The Mask of King Arthur, Book I: Haern Cleddyf

Chapter 7: Battle of the Boar

As the Pendragon warriors readied themselves at Caerleon to sally forth and hunt the boar, the Lady Nimue rode south, far away from the city of the Legion, and towards the rocky coasts of Cornwall. She raced through the forests and fields, towards a small body of water in the middle of the countryside. It was the Dozemary Pool, a shimmering surface of silver that glistened in the sunlight. This pool was a portal to the otherworld, one through which one of the most powerful Fay noblewomen in all of Britannia used to enter the mortal world. She had once been a widowed mortal priestess of the old faith, who offered sacrifices at the pool brought the attention of a fairy lord who had wed her. While most of her family and friends believed her drowned in the pool, only her mortal daughter knew the truth of her fate.

Riding up to the edge of the pool, Nimue kneeled before the reflective surface of the water.

"Hail Vivian, lady of the lake, protector of all the waterways of Britannia." The priestess bowed her head in reverence. "Though most of Britannia has forgotten you for the old faith, I remain your loyal servant, as well as servant to all the good lords and ladies of the otherworld."

There was a ripple on the surface of the water, and the glittering form of the lady of the lake silently rose from the watery depths. Looking down upon the devout woman kneeling before her, Vivian smiled.

"My beloved daughter, you do not need to bow to me." Her voice echoed, as if she were far away. "Tell me, what brings you to my lake, my child?"

"As always, you are far too informal, mother." Nimue replied with a sad smile. "Arthur and his warriors are on a quest to hunt the mighty fay boar, Twrch Trwyth. How can we defeat this terrible monster, who has cruelly slain so many Britons, every time they come to the mortal world."

"Then I have only distressing news for you, my daughter." The lady of the lake replied sadly. "For Twrch is an enemy far worse than any your band of heroes have yet faced, and you will only be able to defeat him through force of arms."

"This is most distressing news, mother." Nimue replied with a frown "But who is this fay monster, and where in the Otherworld such a beast come from?"

"He was a fey lord once, during the latter years of Roman rule, proud and arrogant. He and his sons led raids on both the mortal and fay worlds, bringing nothing but misery on both peoples. But the other fay lords and ladies refused to do anything about one of their delinquent peers. And so, it is said the god of the new faith intervened." The lady of the Lake explained. "Answering the cries of his British worshipers, it is said the Christian god changed Twrch into a forty-foot-tall boar, and his sons into smaller monster boars. He now ravages the mortals every time he crosses over to their world, taking as many human lives and doing as much damage as do the Pendragon warriors seek to slay the monstrous boar?"

Nimue explained about Culhwch and Olwen, and the impossible tasks Olwens father had put upon the Pendragon warriors. "We seek the comb and shears stuck in the monster boar's bristles between his ears... a last ornamental vestige of his days as a humanoid, I suppose."

"You and your fellow Pendragon warriors are in for the fight of your lives." The lady of the lake replied thoughtfully, resting her chin. "You will need a weapon... yes, another weapon for your king."

"Ambrosius doesn't see himself as a king, even though many in both the otherworld and Britannia now call his 'Arthur' persona that." Nimue sighed. "He prefers to leave political power to the high king and the regional brenin. He will only rule over Caerleon as duke, as well as serve as leader of the Pendragon warriors."

"If he is seen as the true king by others, they will follow him as if he were king. Young Ambrosius not wanting to be made king, is what will make him the greatest king in all of the legends." Vivian shook her head. "He is just the leader the people of this land needs."