Caithness of the Boyne - Episode Four

Rohan had decided to take a long walk this morning; he had no idea to hunt or anything, he just felt that he needed a bit of fresh air. He'd been thinking about Deirdre a lot lately...in fact, ever since Bridie had reappeared a little over two months previous. Rampant thoughts kept turning over in his brain...what if Deirdre didn't like him? What if his hair was too long? What if she didn't like curls? Or maybe his eyes were too close together, or too far apart, or...
He looked up, into the branches of the trees in the forest around him. What was it that had caught his eye? Whatever it was shimmered in the sunlight, looking suspiciously like gold. Rohan grinned, glad Angus hadn't come with him today. Maybe now was his chance to redeem himself to Fin Varra for that time not so long ago when the young knight had unknowingly brought Torq into the fairy king's chamber. Everyone knew how dear gold was to the little people of tir na nOg...Rohan pulled himself up into the lowest branches of the tall oak tree.
But Rohan didn't see Mider, laughing to himself as the unsuspecting young man came closer and closer. As Rohan began reaching upward to take the supposed 'gold', Mider poured a bag of fairy dust into Rohan's eyes. Rohan sneezed violently, blowing himself from the tree. He lay on the ground, rubbing his fist fiercely over his eyes, and finally shook his head; he was alright.
Or so he thought.
As the young knight went on his way back toward the village, his eyes darted back and forth, looking for enemies in every leaf, every blade of grass. It seemed he could remember feeling this way before...but when was it?
By the time he got back to his village, Rohan was a nervous wreck. This magic was ten times worse than Maeve's coward spell had been. Bridie and Angus were waiting for their friend at the bridge in the village, and they noticed something was amiss with him. Rohan saw them from the outskirts of the village, and he tried to sneak past them, running as he got nearer, but Angus and Bridie grabbed his upper arms and swung him around, holding him back.
"Uh-oh," Angus said, looking in his friend's eyes.
Bridie studied Angus' face, glancing at Rohan from time to time, her brow creased with worry.
"Uh-oh? Uh-oh what?"
Angus shook his head. "Uh-oh, no, no. I've seen this look before." He said, holding Rohan by the chin so that Bridie could look into the blue eyes. They were still Rohan's eyes, human eyes; but there wasn't even a hint of bravery in them. They reminded her of the eyes of a frightened deer...an animal that knew its days were numbered.
Bridie closed her eyes for a moment. "A spell," she said, no question but a statement of fact. Angus nodded.
"An enchantment. The last time it only made him a wee bit skittish; this time he's frightened of his own shadow."
Bridie gazed at Angus, then at Rohan. She smoothed Rohan's curls from his face, like Rohan was just a child. Rohan turned away from Angus and fell to his knees, burying his face in the folds of Bridie's skirts.
"We'll take him to Fin Varra," Bridie said. "Maybe he'll know what to do."
"Right. Or give us another riddle."
They helped Rohan to his feet, but he wouldn't let go of Bridie's cloak. They went slowly to tir na nOg.

"The answer to this is frightfully simple. You must go to the Great Oak, by the Boyne river," Fin Varra explained slowly, making certain the humans understood. "There you will find a magical key; carved from the bones of a drageen which died long ago. And you must take a strip of bark from the oak; but not a very big one, mind; the oak won't like that. Only one of you may enter the grove with Rohan."
"Which one of us, Fin Varra?" Angus asked. Fin Varra shrugged.
"It doesn't matter. But you must leave the area before the sun sets, or you will be trapped there for all eternity."
Bridie, still holding onto Rohan, who was even trying to hide from the tiny king, looked up from her comforting of the young man. "What's the key for?"
Fin Varra rolled his eyes.
"You must use it to unlock the back-door. Sweet Lugh, child, did you learn nothing from your years with Rohan, Angus, and the princess? The potion which will break the spell lies hidden in a closet in Maeve's castle. But the only way to find it is through the back-door."
"Great," Angus said sarcastically. "Too bad the royals have duties back at the castle. Won't they be sorry they missed all the fun."
"Now go. Your friend's condition worsens with every passing moment. If you don't get the oak-bark by sunset, he will be lost forever. You may already be too late as it is. Hurry, hurry, go!"

Angus and Bridie paused for a moment deep within the woods, and Bridie helped Rohan sit down, his back against a tree. He still wouldn't let go of Bridie. She looked around, her hand grasping that of the young warrior, trying to think how much further they had to go.
"It's not much further to the Boyne," she decided. She looked down at Rohan, kneeled, and gently wiped the sweat from his feverish brow.
"I wish I knew what Fin Varra meant about the bark from this tree, though," Angus said, watching her. He almost wished it were him sitting there with Bridie fussing over him...
"Fin Varra was right about one thing, anyway," she said softly. "Rohan is getting worse the longer we dally. Come on," she murmured, pulling Rohan to his feet, "only a little bit more."
"Hang on, Rohan," Angus said, reaching out a hand to touch his friend's shoulder, but at the last moment thinking better of it, "hang on just a while longer."

They finally arrived at the riverbank, pausing again as they looked up at the Great Tree.
And up...and up...and up...
"Well; there it is," Angus said. "I'll uh...I'll go with Rohan; you shouldn't have to go under there."
The oak looked menacing, forboding even in the bright sunshine. Angus shrugged off the shiver that went through him, and reached for Rohan; but the young man shied away from him, hiding on the other side of Bridie. She touched Angus on the upper arm; both of them felt the inopportune shock of pent-up passion...but they had to keep their minds on the matter at hand.
"Nevermind, Angus," she said. "I can do as well as you; maybe even better. We'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail."
Angus held her arm, and she thought for a moment. Then she leaned up, kissed his lips softly, and began walking slowly, cautiously into the grove, holding Rohan's hand.
Angus watched as they disappeared beneath the branches. He waited, tapping his foot nervously.
"How's it going?" He cried.
"Did Fin Varra say where to get the bark?"
Angus raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Off the branches or the trunk? Or the ground?"
"I don't guess it matters. Just hurry; the sun'll be setting soon."
Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes near Bridie. A tallish figure jumped out at her and Rohan, aiming a long-sword directly at Bridie's heart. Bridie grabbed Rohan's sword from it's scabbard on his back, knowing her sword didn't have mystic powers.
"Who are you?" She asked, and the figure before her lowered his sword a little, bowing his head her way.
"I am Caithness of the Boyne; guardian of the Boyne Valley and the Great Tree. Why are you here?"
"To help my friend. All I want is a piece of bark from the oak and a magical key that I was told would be here."
"I recognize Draganta; there are few who would not. You are a stranger to me."
"I am Bridie of the Boyne. A friend to the mystic knights."
Caithness looked her up and down.
"You must first answer a question, Bridie," he said, "before I can allow you to take what you need."
Bridie nodded.
"What is the key made of?"
She smiled and emitted a tiny giggle.
"That's it? That's your question? Drageen bone, of course."
Caithness nodded once, and raised his hand. There was a flash of red light in Bridie's palm, and she opened her fist to find the key and a sliver of oak-bark resting there.
"Thank you," she said, turning to leave.
"A word of warning," said Caithness. Bridie turned to look at him. "Touch nothing inside Maeve's castle except the bottle of elixir to cure Rohan. The smallest speck of dust could change you all; even the great Draganta," he said. Caithness reached out, removed the bark from Bridie's hand, and pressed it to Rohan's forehead, mumbling a few words of an ancient spell. Rohan gasped for air and seemed to have regained his senses, even though he is still almost as frightened as before.
"Also; only you can give Rohan the cure he needs. You have the power within you; your friend does not." He motioned toward Angus. "Now hurry; you must be out of the valley before sunset."
Bridie thanked Caithness, touching the back of his armored hand to her forehead. Then she led Rohan out of the grove, grasping Angus' shoulder, nodded that it was time to go. They ran as fast as they could and somehow managed to escape the valley.

The trio had slowed to a walk when suddenly Rohan fell to his knees on the rocky ground. Bridie held onto his shoulders, Angus his head, as they lowered him slowly to the ground.
"By Dagda!" Bridie whispered, then cried aloud; "Aideen! We need you!"
Aideen appeared quick as lightning, once again the size of a fairy.
"I'm here, Bridie. What's happened to Rohan?"
"I don't know; how is it that you're a fairy again?"
Aideen grinned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Fin Varra changed me back; but he told me that I have the power to become human again if ever there's need; it's a gift from father to daughter."
Bridie smiled, then glanced down at Rohan. "Well, we have need. Angus and I should go ahead, to find the back-door of Maeve's castle. Can you help Rohan along?"
"Of course," Aideen said. She clapped her hands once and was immediately made human-sized, helping Rohan up, placing one of his arms over her delicate shoulders and wrapping one of her own arms about his waist.
"Follow us close, but go easy on him," Bridie said. "I don't know how much longer he'll last without that cure."

Maeve's castle was more heavily guarded than usual, and Bridie wondered if maybe the evil sorceress wasn't expecting them. Several of her guards pooled around below the heroes as they laid in wait behind a pile of rocks; darkness had fallen; conceivably it wouldn't be much longer til they gave up and went to bed.
"Now what?" Angus asked, brushing his long black hair away from his face.
Bridie shrugged, glancing back at Rohan and Aideen, then into the soft brown eyes of her beloved.
"Now we wait," she said in response to the anxious faces all around her.

To be continued....