The Silent King

The Silent King, who once had wings,

Set out to find his bride.

With leather pack upon his back

A steed to match his stride,

He left his cold and silent throne

To wander far from sacred stone

Until he saw, by river’s bend,

A girl who walked alone.

 

Her hair was pale, like winter's frost,

Her smile soft and shy.

But deep within, a truth was hid

A secret she let lie.

For in a cave not far from there

A shameful love she kept:

A monster, fierce and full of fire,

Whose name she softly wept.

 

Yet to this beast, her heart belonged,

His rage she calmed with grace.

He sang to her in broken tones

And touched her tear-streaked face.

Her monster, kind in shadow’s veil,

Had taught her how to feel

Though clothed in claw and furnace breath,

His love alone was real.

 

But now the King, with quiet steps,

Had seen her golden glow.

And in his chest, a hunger stirred

For things he could not know.

 

He watched her laugh beneath the trees,

Unknowing she was seen.

He dreamed of crowns upon her brow,

Of making her his queen.

But in her gaze, no throne was found,

No yearning for a crown

Only whispers to the darkened cave

Where her monster settled down.

 

The beast she loved had once worn skin

As fine as any lord’s,

A prince who dared to challenge fate

And drew the cursed sword.

He struck a deal beneath the earth,

In caverns carved by gods

To save his kin from death and drought,

He bore the demon's odds.

 

Now cloaked in horn and molten flesh,

With breath like burning coal,

He wandered far from human lands,

A shadow with a soul.

And in his chest, a heart remained,

Though twisted by the spell

It beat for her, so soft and pure,

The girl who loved him well.

 

The Silent King, with jealous ache,

Crept close one moonless night.

He saw the two—her hand in his

Bathe softly in star-light.

And when he heard her call him kind,

And kiss his broken face,

The King grew cold and made a vow

To end the beast’s disgrace.

 

He told himself, “This cannot be

No monster knows of love.

She’s trapped by charm or sorcery,

Not blessed from skies above.”

So come the dawn, with crown in hand,

He summoned her with pride.

She met him there, with tearful eyes,

And gently stepped aside.

 

“My heart,” she said, “is not for kings

It’s buried in the cave.

For there he waits, my cursed one,

Who chose the world to save.”

 

But kings don't yield, and so he swore

To break what should not be

To slay the beast and claim the maid,

And set her spirit free.

He gathered flame and silver blade,

And soldiers clad in fear.

They marched into the trembling earth

To end what she held dear

 

They found him where the shadows bled,

Alone upon the stone,

His eyes aglow with quiet grief,

His silence all his own.

He did not fight nor bare his teeth,

But stood to meet the flame

For monsters born of cursed vows

Do not deny their shame.

 

The King stepped forth, with sword in hand,

His voice like thunder rolled:

“Release the girl, forsake her name,

This love is weak and cold.”

But the beast knelt low and bowed his head,

No hatred in his frame

“I’d die a thousand burning deaths

To see her love remain.”

 

The soldiers faltered in their stance,

Uneased by what they saw.

This beast, so still—no snarling jaws

Just sorrow carved by law.

The King, enraged, drove sword to flesh

The cave rang out with cries.

The monster fell but cursed no soul

He only closed his eyes.

 

The girl arrived with windswept hair,

Too late to stop the end.

She dropped beside his ruined form,

And held him like a friend.

“O foolish kings and fearful men,

You’ve slain what made me whole.

You saw a beast, but never heard

The mercy in his soul.”

 

She kissed the last breath from his lips,

Then raised her tear-streaked face

And in that cave, the mountain shook,

As though to mark the place.

For curses bound by sacrifice

Do not so lightly fade

And when she wept, the air grew still,

The shadows bent and swayed.

 

A voice, both hers and not her own,

Rose low from deep below:

“You took my love, now take my grief

Let all the kingdoms know.

That love once scorned and buried deep

Will never rest in stone.

And kings who steal from cursed hearts

Shall wander lost, alone.”

 

 The King escaped,

But not his fate, nor shame.

He walks the peaks where once he ruled,

 

Still whispering her name.

The maiden’s song the wind now sings,

A warning sharp and true

Not every monster in the dark

Is half as dark as you.