Book 2. Chapter 3.

The children of Lir.

Once upon a time there was a king called Lir. Who as was the custom of most kings married not for love but for greed.

His high king, King Bov the red, of the Tuatha_De Danann, had two daughters.

Eva and Aoife.

Lir threatened to go to war if Bov the red refused to give him one of his daughters for his wife. This would place Lir next in line for Bov's throne.

Aoife volunteered to marry Lir.

Bov agreed for Eva was his favourite and it would brake his heart to give her up.

Then a servant boy told king Bov the red that he overheard king Lir and Aoife plotting to kill him as soon as their wedding was over and take his throne.

When King Bov the red confronted Aoife she killed the servant boy and escaped to a far off Tower guarded by a dark Druid with red hair and a heart as crooked and black as his walking stick.

Alas with the servant boy now dead so was all prove of the plot.

Bov the red had little choice but to offer Lir his daughter Ava to be his wife.

Lir still plotted to kill Bov. Take the throne and also kill his new wife.

His ambitions were stopped however by the one thing he could not plan on.

Falling in love with Ava.

Her beauty made all men abandon their foolish ambitions.

Lir"s heart no longer belonged to him.

Ava once she had put him in his place decided she too loved him and bore him four children.

Three handsome boys Aoidh, Fiacha, and Conn.

But none could hold a candle to the eldest daughter Fionnula of the fair shoulder, who it was said was more beautiful than her mother.

Lirs kingdom flourished under his and Ava's rule.

News of Lirs family and their love for one another spread throughout Ireland reaching the jealous ears of Aoife, who with the dark Druid had bore a son.

The Druid had taught her all his evil magic and all three set out to kill Lir and his family.

The Druid killed Lir with a poisonous snake.

Aoife killed her sister with a poisonous kiss.

The son was sent to kill the children by drowning them all in Lough Derravaragh.

But the son took one look at Fionnula and fell instantly in love.

He could not harm her or the children.

Fearing his mother and father's wraith he sent his hawk to betray them to king Bov the red.

He also knew somehow he had to hide the children .

He remembered seeing his father change people into birds, so the boy tried that spell.

He turned the children and his life's love into swans.

The hawk found King Bov the red and told the king what his masters mother and father had done.

The high king raised an army against them and killed his mother. His evil Druid father fled back to his tower.

King Bov the red and his army found the boy standing on the bank of the lake.

"Boy! Where are the children of Lir ?"

The king asked.

"I turned them into swans along with my hearts love Fionnula."

The boy said standing and looking at the swans on the lake.

"How long will they stay swans?"

The King asked.

"Nine hundred years before my love turns back."

The boy replied still standing and looking.

"Nine hundred years? What will you do?"

The king asked.

"I will wait."

The boy replied and did not move from the bank of the lake.

The hours turned into a day then a night and still the boy stood by the bank stirring at his swans.

The king and his army rode away but the boy would not go.

People from a near by village took pity on the boy and brought him food and water.

The days turned to weeks.

The villagers built the boy a shelter by the lake shore.

As the months past one of the village girls fell in love with the boy.

Alas he was unable to give her what he did not have.

His heart was out there on the lake.

Soon the months became years.

The boy became a man.

The man grew old.

Until one winters morning as one of the village mothers was bring the old man food.

She found him dead in the spot he stood on for over eighty years.

They buried the old man facing his spot and his swans.

The whole village believed that was the end of his story.

Until one day a strange boy was seen standing in the same place as the old man.

The boy stood there for three days.

Some of the villagers asked the boy what he was doing here?

He told them he came from a land far away and for as long as he could remember he felt drawn to this lake, to this spot, to those swans.

They asked the boy when was he born?

His answer was the same day the old man died.

The boy would not move and once more the years rolled by.

The boy grew old and died and a new boy would be found on the spot continuing the wait.

Continuing until nine hundred years to the day past.

That morning the swans swam over to the boys spot.

As the sun rose up the boy smiled as his love and Lirs children transformed back into humans.

His smile disappeared as they walked towards him.

The children suddenly grew old in front of his eyes.

Nine hundred years old.

The boy jumped into the lake and grabbed his falling love.

"I am old." She cried.

"You are beautiful my love." He smiled.

"You waited all this time." She sighed.

"All what time my love?"

He asked and before his love died they shared their last and first kiss.

Cu Culainn standing at the top of his class gently closed his copy and looked up.

His class and teacher stirred back.

No one said a word.

He couldn't tell if they liked his story or not.

The girls looked like they where about to cry.

The boys just looked confused.

Ann spoke first.

"I want to have his baby."

Jack sitting beside her. Looked at her as if she was mad.

"Me too!" Sarah sighed. The other side of Jack .

"Girls! your all bloody mad!" Cried Jack.

"Me three-" sighed Miss Hathaway.

"What Miss??" Shouted Jack.

"I mean Tanta-" Miss Hataway spoke trying to compose herself.

"That was very well written I never heard that version of the children of Lir before?"

"It's the only version I know Miss!"

Replied Cu Culaiinn.

"Call me Emer."

"What Miss!" Cried Jack in disbelieve .

"I mean has anyone in the class any comments on Tanta's story!"

All the girls shot their hands up.

"It's crap Miss!" Moaned Jack.

"Jack essay. Four pages on true love. By tomorrow morning.

Jack threw his eyes up to heaven.

Miss Hathaway pointed to a girl up front.

"Kate what's your Question."

"Just wondered what happened to the boy at the end of the story?"

"He was arrested for Necrophilia!"

Jack shouted.

"Five pages. Jack."

Miss Hathaway ordered but was impressed that Jack knew what Necrophilia meant.

"Well," Cu Culainn began.

"What happened to the boy is a mystery. Some say he died of a broken heart and is buried with his beloved.-"

"-Others say he found a way to turn himself and his love into swans. Living another 900 years together."

Cu Culainn leaned back onto the teachers desk and continued.

"A friend known for tall tales I knew who came from the village told me that the boy had gone mad.-"

"-According to him my friends mother felt sorry for him as he stood by the graves. She offered her home to the poor boy but he refused. He told her he was going to bring her back. Filled with pity she told the poor child there is no way to bring her back.-"

"-He simply replied.-"

"-Love will find a way."

Cu Culainn stood up once more.

"-The next morning they found the boys clothes by the spot he had stood in for so long. He was never seen again.'

"Oh! come on!"

Jack Gave out.

"How can he be talking to your friends mother? This happened hundreds of years ago!"

Jack eyed his pal Cu Culainn for an answer.

"Sorry I meant that's what the legend says.-" Cu Culainn apologised. -"

He was talking about his great, great, great, great, great, great ,great, great, great, great, great, great, grand Mother"

Cu Culainn smiled.

"Your all Nuts!" Moaned Jack.

"Six pages Jack."

Ordered Miss Hathaway.

"I'm only messing. Emer."

Smiled Jack.

"Seven Pages."

"God! girls can't take a joke."

Jack groaned.

"EIGHT PAGES!"

Ordered all the girls in the class.