This is for Sue Vincent’s Thursday photo prompt #writephoto
Her sons were waiting. Their chariots were harnessed, and the lios was a sea of men, horses and hounds.
“Don’t go,” she whispered to Diarmuid. “There’s no need. Let the old man rant. He can do us no harm.”
Diarmuid took her in his arms. “I must. If Conor brings his men across the river I shall have no choice but to fight him.”
Her fingers clutched the rough wool of his cloak, wishing she had the strength to hook her fingers into his flesh and hold him there.
“He promised,” she said.
“And he broke his word.”
Diarmuid held her away from him and smiled. She looked into his face and counted the wrinkles round his eyes, the silver hairs in the black. She would like to kiss every one before he left, but there was no time. Too many years they had been together for there to be any farewell that would ease the pain. She turned away so he would not see her sorrow. The sorrow of an old woman who could not bear that he might not come back.
The noise of the parting warriors masked the sound of beating wings. Her tears blurred the sight of the raven that settled on the ridgepole of the house. When Diarmuid returned it was upon his shield.
Jane Dougherty Writes 
But he returned nonetheless and to a place where he had known love.
And she got her sons back at least.
That is good.
🙂
A brilliant retelling of the Ulster Myth classic, Jane. I love the Spartan allusion in your last line! 😀
I know the Celts didn’t have shields big enough to carry more than a lunch pack on, but I was hoping nobody would notice. Also that I didn’t use Fionn but Conor. Don’t know why.
Right! It’s the fenian cycle, not the Ulster. When I saw Conor, I thought of Diedre! 😆
Right! I didn’t set out to write about Grainne and Diarmuid, hence the Conor with the unspecified problem, but that’s how it ended up.
And still so brilliant! 😀
I’m glad you like it. These stories get into our heads, we assimilate them and the characters pop out when we think we’re writing something original 🙂
😆
I did notice the shield reference but I didn’t mind. 🙂
Thank you for being indulgent. I hate anachronism but it sounded like a good line to end on 🙂
Very nice!!!
Thank you, Jennifer 🙂
I like this Jane 🌹
Thank you! I’m pleased 🙂
💜💜💜🌹
🙂
I didn’t recognize what myth this came from, but it gave that legendary impression even so. Nicely done. I always prefer the stories that focus in on the human relationships and the human costs of these “grand” events.
It ended up being Grainne and Diarmuid though I hadn’t intended it to follow any specific text. That’s what I love about the Irish myths, the people, even though they lived in the Iron Age and venerated Megalithic stone constructions, were real flesh and blood human.
It does make for more engaging and emotionally rich stories, I agree.
🙂
Great story Jane. I didn’t recognize the reference of the battle, but found it on the same lines as a 300, or the battle between Porus and Alexander the Great that is popular in our Indian legends.
Thank you 🙂 It wasn’t really a battle, just a minor skirmish between enemies and neighbours. The ancient Irish didn’t do much more than squabble among themselves 🙂
Life and death…the crow is always present. The never-ending and universal story of love and war. (K)
How true. The constants of human existence.
The stuff of legend. Nicely done.
Thanks Iain 🙂