Roundstone

Chapter 2

Time passes by quickly, it has been a couple of hours since Éabha had told Aóibhinn of the King's orders and Éabha had become more anxious with every passing minute.

A knock is heard on the door, Clódagh then enters the bedroom.
"Did you get talking to Aóibhinn?” She asks.

Éabha nods her head,” Yes, I told her about my father’s orders, she said that she would have to inform King O’Shea but I haven’t heard anything from that, she replies.

Clódagh gasped, “Hearing that your father ordered the forest trees to be chopped down isn’t going to go down well with Paddy O’Shea, this is going to create a lot of trouble.”

When she caught sight of Éabhas worried expression she continued, ” But not to worry, I’m sure things will work out just fine, now you try to get some rest, no need for you to worry about it.”

Éabha looked at Clódagh in bewilderment, “How can I not worry? I have possibly made matters worse.”

“Don’t be silly dear, everything will work out just fine,” Aóbhinn tries to say, but her quivering voice and panicked expression told Éabha just how frightened Clódagh is.

Clódagh walks towards the door,” I have to go and finish my chores, once I’m finished I will come back to check on you before I retire for the night.”

She walks out of the bedroom, and when she closes the door she lets her head fall back on the door, closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh of exasperation. Clódagh was fearful of what King Paddy O’Shea might do to King Fíonn and the people of Roundstone.

A scream is heard from the master bedroom at the end of the corridor, Clódaghs's eyes shoot open, her stomach clenches and her heart starts to speed up intensely. She knows that the scream is that of Queen Aóife, so she rushes to the master bedroom and gently places her ear on the door to listen in.

Clódagh gasps when she hears voices but it isn’t only the voices of the King and Queen, she gets on her knees and looks through the keyhole of the door, her eyes widen and her body shakes.

Sitting on the end of the bed in his shamrock green, velvet suit and small golden crown, encrusted with rubies and emeralds was no other than King Paddy O’Shea.

“So yer want to destroy my village,” Paddy says in his thick Irish accent.

King Fíonn tries to show that he doesn’t fear the wee Leprechaun in front of him but when he starts to speak his voice proves otherwise.

“I am going to destroy you and your village, just like you destroyed my family,” King Fíonn replies in a shaky voice making his fear obvious to Paddy.

Paddy started chuckling and with his tiny hand, he rubbed his fluffy, ginger-bearded chin. He swings his legs back and forth, his tiny gold buckle shoes creating bolts of light to shimmer throughout the room.

“Nye, nye O’Reilly, you know that was the Murphy sisters doin',” he says.

“Maybe so, but you put them up to it,” King Fíonn shouts while pointing a shaky finger at the tiny Leprechaun.

Again, Paddy chuckles at the King, he then climbs on top of the bed. “Aye, what ye goin te de about it?” He asks, sarcastically.

“I’m going to destroy you and every one of your kind in it,” King Fíonn replies.

“Is that so? We’ll see about that!” Paddy starts twirling a finger in the air and says.

“Ag stailc ceithre cinn ní bheidh smacht agat níos mó, beidh sráidbhaile Roundstone ina shráidbhaile Leprechaun.”

He opened his hand, lightly blew on his palm, and tiny gold particles emerged, they steadily floated around the room, gradually sweeping throughout the castle and out through the windows and doors and across Roundstone village.

“What have you done?” King Fíonn asks.

Paddy chuckles and without a reply, he snaps his fingers and vanishes.

Shocked at what she has just witnessed, Clódagh scurries to Éabhas room. She burst through the door without knocking. Éabha is too entranced by the tiny gold particles to acknowledge Clódagh’s presence.

“Éabha we need to get Aóibhinn here now,” she gushes in a panic.

Éabha jumps, startled by the sudden outburst.
“Clódagh what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” She asks with concern.

“I don’t have time to explain Éabha, we need Aóibhinn here now, she replies in a tone that quivered with nerves.

Seeing that Clódagh is very distressed, Éabha goes to the window, but before she opens it Aóibhinn appears in the room.

“Aóibhinn, you’re here,” Éabha beams.

“I came to warn you, Paddy O’Shea got extremely angry when I told him of your father’s orders and I’m worried about what he might do to him,” Aóibhinn says hurriedly.

“Well, you’re too late, he has already been,” Clódagh snaps.

“Oh, what happened? Did he do anything to the King?"

"He said something in Irish but I couldn’t translate it, and then he blew some type of gold dust from his hand,” Clódagh replies.

Aóibhinn buries her face in her hands, she looks back at Clódagh, “Do you think you could repeat the words he said?”

Clódagh tries to think about the words Paddy had said to Fíonn, “yes, yes, I know the words,” she says excitedly and starts to repeat what Paddy had said, word for word.

“Ag stailc ceithre cinn ní bheidh smacht agat níos mó, beidh sráidbhaile Roundstone ina shráidbhaile Leprechaun.”

Éabhas and Aóibhinns eyes widened, "oh no," they say in unison.

"What was it he said?" Clódagh asks.

"At the stroke of four, you'll have control no more, Roundstone village will become a Leprechaun village," Éabha replies.

"Oh no, he's put a curse on Roundstone," Aóibhinn cries.

Clódagh looks at Aóibhinn confused. "Paddy O'Shea doesn't have that kind of power to place a curse".

"No, but Raven and Rowena do and they would help Paddy,"

"Who are they?"

Aóibhinn drops her head, sadness on her face. "They are the Murphy twins, they are witches in Applewood forest, it's just beside Cloverhopper village."

Clódagh starts to laugh, "Don't be absurd, there are no witches around here," then she gasps as she remembers, that Paddy had mentioned the Murphy sisters when he was with King Fíonn. "Is there a path to stop the curse?" She asks.

Aóibhinn shook her head," nobody can stop anything the twins do."

"What are we going to do?" Éabha cried.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens at four," Clódagh replies, also crying."

"Clódagh is right, at the stroke of four we should know what curse Paddy had inflicted," Aóibhinn says.

All would be revealed to them in a few hours and all they could do was to wait.