as a salmon leaps from the water to swallow it. Fráech catches the fish and brings it to shore, at which point Medb asks him to stay in the water and retrieve a branch of beautiful rowan berries on the other side of the river.). Fráech retrieves a branch of the rowan tree, so Medb asks for another branch, and when Fráech returns to the water he is attacked by a water monster (sometimes referred to as a dragon or serpent). Fráech begs for his sword from the company, but none of Ailill's men dare to help him, so Findabair strips off her clothes and dives into the water with Fráech's sword. Ailill attempts to spear his own daughter, but Fráech catches the spear and throws it back at Ailill. Findabair gives Fráech his sword and he beheads the water serpent but is badly wounded. Ailill and Medb take him back to their palace and prepare a bath for Fráech from bacon and the fresh meat of a heifer; they then place him in a bed to die, but a hundred and fifty maidens of the Sidhe, all dressed in green, hear the lamentations for Fráech and carry him off to the burial caverns of Cruachan. To the astonishment of all, the following morning Fráech returns to the court of Medb and Ailill without a single blemish, and the two companies make peace. In secret, Fráech immediately tells his servant to retrieve the salmon that he left on the shore the previous day, to cook it for Findabair and to remove the ring from its belly. The two parties then proceed to feast and become drunk, and Ailill demands that all of his jewels be displayed before the court. He asks Findabair what became of the ring he gave her and tells her that if it is not found, he will put her to death, but if she can produce it, she may choose her own husband. Findabair then sends her maid to retrieve the cooked fish with the ring prominently displayed on its top, and Ailill demands that Fráech explain how the ring was retrieved. Fráech tells Ailill that he found the ring when he first came to visit and heard at the water's edge that Findabair had lost the ring and was looking for it; Fráech then said he offered to return it to Findabair in exchange for