A Bedtime Story as Told by Gran
“But Gran, I’m not sleepy,” Bri said. She just managed to keep her lips together as she yawned. “Will you tell me the story of the two brothers?”
“The brothers? You’ve learnt that one by heart, you’ve heard it so often,” Gran said with a sigh.
“But it’s my favorite.”
“Wheesht, lass. How can I tell the tale if you’re whining, now?”
A twinkle appeared in Gran’s eye and Bri knew she’d won. She snuggled deeper in the covers and grinned. “I’ll be quiet. Promise.”
Gran gazed out the open window at the deepening darkness. “It was many hundreds of years ago now, over six hundred of them, that the two brothers lived in Ireland. Ciaran and Duncan, they were called. Now, the brothers cared more for each other than any brothers before or since, it’s said, and their story proves their bond.
“Not long past Lughnasa, an Irish king planned to attack three towns where the Anglo-Normans dwelt. Ciaran was a blacksmith in the land ruled by King Art. When he learned of the king’s plan his heart was heavy, for Duncan lived with his wife in one of these towns.”
Bri hardly dared breathe. She knew the tale well, but always worried for the brother in town. She tried to keep her tongue, but the words burst from her. “Ciaran will save them, won’t he?”
Gran raised an eyebrow. “Mayhap this tale changed in the telling of it.”
Bri tucked her worry into her heart and waited.
When Gran was sure Bri wouldn’t interrupt, she continued. “Ciaran knew he had to help. In the wee hours of the morning he crept into Tristledermot to visit Duncan. The magic of the land traveled with him, and he arrived unseen. Ciaran told Duncan of the coming attack.”
Bri settled back against her pillow, relieved as always that her many times great-grandfather was brave enough to face his king’s anger to save his brother. Her eyes were so heavy, they were hard to hold open.
“When the town was to Ciaran’s back he sent up a prayer that his brother would believe him that this time, King Art wouldn’t be turned away by the townsfolk’s coins. . . .”
Mists swirled behind Bri’s closed eyes, pulling her away from Gran’s voice and into her favorite dream. A dream where brothers banded together with swords and wits to save a town from Ireland’s most fearsome king.
Read Beyond the Swearing Stone to see how The Tale of Two Brothers affects Bri’s own story!