Disclaimer: I do not own the Prydain Chronicles or any of it's characters! They belong only to Mr. Alexander, probably one of the coolest people in the world.
Prince Gwydion looked at the strange trio before him. The snow white pig being stroked by the lost princess who was watching over the unconscious farm boy. His brow furrowed as he contemplated how the tangled threads of destiny had brought these crucial figures together. The irony that the key to the fate of his land was a simple farm animal did not escape him, and his thoughts turned again to the young man who tended the oracular pig. That he had been raised by Dallben was of particular interest to him, and Gwydion felt that a long chat with the enchanter was in store about a certain book. One thing he knew for certain was that this was not the last time he would meet Taran of Caer Dallben. And then there was Eilonwy, daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat, Princess of the house of Llyr. That Angharad's daughter had been in the clutches of Achren for so long caused him no end of grief from regret. If only he had known. He was sure that Achren had found some underhanded way of concealing her, and it was nothing short of a miracle that the young princess had surfaced unscathed. Once again since their first meeting, Gwydion found himself wanting to keep her, to give her the home a princess deserves. She would be welcomed with open arms in his father's court, and he could love her as a daughter. He let himself imagine, just for a moment, how she would run to greet him, how he would bring her little presents that made her smile, how he would watch her blossom into a lady in front of the admiring eyes of the courtiers. My Eilonwy, the flower of the court he would call her. And she did, indeed, have her mother's fair looks and hair that caught the sun as spun gold in the red light of dawn. It would be an extraordinary boon to have the love of such a child. Gwydion pushed the thoughts away as his throat began to constrict. He was a warrior and a traveler, not a father. Besides, there was much still to learn about this princess, and it was better that she remain hidden away at Caer Dallben until the time was right, until destiny called her. And, judging by the way she was watching over Taran, she might prefer to spend her remaining childhood by the side of an Assistant Pig Keeper.
Coll was very relieved and slightly bemused. The recently promoted Assistant Pig-Keeper and his charge had gone missing, only to return weeks later not only with Hen Wen, but also a strange creature called Gurgi and in the company of a golden haired princess no less! The gardener rubbed his bald head and grinned. No wonder Dallben had not seemed too worried at Taran and Hen Wen's disappearance. The enchanter had merely raised his bushy eyebrows at the news and busied himself over The Book of Three, Coll even suspected that Dallben had really been "meditating" over the situation which had seemed entirely inappropriate at the time. However, Coll had learnt to trust the old enchanter's instincts and waited patiently for whatever may have come. Coll thanked the stars that Taran's luck had served him well and brought him back home, safe and sound if slightly older. As much as Coll was loathe to admit it, he knew he could not stop the boy from growing taller, could not stop him from learning more about the outside world, could not even keep him from all the things he had been protected against in Caer Dallben. Like girls. Coll watched the princess standing at Hen Wen's fence. Although he knew nothing of young women, he already felt affection for her tugging at his heart. The poor child had been raised with no parents save Achren, and although Coll knew that he was a unfortunate substitute for Taran's mother, he felt sure that even he had been a better parent to his boy than the fallen queen bent on revenge and surrounded by dark magic could have been to this girl. And yet the child seemed wholly unspoiled, her heart untarnished by the wickedness of Achren. Coll knew, however, that the emotional scars of her past would begin to show sooner or later. He shook his head and went about arranging a place for her to stay, grinning again as he wondered how their little home would change by the presence of a girl. How Taran would change. Coll could see it already, Taran might not know it yet, but Coll knew that the boy would ask for the princess to stay with him, knew that already he feared separation from her. Coll let out a chuckle. Things were going to change in Caer Dallben, indeed.