It was many
years ago that first I heard the stories of the Snow Princess, as
she was called... a woman of unearthly beauty, intelligence, and
presence of being; living within a castle formed of solid ice. At
my coming of age, I chose to quest, to find this Princess of Snow
and take her for my Queen, if she would have me...
My journey took me far and wide, and I arrived at last in the
lands where her castle was rumored to rise....
Through Winter's blast I traveled
seeking, searching for the one
who lived
within a castle formed
of ice.
I asked the people gathered
at the places where the heat
was free and plentiful,
they said they
did not know,
and I rode on.
Beneath the frozen pines all wreathed
in frost and crystal laces stood
a hunter, bearded, armed with bow
and melancholy sigh...
When asked about that lady fair
he shook his head to say
you seek, but will not find
the lady
in this place.
And she
waits
in a castle
of ice
looking out on the frozen sea
In the distance she spies
a tall rider....
Is it me?
...As my journey continued through the frozen
wood, I chanced upon a small log cabin, a warm and cozy place.
Seeking to warm my hands and perhaps garner some information
regarding my quest, I knocked upon the cabin door....
Within the cabin sheltered
from the icy wind and warmed
before the flame,
again I put my question to
the test.
The mistress of the cabin
watched me closely, hazel eyes
and skin like newly fallen
leaves, a queen
of autumn
to a serf.
I finished with my tale, she sighed
and motioned that I must draw much
more close, that she might whisper in
my ear, and tell her tale.
And tell she did, the darkest story
ever I had heard,
my growing horror
fueling
righteous rage.
And she's trapped
in a castle
of Demons
Looking out at the raging sea...
In the distance she spies
A white rider...
Is it me?
The cabin's mistress related to me a story which
yet makes me shiver... a gentle, innocent beauty, wooed by a
handsome and charismatic prince... falling in love with his
overwhelming presence, and consenting to be his wife... The doors
to the castle closing and locking as the illusion fades away....
No prince at all it seemed, but an evil necromancer, in league
with demons, determined to break her spirit that she may serve
him, to destroy her beauty and innocence.... Far worse, later
that night, when she learned the real truth... not simply in
league with demonkind, he was himself one. And she had no means
of escape... Trapped in a castle of blood and pain with a demon
prince... trapped.
But the woman did not know where the castle lay... and so my
search continued.
For
three long years I traveled
seeking, searching distant lands
to find
some trace of her, this lady
Gabrielle.
I hunted fen and forest,
rivers, mountains, fertile fields
and flowered glades and shores
of mighty seas
but nothing
was revealed.
My last approach, the desert sun
beats down and sears my armor to
my flesh. Ahead, a Moorish man
stands silent in dark robes.
I approach, intent on asking
of the lady, but
fall silent at his glance.
Palm raised.
One word -- "Wait."
And she's lost
in a castle
of magic
looking out at the desert sea....
In the distance she spies
a knight riding...
Is it me?
As the last rays of the sun kissed the distant
clouds with fire, the moor pulled back his hood and walked
towards me. In noble tones, he told me his story...
Many years ago
among my people a child was born
who hid his eyes from Allah.
He learned dark magic
and consorted with demons.
For many years I hunted him
at the orders of my family
for it is
our Duty
to destroy him, who brought darkness
to our Name
and stained our Honor.
Twenty years ago this day
on a night of blood and fire
I killed my uncle and cleansed
my Family's Name....
But his apprentice won free.
Malcontent with serving the demons
he bonded with them and became one
himself.
He created a castle
of magic
that shimmers like ice
and travels to a different place
at each dawn
that none may ever find him.
But today
He must return here,
to replenish his powers...
For now
is the time
of the Blood Red Moon.
The tale
continued, whispers of the Demon within his castle. He had
trapped a beautiful woman many years before, and frozen her in
time, only freeing her one night each year. Only on the night
when the moon turns red over the desert sands of his home, a time
of power for him, when he renews his energy with dark sacrifice,
does he dare free the lady, and tempt to wrest her will from her
through blood and torture. She is mightier than the demon, and he
knows that should he triumph and bend her to his will, he shall
rule over all. But he has yet to succeed in his ambitions.... And
as midnight approached, the moon took on a deep red hue....
In the
night, a flash of fire
from the sky, sanguine moon
shone down
upon a gleaming palace
formed of ice.
The gates were closed to all
a glowing magic wall surrounds
the palace, and within
the demon
woke the lady
from her dream.
We saw it in the sky, a vision
clear and bright, the demon and
the lady eye to eye, bright lady
smiling, tears of rage
flow from her eyes, but with
a cry of triumph
a shout of victory
at last
the demon falls.
The Lady had triumphed, and the Castle of Ice become a place
of light and beauty. The Moor and I watched, astonished, as the
desert around us shifted, becoming a garden of delight, flowering
trees and fragrant blossoms, butterflies and shimmering crystal
fountains... a sea of flowers, it seemed, and beside the castle,
surrounded by thick grasses, a river flowed into a large lake.
With a shout of victory, his quest fulfilled, the Moor clapped
his hands and vanished soundlessly... and I was left alone,
outside the castle... as the gates began to open....
And She's building
a castle
of hope
by the side of the flowering sea...
In the distance she spies
a believer...
Is it me?