She had several children of her own, and was jealous of Conn-eda, who was the favorite of the King and the darling of the people.
She clearly foresaw that Conn-eda would be King after the death of his father. She wanted her own son to become King some day.
And so she planned to destroy Conn-eda or have him exiled from the country. With envy and hatred in her heart, the wicked Queen went to consult a witch.
The witch gave the Queen a chess-board and told her to invite Prince Conn-eda to play a game of chess.
The witch said to the Queen, "The loser of this game shall be obliged to obey the orders of the winner. And, you, great Queen, shall win the game! Having won the game, you are to send the Prince Conn-eda upon a dangerous journey. He must seek and bring to you, within a year and a day, three golden apples, a magical black steed, and the Hound of Supernatural Powers. These things are so well guarded that the Prince will surely lose his life in attempting to seek them."
The Queen was delighted and hastened to invite Conn-eda to play a game of chess. He agreed to the conditions of the game, and it came about as the witch had promised. The wicked Queen won.
SUBSTANTIAL HOMES IN A WOODLAND SETTING ON THE KILLARNEY RIVER
But so pleased was she with her triumph and so greedy for further power that she challenged the Prince to another game. To the Queen's astonishment and horror, Conn-eda won this second game.
"Since you won the first game," said Conn-eda, "you shall be first to command your reward."