good health, she shook her
head.
The Hag explained her situation. She told the
prince how her home and land had deteriorated. The horse was the
last item of value she had and she refused to sell it. Fearful for
his father’s life, Kain-Finn refused to give up the pursuit so
easily. He waited for the woman to leave home for her daily hunt
and summoned his entourage to her home.
Legend has it that while the old hag was away
during the day, the prince’s party was able to lay down new stone
foundations and treat the soil to restore its fertility. They were
all tired and sweaty at the end of the deed, but when the Black Hag
returned, her jaw dropped.
The once fertile beautiful land that fell
baron years after had returned to the once pristine, and even
improved, state it once resembled. The stream ran clean and fish
could be seen in the pond. The Prince had trudged the scum from the
base and skimmed the lime from the surface. The dust mound beside
the hut and been newly tilled, rows and crops were freshly planted
and watered. Even the thatched roof of the hut that had previously
collapsed was made new and slated with wood to re-enforce its
strength.
The Hag was pleased and as she turned to see
who had cast this illusion spell Kain-Finn presented her with the
two bags of gold. She was overwhelmed with joy at her new home. She
scavenged her finest foods and prepared a feast to thank the prince
and his men. Kain-Finn was reluctant at first, firstly for his
selfish and spoilt fear of the food. That it would not be of the
standard he usually ate in court but secondly, hoping to get back
to his father as quickly as possible. The Hag insisted. Staying for
dinner became a prerequisite to their deal, and Kain-Finn knew he
could not afford to slip up. So he accepted. It was dark before he
finally arranged the exchange of gold for the horse, and the Black
Hag saw him off with but one final condition. Kain-Finn feared
this. He knew of her supposed witchcraft and the stories folk told
of disappearing children and strange happenings in the forest which
she patrolled. However he heard her out. Her final condition was in
exchange for his acquisition of the horse, in accompaniment to the
gold, she requested he return to her with four other horses. She
gave no reason or clue. Just a simple request. No muttering of
curses or spells under her breath, no cackles, just a simple
request. A small one at that to be requested of a prince. With
that, Kain-Finn and his men saddled up, raised the banners of Renir
and departed her place.
Rain fell hard in the forest as the group
sped back to save the Thane. Nearly halfway home, they reached a
small inlet carved in rock and sought refuge there; their horses
were worn and their clothes soaked. As desperately as the prince
wanted to get home, he knew the weather would not permit much more
travel. Now, while the group rested, they received a strange
visitor: a messenger raven, carrying news directly from their
Kingdom. Kain-Finn removed the letter uneasily, the raven dashed
away, and he unrolled the parchment.Word had arrived. His father
was dead. The royal court had decreed that the ceremony for
Kain-Finn’s crowning would commence upon his return. Sadness filled
Kain-Finn. Upon entering the shelter he sat in now he was a
returning hero, filled with pride, joy and fulfilment. Now, sitting
in the dark corner under a failing fire of embers hissing from rain
drops, sat a boy. A spoilt prince with no victories to wright about
under his name. A son that wept on the realisation he had failed
his father. On the crack of morning he ordered his men back through
the rain to make haste to the Kingdom, and in his emotion-fuelled
stupor, the prince entirely discarded all notions of returning to
the Black Hag with the payment of four healthy steeds. Who knows
whether this was intentional or a slip of the mind, but the fact
remained that his negligence would not go unpunished. Of course, he
managed to return safely home
head.
The Hag explained her situation. She told the
prince how her home and land had deteriorated. The horse was the
last item of value she had and she refused to sell it. Fearful for
his father’s life, Kain-Finn refused to give up the pursuit so
easily. He waited for the woman to leave home for her daily hunt
and summoned his entourage to her home.
Legend has it that while the old hag was away
during the day, the prince’s party was able to lay down new stone
foundations and treat the soil to restore its fertility. They were
all tired and sweaty at the end of the deed, but when the Black Hag
returned, her jaw dropped.
The once fertile beautiful land that fell
baron years after had returned to the once pristine, and even
improved, state it once resembled. The stream ran clean and fish
could be seen in the pond. The Prince had trudged the scum from the
base and skimmed the lime from the surface. The dust mound beside
the hut and been newly tilled, rows and crops were freshly planted
and watered. Even the thatched roof of the hut that had previously
collapsed was made new and slated with wood to re-enforce its
strength.
The Hag was pleased and as she turned to see
who had cast this illusion spell Kain-Finn presented her with the
two bags of gold. She was overwhelmed with joy at her new home. She
scavenged her finest foods and prepared a feast to thank the prince
and his men. Kain-Finn was reluctant at first, firstly for his
selfish and spoilt fear of the food. That it would not be of the
standard he usually ate in court but secondly, hoping to get back
to his father as quickly as possible. The Hag insisted. Staying for
dinner became a prerequisite to their deal, and Kain-Finn knew he
could not afford to slip up. So he accepted. It was dark before he
finally arranged the exchange of gold for the horse, and the Black
Hag saw him off with but one final condition. Kain-Finn feared
this. He knew of her supposed witchcraft and the stories folk told
of disappearing children and strange happenings in the forest which
she patrolled. However he heard her out. Her final condition was in
exchange for his acquisition of the horse, in accompaniment to the
gold, she requested he return to her with four other horses. She
gave no reason or clue. Just a simple request. No muttering of
curses or spells under her breath, no cackles, just a simple
request. A small one at that to be requested of a prince. With
that, Kain-Finn and his men saddled up, raised the banners of Renir
and departed her place.
Rain fell hard in the forest as the group
sped back to save the Thane. Nearly halfway home, they reached a
small inlet carved in rock and sought refuge there; their horses
were worn and their clothes soaked. As desperately as the prince
wanted to get home, he knew the weather would not permit much more
travel. Now, while the group rested, they received a strange
visitor: a messenger raven, carrying news directly from their
Kingdom. Kain-Finn removed the letter uneasily, the raven dashed
away, and he unrolled the parchment.Word had arrived. His father
was dead. The royal court had decreed that the ceremony for
Kain-Finn’s crowning would commence upon his return. Sadness filled
Kain-Finn. Upon entering the shelter he sat in now he was a
returning hero, filled with pride, joy and fulfilment. Now, sitting
in the dark corner under a failing fire of embers hissing from rain
drops, sat a boy. A spoilt prince with no victories to wright about
under his name. A son that wept on the realisation he had failed
his father. On the crack of morning he ordered his men back through
the rain to make haste to the Kingdom, and in his emotion-fuelled
stupor, the prince entirely discarded all notions of returning to
the Black Hag with the payment of four healthy steeds. Who knows
whether this was intentional or a slip of the mind, but the fact
remained that his negligence would not go unpunished. Of course, he
managed to return safely home
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