Long long ago in Ireland there was a king called Corc. He had the most beautiful daughter called Usga. His palace was built in a beautiful valley. In his palace he had a spring of water that was so pure and clear that it was one of the wonders of the world. People came from far and wide to taste this this special water. The king who was very selfish thought that the spring of water would dry up. So he built a huge wall around the palace so nobody could get at the water but himself. One night the king invited the most important people in the land to a feast. The feast was a great success. The music was so good that people thought that it would wake the dead! |
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| At the feast was a handsome prince. When the dancing started he was the first to ask the king's daughter to dance. They spent the night dancing together. After the dancing had finished it was time for supper. The prince and princess sat down together.One of the guests called the king and said we have had everything we could ask for but we've had no water. At that the king said to his daughter," Go fetch the golden vessel and get the water from the spring." The king’s daughter bowed her head. She felt very embarrassed by being told what to do in front of the handsome prince. | |
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The king knew straight away that he had gone too far. The king asked the prince to accompany her to the spring because it was too dark for her to go there on her own. The prince and princess were delighted with this. He said yes. When the two got to the spring the Usga carefully opened the door of the spring. As Usga bent over to get the water the vessel proved too heavy for her and she fell into the water. The door had been locked for so long that the water rushed out and flooded the palace.The prince could not rescue her. He turned and ran towards the great hall to warn all the guests.But before the prince could say anything the spring water covered them all. ! |
