Tyre’Negoth: A Tale of Valiance

As the blist’ring sun reached the peak of its ascent,

The party steadily rode ‘cross the golden plains,

Ahead of the mass rode three in deep and solemn silence.

Monmoth lead the three, eyes clouded in remembrance

Of the angel’s words and the mystic map within his mind,

To his right rode Eldin, eyes searching for any danger

That lurked, waiting to ambush the heroic troupe,

To Monmoth’s left, Andaras rode, his thoughts a mystery,

All had agreed he would lead and he took no task lightly.

Behind dragged the remaining men, yawning in boredom

As they trudged lazily on through the expansive plains.

Finally the judge, with mind on verge of atrophy, spoke:

“Come now, good men! What’s all this stoic silence!

We have long journey ahead and I already want to give in

Of shear boredom! I’ve heard you speak, each eloquently

Flowering their words, so give us story, poem, or speech.

Does not matter what, just speak before my mind melts!

Andaras, good leader! Tell us of your great battles!

Give us a story to inspire your loyal followers to calm

Our minds, tell us of some fight where you were tested

And in the end, your honor and prowess prevailed!”

All smiled, for each had had the thought upon their mind,

But Andaras, with smile, turned and then replied,

“How can I protect you from lurking evil if my attention

Is turned toward entertaining you sill lot! No story!”

All laughed as Andaras turned back to the path ahead.

One of Andaras’ four Curian knights, a respected man

Who rode close at the judge’s hand turned and spoke:

“I’ll give ye a grand story of the good knight up there,

One that will make you gasp in awe at such wonderment,

But it be truth, I swear fully upon my knightly oath!”

All but Acumenius, too lost in book, turned to hear

The Curian knight’s great tale, which now appears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many years before Andaras became the noble warrior

That you entrust with life and limb, I was his equal,

We served Curia with the fervor of foolish youth,

Thus, when the Rodan forces marched to sieze our city,

We took up sword and marched off to send the bastards

Packing back to their foreign islands of heathen sin!

Andaras and I, fate smiled, were stationed together

At a small supply post along the merchant trade routes.

It was the enemy’s plan, unbeknownst to Curian command,

To secretly capture the great fort with the aid

Of a wicked traitor who hid within the wooden gates!

As Fate would have it, for how fate loves her trouble,

Andaras, myself, and three of our good friends had,

Because of harmless prank, been assigned wall posts

For the night that the attack was to take its place!

My eyes had always been keen, thus I spotted from my spot

The creeping shape of Libidine, the traitorous dog,

A merchant by day who had been offered a golden coffer

For his aid in allowing the Rodan forces entry!

“Lo!” yelled I, “What business at the gates do you have?

No merchants come this night, Libidine, state purpose!”

Libidine had long been a merchant who ne’er been swindled

Nor shaken in the least, a lie had found his mind quick:

“Good sir, as you know I have terrible propensity

Towards gambling, thus, to lighten the load I lost

To my comrades tonight, I decided I would depart quietly,

They have taken all but what I hold and I desired

Not to lose all the worldly goods that I’ve aquired!

Thus, pity me and let me sneak away with a little gold

Or I shall surely pay with all I have and more!”

Now I’ll admit I”m not too bright and pity swayed me,

Thus I opened the gates but I am no utter fool, good sir,

I told Andaras and my friends of Libidine and his words.

Now Andaras bolted for the gates in time to see,

The forces marching straight up the path, woe to me!

We bolted from the walls to call all good men to arms!

Yet Fortune, too, had turned ‘gainst our woeful party,

In hail of arrows one shaft found one man’s leg,

He collapsed in desperate outcry and all turned to see

The flash of golden Rodan forces bursting through gate!

Andaras urged us to race to town while he’d stay,

Drawing shield and blade he charged back and I, in youth,

Fled for fear of absolute death, I bring shame upon me,

Yet I bear it, for dishonesty would only damn me more!

We reached town presently and called all men in haste,

The army gathered in seconds flat and all in anger,

Myself included, charged, screaming, towards the gates.

We clashed just inside the outpost’s walls, but no sign

Of Andaras or our friend anywhere could we find!

Til the forces had been bested and began in fear to flee,

Then we heard faint cries from the small town’s square,

Our men then raced past the fallen men to find there

Our wounded friend behind oxcart barricade and ahead,

Andaras armed with sword, fighting off a tiny horde,

Fifteen men him surrounded, eight more lie dead around!

Thus we charged into the fray and I jest not, good sir,

Five more he laid upon the ground that very day!

He had suffered several brutal blows but still he stood,

For he said, “I could not abandon him, nor I would

Have if their blades had found my heart, he is my friend,

Thus my life is meant to protect him from cruel death!”

Yet if I had to name a vice of Andaras, it would be

His relentlessness, for after that day, add three,

He with a small band of skilled soldiers set off to find,

Libidine, “to get what he was owed,” Andaras said,

In the end he kept his gold and paid his life instead.

The men who marched with Andaras on his quest reported

They’d never seen such unbreaking focus from a man,

He marched straight through the mercenary guard,

And with three blows cut out the bastard’s heart!

All those who the merchant paid to protect him from death

Fled on the spot without looking back, the entire lot!

Indeed, you’re right, good and noble judge!

Look how far, while I spoke, we’ve trudged!

Now my story’s at an end, let another tell a tale,

We have much time to pass upon this weary trail!”