Come ‘round and listen to a tale

That I will sing for you.

Beware this moral at the end:

Respect, by scorn, was slew.

 

The hero of this tale is not

The one you would expect

To bravely quest for maidens fair,

But he will not be wrecked.

 

His journey started with these words,

Said in a dream of lust,

“Rescue me from this dreadful place,

Oh please, brave knight, you must!”

 

The boy retold his dream

And said that he would find

The maiden fair that called to him,

But to love they were blind.

 

The people from his little home,

They taunted him, the fool.

They did not think a mere farm boy

Could break out from the rule.

 

But though farmers did not fight for

Their honor or true love,

And were not sung about in songs,

This boy will rise above.

 

The hero did not care if they

Did not believe in him.

He knew that he would win her heart,

For his resolve was grim.

 

He travelled far for seven days,

His wonder soon took hold.

With weather fair, and roads pleasant,

He soon became too bold.

 

His wonder soon came to an end,

For evil had more plans.

It sent to him dark witches three,

Close to the Devil’s hands.

 

 

 

 

They captured him and took him to

Their home in the Dark Wood.

He lay there in their dungeon dark;

One escape was understood.

 

He did fight valiantly, but in

The end it was just luck

That helped him to escape his foes:

The witches ran amuck.

 

The witches dark could not agree

On how to kill their prey.

Their arguing turned to a fight,

He took the chance to slay!

 

Before they perished, he did learn

Of she who had his heart.

She was locked up far far away,

He quickly must depart.

 

But he did not know where to start;

He’d never left his home.

So he despaired, his heart gave up,

All he could do was roam.

 

While he was roaming, he met a

Friend. She was a fairy, and

Knew the way to his fair maiden;

She led him through the land.

 

He soon began to call her friend,

She brought him hope and strength.

They travelled far without mishap

For only a short length.

 

For soon they faced a mighty sphinx;

She guarded strong their path,

And would not let them pass her free:

They feared the aftermath.

 

“Stop,” said she, the terrible sphinx.

“Riddles two you must guess.

If you’re wrong, you will die. But if

You’re right, you do impress

 

“Say your riddles, terrible beast,

And I will guess them right,”

The boy rode up and said to her.

He then prepared to fight.

 

“The first one is: trees on my back,

But dwellings are below,”

The sphinx did say to the young boy,

“I fare when winds do blow.”

 

Deep in thought he was, and then he said,

“Easy is the answer,

Because I know the trees are masts:

A ship that sails to sea!”

 

“To you, fairy, the riddle two:

They are gone by the sun,

But by the moon they do come out.

Answer this, and you are done.”

 

“The answer is of course not hard.

The stars are out by moon,

Not by the sun. That’s riddles two,

We won’t be back too son!”

 

“I admit defeat, you may pass.”

With that, she did vanish.

Their path was free, they did rejoice;

Their fears had been banished.

 

When they defeated her, the boy

Looked to the fairy brave.

But she must give a sad adieu,

He had a girl to save.

 

The boy was sad to see her go,

But he continued on;

Time was short for his fair maiden,

Her life was almost gone.

 

The prison dark where she was held

Was but a day away.

She was in mortal danger, but

He knew he’d have his say.

 

His travels were not long, and so,

Soon after, he arrived.

But he despaired, for did he not

Know if she had survived.

 

He was confronted by a man

Who claimed her for his own.

But the boy unsheathed his sword, for

He would not survive alone.

 

“I suggest to you, wizard, now

A fight, a duel of swords!”

Said he, the boy, the brave hero

Who would save his adored.

 

The girl was scared because she thought

That maybe he would fail.

She hoped for him and for his life,

With fear she did turn pale.

 

He showed her that she had no fears:

He yelled with fury and black rage.

The power of his anger fueled

His hate against the mage.

 

His sword danced with the deadly swings

He trusted to defeat

The evil mage who only knew

To fight him with deceit.

 

The boy fought hard, and in the end

Prevailed. His maiden fair

Did weep with joy for she was his,

Of this he was aware.

 

They fell in love, the girl and boy,

And made their way with haste.

There was one stop the boy did make,

But it was not a waste.

 

He rode into his old village,

Bedecked in livery.

The  people did not recognize

Him with this finery.

 

“Who are you, stranger to this land?”

Cried they to him, the fool.

But they did not know that he had

Broken from their rule.

 

“The boy you did not think could quest,

Come back to say he won.

And here she is, my maiden fair,

And saved by only one.”

 

With that he rode away from them,

To spend his days in love

With her. He showed them all that he

Was right; he rose above.