Rhys ap Maelgwn
"He means well. It's just that he has no idea how to rule, and nobody is going to give him a chance to learn." - Wynflæd, princess of Bernicia, in a letter to her twin brother ÆlfredRhys ap Maelgwyn is the current king of Cunedda. He was adopted by his grandfather, Maelgwn the Tall, who wanted a male heir to the throne. This adoption was forced upon Rhys' parents by the king, who also imposed the patronymic 'ap Maelgwyn' on the baby, instead of his father's name. Maelgwn the Tall had forged the kingdom of Cunedda by force of will and arms, and was determined to establish a dynasty to rule it. However, he was so domineering that he never gave Rhys the opportunity to do anything without being controlled and bullied, and left the young man unprepared to rule when Maelgwn died one winter of a hacking cough that also carried off half of his generation. Rhys was thrust onto the throne, but failed to exert any influence over the lords of Cunedda, and in the years since has become largely irrelevant in the power structure of the kingdom. Instead, the local lords each rule as their own petty king, and have refused to convene the council of Lords to discuss issues of import to the kingdom. Several of the southern lords conduct frequent raids into Mathrafal, despite orders from Rhys to stop antagonizing the neighboring kingdom. Meanwhile, Rhys is stuck with an unwanted alliance with Dyfed through his wife Gwawl, the sister of King Guortepir. This alliance earns Cunedda more enemies than friends, but Rhys has not been able to break ties with his brother-in-law due to the objections of his wife. There are few people who are close to King Rhys - he was isolated as a child by his grandfather, who subjected him to a series of tutors and teachers that either bullied the young prince into submission, or were dismissed for being too soft on the boy - in one notable incident, a tutor was 'dismissed' through a tower window by Maelgwyn himself for criticizing how the king treated his heir. His closest, and perhaps only, friend is Princess Wynflæd of Bernicia. Her father assigned her as his ambassador to Cunedda, and she took pains to get to know the young king. In her letters to her brother, she describes him as quiet, easily cowed, and completely unprepared to rule - but also as a sweet, smart, and caring person. He is a lightning calculator, and has confided multiple plans for the betterment of the kingdom to Wynflæd, if only he could exert the authority to put them in place. Wynflæd has used her own formidible training in statecraft and manipulation to shape Rhys' plans, correcting several naive assumptions and filling in details that were omitted from his fractured education. Wynflæd has convinced Rhys that she can guide him in becoming the king of Cunedda in fact as well as word, and has begun to ask some favors from her siblings in other courts as she lays plans to 'fix' Cunedda. One major barrier in this endeavor is Gwawl. She is convinced that Rhys and Wynflæd are conducting an illicit romantic relationship, and has taken steps to separate the two. So far, this has not been succesful, but a recent poisioning attempt has signaled an escalation in Gwawl's efforts. Due to Wynflæd's training in Bernicia, she was only inconvenienced by the toxin, but she has taken the attempt personally. The few people in Cunedda's court who are aware of the battle between the two are watching closely to see what her retaliation against Gwawl will be. Meanwhile, Rhys has attempted to make peace between his wife and his friend, but with only token agreement from each woman.
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Rhys ap Maelgwn is married to Guortepir's sister, Gwawl. The marriage was arranged by Rhys's grandfather, Maelgwn the Tall, before Rhys became King of Cunedda. There is no love in the marriage, and Rhys feels burdened by it, as well as trapped in an unwanted and uncomfortable alliance with Guortepir. His friend and confidant, Princess Wynflæd of Bernicia (who serves as Bernicia's ambassador to Cunedda), is attempting to convince him to denounce the alliance, but so far he has not found the courage to do so.
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