Part III: Return of Wog-tari

He met him in his chamber,
Her form in flesh beheld,
But now it did not grip him
As if it were dispelled.
Her tussled hair and still eyes
No longer owned his mind,
So he did stop in wonder,
And let his will unwind.
Cleverly he pondered it,
Weighing action and care.
The king in mortal anguish
Too late saw his death there.
One thrust and it was over,
The throne was now his own.
He strapped on further armor
If he did fight alone.
He took both crowns to carry,
One worn on his own head,
The other to his own wife,
And news to town to spread.
And so began the legend
Of he who slew beauty
Whom none could overcome
If her they once did see.

(Day 19 of 8th moon. Year 190)

“Make haste, lame boy. You move too slow.
“To tower message bring:
“Invaders from the Western snow
“Descend on us like rain.
“No rumor to protect us now,
“No fear of such a sight
“That takes away the will stay
“And turns away in fright.
“Our port and town so much desired
“Will fall to stronger force
“Unless you take this message swift
“And run required course.”

Along the road the swift boy strode, the fear of death his goad.
From fords he ran towards his clan, now knowing basic plan.
The war had come with sound of drum. More haste though he was numb.
The road he flew, now closer to the Keep with banner blue.
'Spur feet. Lungs burn. You must not turn. Pain, air, and rest to spurn.
'And now the gate. I'm not too late. Someone please guess our fate.'
So thinking this, his footing miss, and entered final bliss.

(Day 20 of 8th moon. Year 190)

“My lord, please take counsel.
“To Keep now all do pull.
“We will not win today,
“So why on walls to stay?
“Retreat to hold the main.
“To burn us is insane.
“If so, they must rebuild,
“And in that time be stilled.
“They'll siege us and then wait
“For hour that is late.
“But we may yet be saved.
“One more has also craved
“For this castle and port.
“Let's see what comes of sport.
“If west meets east, what change?
“Thus leave gates open strange,
“And see what dawn will take
“In blood and body make.
“Our well is deep clean,
“And food never more seen.
“Take chance over folly.
“Who knows what we shall see?”

(Day 22 of 8th moon. Year 190)

The Keep took town into its arms, protecting young and old.
New gate left simply standing, a welcome to the foe.
The houses open, empty, with fires long gone cold.
An enemy approaching, proudly, certain, slow.
A man formed of ruthless action, born of snow and wind,
Did ride with sure abandon due to defender's state.
He knew the troops divided; their position pinned.
No unifying woman, and town of perfect bait.
The plains to the south a marshland, and cliffs beyond most rum;
Thus, first and foremost inlet for south of any sort.
Once holding this prized holding, much revenue could come
In shipping taxes only, for trade requires port.
With greed and long held bitterness, his troops he now did lead
Toward castle they would soon take. Its lord not well received.
A man once Chief of Armor now held the town he freed
From a witch most demonic whom all had once believed.
True, odd it was to enter town, provoked by not a soul.
Stranger still the empty streets, houses, yards, and fields.
Inside the very village they'd come to sack in full
There was not now an army to meet with swords and shields.
But in the center of these walls the Keep was closed and barred.
Nothing moved outside the stone, neither could one get in.
A massive door, made of oak, did make entry more hard,
And wanting very castle did make the siege begin.

(Day 7 of 11th moon. Year 190)

A silent sail bore him to her, the man of sea to land,
For thus was his intention: make red the virgin sand.
On quiet beach alighting now was black-tarred wood of dark ship's bow.
And many more did find their moor when ship and hull in shore did plow.
All quietly they took their place; in silent ranks did stand.
They waited for their fearless king, and raise of his right hand.
Expectantly their eyes did strain, their vision darkness probe in vain,
For he had not the stillness fought by making move for such a gain.
Instead they stole through open gate, the cold wind lashing out,
And so besieged the former siege with great and mighty shout.
Erupted war, the clash of steel, death, rage, and what battles reveal:
The dulling thud, the smell of blood, and what makes life so really real.

Aegrin, Boc, and Clemet, Dair-sen, Eli, For'ge,
And untold scores and hundreds, Death's appetite did gorge.
These men of wartime valor and heroes conquest made
Did meet an end spectacular when in their blood were laid.
For'ge who wrought in iron a sword that slew Gla-daan,
Did take six broken arrows to kill this mortal man.
Eli of the Everwood who took back Sorne of Hyne,
Was felled by thirty pike men in killing twenty-nine.
Dair-sen strong and mighty, who beat the hoards at Ide,
Was bested by an elephant which took him in its stride.
Clemet who with single bow long held the hill Jensiere,
Was run right though, but fought unto the point of second spear.
Boc who had six boar's tusks which his bare hands did kill,
Ended when a trebuchet took him and laid him still.
And Aegrin of the lower lands, who bested Luken Loc,
Was murdered by some fifteen men while he did guard the dock.
And so the days slipped out of time, the weeks forgotten too,
For war does take eternity and bring it near to you.

(Day 30 of 3rd moon. Year 192)

“Now listen, my men, you know where we've been
“ 'Tween target and their other foe.
“The outer wall's down, the castle does crown
“The way that we're wanting to go.
“By day it's -Tari, by night we can't see
“And archers from castle draw bow.
“Three years we have fought, yet only to rot
“And melt like a summer's light snow.
“This rain I disdain; my wound gives me pain,
“And surely the lord here does know.
“Three years they have laid, alone and afraid,
“Supplies must now be running low.
“We must make our peace, and thereby increase
“Our chances we don't feed the crow.
“Let's end now this War, the blood-sucking whore
“Of Death who does like her just so.
“I'll go to the Keep, and there wages reap
“Two-hundred less eight that does grow.
“Let bitterness kill? I don't think I will.
“Instead let the love start to flow.
“Our only escape is found in the rape
“Of her who does drag men below.
“She cannot be killed, nor can she be filled,
“But stopped when war's end is in tow.
“Old enemies make great friends in the wake
“When breeze that is famine does blow.”

“Come to bed,” she softly said. “Tomorrow is our last.
“Find a way to see today, for it does close the past.
“Hunger gnaws with death's dark jaws, but one more night we're free.
“Conquered king, myself I bring, one last time to have me.
“Come to bed, my lord,” she said. “Tonight will be the best.
“In the dawn we will be gone, and find eternal rest.
“Too long starved, and grave stones carved. Enjoy this fated end.
“I retire to set on fire the sleep of you, my friend.”
With a wink and fluttered blink, the darkness embraced her.
His gaunt frame soon did the same. Make love your last, for sure.

In borrowed dark cloak, the lord he awoke
The Overlord of snow and rock.
And in candlelight they met through the night
To settle a feud with their talk.
“My men are too weak to fight, as we speak,
“But from here we cannot just walk.
“We're hemmed on all sides, the waves come in tides,
“We're left like a snake to a hawk.
“And you're shut in here for nigh on three year,
“Without food and game or livestock.
“We both know the past, but if we're to last,
“We must now a treaty not balk.”

“A goat, was it not, that started this rot, two-hundred and aught years ago?
“How can we believe that you’ll take your leave if you we relieve from this show?
“Please say what you will, but Time does not kill the way that we spill blood in row.
“We bested you once, Overlord of the Hunts, but Time makes us runts even still.
“But Tavin had sold that goat of his fold for silver and gold and not swill,
“And yet to his shame, your Father, he came, and ruined his name with that bill.
“With worthless intent, false money was spent and so it is meant as your blame.
“Eight years it did take for Tavin to make the forces to break him the same.
“And so from this place my ancestors chase your evil and base bloodline tame.”

“You do us much wrong, for we here belong,
“For Tavin was paid back in full.
“Twelve dozen black sheep and life at this Keep
“Were offered to pay back the toll.
“But he turned it down to take up the crown
“And murdered the Queen and his soul.”

“We too justified, we also have cried, and all for our pride and some wool.”

“So cast that aside, and may we reside
“In peace once we’ve bested -Tari.
“We are your one hope, and you are the rope
“That hangs us or pulls from the sea.
“By joining our force we can change the course
“Of all that could happen to be.
“Tomorrow we fail, and so set our sail
“To be with our ancestors free.
“And soon we will meet, like trees in the sleet,
“Forgotten and broken by thee.”

“You speak of the morn the way that I’m torn and sit here forlorn in the night.
“Tomorrow to die, and so greet the sky in birds, for we fly in their might.
“You’re right to assess we need you no less than how much you stress your own plight.
“So brother, my kin, now let us begin a new war to win in the light.
“All grievances paid, so death for life trade to watch our lives fade in the fight.
“Let’s take on the storm. For this we were born: To raise up the horn in their sight.”

And so in this way they greeted the day,
Both ready to meet their own end.
In breaking their hate, they did something great,
And so winds of war can so bend.
On eve of a loss they shed their old dross,
And nothing that’s greater is penned.
In life full of dust, it’s better to trust
An enemy that’s now a friend.
And even when dead, no greater is said
Than that grace is there to extend.

(Day 1 of 4th moon. Year 192)

“I see the enemy has joined in force to take us out.
“And so we know the weaker ones are those so full of doubt.
“They’ve lost the will to stand or fall; they’ve fallen to dark Future’s call,
“And so we show what they well know: they will be taken, one and all.
“They’re weary of this fruitless war that simply spells their doom.
“They watch and see that we will be what sends them to the tomb.
“For supplies we have in splendor they grow the more weak and tender.
“We’ve pressed this war up to their door and press on to their surrender.
“So courage, my men. Give me your lives, and I’ll give you this place.
“It’s long been in the coming short, but we will win this race.
“They’re beaten, be of this assured. And know our rage is also stirred.
“They join to break. We castle take. And we will end them, in a word.”

Marching now on pen and quill, resolved so to undo
Virtue with wrath and xeric yards; the war was now a zoo.
And clash they did in many ways, both steel and bow and brawn,
And thus the dew was greeted new by blood and battle dawn.
Much was made of every man, in skill as well as zeal.
None were left to wonder why, and so Time spins its wheel.
Only those who born to win, so left to tell the yarn,
Proved worthy of the fighter’s glove and night in captured barn.
Quite a sight it was to see, to see the war’s extent.
Rather than a joyous shout, ‘twas won when all were spent.
So hear the tale of two dead kings, and one who rightly won.
‘Twas Wog-tari whom Day did see as His surviving son.
Under the moon the men did swoon, their trust was not in vain.
Their king had led to victory, though not without much pain.
And so this single man made up for queen not had
By taking port and castle wall, but now the more was sad.
What joy was this to take some land to share with whom, and how?
A queenless king again did rule, but that is just for now.