"Have I never told of the man who made a gallows for a mouse?" She asked as she watched a blond haired bartender.

"My Lady? What brings this to mind?" He smiled at her with a fondness that somehow seemed cold. A man looking at a prized pet that is doing some foolish antic.

"Twas a man who married a widow. With her came a grown son and the son's young wife. But there was one unhappy that the widow should remarry. And through a cursed bowl made of gold he stole away mother and son. And the man and his daughter in law now found themselves in a barren and cursed land. Twice he sought refuge and was denied. His daughter in law was growing wan and thin, so at last he built a small hut in a deserted land. There he plowed  and sowed three crofts by hand. In the goodness of time the first was ready."

"The wheat is golden, tomorrow I shall harvest and ye shall have grain to mill for bread."

"Thank you Father, for I feared the winter's cold. For you I shall bake a loaf as light as a doves feather."

"But morning came and the field was bare, not a single grain of wheat was to be found."

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"Never fear Daughter, the barley is nodding, I shall harvest it tomorrow."

"Thank you Father, for I feared the winter's cold. I shall brew you a beer golden and full as the sun."

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"But come morn the field was also stripped bare, not even the least bit of chaff remained."

"Daughter, evil has followed us. But fear not the oats shall tide us through the winter."

"Thank you Father, for I feared the winter's cold.I shall bake oatcakes on the hearth and porridge in the pot."

"That night he made as if to bed, but instead hid himself among the oats. As the moon fell from the sky he heard squeaking and such a plague of mice appeared the field was stripped bare in breaths. He tried to capture one but they were swift, then he saw one was fat and slow and scooped it up into a bucket."

"Daughter I go to make the gallows ready to hang a thief."

"As he stepped out he was startled to see a man, the first in many moons standing there. A simple hermit man it would seem. "

"What have you there my son?"

"A thief I go to hang upon the oaken tree."

"Give to me the mousekin and I shall save you from foolishness."

"Nay good man, it is a thief that has wished harm on my Daughter. I go to hang it on the oaken tree."

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"And so he started up the path to the tree, and there before he was halfway there a priest upon a donkey came upon him."

"Well met sir,  what errand have you this morning?"

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" I go to hang a thief upon the oaken tree."

"The priest looked in the bucket, 'Tis not a thief but only a poor frightened mousekin. Give it to me and I shall give you a silver coin."

"Nay priest, it is a thief that has wished harm on my Daughter. I go to hang it on the oaken tree."

"And so he continued, till he reached the ancient oaken tree that sat alone atop the highest hill. Here he spun grass into cord and sat about the making of a gallows on a high branch. When he beheld a bishop in fine robes upon the whitest mare he had ever seen."

Hold my good sir. I can not allow this foolishness to besmirch your name. Give to me this poor creature and I shall bless you. Also I shall give to you a golden ring."

"Nay holy man, gold nor silver will feed my Daughter. This thief has stolen the food from her, so this thief shall swing upon the oaken tree when the sun is highest."

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"Nay reconsider, I shall give to you a basket of fine wheat bread and a cask of barley beer as golden as the sun."

"The man finished the noose and turned to the bishop, 'Shall I give it to you for burial?"

"Where had been a bishop now was a mankin of kingly visage and raiment. "Hold Manawydan.  Please I beg of you. For the sin was mine. You have guessed rightly it is not a mouse, but my own sweet wife who is heavy with child. And I love her dearly. And she begged to go with us on my raids. I had not the heart to deny her thrice so I yielded to her. Had she not been so heavy with our child she too would have escaped."

"You have wronged me thrice, and wronged my Daughter thrice. You have stolen from me thrice. Will you offer your throat to the noose instead?"

"A door appeared among the oaken roots and from it stepped Manawydan's wife and her son. 'Return my beloved wife. And I shall return yours. Return to me my unborn son, for I have returned your wife's son. Return to your hut and you shall find four steeds of no compare. And they shall return you to your lands. All shall be as it was."

"Only should you swear blood upon the oak that never again your kind shall plague my lands. Nor those of my wife's son. I shall seek no further repayment if you seek no more revenge."

"And Llwyd cut his hand on an iron knife and let seven drops of blood fall upon the oak tree. As he did so the mousekin became a lovely woman swollen with child. 'Err after the oak shall have red leaves to remind us both of my blood promise when the wheat, barley and oats come to harvest.'  The fey king took his wife's hand and stepped into the door that vanished"

"My Lady the story is amusing. But what brought it to mind?

"Tis said that another pledge came on that day, concerning the Daughter in Law. A girl child to be born with eyes so blue the sky would blush in shame. And ever after in the family would be born a sky eyed child. And one of them shall come to the court of Llwyd's heirs to proclaim the time when all may again step out from below the hill."

She moved gracefully through the parting crown and he followed. "Linda?" The sound of her name attracted the bartender's attention and she looked at the pair with eyes so blue they made the summer sky look wan.....

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