The King of Ireland's Son

A headstrong young prince, restless from the endless days of hunting and riding, stumbles upon a lone gray stranger playing cards against himself at a roadside stone heap. Intrigued, the prince challenges the mysterious old man to a wager, confident that his skill with games can win him anything he desires. True to the bargain, the stranger fulfills an impossible request—an entire field filled with fifty white cows marked by red ears and their tiny white calves—revealing that the prince has bargained with a being of ancient enchantment.

The sudden appearance of the enchanted herd forces the kingdom’s steward and councilors into a baffling stalemate, as the cattle refuse to be driven away. Curious and emboldened, the prince returns to the lone player for a second round, hoping to discover what further gifts the strange magician might grant. Their encounter hints at a deeper world of magic and clever bargains that will test the prince’s daring in ways he never imagined.