She dances alone by the light of her own
Under the gaze of the moon
So far from home in the land where wolves roam
Only she can hear the tune
The mountains around set the background
The dance floor a valley of green
In the dark with no sound she spins herself round
Leaving glitters of gold where she’s been
The dark turns to gray as the sun makes its way
Over the mountains into the dawn
She dances away as the night turns to day
Her dress getting tattered and torn
As the birds sing in the daylight a ring
Of wolves surround the dance
The excitement they bring is a wonderful thing
No threats as they advance
They sit and wait for the dance to abate
As the dancer begins to fade
They can relate as it’s a dance of fate
To summon a God to her aid
The leader of the pack had no plans to attack
He sat to watch it all
He’d been taken aback by his Lords feedback
And now waited his Lordships call
The dust on the ground started spiralling round
And the dancer fell to her knees
A whirlwind around but still there was no sound
And only the faintest of breeze
Suddenly a voice from the air came out of nowhere
And the wolves bowed their heads in fear
“Well lady fair, why would you dare
Summon your God to here?”
The dancer replied with tears in her eyes
“I dare because I speak what is true
I hold my God dear but it would appear
That I am abandoned by you”
Not being unkind he looked in her mind
And at the sorrow that she did impart
A plan he designed from the things he did find
And the strength he found in her heart
The wolves were called and they were installed
As protectors of his ward
They were enthralled but she was appalled
Fearing death she pulled out a sword
The leader lay on the land and nuzzled her hand
She reached out and stroked his grey mane
She could somehow understand they were hers to command
Her appeal to the Gods not in vain.
An Eagle landed close by and opened its eyes
Letting his wings fully unfurl
“You must listen to I” he squawked with a cry
Talking direct to the girl
“The God gives me a voice, not that he gave me a choice
And left it to me to explain
It seems your blood royal, but someone’s not loyal”
He spat “it’s your uncle you have to blame”
He squawked once more and lifted off the floor
Before perching in a nearby bay
“What i is saying is your uncles paying
To get you out of his way”
“That can’t be right” she said, “. My uncles all right
He wouldn’t hurt a thing”
The Eagle gave a smirk, “ your uncles a jerk,
He’s plotting on how to be king,
Once the kings gone, you are the only one
Left to stand in his way
So he’s dumped you out here where you can’t interfere
Until he’s made his play”
“Maybe one day I’ll be queen, that remains to be seen
Right now I don’t know where we are
I woke with my head on a log, appealed to a God
It hasn’t got me very far!”
“Look”, said the bird,” I don’t know if you’ve heard,
But Gods work in mysterious ways.
If I was one, all your troubles would be gone
You’d be feeding my ego with praise”
He gave a little dance at the end of the branch,
Lost his balance and fell on his head.
He screeched in surprise and flew back in the skies
Before returning to his branch instead.
“Princess Kirsten you are, and you are really far
From the place you need to be
Follow me to the gate, we must not be late
The God will be waiting for me.
The wolfs”, he sniffed, “ and they won’t be missed
Will join you in your quest
I tell you true, I’m glad I’m not you
If the God thinks those dogs are the best”
An unusual procession as in succession
They all moved through the valley of green
The eagle leading the way in the dying day
Wolves following and the princess in between
Suddenly they stopped and the eagle hopped
Onto the princesses shoulder
“It’s now not to far, the gate is ajar
Just beyond yon boulder”
Following his gaze, she could see a faint haze
A shimmering in the air
“walk with your band, you will be back in your land
But you must take care
The wolves of your time, look different from mine
You may have a bit of a shock
I bid you goodbye, I m afraid I must fly”
He jumped to the nearest rock
“But eagle”, she cried, “I can’t abide
The thought of missing you so
I need you with me, can’t you just see
I need you wherever I go!”
He flapped and fluttered and finally stuttered
“The God told me to do what you ask
The place where you are go, I don’t really know
But if you order me then that’s my task”
He flew on to her head and bravely said
“Lead the way princess, if it’s not to late”
So the five wolves, a princess, an eagle under duress
Walked into and through the gate.
Part two
Duke Paul Inverness looked a bit of a mess
His conscience had taken a beating
Because of his neice it would give him no peace
He hoped her discomfort was fleeting
The next stage of his plan he’d already began
His brother the king had to die
The poison he’d sought had now been bought
And would be fed in his food on the sly.
With the king dead the crown on his head
Would rightfully be his for this realm
The Princess had gone and he was the one
That would take this kingdoms helm
He laughed at the thought, all would be taught
To bow in his presence or die
All serving his brother would soon discover
In boiling oil they can fry
Anyone observing would think him deserving
As he face seemed honest and strong
But underneath lived the soul of a thief
wilful, soulless and wrong.
The Princess emerged where two roads converged
Overlooking her father’s domain
With a happy sigh and a tear in her eye
She looked for the eagle in vain
There in its place with a look of Ill grace
A parrot blinked sadly there
“0h! Look at me, pretty polly?, what’s happened to me”
The eagle cried out in despair
“Pieces of eight! Take me back through the gate!”
He demanded with his head cocked to one side
The Princess smiled which just got him riled
“But where are my wolves?” She enquired
Looking around she heard a sound
A cross between barking and wails
To her surprise and tears to her eyes
Five poodles were furiously wagging their tails
The king was surprised when his daughter arrived
With her strange companions in train
The poodles kept licking his feet till he stood on his seat
And demanded his daughter to explain
He couldn’t believe his brother could conceive
Such a cruel and terrible scheme
He thought for a while then with a sad smile
Invited them all to eat
The poodles were famished and their food quickly vanished
The parrot spat his out on the floor
He kept his eye an the potato and pie
The King had been hankering for.
“Pretty polly!” He cried and then he dived
Knocking the plate off the table
The king jumped off his chair, fury in the air
As one of the poodles ate what he was unable
Just as the King grabbed it, it wailed and had a fit
Foaming at its mouth, then passed away
The Princess cried out to the guards running out
“Arrest all the kitchen staff straightaway”!
The poodles gathered round the one on the ground
Washing and whispering their pain
The king stroked his head and quietly said
“Your sacrifice will not be in vain
The role of a king it’s not something
That I would wish on another.
I was born to this role, now my main goal
Is to keep it away from my brother”
“Kirsten my daughter, it’s a time of slaughter
Keep you friends close and together
I must now fight for what is right
Pray to your God for my endeavour”
The traitor Duke men were marching again
Burning everything in their path
The Duke stayed at the back out of the attack
The destruction making him laugh
The army of the king was suffering
Pulling itself back to defend
At the end of the day it didn’t go the kings way
With to many casualties to tend
He asked his daughter to run from the slaughter
To the place her friends had been
She said it’s to late, their is no gate
And the God nowhere to be seen
The very next day the parrot went away
And the poodles all disappeared
She couldn’t believe that they would just leave
Then suddenly the Eagle reappeared
“The Wolves say sit tight, they have joined the fight”
He squawked with excitement and fear
“The wolves are running and they are cunning
They tell me to wait with you here”
The Princess prayed and thankful he stayed
She asked how he turned back to an eagle
“The God freed me and the wolves you see
Told me to behave or next time I’m a seagull!”
“That’s not nice of him he knows I can’t swim
I’m powerfully afraid of the water
So he said to me if I want to be free
Stay with the kings daughter!”
Part 3
The four wolves ran from where the forest began
Avoiding the dukes army at night
They passed unseen leaving no trace they had been
Pushing well behind the fight
They knew the duke had no pride and he would hide
Behind as his army advancing
As the lead wolf said if you bite off a head
The body’s likely to stop its dancing
Though the king was tired, his men desired
His words of strength and hope
So he spent the night with his troops at the fight
Holding them together to cope
Though his soul despaired only confidence was aired
Grouping them all in his banner
He showed he was here and they couldn’t see fear
In his speech or in his manner
Deep inside the king couldn’t hide
His fear and desperation
For those at his side he was full of pride
But he feared for his nation
Outnumbered they fought against an enemy who sought
To give no mercy or quarter
He felt the great pain, oh again and again
As his men fell before the slaughter
The guard sat by the tree drinking his beer
Listening to the party drunks cries
A woman screamed in fear as they took a spear
And poked out both her eyes
He could hear the duke laugh at the bloodbath
At the women lying naked and dead
But the last thing could hear was a growl in his ear
Before he lost his head
The wolf called his pack to form the attack
They circled with the duke in their sight
With mouths dripping with blood the four wolves stood
At a command they rushed in to fight
In the panic that ensued the duke was pursued
As he tried to hide in the wood
He made a desperate stand with a sword in his hand
As two of the wolves watched and stood
“I am king” the duke squealed, “I order you to yield!”
“Hello Paul” a voice said from the night
“Thank God” the duke said his voice shaking with dread
“Help me away from the fight!”
“No Paul, it is time you payed for your crime
Your not worthy of being a lord
I will let my two friends decide how it ends
And you won’t be needing that sword”
The sword in his grip started to drip
Then melted away like sleet
He stumbled to his knees and whimpered “please”
The wolves both rose to their feet
one wolf remembers, telling to other pack members
There was so much blood it made me puke
But of that day I’d have to say
None so satisfying than that of a duke
As the sun rose and a rooster crows
Welcoming a new dawn
The king and his men stood ready again
Waiting the enemy’s storm
The king was proud as his men stood unbowed
Knowing this day could be the last
But he was bereft, so few men he had left!
And so many of his friends now passed
In the new morning the guards called a warning
As Four wolves and a man walked up to the wall
From where the king stood he could see wolves soaked in blood
The man he couldn’t make out at all
They dropped a parcel at the gate and moved away to wait
As a guard hurried out to recover
The king couldn’t wait and went to the gate
As the guard unwrapped the head of his brother.
He raised his eyes and then to his surprise
The man nodded once and raised his hand
A flash of light that burned so bright
Lit up all the land
When his eyes recovered, he quickly discovered
That wolves and man had disappeared
The enemy was beat, his troops had split to retreat
Behind him his loyal army cheered
He walked unseen in the valley of green
The homeland of the Gods
Awed at the strength that would go such length
Against such vicious odds
Without his aid the king and the realm he’d made
Would now be reduced to dust
The daughter was strong and once the kings gone
Would earn her peoples trust
Princess Kirsten’s pride was the wolves at her side
And the Eagle on her arm
She would pray that they would stay
They were her good luck charm
She didn’t know the wolves wouldn’t go
They were sworn to her nether the less
Though the Eagle was free he couldn’t be
Without his sweet princess.