Arthur

'Say no more,' croaked the raven. 'Ships may be prevented from sailing, but no one yet has discovered a way to hinder a bird from flying where it will.'

'Will you take a message to my brother, then?'

'Is that not what I am saying?'

'Well, I hope you speak more plainly to him than you do to me,' she snapped.

'Give me the message,' said Lieu in his raven's guise. 'Then stand you back and watch what will happen.'

So Bronwen told the raven all about her plight, then described Bran and what kind of man he was and where to find him. Away winged the big black bird to that fairest land across the sea.

The canny raven found Bran in his stronghold and spoke to him in private. Bran listened, becoming most distressed and outraged at his sister's disgrace. He thanked the raven and in the selfsame breath called for his advisers and counsellors and druids and any within the sound of his voice to assemble, whereupon he told them what had befallen Bronwen at Sechlainn's hands.

'How this could have happened, I cannot understand. I had the highest respect for that Irish king, and now this. Well, there is no trusting those quarrelsome dogs. Speak, Wise Sages! What say you, Counsellors? Advise me, Advisers! What am I to do about this?'

They all gazed in dismay at one another, then answered with a single voice. 'Your way is clear, lord and king. You must take your warband across the sea to save your sister and bring her back if you are to end this disgrace.'

Bran agreed. He raised his warband – and a better warband has not been seen on the Island of the Mighty from that time to this – and they steered their ships from Aber Menei to Ierne; each man among them armed and helmed, and each a better warrior than the last.

Now, Mallolwch's swineherds were down by the sea tending the pigs and they saw Bran's fleet coming. They threw down their staves and let the pigs scatter where they would, and ran to their lord who was holding court with his advisers.

'Lugh be good to you,' the Irish king said in greeting. 'What news do you bring me?'

'We have seen a wondrous sight, lord. And a more wondrous sight would be difficult to imagine,' the swineherds said.

Tell me then, for I would hear of it.'

They answered straightway, saying, 'Do not think us drunk, lord, but we have seen a forest arising on the sea where never was seen so much as a single tree. What is more, the forest is hastening this way. Think of that!'

'A strange sight, indeed,' replied Mallolwch. 'Did you see anything else?'

'In the centre of this forest, surrounded by it, we saw a mountain. Lightning broke from its brow and its crags were filled with roaring thunder.'

'A storming mountain surrounded by a forest,' mused Mallolwch. 'Coming this way, you say?'

'We do say it. What do you think it means?'

'On my life, I cannot think what it means. But the woman who was my wife is an intelligent being. Let us ask her.'

So the king and his advisers besought her, saying, 'Lady, tell us the meaning of this wonder we have seen.'

Though I am no longer a lady,' she replied, 'I know well enough what it is. Lieu knows it is a sight that has not been known in this worlds-realm for all these many years.'

'Will you tell us yet?'

'I will. It is nothing more nor less than the gathered warband of the Island of the Mighty, sailing to battle. I believe my brother Bran the Blessed has heard of my sore plight and is coming for me.'

'What is this forest we have seen?'

That is the masts and oars and spears of the ships and the warriors on them.'

'What is this mountain?'

That is none other than Bran himself in his towering rage.'

The Irish men heard this and were afraid. 'Lord, you cannot allow them to make war on us. They will slaughter us most frightfully.'

Mallolwch answered them bitterly. 'Lugh knows it is no more than you deserve for the trouble you have caused.'

'Fret us not with that,' the evildoers answered. 'Rather do your duty and protect us.'

'Because of you, that will not be easy to do. By Toutatis, you are a vile lot! I wish I had never known you. Nevertheless, I will do what seems best to me, and it is this: I will offer my kingship to my son, Gwern, Bran's own kin. He will not make war on his sister's son.' With this Mallolwch charged his messengers to bear these words to Bran when he came ashore.

The messengers obeyed and greeted Bran kindly as he waded ashore, his sword naked in his hand. 'What answer shall we take to our lord?' they asked when they had delivered their message.

'Tell your lord he shall have no answer from me until he brings me a better offer than I have heard just now.'

Back went the Irish men to their lord with the sound of ringing steel in their ears. 'Lord and protector,' they said, 'Bran says he will not give you an answer until he hears a better offer than the one you gave just now. Our advice is for you to prepare a better proposal, for we are not lying when we say that he will have none of the one you sent.'

Mallolwch nodded sadly. 'Then tell my brother Bran that I will build him the greatest stronghold this world has ever seen – with a hall big enough to hold all his people in one half, and all of mine in the other. Thus, he shall rule over leme and the Island of the Mighty, with me as his steward.'

The advisers came before Bran with this proposal, which pleased him when he heard it. The result was that he accepted it at once. In this way, peace was made and work begun on the stronghold and its enormous hall.

The men of Ierne toiled away to raise the timber, and they fell to discussing things, as workmen will do. Evnissyen, disguised as a workman, began complaining of the unfairness of Bran, and the harshness of his rule. Inspired by Evnissyen, they were soon saying things like: 'It is not fitting that our lord and king be made a steward in his own realm. This is a great dishonour for him, and for us as well, come to that.'

So the workmen set a trap. On every peg of every timber of the hall they fixed a large leather bag; inside every bag they put one of their most ferocious warriors.

When the hall was finished, Mallolwch sent word to Bran to come and take up residence. Evnissyen heard the summons and made certain to enter the hall before all the others. He scowled at the magnificent hall as if it were the most contemptible shepherd's bothy. And turning his cunning eyes on the leather bag nearest him, he said, 'What is that?'

'Barley,' replied one of the workmen.

On the pretence of examining the grain, Evnissyen reached into the bag, found the warrior's head and squeezed hard until he perceived his fingers crushing bone and sinking into brain.

As he did to that first bag, he did also to each bag in turn, until every one of two hundred warriors were killed and none were left in the land of the living. 'Now,' he smirked to himself, 'let the Irish men find this and they will howl with rage to think what Bran has done to their kinsmen.'

By this time the host had arrived. The men of the Island of the Mighty sat on one side of the great hearth, and the men of Ierne sat on the other. Peace was made and the Irish King removed his tore and held it out to Bran.

When Bran saw this he relented and said, 'I have a tore, lord, and lands and people enough. Only let my sister be reinstated in her proper place and I will be content.'

Mallolwch heard this and wept for joy. 'Truly, you are a blessed man,' he cried. 'You treat me better than I deserve.'

'How should I treat my own kin badly?' answered Bran.

'In token of your honour to me,' said the Irish king, 'let my son, your nephew, be brought forth. He will be crowned in my place, and I will serve him as I would serve you.'

Little Gwern was brought forward, and Mallolwch placed the tore upon his son's neck instead. Everyone who saw the boy loved him, for a more fair and honest boy there never was.