The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne
Chapter 1: The Wedding Feast
##Inspired by the Irish mythological story##
The four guards at the gate were already half drunk. The wedding feast of old Fionn mac Cumhaill and his new virgin bride Grainne was in full swing inside in the great hall, with a rowdy noise emanating from within. They were counting down the hours until they would be relieved of their duties and could join the celebrations. At least they had been provided with enough mead to keep their spirits up with darkness closing in.
Their ribald conversation about how Grainne would lose her virginity in a few hours time was halted by the sight that now greeted them looking down the dark road leading up to their gate. A caped figure with the hood pulled down over his face approached on a horse that was probably once white, but now was splattered all over with mud, manure and dried blood. Limping along at their side was a large hound, looking emaciated and at death's door.
"Halt, who goes there!" called the largest of the four watchmen.
No reply came from the figure as the group slowly trod up the road.
"Stop stranger and reveal yourself, or we will set our hounds on you!" was shouted loud enough to be easily heard over the din from the feast.
The horse halted and the hooded figure revealed his face, heavily bearded, dirty but even from this distance in the dark, his full lips, intense hazel eyes, and a bright spot in the middle of his forehead marked him as out of the ordinary. "I am Diarmuid of the Fianna. I return from patrolling our borders for two years. And this is the welcome I get?"
The head watchman called back "We are not from this part of the kingdom and know not of a Diarmuid. You will have to stay where you are until we are relieved by locals at the end of our watch".
Diamuid pressed his heels gently into the sides of his horse and continued towards the gate.
"Stop where you are right now or we will set our hounds on you stranger!" called the smaller of the four watchmen as he brought four large snarling hounds forward, straining at their leashes.
The trio kept coming slowly towards the gate. When they were 20 yards from the gate, the watchmen released their hounds who flung themselves at Diarmuid's hound and horse. Before they could close on their prey, Diarmuid set his hound, Bran, on attack. At Diarmuid's command Bran reared up and an energy flowed through him that reinvigorated the old war hound. He flung himself at the four attacking hounds, and in a flurry of fur, spittle, and blood they were rent asunder with the most horrendous death howls splitting the night air.
The watchmen were in shock and enraged by the death of their loyal hounds. Each of them retrieved a bow from the gatekeep, notched an arrow, drew, and were about to release the deadly projectiles when from behind them a roared "Stop" stayed their hands. They knew that voice.
They turned around to face Fionn mac Cumhaill. Even in his old age, tall, bearded, greying-blonde, Fionn was a fearsome sight. His cheeks were red from the copious mead he had consumed. But he was not merry. His anger radiated from him.
"Who dares cause such a commotion on the day of my wedding?"
Diarmuid encouraged his steed forward a few paces and under the light of the gate's torches pulled the sleeve of his left arm up to reveal a triskele tattoo on his inner arm.
"Diarmuid, is that you?"
"Yes Fionn, I am returned from two years protecting our borders, the only survivor of my patrol, and it looks like I have been forgotten".
Fionn ran forward, embraced Diarmuid in his bear-like grip, and hauled him off his weary horse.
"Diarmuid, you are not forgotten, just unexpected. And you return on a special night. I have wed Grainne, the most beautiful girl in these lands."
Diarmuid looked at Fionn with sadness in his eyes "So Sadhbh passed?"
"Yes, only a few days after you left. But now is not a time for the past, let's look to the future. Come in and join in with the celebrations."
Diarmuid's mind raced back two years.