Harmony by Sonya Bria Page A

husband.
    One day while picking flowers, she heard a song. It was the song from her dreams. Following the sound, she came upon a lone hunter. He took her breath away! He had dark hair and bright eyes. On the ground where he stood, sunlight shone forth. A force compelled her to come to him, and she kissed him at once declaring her love for him. The hunter was Naois, the son of Uisnach, from the rival kingdom. He knew of the prophecy and Deirdre’s betrothal to Connacher. He bade her return before it was too late. Deirdre was adamant.
           She said, “I value this one moment more than ten lifetimes with Connacher.” Moved by her declaration, Naois took her to Scotland where they made their home and were happy for a season. King Connacher was furious. He had not even beheld her beauty. He went insane with jealousy that another would steal Deirdre from him.
           On their wedding day, King Connacher sent his three bravest knights to retrieve her and kill Naois. Their attempts were in vain. Connacher sent for his Druid and commanded him to use his powers to defeat Naois. Cathbad summoned the dark forces and elements of nature to rise up and destroy Naois. Deirdre with her own sight, warned Naois. Deirdre saw in vision three ravens come to her with drops of honey on their beaks, but as they flew away, the honey turned to blood. Frightened, Deirdre returned in secret to the king and bade him leave Naois alone before her vows. Connacher, already furious, sent her away and killed Naois himself.
           In her grief, Deirdre locked herself in the highest tower of the castle and cursed the land and the House of Ulster. Summoning her own powers, she climbed upon the window sill and flung herself to her death. Darkness ensued and the elements of nature were at war. These words were heard: “A curse I leave upon the House of Ulster. A child more powerful than I will be born, and she alone will possess the power to unite the elements and bring balance to this land once more. Connacher will be blessed with no heir and the House of Uisnach will rise up to claim his throne. Peace will not be found until Naois is revenged.” They say that she is buried next to Naois, and that the next morning the people awoke to see two Yew trees instead of their grave markers with its branches intertwined.
           I was speechless—all sorts of crazy things swirled in my head. The way Grams told the story, I almost felt like I was there somehow. How could that be though?
           “Geez Grams, some bedtime story. That would have scared the crap out of me if you had told me that when I was a kid,” I said horrified. “It’s so tragic. You don’t really believe in all that stuff, do you?” I asked in disbelief.
           “Oh, I don’t know, Sophie. It’s just a legend that’s been passed down. I’m sure it’s been embellished from time to time.” Grams also added, “I don’t even know if that’s the original story.” “What’s it supposed to all mean?” I asked, brushing dirt off of my jeans.
           “I’m not sure, but I do know there is some truth in every legend told,” Grams said as I helped her up. “You have certain gifts, Sophie, that have been passed to you from your mother,” Grams added. “Everyone in our direct line has possessed these gifts in various forms.” 
           I didn’t quite know what to say. “Is that why you spend so much time in the garden?” I asked.     Grams sighed and raised her head to the sky. “Yes, I feel at one with nature. I know what my plants need.”
           “How?” I quizzed in disbelief.
           “I simply listen to them, Sophie. Every living thing has a soul—the same principles apply to nature,” Grams stated firmly.
           I’d never thought of it in those terms. What was Ian’s part in this, I wondered? I wasn’t entirely sure. The only thing that bothered me was that in my nightmares, I had seen the