The Life of Ambrosius Aurelius:
Ambrosius was born during the setting of the sun of the Roman empire is the far away land of Brittany. He was born of a Roman counsel and a British Lady of noble birth.
When the legions left Britain in order to go to the defence of Rome almost all the nobles of Roman decent left with them, for Britain was losing most of it’s warriors, most of it’s defenders. Many of the British warriors over the centuries had joined the Legions and when they were sent away the British people were left almost defenceless. No more would there be troops to man Hadrian’s Wall to defend against the incursions of the Picts. No more would there be legions to fend off the Irish and Saxon pirates who would raid the costal areas. Ambrosius and his immediate family however stayed. His father had recently died and his Mother was of British decent and going to Roman lands did not seem a feasible option for her.
Ambrosius, though he was still very young had an older brother who was a young man. His brother’s Name was Constantine. Constantine saw that the cream of the Roman nobility had fled and there were very few left to assume control of the administration of the isle of Britain. He decided to pursue political power and governorship of the emerging kingdom as he saw it from which to build his own royal line.
Constantine like his father was a skilled diplomat, and though there were many who whispered that Britain should have a British King, through his diplomatic ability and his training in administration managed to gain the support of many and did indeed begin to build his future dynasty.The coming year however presented many hardships for the young ruler. He did not have the benefit of the Legions. The Picts, the Irish, and the Saxons grew bolder and bolder as they began to sense the weakened state of Britain. Many of the chiefs from the ancient Celtic lines of nobility began to form their own personal armies. Some of the chiefs used their forces primarily to fend off the attacks of the outsiders, but others began to think that this was their chance to take back the power that the Romans had taken from them so many generations ago, and that perhaps they would become the future chief of chiefs, the ruler of all Britain. Constantine spent the year desperately trying to organize his defence meanwhile quelling rebellions and found he did not have enough power to do either very effectively.
One of the Chiefs, named Vortigern, was popular among those who would have liked to see a Celtic ruler. He had many followers, and he had forged many alliances and friendships with other chiefs. He also enjoyed the reputation of being a skilled warrior. The only thing holding Vortigern back from growing in power was Constantine, people followed Constantine because he was the leader and defender of Britain, many wished to present a unified front and that meant following who ever was in charge at the time. But if Constantine were removed, anything could happen. Perhaps Vortigern would become the ruler. Vortigern yearned for an opportunity to eliminate this young rival but his armies always surrounded him as he rode from place to place fighting battles and parleying with other leaders.As the summer faded into fall however the Pirates were less eager to take to the seas, the Picts went back to their warm houses and no one had the stomach for any more rebellion and soon Constantine returned to his headquarters exhausted to rest until the coming of the next summer when he would again have to deal with all that he had dealt with in his first year if not worse. In order to relax the young lord took to the hunt. And Vortigern who had come to him claiming to come to negotiate alliances and treaties learned of this. And it was that one day Constantine did not return from the hunt, killed in what some claimed to be a hunting accident. Working quickly Vortigern tried to gather as much support to his cause of being the next leader of Chiefs. He urged that they would need a leader before the coming of the next spring and so it was that many of his allies agreed to follow his leadership, though many of the other Chiefs would not. Correctly they guessed what fate had truly befallen Constantine and many would have preferred to become the ultimate ruler themselves or for one of their more powerful relatives to do so. And so it was that the kingdom that Vortigern was to inherit would be even weaker than it had been before.
Meanwhile Ambrosius and his younger brother Uther had been taken by their elderly mother to stay with some relives in Brittany, for with the death of her eldest she did not feel it was safe to remain on the isle of Britain. And there the young boys would grow into adulthood.With the coming of the next spring the people of Britain suffered. Vortigern needed something to give him an edge. He needed a powerful Ally that none of the other Chiefs had, for none of them could alone with their pockets of allies, defend the isle from all the dangers that lay within and without, and so it was that Vortigern approached Hengest, a Saxon Chief. He offered lands to Hengest and his men if they, instead of looting, would serve him as mercenaries. The Saxons at this time had no real land of their own. They had been displaced and settled on the northern shores of Germania, but it was not their true home. They agreed to aid him and settled in the southeast corner of Britain and served Vortigern well for many years. Vortigern married one of Hengest’s daughters for good measure early in his reign, and thereafter took his relationship with Hengest for granted.
With the aid of the Saxons, Vortigern enjoyed some success in strengthening his control over the entire isle and soon was considered the King of all Britain. And as the years passed he relied more and more on his growing Saxon army. However as the years passed Hengest grew more and more tired of his overlord Vortigern, for Vortigern was arrogant and demading and did not show Hengest proper respect.Hengest observed that the lands of the Britons were indeed large and bountiful and were sparsely populated. They certainly were poorly defended without his own armies. He noted that the chiefs did not work together well and were reluctant at best to serve their master, whose arrogance they too were tiring of. So it was that Hengest called across the seas to his cousins and his cousin’s cousins, to come and join him. Here he said that here, there is land for the fighting, land that the sons of the Saxon may hold!
And answer his call they did in great numbers, and on their tails came the Angels and the Jutes. The Saxons immediately carved out a Kingdom in the southeast, taking their neighbours by surprise and with their great numbers. It was aid that they burned down villages, and there were many tales of horrible massacres and wanton destruction. Whoever did not flee was said to be killed or enslaved. The Angles landed north of them on the shores and also began to capture lands of their own. And the Jutes did likewise on the south coastal areas.Vortigern realised his mistake far too late. Much of the support, which he had gained from the other chiefs, crumbled. For the mercenaries who he had brought had finally turned against them all. Even worse, the reputed ruthlessness of the Pagans did little to spark the fighting spirit in these chiefs who became fearful for their own very lives and the well being of their own families And so it was that the peoples of Britain were unable to form a unified defence as different chiefs argued and bickered on who should lead whom. And so it was that the kingdoms of the invaders grew as they took lands further and further west village by isolated village. The Saxons and the Angel territories soon covered the entire eastern half of the isle, with some small areas controlled by the Jutes.
Now many years had passed by this time since the departure of Ambrosius from the isle of Britain, and now he was a young man, old enough to follow the path his older brother had taken in trying to gain leadership in Britain. And Britain surely was in more dire need of a leader than it had been before or ever in living memory. And so it was that Ambrosius gathered fighting men from Brittany and went across the seas back to Britain to become the leader that the people needed so much. When he arrived he found there existed a sentiment that had grown over the years, a looking back upon long years of peace under Roman leadership with fondness, looking back to it as a golden age for them, for the decades following the Roman retreat had indeed been harder than any before. Yet still there were those who were not sure if the young Ambrosius had the strength to fight the Germanic peoples who had arrived, for they were fearsome warriors, and veterans of many victories now.
Ambrosius wasted no time in claiming the territory he needed from which to begin his campaign finding loyal imperialists in The mountains of Gwenydh who were ready to follow him and his forces into battle. From there he began a march west gathering any who wished to follow and to fight. Before long they came to the remnants of Vortigern’s centre of power. All that remained was a small area of land and a tower, which the Saxons had not burned down only because Vortigern was married to Hengest’s daughter. Ambrosius could not pass through however without making a statement here of his power and his desire for victory. As he looked upon Vortigern’s meagre holdings he was filled with pity, yet he knew what he must do. Vortigern had slain his Brother and he must slay him in turn or appear weak and lacking resolve.Ambrosius strode towards the tower accompanied by his men and shouted “Come out of your tower that I might deal with you alone and spare your household and retainers!” Vortigern replied by ordering his archers to fire down at him. Having no other choice Ambrosius ordered that the tower was to be burnt to the ground, and it was, but not before some of the inhabitants fled the tower surrendering themselves to his power for his judgement. Ambrosius saw no need to be overly vengeful and let each of they who had come out live and go freely, including Paschent Vortigern's son. Vortigern however, and his chief lieutenants, remained within even once the fire was applied and they were never seen alive again.
With this final triumph over his family’s enemy some of the nearby chiefs decided that Ambrosius was perhaps the leader that would lead them to victory against the renowned and aged Hengest, who was still head chief of the Saxon invaders. They joined his growing army with their own retinues of retainers and so it was that for the first time ever the Saxons would meet a force large enough to challenge their own great armies. And so it was that Ambrosius began to retake towns and shires from the control of the Saxons, chasing out their warriors and killing them whenever possible, for this was seen as a war of attrition. Only one people they thought would dominate the ilse and neither wanted to be dominated.Hengest soon heard of this British army, moving east and taking back lands he had conquered himself. Thus he amassed his own army of Saxons intending to meet them on the field and to see who would prevail. And so it was that as Ambrosius’ Army moved East Hengest’s army moved west and as fate unravelled they came together at the ford of a major river. Scouts from each side had seen the other’s scouts on the opposite bank so each knew his opponent lurked on the other side. However, neither side knew the true strength or numbers of the other.
Crossing the ford would be a dangerous endeavour. Whoever would move his army out from the cover of the tree line first towards the ford would expose his army’s numbers and composition. Furthermore an army would be vulnerable while it was in the process of crossing the ford. Once a portion of the army had crossed their opponents could strike at those who were on their side at their leisure and likely outnumber them if they chose to strike at the right time. Crossing first could be a total disaster for either army. And so it was that each warlord, each foreseeing the danger wisely waited for the other army to attempt to cross first. After a time however, it became apparent that both armies were hesitant to expose themselves in this way and they were at an impasse.Hengest consulted his scouts and began to assess the amount of time it would take for their army to find another way across the river. As Hengest did so however, Ambrosius hatched a plan based on an old strategy he had learned in Brittany. He asked for each man who had a horse to form a sub army. This cavalry unit made one in five of the men in his army. He bade them to form a forward group to approach the river. He instructed them to proceed forward as though they intended to cross and attack, but to turn back as soon as they came under attack or were confronted with a large number of foes. They were to flee as quickly as possible back beyond the tree line as though they were fleeing in terror. He also asked for a few small groups of his archers to approach the river behind the mounted men and to shoot at any of the foes who came out and only to flee when the first of the Saxons were almost across the ford. The remainder of the army was to remain hidden in the trees ready to strike those who he predicted would pursue the forward groups. They would wait silently until the Saxons were on the west side of the river and then rush out surprizing them.
The force that went out charged their horses screaming battle cries and challenges at their foes. Hengest was not at the front of this army to see this as he was consulting his scouts, though his interest was aroused by the noises. Who is to say whether or not the aged and clever Hengest would have seen through the ruse, but his lieutenants did not. When the Saxons saw the small force of horsemen start to cross the river as though to crush them, and the small number of archers on the far bank, they thought there was little to fear and also realised horsemen would probably be most vulnerable while wading through the ford. The leaders eager to prove thier valour, ordered their archers to fire and then charged out towards the river.The arrows landed among the forward group, killing and injuring some men, and injuring many of the horses but those who had not been hit immediately turned and fled as fast as they could. The Saxon fighters still pursued seeking to kill any who lay injured by arrows and hoping to disperse the groups of archers on the far banks with their numbers. As they crossed, to their surprise, the archers on the far bank instead of immediately fleeing with the horses continued to fire on them injuring and killing a small portion of them. Yet the Saxons wasted no time and were across and then chasing the fleeing heels of these archers and riders as quickly as thier legs would carry them.
Seeing what he guessed to be the whole of Hengest’s army either crossing the ford, waiting to cross the ford, or already on his side of the ford, Ambrosius ordered a full attack. The archers who had remained behind, arced their arrows over the river to land among those crossing the ford or those on the far side who stood int he open. The bulk of the british fighters then charged forward overwhelming the portion of the Saxon army which was on their side of the river. Seeing the slaughter ahead and seeing arrows coming down at them, those crossing the river turned back causing even more confusion among those waiting to cross the ford, until the whole of Heingest’s army was either in retreat or fallen. Ambrosius’ army needed no order to give chase to the retreating army and Ambrosius himself lead his horsemen across intending to capture Hengest.
Ambrosius and his cavalry cut down many of the fleeing enemy on the far bank before they found Hengest and his personal retinue. Outnumbered and caught in the open by the cavalry Hengest’s retainers could tell they had little chance of victory, yet not one fled, nor did one throw down his weapons in hopes of being spared, nor was Hengest turned on by his men and surrendered in hopes of being spared. In fighting Hengest’s men, Ambrosius gained a new respect for the man. For a man whose retainers were as steadfast and loyal was in all likelihood a man good of heart, no matter what the tales said of the man. When the fight was over and Hengest was the only one of the enemy still standing Ambrosius offered to spare his life if he would surrender his lands and then take his armies and leave Britain. Hengest solumnly refused. Ambrosius somehow knew that this foe of his would chose death over surrender and so it was that Hengest was killed that day. And Ambrosius’ army celebrated their victory over the greatest of all Saxon chiefs that night in a nearby village.As the summer progressed they reclaimed more of the lands which their fathers had once held. And Ambrosius’ reputation grew and his Armies grew. But they only grew to a limit. Many of the bards still remembered the bitterness of defeat at the hands of the Romans so many centuries before. Many of the chiefs would not follow a man who wore the mantle of imperial revival, or who was of partially Roman heritage. “Why follow a roman?” they asked, “For there are none of his victories which could not be reproduced under a true British leader. All of our victories have been won by British hands and British hearts, and if only our people would follow a single chief then we could unite and chase the Germanic peoples from the shores of this isle with ease.” And so it was that Ambrosius controlled north Cymru with a strong hold of the mountains and often fleeting control of the plains to the east of these mountains. And a line of Celtic chiefs controlled that West Cymru, or Cornwall. And another line of Celtic chiefs controled the areas to the north of Ambroisius' mountain stronhold along the western shores.
Ambrosius took a wife soon after his victory over Hengest and she bore him several children but they were all daughters, yet Ambrosius needed a son. Many of the Britons saw him as their king, indeed in every sense of the word he was a king, save that he did not control the whole of the isle. But for a King’s legacy to be passed on, a king needs a male heir. His wife eager to produce such an heir bore him another child, but this one also turned out to be a daughter.
Without an Heir Ambrosius began to think for a time that perhaps producing a male heir was not the best solution after all. He noted how the Britons were divided between imperialists, and nationalists. The imperialists wished for a revival of the peace and prosperity they had enjoyed under the Romans. The Nationalists wanted a return to worship of the old gods, and wanted a ruler not of Roman blood above all. In pondering the situation he began to realize that there was no man either of Roman or British heritage that would satisfy everyone and unite Briton into one unified force. The imperialists would not trust a British chief after Vortigern’s failure, and the nationalists refused to serve a roman ruler. But perhaps they could be unified in war under a warlord who was neither a British chief, nor Roman noble. Furthermore marriage to one of his daughters to this warlord might set the stage for the emergence of a line of Kings of Briton that all would follow. It would also ensure the survival of his own royal line through his eldest daughter. He proposed the solution to his wife who reluctantly agreed after several evenings of discussion.Ambrosius however still needed to find a man who would be acceptable to the British peoples. Surely it had to be someone born of noble blood, and a warrior of the greatest ability both in leadership and in personal prowess in order to inspire his men to greatness. And as the years passed and Ambrosius fought the continuing war against the invaders each summer, he had some of his retainers searching for a man who would suit his needs. He sent one retainer to Gaul, one to Brittany, one to Ireland, and one north of Hadrian’s Wall into Caledonia. In the winter Each of his retainers returned with the man he thought best fitting the description Ambrosius had given them, yet not disclosing the true reason for Ambrosius’ invitation as a guest. It did not take long for Ambrosius to pick out which was the best of the men who he was introduced to. There was one who stood a head taller than Ambrosius, called ‘bear’ by his kinsmen for his strength and ferocity in battle. He was the second son of a Caledonian chief, he was honourable, brave and a good speaker. This would be Ambrosius’ heir if the young man would accept it. Ambrosius took the man aside and explained to him what he wanted. In closing he said “I will call you Arthurus.” For Arth was the Gaelic word for bear and Ursus was the Latin and he knew the name of his warlord would be key in determining the image that this warlord would portray. He wanted a name that was both Celtic and Roman, both Gaelic and Latin. The man who would be called Arthurus agreed. And it was That under the warlord Arthurus, Ambrosius finally saw his people uniting against thier common foes and was sure that soon victory would be thiers.
In celebrating the impending success of their subjects after Arthurus’ first year of campaign, Ambrosius accidentally gave seed to a new child of his wife. Though this was celebrated publicly there were fears interwoven. Ambrosius’ wife was not a young woman at this time and it was a real danger that she or the child would not survive the birth. Still worse fears also existed yet were even more kept tin the shadows. There were some who whispered that if the child be male it would be better for Britain that the child never be born. For who then would be Ambrosius’ heir? And who would the people follow? Hoping to avoid troubles, Ambrosius spoke publicly endorsing the leadership of his warlord with his passing regardless of the gender of his next child, for he knew that it was Arthurus who would lead the Britons to victory.When nine months were passed finally it came time for the child to be born. Many of the chiefs' wives had gathered to learn first hand of the news of the queen’s delivery. Their husbands could not attend, for they were needed on thier lands to prepare thier men, for the season of war was fast approaching with the spring. The result of the delivery turned out to be a mixed blessing. The child had been born successfully, and to the relief of many, it was a baby girl. But unfortunately the mother had not survived the labour and lay dead.
Ambrosius mourned the death of his wife for that season of war on the battlefield at the side of Arthurus in battle. It was a successfull year, and with the close of the summer he returned to his stronghold feeling older and weaker than he had before. The palace felt alone without her. Mrydwynn, a bard and Ambrosius' cheif advisor, seeing his pain took his king aside and consoled him that he should take another wife.
Ambrosius did not see how another woman could fill the emptiness left by the departure of a woman who had been by his side for many a long year. His wife had been the mother to his daughters, the eldest of whom were now adults. Yet Mrydwynn knew that without a woman in his life Ambrosius would become weaker of heart. He feared that if Ambrosius' heart were to remain in turmoil for too long he would become a danger not only to himself but also to his kingdom and his people. Knowing Ambrosius' dedication to the protection of his people, Mrydwynn counselled him that a marriage to a Saxon noble lady might be a step towards bringing an eventual peace to Britain, and that perhaps instead of fighting down to the last they could all become stronger by mixing blood lines.Ambrosius reluctantly agreed, knowing that truly a peace with the Saxons would be preferable to continued warfare generation after generation. And so it was that word was sent out that Ambrosius was seeking a wife of a noble Saxon line, and to whose household, he would offer an alliance.
Paschent, who was one of Vortigern’s sons, heard of this. Paschent was half Briton and half Saxon, and after the burning of his father’s keep had been taken by his mother to live among her Saxon family. Paschent had grown up hating Ambrosius, as he had killed Paschent’s father before his very eyes. Ambrosius had gone on to kill his mother’s father, Hengest, both when he was but a boy. Paschent had wanted vengeance for many years but had been unable to become a leader among the Saxons because he was not skilled or strong enough as a warrior. Paschent instead was one who hid in the shadows and plotted in secrecy. Thanks to his mixed heritage he was able to move freely among lands held by either power without fear of harm. Paschent now went to see Ambrosius, and told him of the splendid beauty of his Saxon cousin, Eopa. Eopa he said was the youngest daughter of Hengest and stood very high among the Saxon ladies. Unmarried she was and would make an excellent bride, for what better way to offer peace than to marry the daughter of his greatest adversary. Such a marriage he said would Ally Ambrosius with Octha, Hengest’s heir, and Eopa’s older brother. Octha was now perhaps the greatest of the Chiefs of the Saxons, reputed to be even greater a warrior than his father and a foe that Ambrosius was not eager to face without need.Ambrosius was very interested in this proposal. Ambrosius had developed a great deal of respect for Hengest on the battlefield and did find the idea of possibly marrying his daughter pleasing. He told Paschent, “Go then and send word to Octha that I wish to meet his sister Eopa, and that if all goes well I might be interested in forming an alliance with him and marrying her.” And as Ambrosius commanded so did Paschent obey. However there were some things Paschent did which were not stipulated in Ambrosius’ orders.
Paschent knew that Eopa had heard nothing but ill of Ambrosius as she grew up, and that she would not be inclined to marry such a man as she thought of him. This was the man who had slain her very father after all. Paschent first approached Eopa and spoke with her. “My cousin, what would you be willing to do in order to avenge the death of your father Hengest?”Eopa looked upon her cousin in surprise “What ever could one such as I do to avenge him?”
Paschent saw interest in her eyes and pressed onward, “If I told you that you could kill the very man who killed your father, what then would you be willing to do in order to avenge him so?”Eopa looked upon him wondering what plot he had hatched, yet she was interested, she like all of her kin did hate Ambrosius fiercely “I would do much for such a honour, as any of by brothers or sisters would.”
Smiling Paschent explained, “Ambrosius seeks the hand of a bride such as yourself, agree to wed him and you will get your chance. I will give you a bottle of fine wine from Gaul. But in this wine would be a poison powerful and deadly. On your wedding night, pour him a cup of the wine, and he will die. And if you have the courage, I bid you to drink a cup for yourself after you have seen his head fall. If you do so, vengeance they will never exact upon your body while you draw breath.”This was quite a proposal, Eopa begged to think on it, but Paschent pressed her for an answer, he had arranged an audience with Octha in an hours time and he would need to know if she was willing by that time. Forced to reach a decision in less than an hour's time she would have to decide quickly. Paschent told her tales of how she would be honoured as the savior of the Saxon people for she would have been the only one who was able to eliminate the Saxon’s greatest enemy. Thinking on Paschant's wondrful tales she finnally agreed.
Paschent approached Octha soon after and relayed the invitation Ambrosius had sent for Eopa and the promise of a possible alliance. The Alliance interested Octha, for the Britons under Ambrosius were his greatest threat. If he did not have to worry about them he could use the time to solidify his control over the other Saxon Chiefs who seemed to be growing divisive and carving out domains for themselves. If the alliance held, once he had become the unquestioned overlord of the Saxons he could then use his alliance to crush the Angles in the north and the Jutes in the south. Octha thus agreed, patting Paschent warmly on the back. He nvited Paschent to dine with him at the high table, a place of honour, on the evening before he was to leave for the lands of the Britons. He also promised Paschent that should the need ever arise he would always be a protector to this man.Paschent’s plan began to proceed forward very smoothly, and it was not long before he and Eopa were traveling to Ambrosius’ Kingdom with the deadly bottle of wine tucked hidden safely away.
Soon their marriage had been arranged to take place, as Octha had sent word of his blessing along with Paschent, and had said that should they be married he would meet Ambrosius where the borders of their lands touched and they would ratify their agreement there. Paschent left then, playing the part of the loyal servant to bring Octha the good news. He had no intention of being anywhere nearby when Ambrosius was to be poisoned, and for his plan to work to completion he intended to tell Octha that Eopa had been killed at Ambrosius' hands.
The wedding was set to commence only a short while hence. In this short time however, Eopa developed doubts about whether killing Ambrosius was really worth dying for. But now her options were growing more and more limited. For if she did not kill Ambrosius, she would have to marry him. Sensing worry in his Bride to be, Ambrosius approached her and spoke with her in low tones, asking if anything was wrong. Eopa was not sure what to say. She could not say that she had come here to kill him! But what then could she say?
After a moment she finally began, “My lord, a question has been weighing upon my heart.” For indeed there was a question which was weighing on her heart most heavily. “I am put to wondering, how is it that you wish to marry the daughter of your former enemy? And how is it that you could love such a woman?”Ambrosius was taken slightly by surprise by this question but smiled when he realized the simplicity of the answer which she sought. “My lady, you are indeed the daughter of the greatest enemy the British people have faced in living memory. Yet Hengest was a man I truly admired, and I bore him no ill will. He fought valiantly and stalwartly until the end. Indeed I wanted to spare his life, yet he refused to yeild to any as an ideal warrior would refuse to yeild. Hengest shew himself to be the man that I was endevouring to become. I would be honoured to take his daughter as a wife, and to make peace at last with his people. Our peoples have been at war for far too long.”
Eopa, though she was still not ready to completely forgive the death of her father on the spot, realized that she could never kill Ambrosius. When she had agreed to this she had thought Ambrosius was a cold-hearted monster. She had heard tales of him slaughtering and torturing her kinsmen for sport, and that he had spat on her father's fallen body. She realized now that these tales were far from being true and that for all his faults he was not truly an evil man. She was not sure if she could ever grow to truely love him, but she knew that killing him would bring her no honour but only shame. For his death would only serve to rekindle the fires of war between their peoples. She smiled then upon him a most beautiful and warm smile and nodded. And so it was that he left to attend to their wedding preparations.Taking the bottle of poisoned wine in her hands she called for a servant, which had been given unto her by her future husband. She gave him precise instructions, “Take this bottle of wine and bring it to the forest. Do not drink even a sip of it nor let anyone else drink even a sip. When you reach the forest pour out it’s contents onto the ground where none can see you and tell no one of this.” Giving him the bottle she watched him bow and leave with the poisoned bottle. For the first time since Paschent had proposed the plan she allowed herself to relax.
The servant who she had given the bottle unto, unfortunately, and unknown to her, had a reputation for drinking heavily. When carrying this bottle of obviously fine wine away from the ladie's presence he began to think on his instructions. Surely, he thought, she had been displeased with this wine for some reason only a queen would. Surely she did not really mean that it was unfit for human consumption. He did have a way of creatively bending his orders when he thought that no one would ever be the wiser. What she probably meant, he told himself, was that he was not to drink a sip while on duty. Thinking that to waste such a wonderful wine would indeed be a crime, he tucked it away in his sleeping quarters for later that night.That afternoon Ambrosius and Eopa were married, and though both of them had that morning lingering doubts as to whether this would be a happy marriage, each for their own reasons, now they both seemed to rejoice. That night when they went unto Ambrosius’ chambers, the celibration continued and went on late into the night. The servant who had been given the bottle of poison wine, eventually managed to free himself of his duties for a time and went to fetch his prize, the bottle of finest Gaulish wine, which apparently was not fit for a queen, but was certainly fit for anyone else. He took the Bottle, and following her advice left the town and went into the forest to enjoy it alone.
Just as he was leaving the town however, he encountered a party of solders who had arrived late for the wedding. Their captain was an old friend of Ambrosius who the servant knew. He waved at these travel weary soldiers who had clearly been on the road a long time. And the captain reined his horse in. Addressing the servant, the Captain said, “I fear I am late for my lord’s wedding and would like to give him some sort of gift to show my loyalty after having missed his wedding. You, one of his servants who know him very well, so I ask you what ypu think would be a suitable gift?”The servant, feeling slightly guilty in being caught sneaking off with this ill gotten bottle of wine said then “I have acquired by chance of fate this finest of all wines. Indeed I fear this wine is too fine for me and I would be honoured if you would take it as a gift for our lord and king.”
Surprised that he could find something so quickly the captain rejoiced. “You are too generous for one of your station, I will reward you twice over for this, on my word! Seek me out on the morrow good man.” The servant smiled feeling his conscience relieved, and thinking of rewards to come later, and handed the Captain the bottle.The next Morning the Captain knocked on Ambrosius’ chamber door. Ambrosius welcomed him in and the captain poured out the wine into glasses. Indeed the poison could not be smelt on the wine and the fragrance of the wine indeed promised that the wine would be of the best quality. Just then Eopa finished dressing herself and came out to join her new husband and his friend in their pleasant sounding discourse over a drink. Too late though did she come out. For as she emerged from the bedchamber she immediately recognized the bottle as her husband and his friend lowered their glasses from their first sips. The poison made for painless and speedy deaths and the pair fell over motionless even as she watched! Overcome with sadness at this tragedy, which she herself had helped to bring, she took up her husband’s goblet and raised it thinking to drink also, but then thinking on Paschent’s evil trickery decided not to. If she died now, no one would know of his part in this. She called for the healer who, it turned out, was no use as they were both passed on by the time she arrived.
Arthurus who began to assume command of the palace with the passing of the King was suspicious of Eopa's involvement with this poison wine, for he knew that the captain’s loyalty was beyond question. Not knowing what else to do she explained everything hoping that in so doing the scheming Paschent would receive justice at the hands of Ambrosius’ heir. Eopa was of course hard pressed to explain how the bottle had found it’s way back here, but when the servant was questioned all became clear. Looking first upon Eopa Arthurus said “I will not punish you for telling me the truth. Nor would I punish you for trying to avert the evil, which you and Paschent hatched. For, from the start, you were lead astray by his wicked lies. Your life will be spared” Surprised, Eopa bowed deeply accepting her good fortune quietly.Looking then upon the sad servant he spoke, “A servant’s duty is to obey the word of his master or mistress without question, in this you failed, and the result has been disaster. Yet again, I cannot blame you for your conscience in giving away the bottle of wine you thought to be pure. Nor can I blame you for murder, only for being a poor servant. Your life will be spared but will serve in this house no more.” Nodding in partial relief, yet sadness as well he accepted what he knew to be more than fair Judgement.
Then addressing all the knights present he said “The only one who deserves punishment in this is the foul Paschent, it is his life which will be forfeit for this crime against our King.”Eopa eventually returned to her homeland finding herself without a husband and friendless among a foreign people, many who still grudged her involvement in the death of he who had been their greatest of kings yet. She went on to marry another, a Saxon warrior of lesser station. She lived happily with him for many years and lived to have several children. Her first born son, born soon after her marriage bore some resemblance of Ambrosius. It was rumored by some that it might indeed be the product of the union of Ambrosius and Eopa on thier wedding night yet these rumors never went far and the boy was given the upbringing of a modest family.
The treaty however was never ratified as Paschent returned telling Octha of treachery and begging the protection which Octha had promised him. When Arthurus demanded that Octha hand over Paschent, it only lead to another season of battle. But that is for the Tale of Arthurus.And of Ambrosius himself, he was buried with great honour in the tradition of British Kings. He was buried in a cave under Dinas Emrys, a beautifull wooded hill in Gwenedh which was always his seat of Power in Britian.
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