Mistakes are not barren.

The High Queen was expecting a child. Throughout the pregnancy, she had felt extraordinarily abnormal situations and unusual challenges. The large tummy bulge may have been the sign of a good-sized baby, which was a matter of deep concern for her. With each movement of the baby, psychogenic conflicts pained and disquieted her mind.

During the previous pregnancies and deliveries, she had never been so anxious. Her children were swiftly delivered, and she would always be back on her royal duties the same day. She was not a weak or mentally frail woman. Even now, She was enduring the severe labor pains, but it had not erased the peculiar smile from her face.

A distant memory was haunting her. 

***

After a light drizzle, absolute silence was echoing in the damped streets of Troia Nova upon Thames (“New Troy”) which was shrouded in complete darkness on this moonless night. The cool night breeze was sweeping over the tops of the trees to make them sway. The snow had gone, as it was the end of April. The sleepy bedroom chimneys were drifting white smoke skyward, adding the sweet smell of burning wood to the crisp, cold air. 

Beyond the weeds and sprouting green trees, quadrupeds with bright illuminant small eyes emerged from the Thames to enter the city silently. In the streets, courtyards, shops, markets, and restaurants they were scavenging for food. Next morning, people saw the whole city trampled, fruit trees wilted, and vines destroyed. The confusion reigned over the entire community, how did it happen?

On another dark night, the same quadrupeds’ group emerged from the river to destroy even the lawns and small plants. They attacked the doors of houses in this serene city and tried to break into them. 

The guards of the city were put on high alert.

In the next attack, the guards spotted them emerging from the reeds and rushes of the river bank. As the stout pink-colored quadruplets entered, the city guards resisted their advance. It was a well-planned attack by a herd of swines. Despite the strong attempt to halt their advance, they caused a great loss. In this fight, if any swine got injured, it fell back to give space to another one. Amid the violent uproar in the city, the herd retreated eventually. Running along its banks of the river for some time, they waded through the water weeds and plunged into the coolth. 

Then it became a routine, and despite increasing losses on both sides, the strength of the attacking force was gradually increasing. During any attack, if they failed to enter the city because of strong resistance, they would destroy the surrounding crops before returning. 

*** 

At that time, The King Lyle, son of King Hudibras of the Gauls, ruled the city.

Their forefathers were from Troy, who after losing the Trojan War settled on the banks of the River Thames and established Troia Nova (“New Troy”). This was the golden age of prosperity, sagacity, and divination, where the Otherworld beings mingle freely with the people of this world. This royal family was the progeny of the goddess Venus, so they had the supernatural powers to help them as well.

King Hudibras had two sons, the elder Prince Bladud was more wise and learned. At a very young age on a war campaign, a noble’s daughter entrapped him in a loveless marriage, from whom he had a son as well. His father sent him to Athens to learn Liberal arts and Philosophy. He had stayed there for eleven years and married a priestess who had appeared to him many times in dreams and visions. 

During his absence, his first wife Rheind betrayed him and conspired with his brother Prince Lyle to disinherit him from the throne.

In Athens, unfortunately, he contracted Leprosy. He hid this illness from everyone. 

On his return, King Hudibras called the session of Curia Regis to entrust him affairs of the Kingdom. He was the favorite son of Hudibras, people liked him, courtiers, and retinue also idolized him as their next King.

Rheind Knew if Bladud was crowned, he would not take her as his Queen consort: his Greek wife would be the next high Queen. 

***

Hatred blazed in the eyes of Rheind as she stood resolutely in the royal court. 

“Of course, Prince Bladud is a decent and honorable man, but he is not fit to be an emperor.” The pin-drop silence engulfed the Curia Regis.

“Isn't the gods’ decree the final rule for our prosperity? Bludad, will you not agree, it's a law from ancient times that a sick man cannot rule the sacred land?”

She shouted again, “My dear husband, will you dare to oppose me?”

The anger was flushing her face as she continued, “Bladud you are disregarding the words of gods. Don't you know, when a King ails, the realm also languishes in his shadow.” 

Fury turned her face bright red.

She and Prince Lyle reached Bladud and tore off his robe. Her voice was trembling with outrage, “Look he is a leper, with whole body rotten, pus-filled, and foul smelling.”

A huge uproar erupted in the court, causing everyone to flinch. 

Now, she was very satisfied and came close to him to whisper, “If I am not crowned as Queen beside you, I can still reign in this position without you.”

Bladud had no answer for her accusations. So he took his clothes, and walked out of the court. 

Rheind filled with disgust and bitterness shouted, “Go with your foreign wife to rule the inmates of prison.”

Lyle was crowned, Bladuda rrested and jailed, from where he escaped to go into hiding. Later on, it came to the knowledge of Queen Rheind that he was working in some unknown place as a swineherd. 

The pigs attacking the city were widely believed to be Bladud’s. 

***

The Curia Regis assembled to address this weird problem. The key question was the origin and vanishing of swines. Utterly clueless, courtiers were sitting wordlessly.

People knew that there were some cave entrances hidden in the river water. The swines were supposed to escape through those caves. 

Queen Rheind proposed, “Our divers should jump behind them in the river and follow them into the caves.” 

The royal magician suggested, “I can convert a human into the swines. That person will behave just like a swine, though will maintain human consciousness and memories.”

The Magician's proposal was accepted with extensive approval. King Lyle ordered the Constable of Troia Nova to prepare the volunteers. The Queen herself wanted to lead this operation.

“But some risks are involved in my proposal,” the magician warned.

Pointing out the gravest risk, he told that he may not revert them to human, so we may lose all the volunteers. In this scenario, they will not be able to convey the information.  

King Lyle was not ready to send his Queen, as if the magician failed, she would remain swine forever. 

Patricians also opposed the Queen's proposal. One of them said, “Your Grace, The rulers should not take emotional decisions. A single bad move may devastate the future of the entire nation.”

“The mistakes of rulers are not barren; they proliferate.” 

Queen Rheind was stubborn on her decision. She wanted to set a courageous example for her people, and also she had a concealed desire to see Bladud, the leper, a swineherd; a King of pigs among his tribe. If her volunteers could not revert to human, how she will learn about him? Her craving to see him was dynamic, even if it meant her own spoliation.

On the next skirmish, she along with her volunteers intermingled with swines. 

Someday's later, she was back. 

The Magician was successful in converting them back to human.  

All courtiers were very happy with this successful campaign, but she was deeply saddened and depressed to see the unexpected recovery of Bladud from leprosy. His swines, who got infected with this contagious disease, recovered by taking a bath in a hot spring. Bladud also regained his health in the same way. 

She told King Lyle, “That bloody Leper, claims he has powers of evocations of spirits. He also claims that with their help he has created leathery wings to fly by jumping from the temple of Apollo, though his attempt proved to be a misadventure for him. 

Surprisingly, he has built an army of swines by necromancy, who follow his orders just like slaves. 

Now he is preparing to attack Troja Nova.” 

All the information was unexpected for them.

The emergency was declared in the kingdom. The newly discovered metal, ‘iron’ which was more hard than old bronze-age weapons, was used to design the sophisticated weaponry. City ramparts were enriched by stones mixed with clay so that the swines and other animals could not penetrate it. 

Now every attack of swines was repelled, and they were chased by the guards. 

After some days, the city was besieged by the Bladud’s forces. In the beginning, the brave Queen Rheind herself led most of the skirmishes. She inflicted serious damage to Bladud’s army. The war continued for several months and Bladud’s army could not gain any mentionable achievement. 

Later on, King Lyle changed the strategy to prolong the war as the Queen was pregnant, and her delivery was expected soon. 

***

Labor pains had fatigued the brave Queen. She was very worried and scared. Her illusion was increasing day by day. After three days of suffering, the baby was born.

All the midwives left the room one by one. The worried King Lyle entered, and the Queen turned her face away when she saw him. 

The pink-colored Quadruped was suckling her breast. 

***

The next day, the people revolted and the gates of the city were thrown open to Bladud's army.

(The idea of dialogue in King Hodbras' court is taken from Moyra Caldecott's novel ‘The Winged Man’.)