The Laidly Worm of Heugh

A Proud Court

In an old northern court, where the wind came hard from the sea and the rocks stood black against the sky, there lived a princess who was loved by her people. She was brave, gentle, and close to her brother, who would grow up to be a great defender of the land. But there was another woman at court, a queen with a sharp tongue and a heart full of jealousy. She did not like the princess’s beauty or the way the people admired her. Day by day, the queen’s anger grew. She watched, she planned, and she waited for a chance to place a curse where no one expected it.

The Curse on the Coast

One evening, when the tide was turning and the sky over the rocky coast had turned the colour of iron, the queen called on dark powers. She spoke her curse over the princess, and at once the world changed. The girl cried out, and her form bent and twisted. Her hands became scales. Her voice became a hiss. Before the night was over, the princess had become a great worm, a serpent-like creature that crept between the stones above the sea. The court was horrified. Some ran away. Others stood frozen in fear. The queen smiled, for she thought her rival had been destroyed. But curses often leave behind a trace of the old life, and this one had not finished its work.

The Sister in the Rocks

The worm lived in the rough country near the cliffs, among broken stone, wet grass, and seabirds crying overhead. Though she looked like a monster, she still knew her own name and remembered the brother who had loved her. By day she lay curled near the heugh, watching the sea. By night she moved through the mist, lonely and angry. The people of the coast feared her, but they also told one another that she had once been a princess and that the queen’s curse had trapped her in that terrible shape. Her brother, away for a time, heard the story at last. Instead of turning away, he felt only grief and family loyalty. He rode home at once, determined to find the truth and face whatever waited on the shore.

The Brother’s Promise

At the edge of the rocks, the brother found the worm lying under the grey light of morning. She was fearsome to look at, but when she raised her head, he saw the same eyes he had known since childhood. He did not strike her. He did not call for soldiers. He spoke to her gently and promised that he would not leave her in the curse if courage could help it. The old tale says that love, patience, and a faithful heart can do what anger cannot. So the brother kept his promise. He faced the queen’s evil, broke the spell, and gave his sister back to the human world. The rocky coast remained wild, and the sea still broke against the stones, but the family was whole again. That is why the story lives on: not only as a tale of magic, but as a story of loyalty stronger than fear.