Drustan The Wanderer – Anna Taylor

She laughed, showing white, even teeth. Her mouth was firm and straight. There was no paint on her face. ‘I am Angharad, abbess of this house,’ she said. My peace was broken. I struggled to sit up. ‘But I was to be taken to Queen Deirdre!’ ‘Hush.’ She pressed against my shoulder, pushing me back on to the bed.

She was strong for a woman and I was as weak as a child. ‘You are in the monastery at Taghmon. Don’t fret yourself. We found you outside the gates. At first we thought you’d been left for us to bury.’ ‘How long have I been here?’ ‘Almost a month. Tell me who you are, and what kindred you come from. Are you a Christian?’ I shook my head.

‘My name’s Kai. I’m kindred to King Arthur.’ ‘When you are stronger,’ she said, ‘we will talk of this. Have you never heard tell of Christ the son of god?’ ‘No,’ I said. I was tiring and tried desperately to marshal my thoughts into some kind of plan that would get me to the queen. She hesitated and then turned back to me. ‘Earthly life is vain,’ she said. ‘It’s useless to strive for it, or for riches. I am abbess of three score monks and a score of nuns at Taghmon.

All these souls have dedicated themselves to serving Christ. In these times of slaughter and despair, Christ is the only certainty. Your wife may be kidnapped by barbarians, your lands looted, your wealth stolen. Your children may die of the plague. But if you live in Christ no earthly ill can hurt you.

Death itself loses all terror. You are yourself close to death. Think of these things.’ She rose to go. ‘No!’ I dragged myself up, gasping at the pain in my side. ‘If I stay here I will die, but the queen can cure me. A witch told me that Queen Deirdre knows magic skills of healing. I’ve had this wound half a year. Only magic can save me now.’ Her face grew stern.

For this hauntingly realistic version of the Tris¬ tan and Isolde legend, Anna Taylor has used both the original French sources and modern archaeological evidence to present her lovers as real people in an authentic historical setting. Called by their early Celtic names, Drustan and Essylt, her hero and heroine dwell in that mys¬ terious time when Christians and Druids, prayer and magic, existed side by side. Drustan, a young contemporary of King Arthur, has trained from childhood to be a war¬ rior, a fearless and invincible knight.

But, “You’ll never be king. You will wander the earth,” prophesies Drustan’s stepmother. And the terrible curse proves true. Seeking the life of a minstrel, he studies with the Druids, em¬ bracing their magic and poetry. Drustan’s fate is sealed when Essylt has him drink the lover’s potion intended for his uncle. King Mark, her betrothed. Eorever doomed to love his uncle’s wife, Drustan roams a land ravished by war and plague—unable to forget Essylt, always search¬ ing for peace, heedless of others who love him.

Repeatedly, he returns to Essylt, all but de¬ stroying them both with the force of his passion. Drustan’s and Essylt’s personal drama reflects (continued on back flap) ..Wise County p-ub!ic Library Wise, Virginia v • • w * it * « f 1»r f’ • • » * •• •< *'•<♦ • * • • 1 / 4 4 i • • *W4.

# ®rustan ®he ®2Handerer ISrustan ^IThe Slanderer A Novel Based on the Legend of Tristan and Isolde Anna Taylor Saturday Review Press New York W i s 6 County Public Library Wise, Virginia F’C , / cD 3cr Copyright © 1971 by Anna Taylor FIRST AMERICAN EDITION 1972 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permis¬ sion in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 70-186428 ISBN 0-8415-0165-3 Saturday Review Press 230 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR Jane Judg Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.0rg/details/drustanwanderernOOOOtayl Author’s Note The most familiar version of the story of Tristan and Yseult is probably that in Malory’s Morte Darthur. In fact these legends grew up independent of the Arthurian cycle, though whether they were Breton, Cornish, or even Pictish in origin scholars do not agree.

The derivation of Tristan’s name —also spelt Tristram —suggests the last, and it is the Pictish original, Drustan, that I have used. In my presentation of Drustan I have tried to avoid in¬ voking Malory’s Sir Tristram. I have worked from early sources of the legends, together with the considerable body of archaeological evidence available.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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