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Out of The Shades
Out of The Shades
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2015)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LB
Acknowledgments
With love and thanks to my husband, John Moore, for his
patience and understanding when I was lost in the Forest and
for the many cups of tea that were carefully placed on my
desk to revive me and keep the inspiration flowing.
Chapter One
Queen Tangwen had assumed that she had finally accepted
that she would never again see her little daughter, Eira, again.
Not so little now, she thought; it was nearly twelve years since
Megan had stolen her and taken her to somewhere she could
not be found. King Llew and his men had searched the area
and found no sign of her or her abductor and even Rhys, the
kings friend, could not find her in the Forest of Shades to
which the Queen had suspected she had been taken. The day
Rhys finally returned to the Kings court, after almost a
twelve-year absence, a small ray of hope reignited in
Tangwens heart but it died as she saw that he was alone.
Surprisingly, Rhys didnt stay at the court very long; the King
told her that this was because he had promised Lord Huw that
he would return that same night despite the cold. That was
three days ago.
The Queen sat now in her room alone having dismissed
her maid early. Tangwen had found that sleep eluded her so
she got up and walked to the window looking out at the bright
night sky, the waning moon casting its light on the frosted
ground below. She sighed, wishing she knew what had
become of her little girl.
She thought back to the time when she had married King
Llew; one of the happiest days of her life, she reminisced, all
the pomp and ceremony and the happiness that exuded
throughout the Kingdom. She smiled at the thought. She had
assumed that they would soon have children, she knew that
the King desired it greatly and that, of course, it was expected
of her. A year passed by with no sign of her being with child.
This concerned her greatly and she visited the local wise
woman, Afon, for help. Afon gave the Queen some herbs with
instructions on how to use them and also a potion she was to
take at midnight for three nights in a row. Within a month
Tangwen was delighted to find that there was a likelihood that
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she was finally pregnant, but she kept this to herself until she
was sure. Finally after two months she confided in her maid
who urged her to tell the King the good news. Tangwen was a
little hesitant to do so yet but decided that it was after all his
right to know. Of course King Llew was delighted with the
news that finally he might father an heir to his kingdom, but
just before three months had passed the Queen miscarried and
the disappointment was palpable. The King comforted his
wife as best he could, pointing out that now that they knew
she could become pregnant they could soon find she would be
with child again. This did not console the Queen in the
slightest of course and it took some months for her to recover
sufficiently from the trauma enough to try again. They were
rather desperate months for the King too as he needed an heir
to pass on his kingdom to. He was proud of all he had
achieved during his reign, particularly as his land was finally
at peace and he would need a successor to continue his work.
Queen Tangwen finally decided to visit Afon once more
for help.
My lady, Afon told her, the herbs and the potion did
work for you but perhaps the child was not meant to be. I will
give you the herbs again and another potion, slightly different
this time. It will surely help you.
And if it does not? the Queen asked.
Afon looked at the Queen shyly as she timidly suggested,
You could petition the Spirits for help.
Yes, the Queen answered simply, taking the medicines
from Afon before slowly making her way back to her domain
in the Castle. She sat looking at the package Afon had given
her. She had no confidence that it would work and wondered
if she should ask the Spirits for their help. The King, of
course, would frown on what he saw as nonsense, not being a
believer in the old ways although he tolerated those who did.
He knew that most of the villages worshipped the Old Gods
and either had altars in their own homes or visited the sacred
places in his lands. The Queen was aware of the tales of the
gods and goddesses and the spirits of nature and was open
minded about it, although she did not follow the Old Ways
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