They were kept, now, a long time in that prison, and they got very hard treatment; and sometimes Ailne’s brother would come in and strike the heads off some of them, for none of them could rise up from the seats they were sitting on through his enchantments.  But one time he was going to strike the bald head off Conan, and Conan made a great leap from the seat; but if he did, he left strips of his skin hanging to it, that his back was left bare.  And then he came round the Grey Man with his pitiful words:  “Stop your hand now,” he said, “for that is enough for this time; and do not send me to my death yet awhile, and heal me of my wounds first,” he said, “before you make an end of me.”  And the reason he said that was because he knew Ailne to have an enchanted cup in the dun, that had cured Glanluadh.

And the Grey Man took pity on his case, and he brought him out and bade Ailne to bring the cup to him and to cure his wounds.  “I will not bring it,” said Ailne, “for it would be best give no time at all to him or to the Fianna, but to make an end of them.”  “It is not to be saved from death I am asking, bright-faced Ailne,” said Conan, “but only not to go to my death stripped bare the way I am.”  When Ailne heard that, she brought a sheepskin and she put it on Conan’s back, and it fitted and grew to him, and covered his wounds.  “I will not put you to death, Conan,” said the Grey Man then, “but you can stop with myself to the end of your life.”  “You will never be without grief and danger and the fear of treachery if you keep him with you,” said Ailne; “for there is treachery in his heart the same as there is in the rest of them.”  “There is no fear of that,” said her brother, “or I will make no delay until I put the whole of the Fianna to death.”  And with that he brought Conan to where the enchanted cup was, and he put it in his hand.  And just at that moment they heard Daire playing very sweet sorrowful music, and the Grey Man went to listen to it, very quick and proud.  And Conan followed him there, and after a while the Grey Man asked him what did he do with the enchanted cup.  “I left it where I found it, full of power,” said Conan.

The Grey Man hurried back then to the place where the treasures of the dun were.  But no sooner was he gone than Conan took out the cup that he had hidden, and he gave a drink from it to Finn and to Osgar and to the rest of the Fianna.  And they that were withered and shaking, without strength, without courage, got back their own appearance and their strength again on the moment.

And when the Grey Man came back from looking for the cup, and saw what had happened, he took his sword and made a stroke at Conan.  But Conan called to Osgar to defend him, and Osgar attacked the Grey Man, and it was not long till he made him acquainted with death.

And when Ailne saw that, with the grief and the dread that came on her, she fell dead then and there.

Then all the Fianna made a feast with what they found of food and of drink, and they were very joyful and merry.  But when they rose up in the morning, there was no trace or tidings of the dun, but it was on the bare grass they were lying.