night as they lay down to sleep, they heard a howling in the woods. The wolves had formed a strong pack and were out for blood.
“Oh, protect me, Llewelyn,” she whimpered.
And he pulled her ever closer. They snuggled together under the warm quilts and tried not to hear the howling just at their back door. Llewelyn was not used to this part of the world where forest creatures were wild and roaming in the wilderness. But he was brave and strong, and he knew he would do everything to protect his love.
He kept his eyes open all night, and when morning came, he got up and made the fire. Then he crawled back under the covers and kissed her again and again. There seemed no end to their love.
Just then a loud knocking was heard at the door. Startled, Rebekah jumped up and threw on a robe. She opened the latch and peered out at the stranger.
“Have you seen my daughter?” asked an anguished elderly man. “She has been missing all night. Have you seen her?”
Rebekah said no, she had not, and invited the poor man in to get warm by the fire. She made some hot coffee and poured him a cup. He sat at the table, his head in his hands and sobbed gently.
By then, Llewelyn had gotten up and joined them at the table.
“Can I help?” he asked.
The old man looked up and nodded. “Help me look for her,” he said.
So together, they all went out in the woods, to try and find his daughter. She was only 11 and had gone to bed as usual, but this morning her bed was empty. The old man was beside himself with worry. He too had heard the howling in the night, and hoped that his daughter was not out there with the wolves.
They walked beside the river, that was flowing quickly now this time of year and looked for footprints in the soft mud.
Suddenly, Rebekah saw something. A piece of torn cloth was caught in a bramble bush. She held it up to the man.
“Is this hers?” she asked.
A cry of anguish came from the man. “Oh yes,” he said. “That was what she wore to bed last night. She must have been wearing it in the woods.”
He said he did not understand why she had left her home. She had not done anything like this before.
“We’ll find her,” Llewelyn said grimly. Rebekah put her arm around the man and they walked down the river bank more determined than ever.
Then Rebekah heard a soft sound, like crying, in the bushes. Was it a lost lamb? A child?
They searched the woods, walking in the direction of the sound, and eventually, there she was. The child, crying, like her heart had been broken.
“Are you all right?” asked her father. “Oh my darling, are you okay?”
When the girl looked up, there was blood on her face. Her eyes looked scared and she could barely speak.
“They came for me,” she sobbed. “They took me from my bed… ”
And she began to wail.
“Who?” Llewelyn asked. “Who took you?”
“The wolves!” she shrieked. “They took me in their jaws and brought me to their cave. I only escaped when they left the den to look for more food. I am so glad to have gotten out alive!”
Llewelyn’s face grew grim. “We’ll get them,” he said.
As Rebekah took the man and his daughter to her home to recover, Llewelyn set out on his own to track the wolves. He had no idea how to find them or what to do when he did. But he was brave and he was a prince. He had conquered fear against enemies before and he felt only determination as he walked deeper into the woods.
“I am the Powys Prince,” he said under his breath. “These demons will not escape me.”
He hunted them down. And he found them. There were six of them, huge wolves, with gaping jaws dripping with blood from a fresh kill. They had never taken humans before but these were hard times, desperate times, and the wolves had their own to feed. They had dragged back some family pets to their den to feed their pups, who had already devoured them. They howled and whimpered when they saw Llewelyn approach, but they stood their ground.
“I am Llewelyn, the Powys Prince,” he said to the alpha male wolf. “You have gone too far. You have stolen one of our people.”
The wolf sneered at him, and pulled back his mouth to show sharp canines. There was still blood on his fur. He ran for Llewelyn and tried to rip out his throat.
Llewelyn caught him with one hand and threw him back to the ground. Another wolf attacked from the back, and another from the side. But Llewelyn was ferocious, and kept throwing them to the ground. Finally, they gave up and slunk back into their den.
Llewelyn brushed himself off and went home.
When he got there, Rebekah was alone and sitting quietly by the window. When Llewelyn pushed open the door she leaped up and rushed into his arms.
“I thought I had lost you again!” she cried.
But Llewelyn just laughed and held her tight.
“You can never lose me,” he whispered in her ear. “I am your Powys Prince.”
And Llewelyn sat down and told her a long story about who he really was. He was born in Wales, many hundreds of years ago and had lived many life times.
“I am not who you think I am,” he smiled. “Because I am everyone you have ever dreamed of, even in your deepest sleep.”
Rebekah snuggled up to him even more.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I was a knight of the round table in King Arthur’s reign,” he smiled. “And before that I was a feuding Welshman along the coast of Scotland. And before that, I lived in Ireland and fought for King Connaught. And before that… ”
But by then, Rebekah was looking so confused, he stopped and kissed her on the mouth.
“But all you have to know, my beloved,” he smiled, “is that I am here now, with you.”
Rebekah was so happy. All her life she had dreamed of this man, and now here he was. This prince was her shining dream. Now her reality, and her whole world.
The two stayed in her little cottage in the woods for many years, living happily, fighting off wolves and whatever threatened their world, and keeping the love glowing brightly.
Once they went back to his native land and walked again on the castle ruins where they had first met, in this lifetime at least. It was wonderful to be in the same place again where love had blossomed so strongly.
“I love it here,” she smiled. “Can we stay?”
Llewelyn looked at her with such love that only an empty heart could not have felt his intensity. “For you, Rebekah, anything.”
They found a thatched cottage near the River Dee and spent many hours sitting there watching the flow of life. Rebekah built a small garden with wild flowers where the birds and little creatures could make their home. And on the side of the garden were two huge old yew trees that had been there for hundreds of years. They were a sign of eternity, and to Rebekah it was another symbol of her forever love.
Rebekah smiled to know that her prince would always be with her. Til death and beyond.
The End
Read more at Llewellyn and the Powys Princess, Rebekah in Wales and Rebekah in Ireland and Rebekah and the Celtic Gods and Rebekah and the Green Man.
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