Chapter Seven.

I travel these Strangeways watching the procession of the stars with a hope to find you there in the sparkling folds of night.
My feet are tired, my mind is weary, my heart is restless.
I live in the shadow of an ancient dream, one that I am forced to view and remember with stark clarity, for I was the one who slept in the serene capsule of eternity and dreamt of all that could be.
And you slept beside me and shared that dream.
Without your love, I walk with a crestfallen constitution, and the only comfort I find is in the magical brew of my drinking horn.
Although I have lost many battles, I am yet a warrior: my sword is my quill, my shield is my memory, and my armor is my undying love for you.
Although I've been defeated, my head is not down...with my ancient eyes I look up toward the stars, for you are a star, and someday I will find you there in the dark glittering expanse above
me.
I can recall a life I once lived from out of the transitional fabric of the Past, and as I search for you I relive those moments that defined and immortalized the endless love we share.
As a youth, I was but a bastard peasant child who helped the elders hoist their salmon weirs from the winding and turbulent river.
A peasant, yes, but a lad blessed with the fortune of a noble mind and a kingly heart.
One fated day, when the pastel shades of dawn cracked open the sky, and the orange yolk of the sun cast its pale light upon our quiet kingdom, I sat at the river and watched the winding procession of Knights and nobles, lords and ladies, all moving in an awe-inspiring display for your honor.
I saw your proud banner of turquoise snapping majestically in the breezy sky; I saw the thirteen silver stars that mark your essence stitched into your banners fibers.
And there in the heart of that procession I spotted your gilded caravan moving toward me, and, behold, I saw your face peeking secretly out of the silken drapes.
I saw your face, your Highness.
In that moment, your eyes found me in the distance and time stood still, as if in that observation of each other we had somehow captured eternity.
And then you smiled at me and disappeared.
I spent the duration of my youth forging my spirit in the Crucible of Becoming, learning the skills and trades by which I could attain your worthy appraisal.
The memory of your face was etched upon my eyes by some cosmic artist who had the will to paint a timeless portrait of our embrace, so that everything I viewed I saw as but myriad reflections of all that you are.
And it never crossed my mind that a peasant could not capture the heart of a princess.
My determination was like a knight's steel sword that pierced through every defensive obstacle barring my path to your castle, and as the neighboring realms grew restless with the desire for your throne, I labored by night and by day to be your greatest defender.
I made my way inside your castle walls and presented myself at the barracks, with a desire to enlist myself into the ranks of your depleted army.
There I dueled a proud prince whom the king saw fit to wed you, and in my victory I earned the right to battle for your honor.
And when your enemies came, I held your banner high for all to see; I cried your name for all to hear, and I was the first to charge a seemingly insurmountable army to defend your borders.
As I swung my sword with a reckless and fearless need for your victory, you stood at the railing of your balcony and watched me dance across the battlefield.
You heard my voice crying your name and you remembered me from long ago...you remembered that your heart was mine, my heart was yours.
Two hearts beating as one.
One mind, one spirit, one understanding....
© Leonard Rocco Grillo