Until the white moon rose above the trees; until the hounds went out
hunting for themselves; until the foxes came down and hid in the hedges,
waiting for the cocks and hens to stir out at the first light--so long
did the King of Ireland’s Son stay huddled in the dry water-tank.
By that time he was stiff and sore and hungry. He saw a great white owl
flying towards the tank. The owl perched on the edge and stared at the
King’s Son. “Have you a message for me?” he asked. The owl shrugged with
its wings three times. He thought that meant a message. He got out of
the tank and prepared to follow the owl. It flew slowly and near the
ground, so he was able to follow it along a path through the wood.
The King’s Son thought the owl was bringing him to a place where Fedelma
was, and that he would get food there, and shelter for the rest of the
night. And sure enough the owl flew to a little house in the wood. The
King’s Son looked through the window and he saw a room lighted with
candles and a table with plates and dishes and cups, with bread and meat
and wine. And he saw at the fire a young woman spinning at a spinning
wheel, and her back was towards him, and her hair was the same as
Fedelma’s. Then he lifted the latch of the door and went very joyfully
into the little house.
But when the young woman at the spinning wheel turned round he saw that
she was not Fedelma at all. She had a little mouth, a long and a hooked
nose, and her eyes looked cross-ways at a person. The thread she was
spinning she bit with her long teeth, and she said, “You are welcome
here, Prince.”
“And who are you?” said the King of Ireland’s Son. “Aefa is my name,”
said she, “I am the eldest and the wisest daughter of the Enchanter of
the Black Back-lands. My father is preparing a task for you,” said she,
“and it will be a terrible task, and there will be no one to help you
with it, so you will lose your head surely. And what I would advise you
to do is to escape out of this country at once.”
“And how can I escape?” said the King of Ireland’s Son, “There’s only
one way to escape,” said she, “and that is for you to take the Slight
Red Steed that my father has secured under nine locks. That steed is the
only creature that can bring you to your own country. I will show you
how to get it and then I will ride to your home with you.”
“And why should you do that?” said the King of Ireland’s Son.
“Because I would marry you,” said Aefa.
“But,” said he, “if I live at all Fedelma is the one I will marry.”
No sooner did he say the words than Aefa screamed out, “Seize him,
my cat-o’-the-mountain. Seize him and hold him.” Then the
cat-o’-the-mountain that was under the table sprang across the room and
fixed himself on his shoulder. He ran out of the house. All the time he
was running the cat-o’-the-mountain was trying to tear his eyes out. He
made his way through woods and thickets, and mighty glad he was when
he saw the tank at the gable-end of the house. The cat-’o-the-mountain
dropped from his back then. He got into the tank and waited and waited.
No message came from Fedelma. He was a long time there, stiff and
sore and hungry, before the sun rose and the Enchanter of the Black
Back-Lands came out of the house.
V
“I hope you had a good night’s rest,” said the Enchanter of the Black
Back-Lands, when he came to where the King of Ireland’s Son was
crouched, just at the rising of the sun. “I had indeed,” said the King’s
Son. “And I suppose you feel fit for another task,” said the Enchanter
of the Black Back-Lands. “More fit than ever in my life before,” said
the King of Ireland’s Son.
The Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands took him past the goat-house
and to where there was an open shelter for his bee-hives. “I want this
shelter thatched,” said he, “and I want to have it thatched with the
feathers of birds. Go,” said he, “and get enough feathers of wild birds
and come back and thatch the bee-hive shelter for me, and let it be done
before the set of sun.” He gave the King’s Son arrows and a bow and
a bag to put the feathers in, and advised him to search the moor for
birds. Then he went back to the house.
The King of Ireland’s Son ran to the moor and watched for birds to fly
across. At last one came. He shot at it with an arrow but did not bring
it down. He hunted the moor all over but found no other bird. He hoped
that he would see Fedelma before his head was taken off.
Then he heard his name called and he saw Fedelma coming towards him. She
looked at him as before with dread in thier eyes and asked him what task
her father had set him. “A terrible task,” he said, and he told her
what it was. Fedelma laughed. “I was in dread he would give you another
task,” she said. “I can help you with this one. Sit down now and eat and
drink from what I have brought you.”
He sat down and ate and drank and he felt hopeful seeing Fedelma beside
him. When he had eaten Fedelma said, “My blue falcon will gather the
birds and pull the feathers off for you. Still, unless you gather them
quickly there is danger, for the roof must be thatched with feathers at
the set of sun.” She whistled and her blue falcon came. He followed
it across the moor. The blue falcon flew up in the air and gave a
bird-call. Birds gathered and she swooped amongst them pulling feathers
off their backs and out of their wings. Soon there was a heap of
feathers on the ground--pigeons’ feathers and pie’s feathers, crane’s
and crow’s, blackbird’s and starling’s. The King of Ireland’s Son
quickly gathered them into his bag. The falcon flew to another place and
gave her bird-call again. The birds gathered, and she went amongst
them, plucking their feathers. The King’s Son gathered them and the blue
falcon flew to another place. Over and over again the blue falcon called
to the birds and plucked out their feathers, and over and over again the
King’s Son gathered them into his bag. When he thought he had feathers
enough to thatch the roof he ran back to the shelter. He began the
thatching, binding the feathers down with little willow rods. He had
just finished when the sun went down. The old Enchanter came up and
when he saw what the King’s Son had done he was greatly surprised. “You
surely learned from the wizard you were apprenticed to,” said he.. “But
to-morrow I will try you with another task. Go now and sleep in the
place where you were last night.” The King’s Son, glad that the head was
still on his shoulders, went and lay down in the water-tank.