Places of Interest

The Cave at Aughton

The Legend

Once upon a time, there was a young squire to a young nobleman. He grew up over the sea, and as he sailed off the coast of Britannia to take his rightful place, was shipwrecked in a tempest. He and all the crew were obliged to swim for their lives. Seeing him, a sailor paddled a makeshift raft made from the wreckage over to him "Are you the noble passenger we carried?" he asked? "Yes, I am" lied the squire, for the waves and the salt made one man hard to tell from another. The sailor gave him a space on the raft and they made it to shore.

On reaching shore, the squire was introduced to all as the young noble whom he served and who had drowned at sea. He attended court where he had to make all sorts of decisions, and danced with many pretty maidens, who vyied for his eye. One in particular caught his eye, but this one was the only maid who found no interest in the squire. He refused the attentions of all others, and on the day of his knighting, asked for her hand.

"If you bring me the prettiest flower in all the kingdom, then you may take my hand" she replied, so the young knight set out on a quest. He discovered a special cave by the village of Aughton, and within grew the most fabulous blue flowers. He plucked one, and set off back to court, happy in the knowledge that he had secured the fair maids hand. On the way back, he met a farmer.

"Greetings young noble" called the farmer. Before he knew it, the knight replied "I am no noble, I was his servant who left him to drown in the tempest". The farmer thought this a joke in poor taste, but when he saw the expression on the knights face, he knew it to be true.

The guards opened the gates for him "Good day young Lord". Before he knew it, the knight had replied "I am not your Lord, you should arrest me as an usurper", and the guards found this a fine joke, until they saw his face and knew it to be the truth.

His mother greeted him in court "Ah, my son, you have returned to claim the hand of the maid you desire". Before he knew it, the knight had told the whole story to the mother of the dead noble and she did not take it for a joke. She sent him to the dungeons, where he was due to be put to death.

The fair maid visited the knight in the dungeons and he passed her the flower. As she took it, she knew it to be the prettiest flower in all the realm and fell deeply in love with the knight. After her visit, a great Fae Lord visited the knight, for all the flowers of the cave belonged to him. "I have made you a better man" the Fae told the knight "For I have given you back your honour".

"You have made me dead" cried out the knight.

"Yes" said the Fae "And you are better for the realm dead and with your honour, than alive and a liar, and when you die, you shall join your fair maid, who is my daughter, and you shall dance with her for all time in my court, eating only the finest food, and drinking the finest of wines".

This story often gets changed in it's telling, especially to children. The most common change is to make the young knight a liar to his family, and he goes to pick the flower because it will make the maid fall in love with him. However, the Fae lord makes him tell his family all his lies and he becomes a better man for it, and the maid loves him for his honesty.

Reality

(486) The cave exists, and is known by the knight, Sir Sulcen who holds Aughton Manor. He has never heard of any who picked a flower who were visited by a Fae lord or had anything strange or unusual happen. He is quite happy for knights to visit, and pick a flower, as long as they are respectful.

Sir Owain picked a flower and had a vision where he came to face a most emotional situation three times. Each time, he learned a valuable lesson.