Free Scottish Myths and Legends by Rodger Moffet, Amanda Moffet, Donald Cuthill, Tom Moss Page B

Scotland worth the great price that he was paying? Was it worth the lives of all those slain in battle, worth the misery of their wives and orphaned children? And what of all the men that he himself had killed, one at least not in the heat of battle, but in cold blood?
     
     
Perhaps, thought Robert, he should give up his fight for freedom and go instead to the Holy Land, there to fight by the side of the brave knights against the enemies of Christendom. Perhaps that would make up for the killing and the deaths that his ambitions and dreams had brought about. Yet, how could he abandon Scotland, while there was still a hope, a chance, however slender, of success?
     
     
The wind howled louder; the fire had died down. Robert lay still and silent on his mean straw bed, oblivious of the cold and discomfort of his surroundings, troubled and disturbed by his thoughts. Suddenly his eye was caught by a spider - the creature was hanging by a long silvery thread from one of the wooden beams above his head, and trying to swing itself to another beam. The spider tried again and again, failing every time. Six times, counted Robert, the spider tried and failed. 'Six times,' thought Robert to himself, 'have I fought against the English and failed.'
     
     
Robert looked at the spider more intently. 'Now if this spider fails again on the seventh attempt, I too shall give up the fight for Scotland. But if it succeeds, I shall try again.' The spider, as though aware of Robert's thought, swung itself again with all its tiny strength - and finally, on the seventh attempt, it succeeded. It swung on to the beam it had been trying to reach, and fastened its thread, thus stretching the first line of the web it was trying to weave. Robert Bruce smiled, and sat up. He threw off his despair and grief, and determined to set out for Scotland again and continue his fight against the English. He fought against the English for the next eight years, defeating them and finally driving them out of Scotland in 1314, at the Battle of Bannockburn.

Alexander III
     
By Rodger Moffet
     
From a time that predates the great Scottish King Robert the Bruce or even the exploits of Scottish Hero William Wallace there lived a great king of Scotland, Alexander III. A ruler who reigned over a great time of peace and prosperity in Scotland but who's tragic death plunged the country into a great period of upheaval.
     
     
Son of Alexander II, and a direct descendant of the first king of the Scots, Kenneth mac Alpin, Alexander was born at Roxburgh in 1241. His father died when he was only eight and the young boy found himself on the throne of Scotland as a child King. In medieval times being such a young ruler was an incredibly dangerous position to be in, however Alexander was fortunate. as an infant a marriage had been arranged between himself and Margaret, daughter of King Henry III of England. Two years after his coronation they were married and the bonds between the two nations became strong.
     
     
With such strong marital ties there was little conflict with Scotland's traditional enemy and instead Alexander could concentrate in other areas, in particular Scotland's claim on the Western Isles. The islands had been controlled by Norway since the Norse invasions and after some cunningly timed raids on the isles by the Scots King Haakon of Norway set sail with an invasion force of 200 ships and 15,000 men. Alexander's timing in delaying the invasion through stalled negotiations meant that when the force finally arrived in the western isles they were hit by Autumn storms. Many ships were lost and the remainder were defeated at the battle of Largs in 1263.
     
     
Haakon died returning from the battle and in 1266 Haakon's successor concluded the Treaty of Perth which gave the Isle of Man and the Western Isles to Scotland in return for payment. Norway retained only Orkney and Shetland.
     
     
Queen Margaret had born him three children between 1260 and 1272 but in 1274