Mafydd Brant

*'Oh no, I’ve made you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, I do that.'*

Fanart of Gwyn ap Nudd and Mafydd Brant by intheendlessbluewine https://intheendlessbluewine.tumblr.com/post/187084407249/i-dont-know-where-these-gwyn-feelings-came-from

## Physical description

### Hair color

Dark

**Mafydd** was a common fae Reader and Gwyn ap Nudd's first love.

## Appearance

#### Pronunciation

* MAH-Fidd

Mafydd had short, dark hair and eyes that 'were an uncommon brown; paler than usual, like weak tea.' Up close, his irises had little golden flecks in them. He was 'muscular and tan, with hair on his chest and starting halfway down his belly in a trail that led to the pubic hair between his legs. He had a single, long scar that curved around his back shoulder blade.' His voice had a cheerful lilt to it.

## Personality

Mafydd was bold, laid-back, and confident. He was open with how he felt about others and what he wanted them to do, and Gwyn found him to be 'strangely endearing' within minutes of meeting him. Mafydd was quite forward with sexual advances, at least towards Gwyn, and was happy to touch or suggest they do things. He had a playful, flirty demeanor, but often asked for vocal consent for what he was doing, promising he would stop if asked. He also liked archery and could become competitive with those who matched him in skill.

He was also compassionate towards the injured, and horrified by Lludd Llaw Eraint's abuse of Gwyn. Mafydd could also be manipulative, and dismissed the idea that Gwyn was in love with him, instead insisting that it was puppy love.

## Life

Mafydd was the son of a soldier who served alongside Lludd. He was a Reader whose powers had not yet activated. A few years before meeting Gwyn, a Mage stormed through his village because he wanted the land, which was sacred. Mafydd fought the Mage, who used 'chains made of red fire' and struck him in the shoulder, scarring him, although Mafydd beat him in the end.

He was a young adult, or 'two hundred and...something', which was the fae equivalent of 18 or 19 years old, when he and his parents visited the An Fnwy estate for a week. There he met Gwyn, who was 16 years old at the time, although as a fae, Gwyn's mental age was closer to 13. Mafydd was quick to start talking to Gwyn and flirting with him, seeing him as a way to make the visit more enjoyable. Lludd ordered Gwyn to stay away from him, as he did not want Mafydd Reading that Gwyn is Unseelie. But as Mafydd's powers were still dormant and Gwyn was charmed by and interested in Mafydd, Gwyn defied Lludd and spent time with Mafydd anyway. When Lludd discovered the pair had been together, he beat Gwyn, and Mafydd hid in Gwyn's bathroom and overheard, then confronted Gwyn about it.

Mafydd's powers began to emerge while staying at the estate and he was able to Read Gwyn whenever the latter became nervous or distressed.

Efnisien ap Wledig came to the estate to visit with his parents, and first went after Mafydd, hurting him greatly before Gwyn found them and fought Efnisien off.

Eventually, Mafydd's Reader powers led him to figure out that something was causing Gwyn anguish, and he asked to know what was wrong. Gwyn revealed that he had sworn a blood-oath to Lludd to hide his true alignment. Mafydd convinced him that it was impossible for him to have done that, since blood-oaths are illegal before fae come of age at 225, so Gwyn certainly couldn't have made a real one. Gwyn trusted him and told him that he was Unseelie. This caused the blood-oath to break and immediately alert Lludd, while Gwyn passed out from the pain of it. When Gwyn woke up, Mafydd promised him that he would get him to the Unseelie Court so he could seek asylum, which Gwyn was not receptive to.

Lludd soon arrived and dragged them apart, knocking Gwyn out again. The next time Gwyn woke up, Lludd had taken Mafydd to the indoor target room and strapped him to a target. Lludd gave Gwyn his recurve bow and a quiver of arrows, and told Gwyn to do what was necessary. Though Gwyn resisted at first, his father's ruthlessness and Gwyn's own heartsong of loyalty led Gwyn to shoot Mafydd through the heart and kill him. The stress and pain caused Gwyn to again pass out, and he woke up alone with a note from Lludd telling Gwyn to clean it all up. Gwyn spent several hours crying over Mafydd's body before doing as told.

Mafydd's death was explained to everyone else as a 'hunting excursion gone wrong amongst teenagers who didn't know any better' and while Mafydd's father had suspicions, he was never able to do anything about it.

Being forced to kill Mafydd destroyed Gwyn's initial heartsong of loyalty, which was then replaced by triumph. This event caused Gwyn to later spurn all advances, becoming outwardly cold and heartless, despairing of his true self. He headed out onto military campaigns early because he wanted himself dead as much as his father did. He blamed himself for Lludd's cruelty and manipulations, and still has trouble speaking of Mafydd, and only spoke of him to Augus Each Uisge and Mikkel, the latter after Mikkel learned about Mafydd's existence through his Reader powers and forced the knowledge out via obligation.

One of the shapeshifters Crielle ferch Fnwy later sent after Gwyn to assassinate him used the form of Mafydd. Gulvi Dubna Vajat's apprentice discovered the shapeshifter first, and she informed Augus. He hid it initially from Gwyn, and interrogated the shapeshifter himself, discovering the shapeshifter knew very little about Mafydd, likely because Crielle wasn't much involved in the dead Reader's interactions with Gwyn. Augus assumed this might indicate this was one of if not the last shapeshifter, as his knowledge was weakest. When Augus informed Gwyn, Gwyn guessed it was Mafydd, and decided not to see him.

## Special Abilities

#### Fae Abilities

**Reading:** Mafydd was a young Reader whose powers were just beginning to develop before his death. His Reading activated while staying at the An Fnwy estate and his ability to sense Gwyn's emotions caused him to beg to know what was causing him so much anguish.

#### Skills

**Archery:** Mafydd was practiced with the recurve and longbow and was a skilled archer.

## Relationships

### Gwyn ap Nudd

Mafydd was Gwyn's first friend and first love, and taught him about intimacy and submission. Mafydd didn't care much for respecting Gwyn's personal space, and dismissed Gwyn's insistence that Gwyn was in love with him, making Gwyn question his ability to differentiate love from infatuation. Mafydd also introduced Gwyn to submission, and taught him to control his light. Mafydd worried for Gwyn's welfare, and tried to comfort him after the abuse Gwyn experienced at the hands of his family. When Lludd forced Gwyn to murder Mafydd for Gwyn's revealing his true alignment, the experienced deeply scarred Gwyn, and made him suicidal. Speaking of Mafydd is still difficult for Gwyn.

## Quotations

* ‘A whole week I’m stuck here, and I’m just about the luckiest fae on the planet, that I’ve found a way to pass the time.’
* ‘You’re the best thing about this place, of course I’ll come find you.'
* ‘Here I am, half tortured by your cousin, and you’re still gorgeous. Baby, but no,’ Mafydd said. ‘It’s just puppy love, not that I blame you, since it looks like you’re growing up in some Unseelie monstrosity of a family.’
* Gwyn: ‘He taught me things about myself that I didn’t know. That I was...that I liked to submit to the care of others. That I could enjoy my body like that, which was odd and eye-opening all at once. He was kind to me, Augus. He didn’t like my father, he saw a truth in my family that no one else had ever pointed out to me. It was frightening being around him sometimes. He was a Reader. His powers were dormant, but the Reading activated around me, and he pushed. He was the first person who had ever pushed, who ever realised there was more to know.’

## Image Gallery

Fanart of Mafydd Brant by Kaza999 https://kaza999.tumblr.com/post/99708686919/ok-so-vane-and-ondine-from-the-newest-coft-chapterFanart of Mafydd Brant by n2y88 https://neir-2-you.tumblr.com/post/67652590567/some-mafydd-sketches-now-i-wanna-throw-the-two-ofFanart of Gwyn ap Nudd and Mafydd Brant by intheendlessbluewine https://intheendlessbluewine.tumblr.com/post/187084407249/i-dont-know-where-these-gwyn-feelings-came-from
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 *The Drawn Bead*, Chapter 1: Bold. Accessed 27 March 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *The Drawn Bead*, Chapter 3: Full. Accessed 27 March 2021.
3. ↑ *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 21: Fracture. Accessed 23 April 2021.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 *The Drawn Bead*, Chapter 4: Secrets. Accessed 27 March 2021.
5. ↑ *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 47: Redirection. Accessed 7 April 2021.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *The Drawn Bead*, Chapter 2: Taste. Accessed 27 March 2021
7. ↑ *Game Theory,* Chapter 26: Family. Accessed on 27 March 2021