The Paradise War Read online

  “Beli Mawr gazed at his two sons and answered them, ‘It is not for you to accompany me, but to hold the realm in my stead while I am away.’

  “The two sons answered, ‘So well have you ruled, father, that the lowest man among us could hold the realm in your stead, the most innocent child could prove himself adept at kingcraft. Choose who you like, that person can but increase the honor of your name.’

  “These words did not fail to please Beli. His great heart swelled in pride and delight. Still, he was not moved. For once Beli had set his mind on a thing, that thing would he have and not another. And he had set his mind on roaming his realm alone: alone he would go, alone would he fare, alone would he savor the sweetness of his renown. Alone and unknown by any, lest his people discover his presence and make much over him. For he ever sought the truth of all things, and he knew that men will sometimes alter their conduct when a king approaches. Thus he replied, ‘As ever, your desires do you credit, my sons. Yet I have resolved to go my way alone, and alone will I go.’

  “The two sons saw how the matter stood. ‘Go your way, father,’ they said. ‘And all blessings attend you while you are gone from us.’

  “Nudd approached his father, and, laying his head against the king’s chest, he said, ‘May it go well with you; may you find all you seek to find, and nothing you do not seek.’

  “Lludd then drew near, placing his head against his father’s chest, and said, ‘And may your kingdom flourish, so that you return to a better realm than the one you left behind.’

  “Beli raised up his sons and spoke his mind to them. Many things he told them about the right ruling of a realm, and about how a king serves his people. And then he said, ‘I am going now. But one of you must rule in my place while I am gone.’

  “‘Must it be so?’ the sons asked. For neither wanted to rule over the other.

  “‘It must,’ replied Beli. ‘For I see the path stretching out before me, and indeed I see my feet already upon it.’ Then he asked them which would consent to rule in his place.

  “Nudd answered, ‘My brother is more worthy than I. Choose him.’ To which Lludd replied, ‘Of we two, Nudd is more worthy. I insist you choose him.’

  “Beli heard their words and, being a king of some discernment, peered into the empty places between the words and saw a way to discover at last which of his sons was the more worthy. He told them, ‘You have asked me to choose. Therefore, I choose Lludd.’ He rose from his silver throne and gave the sovereignty of Albion into the hands of Lludd. ‘Fare you well, my sons. May you grow in grace through all things.’

  “Thus the Great King left his realm, and his people saw him no more for a time. But they saw his sons, and what they saw did not please them. No, not at all.

  “At first they were pleased, for Lludd was as wise and good as his father. But Lludd had not reigned as much as from one moon to the next when a dispute arose between the prince and his brother. And the source of the disagreement was this: Nudd became jealous of his brother’s good fortune.

  “In truth, it was no greater thing than that. But it was enough and more than enough to bring suffering most terrible to the paradise of Albion. Suffering so great that from that far-off time to this, Albion has never been the same. For, although there had never been so much as a harsh word between the brothers, from the moment Nudd saw the golden torc of kingship around his brother’s throat and not his own, and saw the rod of sovereignty in his brother’s hand and not his own, he began scheming how best to seize the kingship for himself. Day and night he paced the high ramparts, pondering how best to steal the throne. Day and night he turned his mind to thoughts of treachery and deception. And one fair night it came into his mind how he might trick his brother into giving him the kingship. And this is what he did:

  “One bright night, not long after their father the king’s departure, Nudd and Lludd were making a circuit of the caer. Nudd looked up into the wide, star-washed sky. As they lingered on the gatewalk, Nudd declared, ‘Look yonder and see what a fine, far-spreading field I have.’

  “‘Where is it, brother?’ asked Lludd, thinking no ill.

  “‘Why, there it is above your head, and as far as your eye can see,’ answered Nudd, throwing wide his arms to the star-filled heavens.

  “Lludd looked up at the sky. ‘But see how many fine, fat cattle I have grazing in your field!’ he replied.

  “‘Where are these cattle of yours?’ asked Nudd.

  “‘Why, there they are—all the shining silver stars of heaven, with the moon as their bright cowherd,’ laughed Lludd.

  “This answer annoyed Nudd, who heard in it the sound of his brother’s superiority. ‘You would do well to remove your cattle from my field,’ Nudd muttered. ‘For I say they shall not graze on the field I have chosen for my own.’

  “‘Why so vexed, brother?’ Lludd asked. ‘It means nothing to me where my cattle graze.’

  “‘Yet it means something to me,’ Nudd insisted. ‘You take unfair advantage of me.’

  “‘How so?’ asked Lludd, bewildered by his brother’s strange behavior.

  “‘I would not expect you to understand,’ replied the sullen Nudd. ‘For you have never been made to endure the shame of living in another’s shadow.’

  “Lludd understood then why his brother was unhappy. ‘Only tell me what I may do to make amends,’ he told Nudd. ‘And you may be certain that the sun will not set before it is accomplished.’

  “Nudd frowned mightily. ‘I have already told you! Remove your cattle from my field!’ Then off he stomped, secretly singing to himself, for the task he had demanded of Lludd was impossible to perform.

  “But Lludd took himself to his hall and gathered his bards to sing before him. He ate and drank the whole night and went to his bed and slept soundly. Nudd saw this and gloried in his heart, for he knew that his brother would not succeed. ‘No man can chase the stars from the sky, and Lludd has not even tried. He has already failed; I am as good as king.’ He, too, went to his bed and slept soundly.

  “In the morning, Lludd rose and went at once to the rampart outside the hall. ‘Wake you, Nudd!’ he cried in a loud voice. ‘Come out to me!’

  “Nudd woke and went out. ‘What is this unseemly noise so early in the morning?’ he asked. ‘I can see no reason for it, unless it is to give me the torc of kingship from around your throat.’

  “Lludd smiled and clapped a hand to his brother’s shoulder. ‘There is no need, brother. For I have done all that you have demanded. I have removed my cattle, and your field is restored as you asked.’

  “Nudd could not believe his ears. ‘How can this be?’ he wondered.

  “‘You have only to look at the sky to see that what I say is true,’ Lludd told him.

  “Nudd turned his eyes to the sky and saw the fair blue heavens spreading clear and bright above him as far as the eye could see. And there was not so much as one glimmering star to be seen. The sun had chased them all away.

  “Lludd said to his brother. ‘I have done as you asked. Let us have no more disagreement between us but continue as we lived before.’

  “But Nudd would not. He saw how easily his brother had bested him, and he appeared small and foolish in his own eyes. Nudd imagined that Lludd was mocking him, and he scowled. ‘You have tricked me once, but you shall not trick me again. From this day you are no brother of mine.’

  “When Lludd heard this, his heart broke. ‘Great is your name in the land, and greater may it yet become. Tell me what I can do to make peace between us and that I will do.’

  “Nudd crossed his arms over his chest and said, ‘Deliver to me the kingship of the realm, and remove yourself from my sight.’

  “‘Would you had asked anything but that,’ replied Lludd sadly.

  ‘For this I cannot do.’

  “‘Why not?’ demanded Nudd.

  “Lludd answered, ‘Because the kingship of the realm belongs to the one who gave it to me. It is not mine to give as I please.’r />
  “‘Yes it is,’ insisted Nudd.

  “‘No, it is not,’ Lludd maintained. ‘And that is the end of the matter.’

  “‘Very well,’ shouted Nudd, ‘since you will not give me what was promised me, I have no choice but to take it for myself.’

  “Lludd told him, ‘Though you tear the torc from around my throat and place your haunches on the silver throne, that will not make you king. I tell you the truth, a man may not make himself king; only the blessing of him who holds the kingship can elevate a man to that high place. For sovereignty is a sacred trust that may not be bartered or sold; still less may it be stolen or taken by force.’

  “Lludd spoke the truth. Nudd heard it and liked what he heard not at all. He fled the hall; he fled the caer. In far-off lands he gathered to himself those who were like him: greedy, grasping men, inflamed by haughty desires and cravings for wealth and rank beyond their rightful shares; men from Tir Aflan across the sea who were lured by high-sounding promises of easy plunder.

  “Lludd ruled well. The people adored him and sang his praises wherever they wandered in the world. Each word of praise became a dagger blade in the heart of Nudd. And as Lludd’s light grew bright in the land, so did Nudd’s jealousy harden into hatred—fierce, stiffnecked, and proud.

  “He summoned his war band and said, ‘You see how it is. My brother’s portion grows greater while mine is diminished. It is not right that I should live as a hound cast out from the hearth. The kingship of Albion should have come to me, but does Lludd consider this? Not at all. He goes his way with impudence. I am not lying when I say that I have endured the outrage of his arrogance long enough. The time has come to set this matter right.’

  “Thus did Nudd take up his spear against his brother. Nudd and the men of his war band raised war upon Lludd. Warriors were armed. Battle hosts were gathered. And the Island of the Mighty— where not so much as an angry shout had been heard—echoed to the loud thunder of the carynx and the clash of sword on shield, of spear on helm.

  “Great the battles between them, greater still the slaughter. The blood that flowed upon the land became a river which reached to the fetlocks of the horses and to the wheelhubs of the chariots. From dawn to dusk, the fair sky above Albion was rent with the clash of weapons and the pitiful cries of the wounded and dying. The land was laid waste; no man’s life was safe. The practice of war became paramount in Albion. Black the day; war had come to Paradise.

  “War bands fought and warriors died. More war bands were amassed, and more were killed. Yet, for all the fighting and killing, neither brother could claim victory over the other. Indeed, the warriors of Nudd and Lludd would still be waging war each upon the other to this very day, had not their father suddenly appeared one day at the place of battle. The Great King approached where the hosts were drawn up waiting for the sound of the battle horn to attack; he came riding a wayward horse, passing between the two battle lines.

  “He halted in the center of the battleground and summoned his two sons to him. ‘What is this that I am hearing?’ he asked them. ‘To and fro have I roamed from one end of this worlds-realm to the other, and nowhere have I heard that sound which is most hateful to my ears above all others. All I have seen and all I have heard has pleased me until now. And what do I behold? What do I hear? Morning to night there is no sound but that which I cannot abide; there is no sight but that which is an abomination to me: the sound of the battleclash and the sight of red blood spilled upon the earth and life snuffed out. Explain this, if you can. For I tell you truly, unless I know the reason why this has come to pass, though you are my own beloved sons and dearer to me than my life, you will curse the day of your birth.’

  “With these and other stern words, Great Beli addressed his sons. Both were moved with shame and grief, but only Lludd lamented his part in the evil he had helped bring to the fairest realm that ever was in the world. ‘The fault is mine, father,’ he cried, stretching himself upon the ground before the king. ‘I am not worthy of the gift you have given me. Take away the torc of kingship, and cast me out of your kingdom. Better still, kill me for the fool that I am. For I have placed right before mercy and honor before humility.’

  “King Beli heard these words and knew the truth of them; his great heart broke. He turned to Nudd and asked, ‘What do you say to this?’

  “Nudd thought he saw a way out of his plight, so he answered, ‘You have heard Lludd say that the fault is his. Who am I to disagree? He is king, after all. Let his blood be shed for the evil he has practiced against you, your land, and your people.’

  “Beli, Wise and True, heard these words, and they pierced him through his great good soul. With tears in his eyes, Beli drew his sword and struck off Lludd’s head. Lludd quivered once and he died.

  “Nudd saw this and, though it frightened him, he still did not own the blame of starting the quarrel which led to the war. ‘Do you yet having nothing to say?’ Beli asked his son. But Nudd made no reply. And his silence stung his father more than his false words had hurt him before.

  “The Great King did not want to lose two sons in one day, so he asked Nudd yet again, ‘It takes two to wage war, my son. Am I to think that this wrong was Lludd’s alone?’

  “Nudd, whose heart had grown cold as stone, still believed that he might win the kingship now that Lludd was dead. So he replied, ‘Think what you wish, my father. Lludd held the kingship, as you well know. He has paid the blood-price for the wrong practiced upon the land. Let us end the matter there.’

  “Beli Mawr heard this and gave a long and terrible groan—the first of the Three Grievous Laments of Albion. Taking the edge of his cloak in his hands, he covered his head in his sorrow and wrath. ‘You are right when you say that Lludd has paid the blood-debt he owed. With my own hand I have killed him who stood in my stead, my servant and my son. Lludd it was who would have held Albion after me, who would have reigned in my place, whose flesh and blood is my own—him I have sacrificed for the justice that I created. I have sacrificed myself to myself. This I have done so that righteousness will once more flourish in Albion.

  “‘Lludd is dead. But his death is nothing to the punishment you will receive for your part.’

  “‘Punishment?’ sniffed Nudd. ‘Justice is satisfied. What wrong have I done to you?’

  “‘You let your brother accept the punishment which you earned, and which you alone deserved,’ said Beli. ‘You are right when you say that the debt has been paid, for Lludd has paid it in full with innocent blood.’

  “‘If the blood-debt has been paid,’ Nudd argued pitiably, ‘let that be the end of the matter. There is no need to kill me.’

  “‘Listen well, Nudd,’ replied Beli, Keen of Knowledge. ‘Had you answered truthfully, you would have been spared. But by your own words I know that the truth is not in you. Lludd is dead, but in his death he will become greater than any who ever lived. He will be raised up, and you will be brought low.’

  “‘But you said you would not kill me!’ cried Nudd.

  “‘You shall not die, Nudd. You will live to hear the name of your brother acclaimed wherever men revere justice and honor. You will endure to hear your own name as a curse upon the lips of all men everywhere. You will live and never die, and your miserable life will be worse by far than Lludd’s noble death.’

  “‘You cannot do this to me!’ cried Nudd. ‘I am your only son!’

  “But Beli would not hear any more of Nudd’s twisted words. ‘Depart from me, Wicked One,’ he said. ‘Go you from my sight. Wherever you find anyone to receive you, let that be your home.’

  “Nudd flew from the field of battle and traveled throughout the length and breadth of Albion. Never did he find a friend to greet him; never did he find a hearth to warm him, or a welcome cup to quench his thirst. His cold heart hardened and grew still colder in his breast. At last he came to himself and said, ‘All men hate me. Every hand is raised against me. I am an outcast in the land I might have ruled. So be it. If I cannot
rule here, I will go where I can rule: I will go down into the Pit of Uffern, where no man dares go, and there I will reign as king.’

  “So Nudd turned his cold heart against every living thing that enjoys the light of day and took himself down into the deep, black Pit of Uffern, where there is nothing but suffocating darkness and fire.

  “Meanwhile, Beli, All-Wise King, gathered up the body of his beloved son and carried it to the highest hill that is in Albion. He raised the gorsedd of a hero over Lludd and established bards to praise Lludd’s virtues at all times and all days. From the heart of the heromound there grew a silver white birch tree. Beli cut the birch, made a fire, and burned the slender tree. Sparks from the fire leaped high into the sky. These became the Guide Stars by which men find their way in the darkness. Next, Beli gathered up all the embers and ashes from the fire and threw these into the sky also. These became the radiant belt of silver light known as the Sky Path. Lludd himself, Bright Spirit, nightly treads that shining starpath, ever gazing down upon the fairest island that is in the world. Those who look upon that wonder are ever moved with awe and reverence for its matchless beauty.

  “But Nudd, Cold-hearted Enemy of All, gathered to himself every evil of every kind. The wretched spirits infesting the nether regions of the world thronged to him and called him lord. These became the Coranyid, the Host of Chaos, the inhuman minions of the Cythrawl, who delight in misery and exult in death: vicious in hate, ferocious in malice, brutal in spite, infinitely resentful of order and right and goodness.

  “Endlessly resourceful in depravity, obscenity, and every iniquity, the Coranyid abide their darksome halls, gnawing out their poisonous souls, until through escape or release they are loosed upon the world, then they fly on the wings of the storm behind their dread monarch: Nudd, Prince of Uffern and Annwn, King of the Coranyid, Sovereign of Eternal Night, who wears the Black Serpent of Anoeth for his torc and carries Wyrm’s fang for his weapon. At Lord Nudd’s command they fly to destroy all that is good and right and beautiful.”