cydlawenhau: the blog

Once there was a young prin­cess by the name of Angharad who lived in the castle Caerblodeu deep in the heart of a forest. She was renowned throughout all the lands about as quite pretty and reas­on­ably smart. She was not a clever as the prince in the kingdom by the moun­tains and she was not beau­tiful like the prin­cess in the kingdom by the coast but she wasn’t a witch either so that bode well for her future career as monarch.

The prin­cess was fond of tying ribbons through her long chestnut hair and Emyr, the prince from the kingdom to the South, liked her so she was always in good supply of ribbons.

The prin­cess from the kingdom by the coast – like most of the prin­cess in that area – was a witch. Lleucu was not a powerful witch, but she carried the air of possibly becoming one once she sorted out the pimples and grew into her crown a little. This is important to know, because no person in their right mind slights a soon to be powerful witch queen.

Emyr did not like Lleucu – mostly because Angharad hated her – and when they were both sixteen, rejected her not so subtle hints to have him offer her marriage. This turned out to be a very bad idea and although she took it with good grace to his face, Lleucu began to plot his down fall.

It took a year for her plans to fall into place, and within that year Emyr’s father’s fortunes fell making it neces­sary for him to marry as soon as possible. There was a great deal of fuss made over who he should marry, but really there was no better choice than the girl of his dreams: their king­doms were side by side and Angharad’s father was rich enough.

At Angharad and Emyr’s engage­ment ball Lleucu presented Emyr with a small package to give to his intended on her behalf: “I can not deliver it myself,” she said, “for she will not talk to me, but every young woman deserves a beau­tiful thing.”

Emyr duti­fully presented the package to Angharad, saying it was from him because they both hated Lleucu. Angharad unwrapped the small box to find a plain but beau­tiful hair ribbon within. It was cobalt blue with gold edging. By coin­cid­ence the colours matched her dress and she commanded Emyr to plait the ribbon into her hair straight away.

As he began a silence fell across the room as the crowd watched. With each twist of her hair Angharad winced, though Emyr’s plaiting was as gentle as could be. She felt as though her dinner disagreed with her. But as the last twist of hair and ribbon fell into place Emyr was thrown away by a powerful kick from the hind legs of an enormous chestnut mare. Lleucu had tricked them both.

“Oh dear!” the witch explained. “Was that that ribbon? Oh curses, it appears Angharad will have to remain a horse and you will have to marry me.

“Nonsense. Off with her head,” Emyr’s father cried.

Lleucu turned on her smoothest voice and turned to Emyr. “But dear prince, if you unknot your beloved’s hair for more than an hour surely you both shall die. Unless you were to take her place, of course. I leave you your decision to make and your kingdom to ruin.” And with that Lleucu charged out of the hall.

Angharad’s father did not take his only child’s trans­form­a­tion well and within a month was on his death bed. Emyr called upon all of the wise men of all the lands and the lawyers too. It was decided that unless she was a human in her kingdom for half of every month Angharad could not be Regent. It was further decided that a horse could not marry a man, no matter his personal pref­er­ences and the king­doms would remain separate.

A plan was devised. Each second evening, Emyr would unplait Angharad’s hair and then she entwine the ribbon in his own within the alloc­ated hour so that the prin­cess might rule her kingdom and they might each find another suitor.

However, on the first evening, the moment they caught sight of them­selves holding each other in the mirror, moments before Emyr blew out into a silky white charger, they knew there was no other person either could love. For a year and a month and a day they kept up their switch and swap routine, taking their time as humans to bravely and fairly rule their respective king­doms whilst spending the even­ings riding the other through the forest that straddled the two kingdoms.

Mean­while, Lleucu took a prince from a kingdom in the far north as husband and Prince Regent. He was a dullard and Lleucu found he did not satisfy her.  When she learnt that Angharad and Emyr’s strange rule she sent the prince to deliver a message of war to the monarchs.

“Take this message to Caerblodeu and return to me when you have done so. But there is a strange curse in those lands. Be sure you do not take ribbon, nor thread from anyone there, other­wise you shall surely die.” Huw was well aware of his wife’s growing power and pledged to himself not to forget her admonition.

He set off the same day and trav­elled over many moun­tains, each day forget­ting a little more of what he was told.

One day, Emyr was riding the prin­cess through the forest when he came across a small hut in a clearing. Light filtered down through the leaves casting green light across the ruin. Across the clearing he spotted a tall, dark man to whom he was not acquainted.

“Ho, who goes risks their life by hunting in the Forest of Angharad?” the prince called to the stranger.

“I am no poacher,” the stranger called back, “I am Huw ap Hywel, Prince of the kingdom by the coast, riding to Caerblodeu to see Lord Emyr with a message from my Queen.”

Emyr and Angharad both knew that Lluecu had taken a prince from the far North as her husband, and they knew that he was quite dumb and did not know of their fate. Angharad whin­nied in excite­ment at the oppor­tunity for revenge.

“I am one of the Lord’s messen­gers,” Emyr lied, “let me take the message for you.”

“I can not, for my queen’s command prevents me. However, may I have your assist­ance for free passage?”

Emyr pointed down to the ribbon that snaked through Angharad’s mane. “If my steed will let you take the ribbon from her mane and tie it in your own hair you may freely pass. No man shall hurt you when you are thus adorned.”

Huw and Emyr both dismounted and Huw approached the prince and prin­cess care­fully. The horse did not shy though and he reached up to take the ribbon, she bowed her head. He quickly loosed the ribbon and stopped to admire it. There was a disturb­ance in the forest.

“Quickly,” Emyr urged, “tie it in your hair or else the peas­ants shall assume you are attacking me.” Huw for his life so he reached behind him and tied his hair into a simple pony tail. As he did he could feel the muscles in his arms grow stronger but before he had a chance to realise what was happening, he found himself on four legs and with a bit in his mouth.

Huw then real­ised what had happened, remem­bering too late his wife’s admon­i­tion to not take ribbon from anyone in the kingdom he visited. Emyr and Angharad then rode Huw home and were married the next day.