The King of Irelands Son | Page 9

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 ail. 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 ,rill 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 ail 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