Just run away in fright.
He'd search through humid mountain caves
And hear her scream in fear,
And, yet, she'd vanish like a mist
Whenever he would near.
He'd search in desperation,
Trying not to hear her screams . . .
Then wake in perspiration—
His journey into dreams.
He was the Prince of Visions—
Dreams should never come to him!
He'd comfort, harry sleeping souls
At every wish or whim.
He never could have visions;
He'd tried to dream before.
A century of dreamlessness
Then, in one night, a score,
And each with her in agony
Or each with her disdain.
She'd die or hate his loving her
And he would wake in pain.
"Larah, love, you've hurt me so;
Your sleep is safe from me.
Have I caused torment, pain like this?
O dreams! Dreams, let me be!"
Morning came and he woke late,
Face wet and mouth like sand.
Then, with a sudden fear in mind,
Took crystal sphere in hand.
The sphere was purest sorcery—
Saw future and saw past,
The tool to call illusions that
So often he had cast.
He gazed into the crystal depths
And called for Larah's face.
Reflected off the glassy screen,
An elf-maid took her place.
Could he have lost his magic, too,
When, by her, he'd been caught?
When he'd been captured by the dream,
The dream that he had wrought?
But she had made it hers as well
For she had been the one
Who taunted him beyond his strength
And made the dream undone.
In grief, he gazed into the orb,
The elf gazed in return,
And something in that azure gaze
Made all within him burn.
Head thrown back, he laughed and laughed
To fill the marble hall;
'Twas not an elven maid he saw
But his partner at the ball.
With river clay, her skin was white;
She wore a sky-blue haze.
She would have seemed an elven girl
If he'd not seen her gaze.
"Clever girl! You hurry to the
Castle gate at last,
But I must make your trip worthwhile.
Beware! The die is cast."
In every room, on every stair,
At every turn, a trick:
A wall looked like a mirror
And air, a wall of brick.
The visions changed as time went on
For all's not as it would seem.
"I'll see if she has wits to pass,
To beat my secret schemes."
Then, through each trick and riddled plot
She slowly made her way.
With great missteps, her wits grew sharp
And she too hard to sway.
At last, she made her way inside
The room which held the ring,
"The prize," she told herself,
"I love much more than anything."
She looked upon the pedestal
Where oft, the ring had ruled,
Bereft now of its sovereign—
Her prize—the magic tool.
Then, from the shadows from the light
He stepped, her enemy!
The ring gleamed golden from his palm.
"Do you seek what you see?
Do you seek only petty toys
Or are you seeking more?
Do you long for something else
You've never known before?
You've never known true love before;
You've never known a man;
You've never known the magic
Strong as trinkets in my hand,
That goes beyond, goes deeper,
Will last a million years,
That strengthens sorrow, heightens joy,
And vanquishes your fears.
Do you know what I ask you?
Can you read it in my eyes?"
She turned to look away from him:
"I wish to have my prize!
I don't care what you ask me—
I only want the ring.
I have but dreams to take the jewel,
Not what you're offering.
I do not want another swain,
Too many now to name.
All have claimed to earn my heart
And all turned out the same.
I thought that you were different,
That you'd not do my will.
I want a foe, an enemy;
Of love, I've had my fill."
"Of love do you know nothing!
Just greed and lust and lies!
Why just respect an enemy?
Why wear this fool disguise?
True love is the challenge—
Do you have strength to face?
Adventure like you've never known
Is found in love's embrace.
Did I not bring adventure
When no other heard your call?
I aided, hindered as you wished
To lead you to my hall!
Your servant I'm no longer
'Til you love me just as well.
Those who live to love alone,
Their lives are sheerest hell.
Love me, need me, ask my aid,
For else, I near the grave.
If you will only do my will,
Then I shall be your slave!"
"I shall never do your will,
For you I but despise,
A man just like those other fools;
I'd thought you strong and wise.
You know you are defeated
So you beg me to concede.
Strength and cunning both have failed
So, now, in turn, you plead.
Do you have no self-respect?
No pride? No inner strength?
Are you so frightened of defeat
You'd go to any length?
I only wished adversity,
In that, I am betrayed
And all because my mighty foe
Of losing is afraid."
The ring flew to her finger.
"Hear how I do not lie,
Hear how I've loved you all along.
For you, I'd gladly die."
"You speak the truth! Or is this
Just another clever dream?
I do not want you ever for
With me, all's as it seems."
"Are you certain, Larah dear?
One chance is all I give.
Love me and you'll be my queen
And have your chance to live.
Do eyes of green not tempt you,
Not look into your soul?
Why can't you learn to compromise?
Can we not share control?"
She glared at him in fury—
Could he look into her heart?
She pushed away her aching need
And tore his dreams apart.
"You fool! You fool! I can't believe
You dream but cannot see
That I detest those very eyes
And all you claim to be!
But I can turn away from you
And you can't tell me 'No!'
You have no power over me
And I am free to go."
The walls, they seemed to shatter
And his eyes closed in dismay
That tore her fiery heart apart
And made her long to stay,
Made her wish to take those words
And drown them in her tears,
To revel in love's magic
T
hat lasts a "million years" . . .
She had no chance to speak again;
A flash and she was home,
But home is worse than Satan's lair
When empty and alone.
At once, she longed to run right back,
Heart bleeding like a sieve,
But heard again the tortured voice:
"One chance is all I give."
"I do not need him anyway;
The ring, that was my goal.
My fancy is the passing kind
And I've another role."
With ring, she heard her subjects think
Who claimed their loyalty,
Surprised, dismayed, at times amused
By their duplicity.
But, watching servants' petty thoughts
Grew older every day
As did the "thoughts" of all her beaus
Who had no thoughts to say.
More and more, her mind would roam
Past castle walls and trees,
Would dance among the forest oaks
And skim along the breeze
And fly on toward a palace
She'd seen not long before,
Would whisper through his magic maze
And pass the throne room door.
There it hovered o'er the king
Who mused upon the throne,
Whose face was pale as fall's first frost
And gaunt upon his bones.
His wondrous eyes were sunken
And glittered not so bright,
Yet wet and so unhappy.
His lips were thin and white . . .
She'd shake her head in anger,
"Away, you plaguey dreams!
He does not mean a thing to me!
All is as it would seem!"
But nightly visions can't be quelled
As can the dreams of days,
And, every night, his face was seen
In many different ways.
He gazed from out a glass of wine,
Was seen within a mirror,
And every time his face was pale . . .
His eyes would shine with tears.
She'd gaze at him in agony
Then turn to run in grief,
But run, instead, to kiss his brow,
To give her king relief.
She strived, but always vainly
For he stayed just out of reach,
Taunting with a nearness
That she had no way to breach.
She'd waken then, in torment,
And scream at him in hate,
"Why send these dreams to haunt me
When I know that it's too late?"
Her eyes would close in fury
Then love would make them weep,
For him she'd scorned so viciously,
For him who stalked her sleep.
She knew, too late, the ring was not
The goal for which she dreamed,
And, once again, the king was right—
All's not as it would seem.
His vibrant eyes had moved her feet,
Had forced her mind to think,
Had helped her find her womanhood
And brought her to the brink.
"King Jared, how was I to know
Who'd thought to know so well?
I, who'd never known the world,
Just tales that they would tell.
Yet, how can you forgive me for
The awful words I spoke?
How your soul I trampled on
And how your heart I broke!
Oh, pity me, oh, curse my soul
For I have killed my heart
And cursed the love I hold so dear,
And torn that love apart!"
He woke again in anguish
As he had so many times:
The anguish of her lovely face
Replayed inside his mind,
The anguish of those ruby lips
That curved into a frown,
The anguish from that azure gaze
That cast King Jared down.
Those dreams, his dreams, would haunt him
As he'd haunted dreams before,
And now they but reminded
He would see her nevermore.
His nights were all tormented;
By the day, his heart was slain.
That day of greatest agony,
Relived again . . . again.
The princess who had spurned him
Who had spit upon his glove
And he felt he couldn't blame her,
So unworthy of her love,
So unworthy to be sharing
Any portion of her life,
Too unworthy yet to touch her
Let alone make her his wife.
But she had seen right through him,
Seen the demon who was he,
The demon dreaming of the maid,
Of what he thought could be.
He dared not gaze into his ball—
Temptation, oh so great,
To see her in the crystal sphere
Yet know it was too late.
But, though he turned his arts away,
The dreams would come instead
And Larah's image, then, would dance
In poor King Jared's head.
Once he'd made a vision
Of the woman in his dreams.
It stood before him, waiting,
Like a proud but passioned queen.
"Perhaps," he said in fevered hope,
"She'll cure me of my need,
Perhaps replace the girl I knew
With one of magic's seed."
She smiled and reached to hold him
And he rushed to feel her kiss,
But found he kissed but vapor
So the image he dismissed.
His nights, such bitter torment!
His days, such lonely pain!
Ye Gods, to love a woman
Whose love one can't gain!
Food could not entice him.
He grew thinner every day.
Laughter could not find him;
He'd no reason to be gay.
All his dreams forsaken,
Painful dreams he'd not forget,
That made him wake up screaming,
Body cold, yet steaming wet.
And yet, he could not ask her back;
She told him how she felt.
He loved her much too dearly
Not to play the hand she'd dealt.
Then, one day, he woke in torment,
Not of anguish, not of tears
But of total bitter horror,
Total terror, total fear.
He saw her standing near him
Arms inviting as she smiled
And he ran toward her in rapture
With his mane back, long and wild.
As he touched her hand, it vanished
And her voice called to his heart,
"I am stolen, stolen from you
Always doomed to stay apart!"
And he flew in magic wonder
And he wondered, now, what happened—
All is never as it seems.
Had it not been for that courtier,
She might not have found her soul,
Might not have heard it calling,
Tearing down her glass control.
This suitor's eyes were emerald,
But they turned her heart so cold
They were not half so verdant,
Nor so glowing, wise, or bold.
She knew, then, none could suit her
For her heart was not her own,
And she knew she must rewin him
Or live her life alone.
All was black without him
And she had been so blind
By trampling down her own soft heart
With pride that ruled the mind.
"Sinner! Sinner! You
did worse;
You trampled his and more.
Why do you think you're worthy
E'en to kneel before his door?"
But she must try to win him,
Help alleviate his pain,
And left, the ring behind her;
She'd ne'er need that toy again.
She prayed, then, to a thousand Gods
To beg them aid her plea,
To give her, now, just one more chance
And she would make him see . . .
A hand reached out and grabbed her,
Smelled so noxious she went weak,
Then froze in darkest terror
As she heard that rough voice speak.
"Quite well, just what I wanted,
An untouched of noble birth,
A mortal for my plaything
In my playground 'neath the earth."
A flash and she lay in a cave
Deep underneath the ground,
And saw with horror who it was
Who made that deadly sound.
The Goblin King was known for this,
For taking virgin maids,
Who lived a ghastly month or two
Until the next king's raid.
His hand reached out to touch her,
As she strained to hold her scream,
Then saw a sight so wondrous
That she knew it was a dream.
King Jared, wild hair flowing
And his green eyes filled with hate,
Was standing tall before her
In his rich blue robes of state.
"Leave her, Ren, she shan't be touched
By hands as foul as yours."
"She left you, Jared. You've no right
To stay my hunger's course.
She spurned you. Can you love her?
Let alone; she has no worth.
Leave this mortal to my care
Or lose your life on earth."
She saw her king was weakened
By his many days of fast.
She couldn't let him die for her
When she had spurned him last:
"No, Jared, do not die for me.
Go free. The price is due.
I think this is my just reward
For what I did to you."
He swore, instead, attacking Ren,
Who wore his soldier's dress,
In robes not made for fighting
And a body strained by stress.
But, still, he held his own and fought
With desperation's strength.
To save the one he'd loved so long
He'd go to any length.
In fact, he knocked Ren's sword away
But Ren was more than sly,
Distracting him with Larah's pain,
Then let the last blow fly.
King Jared lay there, senseless
And she flew to him in fear,
Then looked again at mighty Ren
With fury mixed with tears.
"You'd better let us go, you wretch,
For, now, it's me you face."
And there was something in her voice
That pressed him back a pace,
A power in that sapphire gaze
That froze the goblin's heart;
He saw some sorcery in their depths
And let the two depart.
Larah dragged her lover
To the sunshine, to the sky,
And looked for any signal,
Any sign he did not die.
But Jared's face was woeful pale;
His breathing was unfelt.
There seemed to be no life at all
In the body where she knelt.
"I'm sorry, dear, so sorry.
I have killed you. I am dead.
I want so much to love you."
And her tears fell to his head.
"I'd do whate'er you asked me,
For I love you, that I do.
I want to spend a thousand years
With naught but loving you."
Then, Jared's eyes, they flickered
Then grew wide in gleaming green
And she heard his fearful whisper,