Bay’s Story Time – The Irish King

Part four of the story will be about King Conor of Ireland, the son of the Druid Queen and twin to Princess Sorcha. Read on to find out how he uses the Irish gift he was blessed with to help his kingdom flourish during his rule.

Legend of the Irish King

There is another part of the legends, a part of the gift that most ignore, for it only pertains to the Clan O’Reilly and few others who are strong in their sense and prone to twins.
Men do not inherit the gift in the same way women do. A male child born alone will have soul connection to his mother through her gift, but he will not have access to the gift of old Ireland the way his mother does.
However, a male child born twin to a female will have access to the gift of his own accord.
The druid Princess was born a twin, you see, though her brother was left with the Prince when she and her mother were banished from the castle. His gift was easier to hide, trained in secret by a Druid hiding among the King’s court.
Conor kept his gift to himself for years. He learned and practiced both his gift and the ways of the king while his father treated his new queen’s son as heir to the throne, biding his time and keeping quiet.
In time, he was trusted among his father’s people, his gift known only to the Druid woman who trained him.
Conor was a young man when the prince turned king fell ill on a hunting trip, his younger brother only fourteen years of age then. The king would never recover from his illness and the dowager queen could not rule in his stead. A call was put out by the court for the young prince to step up to his father’s position and lead the kingdom.
Only then did Conor question aloud his origins as the son of the Druid Queen and the King, half brother to the Prince and rightful heir to the throne. The dowager queen, wishing to hold on to her son’s innocence and already aware of Conor’s origins, allowed him to take the throne in her son’s stead.
In his time on the throne, Conor was kind to his young brother and stepmother. His gift helped keep him true and strong, the ability to sense the pain and emotion of others aiding in his decision making among other things.
Conor’s gift could not entirely heal a soul on its own, but when the king passed and his queen and son were in mourning, he could help some. He would meet with each separately, his gift finding the most painful parts of their souls and easing the ache of loss, such as a physician would apply ice to an injury to bring down pain and swelling.
His gift allowed for more precision than that of a female soul healer, no weaker than theirs but perhaps a bit more intentional than the innate healing touch his mother or sister would have had as a result of their gifts.
One day during Conor’s rule, the kingdom that had been peaceful found itself at war with a neighboring country’s king. There, at the front of the army, Conor sat on his horse in full regalia to lead them to battle himself.
He would fight alongside the men he asked to defend Old Ireland in this battle, but he had a second purpose as well for being there.
As the battle raged on, Conor would turn his horse and ride at a gallop, dodging arrows and swords. When one of his warriors began to show signs of fatigue, Conor would pass close enough to touch his shoulder, thus sharing his gift with them. Many of his warriors wondered at the second wind they found at Conor’s touch, though this was not something known to them as Druid Magick thanks to the rarity of a male with the gift.
After a time, Conor would exhaust himself, using his gift far more and for far longer than he was used to. His eyes fell closed, the good King’s grip on his horse slipping as he fell limp, the horse continuing as its rider dropped to the ground, unconscious.
In the middle of the battlefield, two warriors stood over the King’s exhausted form, protecting him from the enemy as he had been protecting them until the battle waned and the King could be moved to safety.
Conor survived that battle, his army victorious in honor of the king who risked his own life for them that day, He would forever bear scars from the injuries he sustained, but he would also carry the pride and honor of leading his people to victory and of being willing to give his own life to protect his people and his country if need be.
Conor reigned for several years before passing the crown to his younger brother, never marrying while on the throne for wanting love instead of simply marrying two kingdoms together for money and power.
When his reign was at an end, Conor left the castle with only his horse and what fit into the saddle packs, riding for the coast to the north, toward Scotland. Toward the Isle of Skye and the twin he had held a bond with since birth.
He would retire to Skye by his sister’s side, where then he would allow his heart to search for love with one who could care for his soul the way it deserved, but even when he had left the kingdom to find his true people, the kind Druid King would never be forgotten by the people of Old Ireland.