takes the form of a race of giants who by their mighty strength cause such havoc and devastation that my heart quails at the mere mention of them.”
“Fear for nothing, noble lady,” Bran said. “The All Wise in his boundless wisdom has granted me every good gift, and I can do wonderfully well whatever I put my hand to.”
At this the lady smiled, and, oh, her smile was even more radiant than the sunlight on the shining cliffs. “The day you deliver Albion, I will give you my name—and more than that, if you only ask.”
“Then rest assured,” replied Bran, “that on that very day, I will return to ask for your hand and more— I will ask for your heart also.” The lady bent her shapely neck in assent and then told him what he had to do to release Albion from the evil spell and break the geas that bound her.
Bran the Blesséd listened well to all she said; then, bidding her farewell, he started off. He came to a river that the lady had told him to expect, then followed it to the centre of the isle. For three days and nights he walked, stopping only now and then to drink from the pure waters of the river, for his heart burned within him at the thought of marrying the most beautiful woman in the world.
As the sun rose on the fourth day, he came to a great dark wood—the forest from which all other forests in the world had their beginning. He entered the forest, and just as the lady had told him, after walking three more days, he came to a glade where two roads crossed. He strode to the centre of the crossroads and sat down to wait. After a time, he heard the sound of someone approaching and looked up to see an old man with a white beard hobbling toward him.
The man was bent low to the ground beneath heavy bundles of sticks he was carrying, so low that his beard swept the ground before him.
Seeing this man whom the lady had told him to expect, Bran jumped up and hailed him. “You there!
You see before you a man of purpose who would speak to you.”
“And you see before you a man who was once a king in his own country,” the man replied. “A little respect would become you.”
“My lord, forgive me,” replied Bran. “May I come near and speak to you?”
“You may approach—not that I could prevent you,” answered the old man. Nevertheless, he motioned Bran to come near. “What is your name?” asked the old man.
“I am Bran Bendigedig,” he answered. “I have come to seek the release of Albion from the plague that assails it.”
“Too bad for you,” said the bent-backed man, straining beneath his load of sticks. “Many good men have tried to break the spell; as many as have tried, that many have failed.”
“It may be as you say,” offered Bran, “but I doubt there are two men like me in all the world. If there is another, I have never heard of him.” He explained how he had met the noble lady on the strand and had pledged himself to win her hand.
“I ween that you are a bold man, perhaps even a lucky one,” said the aged noble. “But though you were an army of like-minded, hardy men, you would still fail. The enchantment that besets Albion cannot be broken except by one thing, and one thing alone.”
“What is that thing?” asked Bran. “Tell me, and then stand back and watch what I will do.”
“It is not for me to say,” replied the former lord.
Pointing to the road that led deeper into the forest, the old man said, “Go down that road until you come to a great forest, and continue on until you come to a glade in the centre of the wood. You will know it by a mound that is in the centre of the glade. In the centre of the mound is a standing stone, and at the foot of the standing stone, you will find a fountain. Beside the fountain is a slab of white marble, and on the slab you will find a silver bowl attached by a chain so that it may not be stolen away. Dip a bowl of water from the fountain and dash it upon the marble slab. Then stand aside and wait. Be patient, and it will be revealed to you what to