The Last March of the Elves

*This is set in Lord of the Rings universe, from the point of view of an elf marching to Helm's Deep. (The Two Towers movie? Anyone? XD)

On we march, forward,
Across glittering streams,
Over snow-peaked mountains,
Through sunlit meadows,
Our horns of war sounding.

On we march, away,
From all that is familiar and safe,
Leaving behind our beloved Rivendell;
Echoes of children's laughter fading,
Bidding us one final farewell.

On we march, towards
Chaos, terror, and bloodshed,
Our doom, our irrevocable fate;
On into the realms of men,
Knowing that only death awaits.

Yet on we march, still,
To the aid of besieged Rohan,
Where together elves and men shall stand,
To battle the vile creatures of darkness
And defend the people of this land.

For too long have our races been divided,
Too long have we watched and waited;
Now, the hour has come,
To reforge the kinship that with time had faded.

We march on, soundless
Save for the horn's mournful notes;
Passing over the land as fleeting shadows,
Our journey's end approaching, so close.

And though the tingling fire in our veins,
Calls us home to timeless white shores,
We will remain, and die as mortals,
Each to fall to arrow or sword.

We march on, to our doom,
While what remains of our kin sails into the West.
Alas, that our age of wisdom should fade,
Yet may the coming Age of Men be blest.

The last march of the elder race,
To war, to save Middle Earth.
One last blessing,
For the glory of a new age to come forth.

On we march, the last of the elves,
Forward, soundless, to our doom.

Growing Up

There was a time, once,
When I was surrounded by love,
So strong that it blocked out all troubles,
shielding me from the harshness of reality.
And I was always happy,
As happy as can be.

But that was years ago,
A lifetime long gone by,
Cocooned in the safety of a child's mind,
When my biggest worries were of candy and toys.
And life seemed so very simple,
Goodness ever invincible.

But of course time took its toll,
And the inevitable came to pass.
You know how people say,
that growing up is a trap?
Well...I fell into that trap,
And my perfect world cracked.

No longer do I see the world,
As plainly black and white;
No, not so contrasting,
but full of many shades of gray.
A child's perception, after all,
Is idealized, and bound to fall.

Oh but heavy is the price of maturity,
For no longer can I hide in my mother's arms;
Forced to face the unknown,
And conceal my true thoughts behind a façade.
But no matter how I lament the loss of my naïveté,
Alas, it can only be this way.

--
“Growing up is never straight forward.

There are moments when everything is fine, and other moments where you realize that 

there are certain memories that you'll never get back, and certain people that are going to change, and the hardest part is knowing that

there's nothing you can do except watch them.” 

― Alden Nowlan

The Tale of Robin Hood

Here's a fun little(okay maybe not so little) thing I wrote inspired by the King Raven series by author Stephen Lawhead.(they're really good :D) I don't think I would've made a very good bard but ah well...

Ho listen up all you folks
Here I begin the tale
Of one brave lad named Robin Hood
In the great woods of Wales

Now first of all I should say
"Robin" isn't his name you see
Once proud Prince Bran of Elfael
Till forced he was to flee

For alas one morn the Ffreinc came
Eyes set on the kingdom's lands
The king Bran's father they cruelly slaughtered
Along with his loyal war-band

The simple folk were terrified of course
Protection they no longer had
Many had no choice but to stay and pray
Oppressed, and that was that

Meanwhile our Bran watched, helpless too
And twas then he solemnly swore
To aid his people any way he could
And see his kingdom restored

So away into the Guardian Wood he went
Followed by some good friends
And deep within the forest they dwelled
In houses of odds and ends

Times were hard for Bran and his flock
But they never forgot the French
Willing to fight for their people's rights
They worked and plotted revenge

So Bran donned a great feathered cloak
Complete with hood and beak
Rhi Bran y Hud, King Raven, he was called
Fearsome protector of the weak

The Ffreinc trembled at his name
And the Welsh bore it with pride
He and his men, amazing archers all
Were victorious time after time

In the wild they ensnared their foes
And arrow after arrow flew true
Clever and daring, they fooled them too
Devising ingenious coups

After battles were fought, peace was sought
But blood continued to flow
What's good or evil became so blurred
With every fatal blow

Again and again hopes were crushed
And a-many good men were lost
Yet on they fought--no return now
Freedom at what cost?

For good or ill King Raven and his flock
Held out against their foes
But soon they'd tire and the need was dire
To put an end to all their woes

So Bran sought an audience with Red King William
Under the flag of peace
And bargained he did, fealty for his kingdom
So the bloody fighting may cease

Now Red King William was mighty displeased
Reluctant to give in to the demands
But Bran has gained the support of many
And was prepared for a final stand

The warriors were ready, their weapons steady
And the battle would have gone as planned
If not for good ol' Friar Tuck
Who convinced William to stay his hand

So the two sides met and finally agreed
On the terms that Bran had set
King of Elfael he was made
And with William gained new-found respect

So at last Rhi Bran and his merry men
Hid no more in the woods
Home and freedom they had gained
And cast off was the raven hood

Now ere our tale does come to an end
This I should explain
That long ruled Bran with his queen Merian
And blessed peace at last did reign

Yet alas even great men must grow old
And with Bran we soon must part
Stooped and gray, he outlived his friends
And bears loss with a weary heart

Then one bright morn Bran rode out
For his last time of all
Into the woods, bow in hand
With a strong voice he did call:

"Oh all ye brave and merry men
Again in this wood we'll meet
Like times of old, let our bowstrings twang
Music for our ears, how sweet"