Songs and Poems from Pelsatia

The Ballad of Ver'eth the Faithful

Ver’eth the Faithful, a noble good sir,

Had lost his true love and was longing for her.

She dwelt far away in the town of Na’rek,

And when he had left it, she had to stay back.

Now message was brought to the great dragon lord:

The troops of Urlon were attacking the fjord

Protecting Na’rek and they had to send aid,

Two-hundred young soldiers soon marched to their fate.

And Ver’eth the Faithful kept faith in his kin;

The ramparts would hold and no foe would get in.

But message was brought to the great dragon lord,

The troops of Urlon had now taken the fjord.

And when no more word from the soldiers arrived,

Like flames spread the word that not one had sur-vived,

But Ver’eth the Faithful kept faith in his knights,

And readied his blade and himself to turn tides.

Alone, he arrived to a terrible sight;

No soldiers akin were alive on the site,

All troops put to rout by the armies of elf,

But Ver’eth the Faithful kept faith in himself.

He battled and fought like a furious beast

A foe not foreseeing such force in the least,

And through his efforts soon their captain was slain,

The enemy routed, the victor in pain.

He lay on the ground and in twain was his shield,

And broken the blade he would nevermore wield,

And although it seemed from this world he would part,

Sir Ver’eth the Faitfhul kept faith in his heart.

And as he lay dying in blighted Na’rek,

A wonderful voice from above brought him back;

A pair of smooth hands gently lifted his head;

“Don’t leave me, oh Ver’eth! Don’t leave me, not yet!”

And Ver’eth the Faithful rose up from the ground,

Empowered once more by his love he had found.

And soon they were wed and their wounds they did mend,

For Ver’eth the Faithful kept faith to the end.

(From Ssalia and the Dragons of Avienot, 2012)