Unholy Trinity: Cymru Trilogy by Regina Beach

Our church worships at the altar of the Unholy Trinity. Its gospels are delivered as a trio of dark drabbles, linked so that Three become One. All hail the power of the Three.

The Red Dragon

King Vortigern ordered his finest stone masons, iron workers and architects to build a fortress on a hill to watch for Saxon invaders. Each morning, the previous days’ work lay in ruins. Was it the enemy? Or magic? Some said the site was cursed; no building could stand on its precipice. A boy called Merlin (yes, that one) commanded the men to dig. They dug and found a cavern with two dueling lizards. Upon feeling the sunshine, they shot through the hole. The red dragon was victorious, vanquishing the white dragon. Vortigern built his fortress, flying emblems of the victor. 

The Devil’s Bridge

During a downpour, Megan was shouting for her runaway cow across a ravine, the cold water of the Mynach River below. A strange man appeared. Dressed in a suit, he was not wet despite the weather. |I’ll build you a bridge in exchange for the first living soul that crosses it,” he said. She agreed. He built the bridge and as Megan tossed a bread roll across the bridge and her dog ran after it. The man shouted but it was too late, the dog was the first soul to cross and the Devil hasn’t been seen in Wales since. 

Gelert the Brave

Prince Llewelyn took his infant and hound on a hunting trip. In the morning, Gelert — the biggest, strongest dog in Wales — was missing. Llewelyn found him under the baby’s crib and let him be despite the servants’ protest. Each evening Gelert greeted Llewelyn until one day Gelert didn’t come. Llewelyn found the crib upturned in the nursery; blood dripped from Gelert’s muzzle. The dog lept toward Llewelyn who drew his sword and pierced his companion’s heart. Then Llewelyn heard a cry. His son was unharmed beneath the crib. In the bloodied blankets was the body of a wolf. Llewelyn wept.