Dagda's Cauldron

I sighed, looking at his hand on my thigh. I guess I am going on a quest.

I was standing next to a stone, no longer a raven but a red silk dress fell over my leine. Just like the bed sheets, the dress was smooth to touch, an electric jolt going through my fingertips. I had never worn anything so elegantly beautiful or this colour before. I noticed that there was an inscription where the stone laid. I touched it as if it meant the whole world, that it was of some great importance. There was an inscription written, my voice barely audible as I read the words that was written. ‘Ni fallat fatum, scoti quoteunque locatum invenient lapiderm tenenter ibidem.’ Lia fail. ‘If fate tells truth, where are the stone is found, a prince of scotic race shall there be crowned’. ‘The coronation stone.’

“There is a prophecy that into whatsoever land the Lia fail was brought, there is a prince of Scotland or Ireland race shall reign, the stone of destiny.”

“There has been talk among the locals about where this resided. Here it is, I am touching it.”

“It is here because of you Dana.”

“I am honoured that you believe that but as you can see Aengus, I am no prince of Ireland.”

I know that he is a god, but I believe that he has mistaken me for another, someone who is in higher standings and a male. I am no one. Stepping closer to me, his scent of forest and citrus was overwhelming my senses, he was overwhelming. I was uncomfortable with him being this close to me but at the same time I wanted him to be closer. It made no sense whatsoever but here I was, confused, in a strange world, touching a rock. Have you ever just stopped, to take note of a person’s hand? How wondrous and weird they look. Aengus’s hand was massive, but they were delicate all at the same time. Did he even work with those hands? That hand pressed on my abdominal area. I was holding a beautiful, sweet boy in my arms. He was tiny, his fingers were so small, my heart was breaking just by looking at him. He had this scent about him, a familiar scent, forest and citrus. I closed my eyes just to take all of it in. I was a mother who had a son, this was a dream, my purpose given to me by the gods, I was blessed. As I opened my eyes back up my baby boy was gone, I was with the stone again. Falling onto my knees, I cried. I do not even know why, it was all a dream, it was not real. I am mourning for something that was not even mine to begin with. It felt so real, this place is messing with my mind. Aengus fell onto his knees with me, he just held me, kissing my forehead.

“What you are experiencing is the future. The stone was communicating with you. Telling you who the next Prince of Ireland will be.”

I crawled backwards, away from him. I wanted to get as far as I could from this man.

“I want you to send me home! I cannot even look at you right now, accusing me of laying with a man, I have saved myself for my husband. I do not even know what the touch of a man feels like.” I was back in the meadow, laying in between Aengus’s legs. My head was resting against his hard chest. My body felt heavy, even if I wanted to, I was incapable of getting up. His delicate fingers lightly tickling my arms, sifting through my hair. I forgot why I was going to leave in the first place. Too entranced with his touch to think.

“Now that you are settled and calm, I can talk, and you can listen.”

I was open to listen to whatever he wanted to say.

“Dana, you are not pregnant, and I know that you are pure and untouched. The stone was showing your future. You will be pregnant with a son, and he will rule Ireland. That is why you have been chosen to help me to find the cauldron. You are part of something bigger, but there is something else that I believe that you should know. Cuidightheach is not part of the future that the stone showed you.”

“My father has organised for both of our families to come together, the agreement has already been set, we are getting married. Cuidightheach will be the father of all my children. I am not a woman who goes with other men. He will be mine and only mine until the day that I die.” Those words felt thick and heavy in my throat.

“I am used to getting what I want Dana, what I want is you. You have no choice but to marry me. That son that you will be carrying, that is my son. The Tuatha De Danann will rule Ireland once again.”

There was no time for reaction, his lips landed on mine. They were soft, needy and desperate against my lips. I had never experienced a kiss before. I had no idea what they were meant to be like but from what I was experiencing right now. This is the most alive that I had ever felt, everything in me was waking up tingly all over. Everything was overly sensitive. My mouth was on fire, burning. The warmth was relaxing, I was drifting off to sleep. My son was in my arms, he was perfect, never making a sound, we were just staring at each other and that would be enough. He looked like his father, even smelt like him, a citrusy woods smell. I never knew that I could love someone this much. I thought that my heart was only big enough for Aengus, but I was wrong, there was enough for two.