I feel like mentioning my favorite poem, the one that I memorized by heart (Eric forgot part of his, bwahahaha). Anyway, it's in the Dragonlance saga (what else) in one of the Tales I books as a short story. The writer did a really good job, putting one or two verses in a section of short story. It was cool, and was the first poem I read, the poem that inspired me to write some myself.
Hunting Destiny
There was a proud and noble stag
In Shadow Wood was born
And there he grew, and there he met
And loved a unicorn.
He served her long, he served her well,
He served her whole and part
Until one night in Shadow Glade
He told her all his heart.
She did not mock, she did not laugh,
But softly told him nay
He did not grieve but chose to leave
And plotted to betray.
He sought out then King Peris's men
His words were cold and blunt
"Oh sentry hosts, desert your posts
I offer you a hunt."
King Peris's men were duty bound
To guard the wood from fear
The king, in pride, set sword aside
To bargain with the deer.
"There is no hunt for me," said he
"Of any creature born
Unless I could, in Shadow Wood,
Hunt down the unicorn."
"None knows so well where she may dwell
As I who did her will
If you will heed, then I will lead,
And you may have your kill."
But one lone guard forewarned the king,
"This hunt is evil starred
For those with arms and potent charms
Against who we must guard
No more will wait with eyes of hate
And souls and hearts of gall
But purge the wood of light and good,
And gods forgive us all."
Still Peris boasts "Step down, my hosts
And hear the hunting horn
Let men invade both wood and glade
We hunt the unicorn!"
The stag lead on from night till dawn,
From sunrise into morn
And in the shade of Shadow Glade,
Betrayed the unicorn.
She spoke to him, her voice was grim
"What have you done for pride?
You know and see your destiny
And yet you turn aside.
You would betray me to my death,
And quite forsake your vow?
Then service lent without consent
Is all you do me now."
She touched him once, she touched him twice
And three times with her horn
And there he fell, and where he fell,
He rose a unicorn.
The guards have fled; their trusting land
All undefended lies
And through the wood invaders ride
With darkness in their eyes.
Without alarms they practice charms
That drive away that light
And Shadow into Darken Wood
Was made that evil night.
And afterward, with sword and spear
And horse and horn and hound
They hunted down King Peris's men
And ran them all to ground.
The king was slain, his body lain
Among his dying men
But they were told, ere they were cold
To rise and hunt again.
"For every wraith who breaks his faith
Shall wander without cease
And then, perform what he did warm
And never rest in peace."
So every night the stag betrays
The love he could not keep
And king and host desert their post
To hunt and never sleep.
And so they shall betray and hunt
Until the day they show
That they somehow fulfill that vow
They broke so long ago.
(much later)
The shadows in the woods are plain
And mingle now with light
They flow and play with sun by day
And dance with moon by night.
From Darken Wood has Shadow Wood
Been granted its release
And those who were killed in vows fulfilled
Have there been granted peace.
A few remarks:
When the unicorn touched the stag with her horn, he turned into another unicorn. The king's men were hunting the real unicorn, but the real one fled, and the new one, the stag, was hunted instead and killed by those he convinced to hunt his love. The unicorn could not take him as a love, but she did love him, even though he was a haughty creature and thought that, since he was the only white stag, she should love him, not because he was a good stag. That was in the short story, not the poem. The king, his men, and the stag redeemed themselves in fighting off draconians, a mix of dragon and man, very evil. They were killed in the attempt. So may every man (generic) be punished for failing in his duty to protect others and, by his failing, condemn them to their deaths.
Continuing the short story The Continuing Adventures of Dalamar and the Brooms...
Raistlin sighed to himself, shutting the blue-bound spellbook, yawning and stretching. He remembered the last time he had done this and scowled. He still could not believe his apprentice's temerity. Raistlin glanced at the staff, making sure he was carrying it before he went to bed. He had threatened Dalamar with becoming one of Santa's elves, but it was always a good idea to make sure…
Raistlin began chanting the spell to take him to bed, then he noticed something odd. A few parchment scraps were littered in the wastebasket. He didn't remember putting those there. In fact, he'd almost forgotten that that basket existed. Raistlin creased his brow in thought, puzzled. Who… of course, it had to be Dalamar. Sloppy elf… he never actually disintegrates these things, he thought in irritation. Raistlin started casting the disintegration spell, then paused. One of the scraps had a few words that were not ripped up. Dear Clerics of Paladine, it read.
Wait a minute… didn't he tell Dalamar to send a note of apology to those people?
Raistlin was just about to yell for his apprentice, when he got a very amusing idea…
**************
I still miss Raistlin. Every time I hear Kryptonite I think of him, and a lot more than that, too. I can't believe it has only been twelve days. It feels like forever. My brother's back from college for the weekend, so that's really nice, but I just can't be happy! I wish I could.
My computer will be upgraded to XP and a new graphics card installed. Which, of course, is nice, but I really wish that I could talk to you-know-who on it. I'd much rather not have a computer if I could talk to him.
Raistlin apparently can't find a computer, so that explains the "not answering" part. I still really miss him, and I always will. True friends are like that to me. His cousin, the Sorceress (Drow Sorceress, really) is pretty nice, and a lot like him. She even said "As you wish", just like the stinker!
I'm feeling better, but I wish it was night. My Silvanesti mind can't stand daylight too long without longing for night. The stars, the moon, the moonlight shining through the trees, the cool air, the clouds shining...
I've gone on that Vampire thing, and it's okay. Father is in a bad mood. Feel terrible. No one's on again. Calico needs to go out too much, parents reenforcing stupid bark-get out rule. Spoiling dog. Life stinks. Always does. Raistlin not answering, expected.
I got to ride Angel today, that's great. So why do I feel so terrible? Raistlin? Or something else?
I'm a little sad, but okay. Nothing much happened today except for the garden is started germinating and I almost won five dollars at poker, but lost the second game. Rats.
I am so happy and so proud of my club! It's working! People are planning to join, more to check it out! Woot!
Of course, I still miss Raistlin. I'll always miss Raistlin. I have decided that my moods shall be "Missing Raistlin, but ----" or "Missing Raistlin, and ----". The former is positive, the latter negative.
He is very important to me. My friends, my true friends, have always been that way, and shall always be. Even Joe, from second grade, is still important. I still miss what we shared.
Friendship is the second most powerful feeling in the world. Well, the second most powerful POSITIVE feeling. The most powerful are tied at Hatred and Love, they are the second and first ones. The third and fourth are Jealousy and Friendship. And I make certain that my friendship always lasts.
*shudder* Better than yesterday. I can still talk to Raistlin occasionally..
He's gone... forever... *weeping* I understand, of course, but I'll miss him so much! I've gotten to know him almost as well as Nikki, and now he's gone! Gone... gone.
Raistlin hasn't been on for five days... *sad smile, sigh* I wish he didn't have so many jobs, but it is necessary to him being able to go to college at any reasonable time. Still, I do miss him quite a bit. Quite a bit.
I cannot believe that I missed my changing-day! I am now 48 in Silvanesti years!
I was soo frustrated yesterday because of the wiki and my stupidity. If there is one thing I hate more than others' stupidity it is my own. But now the Dragonlance Company is coming along well, and it will only be a very short while before I start advertising that it is there. Just a few more changes!
Oh, and the internet is fixed. YAY!
Can't stay on for long, which reeeally stinks. I can't wait until we get the Internet back the way it was.
Setting: Just after the short story The Wizard’s Apprentice, in the Tower of High Sorcery at Palanthas.
My brother and I just couldn’t help continuing the story of the Wizard’s Apprentice, and, well, it just had to be done…
Dalamar has finally finished cleaning up the devastation that he caused by stealing the Staff of Magius, tracked down the Live Ones, and is finishing an extremely sincere letter of apology to the Clerics of Paladine for drowning the Lady Crysania when she came to bring Raistlin a fruitcake. Now he sits in Raistlin’s study, looking over the letter, when the spectre he sent to find out when the funeral was brings him news…
“Apprentice, there will not be a funeral. Lady Crysania is not dead.” The spectre’s cold voice intoned.
“WHAT?!”
“She did not drown. She is, however, blind, as she apparently scratched herself on one of the Shoiken Oaks as she was swept past in the flood.”
Dalamar hesitated, then nodded. The spectre drifted through the door as Dalamar held his surprised and thoughtful face, then dropped it as he gleefully ripped up the letter of apology.
“She doesn’t need to know it was me!” he said happily as he dropped the pieces into a handy wastebasket.
**************
I feel better than usual. Probably because I'm writing that fanfic. Hehe. The Continuing Adventures of Dalamar and the Brooms. It's a sequel to The Wizard's Apprentice from Raistland. Hehehehe. Poor Dalamar, especially if he saw that! Maybe I'll put it in here when I'm finished, as well as on Raistland. Maybe even in parts. Hm... definitely.