Inspiration from the Garden
The next evenin' I continued me story about the lass what were raised by Fikta the Dwarf:
'It were a usual day, nothin' out of the ordinary were happenin'. Beannaithe were helpin' her grandfather the farmer with his garden when inspiration struck her. Beannaithe saw a snail. It were an ordinary garden variety snail. Rather than immediately chuckin' the snail in a bucket as she'd always done before, Beannaithe paused to consider the beauty of the snail's shell, its swirlin' shapes, and how it protected the slimy creature within.'
Beannaithe thought that if she were to go into battle on behalf of the Tuatha Dé Danaan she would need armour to go along with her sword. She were stumped, however, on how to begin makin' it. "I'll go to the blacksmith, surely he will help me," she thought.
The blacksmith were elated to see Beannaithe, but were quickly disappointed that she had not returned to work for him. The lass did her best to convey her notion of makin' armour for herself.
The farmer laughed to think that Beannaithe thought he knew anythin' 'bout makin' armour. He agreed to allow her to use his forge and to help her obtain the materials she needed, but she were on her own when it came to makin' it. Fortunately, that's all Beannaithe truly needed.
Beannaithe recalled watchin' with great interest the Dwarf-smiths hammer armour for the defenders of the Lonely Mountain. She thought she'd attempt to duplicate their work with perhaps a few added elements of her own.
The lass sought the aid of the village seamstress as well, for not all of the armour would be made of metal. There would be leather bits, straps and what have you, that would require needlework. The blacksmith served as the interpreter of Beannaithe's hums and gestures while conversin' with the seamstress.
"Leather is what ye'll be wantin', lass. I have precious little of that," said the seamstress. "However, the cobbler should have enough to see you through. Tell him I sent ye. We're good friends he and I.'
Beannaithe and the blacksmith thanked her heartily.
The cobbler said he'd be happy to provide Beannaithe with all the leather she wanted, but wanted to know her purpose.
"What's she need it for?" asked the cobbler.
"If I understand her aright," answered Blacksmith, "she's makin' some armour."
For a moment the cobbler stared at them both as if they were mad. Then he laughed. "All right, ye don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said. "I were merely curious is all."
"That's truly the reason, I assure ye," said the blacksmith. "If ye provide the leather she'll be happy to show you the finished work when she's accomplished it. Won't ye, lass?"
Beannaithe shrugged and nodded. She didn't know what all the fuss were about.
"I'll be good for the price," Blacksmith told the cobbler.
"Don't ye worry about that," Cobbler answered. "It'll be worth the price just to see what the lass does with it," he said with a laugh.
It took a few weeks for Beannaithe to complete the armour, even with the aid the blacksmith, the seamstress, and the cobbler. Her mother and grandfather did not know precisely what the lass were up to. They thought she were helpin' the blacksmith as she had a few years before. Unbeknownst to them, quite the opposite were true. It were the blacksmith that were helpin' the lass.
As promised, once the armour were finished Beannaithe showed the cobbler what she'd made from the leather that he'd provided.
"In all me years that's the most outlandish thing I've seen" said Cobbler with a laugh. "I don't know why the lass needs armour, but I reckon that'll get the job done whatever it may be. I particularly like the helm. Very snail-like it is."
Beannaithe smiled broadly despite the cobbler's laughter. She thought the armour were very fittin' for a warrior of the Fair Folk.'
'I'm a wee bit confused,' said Diolun. 'Is the armour made of snails or is Beannaithe dressed as one? If the latter, will she be crawlin' on her belly?'
Dooli and Daibhidh laughed.
'Weren't ye listenin'?' interjected Darowva. 'Why would Beannaithe need leather if the armour were made of snails?'
'Be kind, lass,' I whispered to Darowva. 'Ye know the lads are not as clever as ye.'
'That much is true,' Darowva said triumphantly.
'Diolun, lad, I'll explain it to ye in the mornin',' I said to him. 'In fact, I'll take all ye lads fishin'. We can talk about it then.'
'Don't ye think ye should clear it with their mothers first?' said Ériu. 'Aye,' agreed Banba and Fódla.
'Aye, of course, dear daughters,' I replied. 'I hope ye won't mind.'
'I suppose not,' said Ériu. 'All we ask is that you gain our approval before makin' any promises.' Her sisters nodded in agreement.
'We can make ye a fine lunch to take with ye,' said Banba.
'And plan for a fish fry in the evenin',' added Fódla.
'That'll be grand,' I said. 'Thank ye, ladies of the house,' I added with a bow.
'Time for bed now, ye rascals!' Ériu said playfully.
Me grandchildren laughed and ran off to their beds. Exceptin' Beacha, of course, whom I carried as she were already sleepin'.
