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Leif stepped away, studying their handiwork from multiple angles. “The cove appears to be sufficiently remote that it will not attract visitors. This far up the beach, the boat is protected from the tide, and with all the branches concealing it, it should remain hidden from the view of any who pass by on the water.”

Knud joined him, eyeing the severed tree limbs critically. “We will lose some of our cover as the leaves die.”

“True.” Leif reached for his sack. “All the more reason for us to accomplish our goal in a timely manner.”

“Aye,” Knud said, picking up a similar bundle from the sand. “Given that we are preparing to enter hostile territory once more, I would prefer to have a means of escape available to us still.”

Leif looked at him thoughtfully. It had taken them twice as long to reach Deheubarth as it had to cross the sea to Ongullsey. They’d slept in the boat, which had done nothing to improve their appearance and little to diminish their exhaustion. They would be well served to do anything in their power to appear less like travel-weary foreigners. “Undo your plaits,” he said, setting down his sack and tugging the leather strips off the ends of his own.

“Why?” Knud asked.

“Like you, I would rather not begin this endeavor with a target on my back. We are taller and fairer than most Cymry, but nothing sets us apart as much as our hair.”

“Until I speak.”

Leif nodded. “I will be the one to talk. With our hair loose, mayhap we can avoid being immediately identified as Vikings.” He pointed to the trees beyond the beach. “We will go that way. When we happen upon our first hamlet, we shall acquire horses for the remainder of the journey.”

With his sandy-colored hair now falling freely, Knud hefted his sack once more. “Why could this place not be reached by sea?” he grumbled.

“Mayhap the royal family of Deheubarth wished to avoid Viking raids,” Leif suggested.

“Hm.” Knud trudged across the sand toward the break in the trees. “A valid reason, albeit a weak one. The farther east we go, the closer we are to the border with Britannia. I have no doubt the Normans take their turn attacking the Cymry too.”

Mentally adding an untold number of Normans to the list of people who may have wanted to eliminate the prince of Deheubarth, Leif shouldered his sack. “We have a daunting task before us,” he said. “We’d best be about it.”

Rhiannon’s entire body ached. It had been three days since they’d left the llys, and even though they had stopped to sleep at inns along the way, she’d been in the saddle so long, she was beginning to wonder if her legs would hold her when she was finally called upon to stand upright.

Dusk had fallen. The two guards at the head of the royal cortege held flaming torches to light the way through the woodland. The rustle of leaves and glow of eyes in the underbrush alongside the road was a constant reminder that the people and their horses were trespassers in this place.

An owl sailed overhead, and at Rhiannon’s side, Gwenllian shivered. “Why are wild creatures so much more frightening at night?” she said.

“I daresay they think the same of us,” Rhiannon replied. “After all, we are considerably bigger.”

Gwenllian shivered again. “I shall be glad to be out of this forest and able to see the stars once more.”

“Hywel told me that we would reach the castle by day’s end. Surely it cannot be too far away now.”

“I remember that the north side of the castle was bordered by dense woodland,” Gwenllian said. “It is possible that we are approaching through the trees.”

Rhiannon had forgotten that Gwenllian had been to Dinefwr Castle once before, when she and Anarawd had met for the first time.

“Will visiting here again be difficult for you?” Rhiannon asked.

“I was not here long enough to come to know any of the servants, and I cannot claim any emotional attachment to the castle, but it will be very strange to be here knowing that Anarawd is not.” She paused. “I pray it will not be overly taxing.”

“You shall rise above the trial. Look how far you have come this week.”

“Thanks largely to you,” Gwenllian said.

“I can only claim credit for dragging you out of your chamber the first time. The remainder of your activities have been of your own making.”

“The first and second time,” Gwenllian corrected her.

Rhiannon laughed. “I stand by what I said. You are more courageous than you believe.”

In the distance, a trumpet sounded, and the flicker of torches appeared through the branches. Gwenllian released an unsteady breath.

“We have arrived,” she said. “I fear I shall be searching for that courage until the day we leave.”