Shoe, a Tale of Old Ireland

Shoe

Long, long ago in Ireland were still princes and princesses and kings and queens and castles, there lived the three daughters of the Nomru family. The oldest was Ruby, next Garnet, and the last was Maeve. Ruby had blonde hair and brown eyes, while Garnet had black hair and green eyes, but the most beautiful of them all was Maeve. She had long, shiny, brown hair down to her hips and sapphire blue eyes, yet no one knew about Maeve. Being the youngest daughter of a noble family (even if she was the most beautiful), she was the last to inherit. All Maeve got was a run down stable with a few horses tended to by the locals and the ruins of the old Nomru castle while Ruby inherited the estate in the big city with the King’s castle (called the Tomang Castle because the Tomang line had been on the throne for generations at that point) as a neighbor and Garnet got the land in the west where all the other nobles huddled in a cluster of mansions. Since the stable, ruins, and village of beggars were all that Maeve got, Maeve was not fit to show at court but her sisters envied her anyway for her beauty. Instead, Maeve was used in place of a poor maid. Maeve wore dirty rags and ate with other servants instead of her family and whenever her sisters had a break, they went to make life hard on her. One hot June day, the prince, Esmond Tomang, declared he had come of age to marry. At once, Ruby and Garnet went off to by new dresses and clothes with their mother.
That Sunday afternoon, the two sisters and their mother went in their new dresses to the park after going to church to show themselves off to Prince Esmond who was always there on Sunday. Once gone, Maeve sighed and started to day dream… As Maeve rode into the park on her gray mare, people turned to stare. She wore a shimmering, silk, violet dress with sapphires sewn all over the wonderful gown and with a blue dove-shaped barrette in her hair; her small, delicate, little feet in purple slippers. When Prince Esmond started to walk toward her she dismounted and-suddenly her train of thought was interrupted a poof in the air in front of her and a voice saying:
“As good as thought as done!”
Maeve looked in front of her to find a little old woman in a navy blue dress and a white shawl with a blackthorn stick to help support herself chanting incantations at her. Maeve thought she must be a hedge witch. When she glanced down at her clothes, she saw not the rags she had been wearing a moment ago but the exact outfit she had imagined in her day dream. Before Maeve could even open her mouth, the old woman was speaking again, “You have exactly two hours before this charm wears off starting when you get on the horse that’s waiting for you outside so rush to your horse when the clock strikes twelve and don’t let any men catch you before you’re out of the park. Now hurry along dearie, the mare is waiting. Ride to the park before those dreadful sisters of yours get there and bewitch good Prince Esmond. Now ride girl, ride!” and then the old hedge witch was gone. Maeve looked at her beautiful clothes to make sure they hadn’t disappeared like the old woman had, leaving her in her rags once more, but sure as fire, they were still there and looking beautiful as ever. Curious about what the old woman had said about the gray mare, Maeve ventured outside. And there waiting in the court yard for her was the perfect gray mare.

The horse trotted over to Maeve and nudged her. Maeve climbed on and rode bare-back all the way to the park, fast as the wind.
Half way there, Maeve leaned up to the mare’s head and whispered in her ear, “You would be a terrific race horse and would be worth a lot of money. That’s why I must never let my greedy sisters get their hands on you. Do you like the name Nory?”
The mare rubbed her soft ear against Maeve’s cheek.
“I’ll take as a yes,” commented Maeve as she combed out Nory’s mane with her fingers.
In know time, Maeve and Nory were at the park. When people saw her, they turned to their neighbors and started to whisper things like:
“She’s definitely going to be the Prince’s bride.”
And also:
“Just look at her dress! How could anyone ever afford something like that!?”
It was some time before Maeve and Nory spotted Prince Esmond. He was walking with Ruby and Garnet, almost under their spell when Maeve appeared on Nory. The mare was prancing on tiptoes and Maeve holding her head high when Esmond first caught sight of them. He broke away from Ruby and Garnet whose clinging arms begged him to stay. “Fair maiden!” he called to Maeve. “Pray, what is your name?”
At that moment the grand, old clock in town square began to chime twelve. Fast as the wind, Nory knew what to do. With a last desperate wave to the Prince, Maeve turned to what was ahead. Rushing up at them was the large, stone, 6 ft wall that surrounded the park. Maeve wondered what Nory would do about this oncoming obstacle, having faith in the smart horse she rode. At the last second before they hit the wall, Nory jumped. As Maeve and Nory sailed over the wall, Maeve thought it felt like they were flying. As soon as they hit the ground on the other side of the wall, Nory ran like the wind back to the mansion where the little old hedge witch stood waiting for them. As soon as Maeve had dismounted, the hedge witch hobbled over to her and asked, “Did you have a good time dearie?”
Maeve nodded.
The hedge witch grinned a toothless grin, and then said, “I’ll have this girl sent of to the stables you’re to inherit. The locals treat the horses quite well there you know.” In a moment she had disappeared with Nory. Maeve pinched herself and shook her head to make sure it was real. When she walked inside, she noticed that her beautiful gown and shoes were gone, replaced by her old rags. “All the better,” Maeve muttered to herself, “If I still had those clothes on when Ruby and Garnet came home, they would’ve asked where I had gotten them and there would have been a great big mess. That dress was pretty though.”
When Ruby and Garnet returned home, Maeve had finished her chores and was busily knitting out on the porch. When the two sisters came up the drive Maeve shouted down to them:
“What news from the park my sisters fair?”
“Terrible news!” Ruby replied then added, “Come down and we’ll discuss it.”
When Maeve came down Ruby told her all about ‘that rotten girl’ which of course was Maeve herself and how Prince Esmond didn’t even talk to them after he saw ‘that rotten girl’, not even to say good bye and how they were going to get the exact same dress as that ‘rotten girl’ next Sunday.

That next Saturday sure enough, Ruby and Garnet went out shopping to find the exact same dress. Eventually, they had to go to a seamstress to custom make them though they weren’t near as pretty.
The next day, Sunday, Ruby and Garnet went to the park to show off their new dresses and impress Prince Esmond. Once they were gone, Maeve started to daydream again. As Maeve rode into the park on her chestnut stallion, people turned to stare. She wore an orange silk kimono with pure white cranes embroidered on it, white slippers, her hair tied up with an orange, silk ribbon and a bronze obi around her waist. When she saw Prince Esmond walking towards her she dismounted and- suddenly Maeve’s train of thought was cut of by a familiar voice saying:
“As good as thought as done.”
Maeve looked down to find the old hedge witch with the navy blue dress, blackthorn stick, and white shawl chanting incantations at her.
When the hedge witch stopped chanting, Maeve looked down at her clothes to find that her rags had turned into the exact same attire that she had imagined on herself in the daydream.
Before Maeve could think another thought, the hedge witch said:
“Same rules as last time, rush back here once you hear the clock strike twelve and don’t let any men catch you before you’re out of the park. Now go to your chestnut stallion that’s waiting outside in the courtyard and get to the park before those nasty sisters of yours get there and bewitch good Prince Esmond. Now ride girl, ride!” and with that, the good hedge witch was gone. Maeve went out into the courtyard to find the beautiful brown stallion she had imagined.

“Let’s get a few things straight first of all, may I call you Patcheen? I need to call you something,” said Maeve.
The horse nuzzled her hand.
“Good. Right then. Off to the park we go!” and with that, Maeve swung her leg over the horse’s back and rode like the wind bare-back off to the park. Before Patcheen and Maeve entered the park, Maeve pulled Patcheen into a dainty trot.
At last Patcheen and Maeve finally found the prince after searching the park’s many paths. When Prince Esmond saw Maeve, he immediately broke rudely away from his conversation with Ruby and Garnet.
“Fair maiden!” cried the Prince, and then continued, “Pray, what is your name?”
Just then, the grand old clock in town square began to chime twelve. Patcheen rushed for the stone wall. Maeve had just enough time to say:
“Maeve-” before she and Patcheen were over the wall and rushing for home. When they arrived in the courtyard, the old hedge witch was waiting for them. “So how’d it go dearie?” she asked.
“Just fine, thank you,” replied Maeve.
“Good. Now I’ll take your stallion and drop him off at your future estate,” said the hedge witch.
“Thank you but may I ask your name?” asked Maeve. But the hedge witch was already gone.

When Ruby and Garnet came home, Maeve had long since finished her work and was quietly embroidering a complex tapestry on the porch. As Ruby and Garnet came up the drive, Maeve shouted to them:
“What news from the park my sisters fair?”
“Awful news!” replied Garnet. “Come down stairs and you shall hear it.”
Again they told her about that ‘rotten girl’ and how she’d ruined their fun with the Prince and now he was more desperate than ever to marry that ‘rotten girl’. They also said that they would go find the exact same dresses the next Saturday.

Sure enough, the following Saturday, Ruby and Garnet went shopping to find the dress and again they had to go to a seamstress and again it was not nearly as pretty as Maeve’s.
On Sunday, Ruby and Garnet went off to the park to show off their new dresses and impress the Prince.
Once they were gone, Maeve started to daydream. As Maeve rode in on her pure white gelding in her solid black dress with topaz cut in the likeness of stars sewn on here and there. She had her hair up in a bun with a black, silk ribbon tied around it and black slippers with a single topaz star sewn on the tops. Maeve dismounted as the Prince walked toward her and-suddenly her train of thought walk cut off by a now very familiar, brisk voice saying:
“As good as thought as done!”
There stood the old hedge witch chanting incantations at her. When the old witch stopped she said, “When the clock chimes twelve dash back here and don’t let any men catch you before you’re out of the park. Now don’t keep your steed waiting!” Then the old hedge witch disappeared.
When Maeve went out into the courtyard, she found the white gelding waiting for her.

“Do you like the name Alan?” asked Maeve.
The gelding neighed.
“Good! Now shall we be off to the park?”
Alan neighed again and Maeve mounted Alan and they made for the park, fast as a wild fire.
Maeve managed to pull Alan from his gait and pull him into a prance just before entering the park. This time Maeve found Esmond quicker than the last two times but it still took a while. When she and Esmond saw each other Esmond rushed towards her, forgetting his conversation with Ruby and Garnet. Maeve started to dismount. Maeve had one foot on the ground and one foot still in the stirrup when the grand old clock in town square began to chime twelve. Her foot was twisted in an awkward position in the stirrup and her shoe was stuck. The Prince was mere feet away when she finally got her foot out and the horse took off. The first jolt was so big it sent the shoe flying. The Prince, knowing he couldn’t catch Maeve, sprinted after the shoe and just barely caught it before it touched the ground. Then he yelled, “Good bye Maeve!”
When Maeve returned to find the hedge witch waiting the witch asked:
“So how did it go?”
Maeve burst into tears and said “I’m ever so sorry! I lost one of your beautiful shoes!”
The old hedge witch laughed and patted her on the back. “It’s perfectly alright my dear! It is just a shoe! Why, if I wished, I could magic up the exact one here and now! So don’t cry dearie, there’s no harm done.”

When the two sisters returned from the park, Maeve was working hard at patching up one of the other maid’s apron. When she saw Ruby and Garnet she called down:
“What news from the park my sisters fair?”
Both sisters replied:
“Horrible news!”
Then Ruby called up:
“If you wish, come down to hear it.”
When Maeve came down stairs, she heard all about that ‘rotten girl’ again and how the prince had caught that ‘rotten girl’s’ stray shoe and had gone back to the palace immediately with out even saying good bye to them even though he had said it to that ‘rotten girl’.

On Wednesday of the following week, there was a royal notice sent out declaring that the Prince would try on a shoe to every girl in the nation and whosoever could fit their foot into the shoe would be his future wife and queen. Well, when the time came for the Prince to visit the Nomru’s house hold, Ruby and Garnet stuffed Maeve into the closet for fear of embarrassing themselves. When Prince Esmond arrived and Maeve heard him finish trying on her shoe to the women of the house and turn to leave, she started banging on the closet door and shouting and making such an awful racket that the Prince came and opened the door.
“Oh, that’s our sister. What on earth were you doing in their?” asked Garnet pretending to be surprised and then throwing a glare at Maeve when the Prince turned his back.
“Every girl in the nation must try on the shoe,” said the Prince. Maeve sat down on a stool, excitement rising up in her. The Prince knelt down on one knee and slipped the shoe on her foot. It was a perfect fit. “Fair maiden; Pray, what is your name?” he asked, eyes twinkling.
“Maeve,” she replied, knowing this would convince him. If he had asked this to other girls, they would have given him their full title but instead Maeve just gave him her first name, that being all she had given him the first time. Then the Prince said with true joy and bliss:
“Well then come to the palace with me, my queen.”
Ruby and Garnet cried out, “This can’t be her! She has neither the clothes nor the horses that that other beautiful woman had!”
“Oh really?” asked the hedge witch who had just appeared on the scene.
Ruby and Garnet gawped.
Before the hedge witch could say another thing, Maeve asked:
“My dear sorceress, please tell me your name.”
The old witch sighed. “Peggy. Peggy Red.” Then the hedge witch turned her attention to the other two girls. “Well I’m pleased to announce that she is the one that good Prince Esmond is looking for.” She waved her wand at Maeve once, twice, thrice, showing the mean sisters the dresses that Maeve had worn to the park for the last three weeks. Then she said to Maeve and Esmond, “Now hurry along to your happily ever after! I’ll be at the wedding!” Then she was gone.

Epilogue

I’m happy to announce that Prince Esmond Tomang and Maeve Nomru did get married. They moved to the old Nomru Castle and stayed at an inn in the ‘beggar village’ until The Old Nomru Castle was rebuilt. And when it was and the Prince and Princess had moved in, they turned the ‘beggar village’ into a prosperous town of merchants and farmers.
For Ruby and Garnet’s punishment, they spent the rest of their lives as chamber maids serving Sir Justin Rivveton of the Copper Isles and the lands that they were supposed to inherit went to building more parks.
Today, Maeve Nomru is known as
Queen Maeve of Old Ireland

THE END