons of looking after her young son Merlin on her own; her son was so dear to her she could barely stand thinking of the cruelties she knew he would be forced to face one day. If only she could shield him from the outside world, she thought to herself as she nursed him to sleep. As her son briefly opened his eyes and connected with hers, she felt as if she was almost looking at Balinor again. She wondered suddenly if her son had Balinor's gifts too. What would it mean for the two of them if he did she wondered? How could she protect him? She closed her eyes for a second, willing the question to disappear.

As the night fell, and she heard her little boy's breathing become more regular as he finally succumbed to sleep, Hunith couldn't help but think back to Balinor's last sentence to her those three years ago. "Destiny will always play its part in our lifetime my love." A cold feeling took hold of her and all of a sudden she knew the answer.

A Druid Camp in The Darkling Woods Eleven Years Later.

It was just after the start of summer, that he had noticed her. The thing that stood out most was the haunted look on her face. She had a mass of dark hair that reached her shoulders, even from across the camp fire he could see her green eyes, and they looked around but they saw nothing. She briefly met his gaze, but just as he went to smile her face had turned away, as if afraid to have any contact with him, it saddened Cerdan somehow.

"You'll do well to stay away from her. She is trouble, condemned." Malick said, following his friend's gaze, as they warmed their hands on the fire.

"That goes against everything we as a people stand for. We don't turn anyone away." Cerdan was appalled at Malick's words. As a Druid Cerdan was proud that not one person was hounded out, unlike other communities who regularly threw people out whom they didn't understand. Never in his twenty two years had he heard such a claim from another Druid. From that day forward he was determined to get to know Jayall.

Yet within a few weeks the Druid elder had also cautioned Cerdan away from Jayall, warning him she was "troubled". Whenever he tried to get more information he would meet a wall of silence. Not that it put him off, Cerdan was determined he would decide for himself.

Chapter 1

Cerdan led Jayall by the hand through the forest. The first signs of autumn were beginning to develop. The leaves had begun to fall and all of a sudden the wind had started to turn colder. Cerdan was beginning to worry as he searched for the house belonging to the midwife, he'd been told about. Beside him, Jayall whimpered again.

"I don't think I can go on." She said, coming to a stop. Cerdan held her pushing her hair across her face gently. Desperate to reassure her, he urged her to continue.

"I'm sure we are not far away from Mary's place, my love. Please try and carry on."

Jayall, nodded before a big contraction stopped her in her tracks, she cried out. Cerdan took her in his arms, suddenly reaching a decision.

"We will find you somewhere to lie down, I will deliver it here myself." He said, leading her to a clearing, with a small brook running nearby. He took out of his bag a long blanket and put it on the ground. "Here let's take your scarf off." He folded it over and put it on the ground fluffing it up so it would support Jayall's head.

Jayall, beyond caring did as he asked, soon she was lying on the ground groaning as another contraction broke through her body. Cerdan brought her some water and stroked her hair, trying to keep her as calm as he could. As the contractions became more frequent, he took a deep breathe and tried to remember the birth of his sister, whom he had helped deliver all those years ago. Jayall by now was screaming into the darkness as she felt another contraction rip through her body.

"You are doing fine Jayall; I would like you to push now. Come on I know you can do it, I will be here." Cerdan whispered tenderly.

Jayall took a deep breathe, before pushing with all her might, harder than she had pushed before. She clenched her teeth and continued to push as Cerdan encouraged her on. As the hours went on, Cerdan could feel Jayall's strength begin to desert her, she was such a fragile creature anyway, not for the first time Cerdan feared for her. Every contraction now was greeted by a scream, each one seemed to be louder than before, and Cerdan felt as though he was feeling the pain with her. By now he was desperate, for it too end so Jayall's agony could be over.

By the time he saw the baby for the first time, the first glimmer of daylight was starting to emerge. Cerdan continued to speak to her, trying to support her, urging her on.

"Jayall I can see the baby it won't be long, just try and push again for me." He begged her.

Jayall eased herself up onto her elbows, clenched her teeth and pushed with all her might, her cry echoing around the woodland, almost silencing the birds who'd just started to sing.

Cerdan said happily, "Its coming Jayall, its coming. Nearly there. Here he is Jayall he is a fine boy." He smiled. "Well done we have a son." Cerdan took Jayalls hands and squeezed them gently.

Jayall lay back not knowing if she wanted to cry or laugh. "Let me see my son, please."

"Let me just clean him up my love." Cerdan carefully cleaned the baby before handing him to Jayall. Cerdan watched transfixed as Jayall took hold of his little fingers and connected with their child.

"Oh Cerdan he is so beautiful. He has your blue eyes; he will be a handsome boy." She said laughing.

"He will indeed. We need a name." Cerdan smiled he could feel tears forming in his eyes, as he continued to watch Jayall and their son.

"Mordred, I would like him to be called Mordred." Jayall smiled.

"Mordred it is." Cerdan answered, taking him from Jayall, and looking intently at his son for the first time. For a second he had never felt happier in his life. The baby had such blue eyes, Cerdan swore he recognised his own father's features in Mordred. The memory made him suddenly more emotional.

Jayall noticed and grabbed hold of Cerdan's arm, caressing it gently.

"Cerdan what is it?" she asked concerned.

"Oh nothing just for a second when I looked at Mordred I could see my own father staring back at me." He said, laughing trying to make light of it.

Jayall continued to hold him knowing the pain he was going through. Having lost her own family she well understood what Cerdan's pain and anguish.

"Loss is never easy to come to terms with, but Mordred will give us a reason to live again Cerdan, I know he will." Jayall smiled.

Cerdan smiled continuing to bond with Mordred.

Jayall closed her eyes attempting to rest her weary body. She felt as if every limb was aching with the effort. It had been worth it though she thought as she watched Cerdan singing Mordred to sleep. For so many years she had been alone. But it seemed in this moment that she now understood why she had been born, to give this little boy his chance in life. She vowed she would fight to give him everything he needed. Her boy would want for nothing. She settled down to the laughter of Cerdan and the gurgling of her baby, as she slipped into a restless sleep, a biting cold wind blew through the forest.

For a brief time it was the happiest time of Cerdan's life. He had found his soul mate in Jayall. A woman who'd been shunned for no better reason than ignorance and as far as Cerdan's was concerned petty politics. He found her to be a happy mother, never more satisfied than being with her baby. She had a delightful singing voice that Cerdan could just as easily fall asleep listening too. When he remembered the shy and terrified woman he had met only a couple of seasons ago, he could hardly take in how much she had changed.

They had begun to move around from village to village, Cerdan finding work where he could. He worked mainly as a labourer, but in truth would turn his hand at anything. Jayall though grew frustrated that his natural talent for healing was being wasted.

"It is so unfair Cerdan. You are wasted doing these menial tasks. You should be using your talent to help people. You are a born healer." She said one day.

"I know I would love nothing more, but it is too close to magic my love. It would only frighten people." He said with a sad smile.

"Why is there so much ignorance in the world Cerdan. Why are people so stubborn in their beliefs? My grandmother was one of the most talented people I ever knew. But just because of what happened with her child, she was cast out forced to live the life of a hermit. For nothing more than a tragic accident. All my family where condemned, everyone of us forced to live outside our community."

"Why where you condemned by the Druids?" Cerdan asked it was something he been longing to ask Jayall ever since he'd met her.

"When my Grandmother's child had died, there where stories put around. It was said we came from a cursed family. People where told to stay away from us lest they too become affected. My Grandmother did not suffer fools gladly, she chose to stand up for her family. She was brave, but because she spoke up she also made enemies. My sister and I where sent to stay with the Druids, away from all the trouble. We where never accepted Cerdan it was horrible. I was brought up to believe the Druids would never turn us away. But we where ostracized once we got there. Everyone called us the cursed ones, we where made to stay at the back of the camp and we did nothing but work, hidden away. I could always feel eyes following me around. When my sister died I was suddenly alone."

Cerdan looked at Jayall sadly and held her hand.

"But then you came Cerdan and my life started again, and now we have Mordred too. We are going to make this work, you see. I will show them all." Jayall smiled.

The silence was broken suddenly by Mordred and Jayall went over to her son and took him in her arms singing to him as she walked around .

Cerdan watched them leave the room, and prepared for work. He was happy that for now he had something real to live for. It was something at one time he wondered if he would ever have. He just wished his father had still been around to meet Jayall. He sighed, well at least he had Jayall and Mordred now he smiled to himself. Nothing could stop the feeling of intense happiness he suddenly felt.

Mordred was approaching two years old when Cerdan's world was suddenly turned upside down. Their happy family life was ripped apart when Jayall went down with a severe virus. To begin with Cerdan managed to keep Jayall going using every bit of his craft to do so. In fact he was beginning to feel she was on her way back, as she began to talk to him and even to tell their boy a story or two.
One night though after Mordred had gone to bed she had grabbed hold of Cerdan's hand, her eyes wide with terror.

"You must promise me Cerdan, promise me." She begged him tears in her eyes as she looked at him. "You must look after Mordred, take care of my son."

Cerdan squeezed her hand, "We both will Jayall, we will be a family together." He promised stroking her hair back from her face.

The intensity in Jayall's eyes frightened Cerdan all of a sudden, he felt it was like a sign.

"Please Jayall you must sleep. In the morning you will see Mordred and maybe tell him a story." He smiled.

Fate though decreed otherwise. Two hours later Cerdan was holding Jayall's slight body in his hands, weeping as she lay there dying. The doctor had shook his head sadly at Cerdan, and suddenly he knew her time was almost up. As she quietly died in his arms he promised her in an emotional but clear voice.

"I will make you proud Jayall, our son will do great things. I will make sure of that, and he will never be aloud to forget about you." He kissed her softly as he felt her final breath leave her. He stayed with her, holding her gently, which is where Mordred found them the next day.

A week later Cerdan was feeling lost and totally confused. He was alone with a young son what was he to do? Thinking of the woman who for a short spell had been his life, he knew she would want him to continue and bring up young Mordred. After he'd given Jayall a brief burial, he prepared to leave the village. That night the forest had an almost ethereal feel about it. As if the spirits were at play, Cerdan suddenly felt as if he could almost communicate with Jayall. He felt at peace, and as he kneeled by her burial spot he whispered a promise, "I promise our son will want for nothing. I will bring him up in the true Druid spirit. I will not let you down my dear Jayall."

Tears pricked his eyes at he slowly got up and made his way out of the forest. Already he felt alone, but he was still determined that nothing would stand in his way to live up to the promise he'd just made.