Part 1
De summer-sun was setting over Simrach. Everyone was heading home from a hard day of work on the fields. The green land was looking peaceful in the orange glow of the last rays of the sun. Everything was quiet, except for in the castle.
The queen was giving birth to twins. She had already given life to a son but the second one seemed to take it's time. The queen moaned in pain. A maid stood by her and tried to make her feel less miserable but the second child was obviously not in a hurry and nothing could make the queen feel better.
The king was waiting nervously outside the door. He had already seen his first son; a very quiet little boy with big green sparkling eyes. He was intensely happy for a few moments but then got the word that his second child was putting his wife and himself in danger. Suddenly he heard the liberating cry of a new born. He jumped up and ran into the room. He saw a maid carrying the baby. He took it from her and looked at it. The crying had stopped almost immediately after the king had entered the room and now he was looking at a little red face. The baby opened it's dark eyes and looked straight into king Nuada 's eyes. A vague smile appeared on it's tiny mouth. Nuada smiled back.
His wife lay exhausted in the bed. Her pale-blue eyes stared blurry to something invisible on the ceiling. " Nuada, to what have I given birth?", she whispered with a tired voice. "Two beautiful boys, Ethlinn, here .." He handed the baby to his wife. Ethlinn looked down on him. Again a smile appeared on the baby's face. A tiny little hand grabbed one of Ethlinn's long brown locks. " Nuada, he's special. A gift from the gods." "Yes, I think so too. Shall I get you your other son?" "No, dear", Ethlinn took his hand. "My end is near. I fear I may not be here when you come back with my first-born."
Nuada looked at her like she had just ripped his heart out. "No, you're just tired. You'll feel better in a few days" " Nuada, listen!" she tightened her grip on his hand. "There's no more time. I want you to name our eldest son Cian. But our youngest son is special. He's a gift from the gods, Nuada , I feel it. The way he smiled when I looked at him for the first time! I want you to call him Angus, yes Angus, Nuada. Just like Dagda's son. He will grow up to become a handsome warrior under the protection of the gods." Nuada looked confused. Ethlinn's face had turned gray. Her grip weakened. "But Ethlinn . " "It is time, Nuada ." She stared to the ceiling again, and whispered: "farewell" She closed her eyes for the last time..
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The king cried bitter tears for days. The people of Simrach were mourning. They mourned for themselves, for they had just lost their queen. They mourned for their king who'd lost his wife, and the two princes who'd lost their mother.
Almost a year went by. The king had changed a lot since his wife had died. He ruled Simrach, like a good king should, and he took care for his sons, like a good father should. But after sunset, he would jump on his horse and ride through the forest. He could sometimes stay away for hours but he'd always come back.
Villagers whispered that the king was going mad. Some people had seen him riding, screaming his wife's name. After his return in the castle he'd always run to the rooms where his sons were sleeping. He could look at them for hours. Although they were twins, they were still very different.
Cian was always very quiet. He had a very serious look on his face like he had to solve all the problems of Simrach. His hair was as brown as Ethlinn's hair was and Cian reminded Gobniu very much of her. He hardly ever smiled, unlike Angus. The moment one entered the castle, one could exactly hear in what room Angus was. Half of the time that he was awake, he would be giggling. And whenever he wasn't giggling, he would be crying, most of the times for food. His hair was black and so were his eyes.
The twins had separate rooms, for Angus had the nasty habbit to not sleep when he was supposed to sleep and the other way around. He kept Cian awake, who didn't seem to care, but the maid did care, and separated them. They both wore the royal pendants princes and kings of Simrach were supposed to wear, no matter the age; from the cradle to the grave. The pendants had the sign of Simrach on them: a white dear. The king had them especially remade for the twins. On the backside of the deer's head were their names engraved. Between the antlers shone a blue stone. Cian had the right half of the stone on his pendant, Angus had the other half. This resembled that Simrach was going to have two rulers in the future. At least, that was the plan .
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Everything was going fine, until the summer approached again. Foreigners had come from across the sea on the island and they had brought the plague with them. It had struck Simrach and all the other lands on the island. Thousands of people died, nothing could stop it. Only a handful of people survived. What the king feared happened.
The castle too wasn't immune from the terrible disease. Cian had a high fever and the king feared for his life. Angus fortunately was still very healthy and Nuada wanted to keep it that way. He was sending his son to Kells. Kells lay on an island across the sea in the west and the plague still hadn't reached that island. Rheged, a country north from Simrach, was sending its queen and her son there too. She had given birth to a little boy last year, Garrett, and she also feared for his life. Rheged had an alliance with Kells; princess Deirdre, daughter of king Connoher of Kells, would marry Garrett at a respectable age. Connoher had told the queen that she would be more than welcome in Kells for as long as she wanted to stay there.
Nuada too had asked Connoher for a safe place for his son in Kells and Connoher had told him that Angus would be welcome too. He could travel with the queen of Rheged and her son. That way Angus would be more than save and he could keep Garrett company. Nuada agreed. He was very relieved. Angus would be save for sure...
De summer-sun was setting over Simrach. Everyone was heading home from a hard day of work on the fields. The green land was looking peaceful in the orange glow of the last rays of the sun. Everything was quiet, except for in the castle.
The queen was giving birth to twins. She had already given life to a son but the second one seemed to take it's time. The queen moaned in pain. A maid stood by her and tried to make her feel less miserable but the second child was obviously not in a hurry and nothing could make the queen feel better.
The king was waiting nervously outside the door. He had already seen his first son; a very quiet little boy with big green sparkling eyes. He was intensely happy for a few moments but then got the word that his second child was putting his wife and himself in danger. Suddenly he heard the liberating cry of a new born. He jumped up and ran into the room. He saw a maid carrying the baby. He took it from her and looked at it. The crying had stopped almost immediately after the king had entered the room and now he was looking at a little red face. The baby opened it's dark eyes and looked straight into king Nuada 's eyes. A vague smile appeared on it's tiny mouth. Nuada smiled back.
His wife lay exhausted in the bed. Her pale-blue eyes stared blurry to something invisible on the ceiling. " Nuada, to what have I given birth?", she whispered with a tired voice. "Two beautiful boys, Ethlinn, here .." He handed the baby to his wife. Ethlinn looked down on him. Again a smile appeared on the baby's face. A tiny little hand grabbed one of Ethlinn's long brown locks. " Nuada, he's special. A gift from the gods." "Yes, I think so too. Shall I get you your other son?" "No, dear", Ethlinn took his hand. "My end is near. I fear I may not be here when you come back with my first-born."
Nuada looked at her like she had just ripped his heart out. "No, you're just tired. You'll feel better in a few days" " Nuada, listen!" she tightened her grip on his hand. "There's no more time. I want you to name our eldest son Cian. But our youngest son is special. He's a gift from the gods, Nuada , I feel it. The way he smiled when I looked at him for the first time! I want you to call him Angus, yes Angus, Nuada. Just like Dagda's son. He will grow up to become a handsome warrior under the protection of the gods." Nuada looked confused. Ethlinn's face had turned gray. Her grip weakened. "But Ethlinn . " "It is time, Nuada ." She stared to the ceiling again, and whispered: "farewell" She closed her eyes for the last time..
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The king cried bitter tears for days. The people of Simrach were mourning. They mourned for themselves, for they had just lost their queen. They mourned for their king who'd lost his wife, and the two princes who'd lost their mother.
Almost a year went by. The king had changed a lot since his wife had died. He ruled Simrach, like a good king should, and he took care for his sons, like a good father should. But after sunset, he would jump on his horse and ride through the forest. He could sometimes stay away for hours but he'd always come back.
Villagers whispered that the king was going mad. Some people had seen him riding, screaming his wife's name. After his return in the castle he'd always run to the rooms where his sons were sleeping. He could look at them for hours. Although they were twins, they were still very different.
Cian was always very quiet. He had a very serious look on his face like he had to solve all the problems of Simrach. His hair was as brown as Ethlinn's hair was and Cian reminded Gobniu very much of her. He hardly ever smiled, unlike Angus. The moment one entered the castle, one could exactly hear in what room Angus was. Half of the time that he was awake, he would be giggling. And whenever he wasn't giggling, he would be crying, most of the times for food. His hair was black and so were his eyes.
The twins had separate rooms, for Angus had the nasty habbit to not sleep when he was supposed to sleep and the other way around. He kept Cian awake, who didn't seem to care, but the maid did care, and separated them. They both wore the royal pendants princes and kings of Simrach were supposed to wear, no matter the age; from the cradle to the grave. The pendants had the sign of Simrach on them: a white dear. The king had them especially remade for the twins. On the backside of the deer's head were their names engraved. Between the antlers shone a blue stone. Cian had the right half of the stone on his pendant, Angus had the other half. This resembled that Simrach was going to have two rulers in the future. At least, that was the plan .
**************************************************************************** ******
Everything was going fine, until the summer approached again. Foreigners had come from across the sea on the island and they had brought the plague with them. It had struck Simrach and all the other lands on the island. Thousands of people died, nothing could stop it. Only a handful of people survived. What the king feared happened.
The castle too wasn't immune from the terrible disease. Cian had a high fever and the king feared for his life. Angus fortunately was still very healthy and Nuada wanted to keep it that way. He was sending his son to Kells. Kells lay on an island across the sea in the west and the plague still hadn't reached that island. Rheged, a country north from Simrach, was sending its queen and her son there too. She had given birth to a little boy last year, Garrett, and she also feared for his life. Rheged had an alliance with Kells; princess Deirdre, daughter of king Connoher of Kells, would marry Garrett at a respectable age. Connoher had told the queen that she would be more than welcome in Kells for as long as she wanted to stay there.
Nuada too had asked Connoher for a safe place for his son in Kells and Connoher had told him that Angus would be welcome too. He could travel with the queen of Rheged and her son. That way Angus would be more than save and he could keep Garrett company. Nuada agreed. He was very relieved. Angus would be save for sure...