Scotland's Storybook: stories in English (1.1 - Education Scotland

e careful of how he acted until his trap could be sprung. As he drank he
thought of Deirdre and of her great beauty. But was she still as beautiful as she
had been before her enforced exile? King Conchobar called Levarcham, the old
nurse who had raised Deirdre, and told her to go and see her former charge and
to come back and tell her if she was still as beautiful as she was. Levarcham
wept as she embraced Deirdre, who was every bit as beautiful as she ever was,
and the two talked for a short time before the old nurse had to return to the
king. The old nurse knew what evil was in the king’s mind and she thought that
she’d try to delay his plans by lying to him about Deirdre.
‘Well?’ demanded the king, ‘how does she look?’
‘Oh, your majesty,’ said the old nurse, ‘her looks have faded with worry and
hardship. All those nights sleeping outdoors, smoky campfires, hunger and a
thousand hardships have taken their toll on her face and form. Why, she’s
nothing special to look at any more!’
The king was happy with this report; maybe Naoise could be forgiven after
all, if Deirdre had lost her beauty. But as he sat there drinking and brooding over
events he grew more and more suspicious until he called a servant to him and
ordered him to spy on Deirdre and to bring back news of how she looked.
Trendhorn, the king’s spy, was of Norse blood, and he headed for the house
where Deirdre and the Sons of Usna were staying. He climbed up onto the roof
and looked down through a skylight at where Deirdre sat next to Naoise, who
was playing chess. Deirdre saw his face at the window and screamed, pointing
up at him. Naoise picked up a silver chess piece and threw it at Trendhorn with
such force that it put out one of his eyes.
He returned to the king with the blood streaming down his cheek and said to
Conchobar, ‘Your majesty, Deirdre is still so very beautiful that I think it was
worth losing an eye just to see her for a moment.’
King Conchobar was furious when he heard this and his desire for revenge
grew stronger than ever.
The next morning the Sons of Usna went out into a great courtyard that was
surrounded by earth ramparts where all of the king’s warriors were gathered.
Women of noble birth as well as peasants stood along the ramparts watching
the events as they unfolded before them. Naoise looked hopefully for any sign
of Fergus’s return from the feast, but he was nowhere to be seen. King
Conchobar, wearing a small golden crown on his head, came out and stared at
his enemies who stood before him, but then instead of welcoming them he read
the ancient oaths of loyalty to the king that the Red Branch warriors had all
taken. He then ordered them to seize Deirdre and to attack the Sons of Usna.
Deirdre was roughly grabbed by warriors who bound her hands before her with
rope and dragged her away to witness what was to come. The sons of Fergus
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