the king and his queen

 

once upon a time there was a king

he lorded over a gorgeously abundant land

his servants adored him

his people praised his genius and passion

he ruled with ease and strength

for he was raised a king 

and a king we was made to be

 

he had three daughters 

one was delicate and light

touched my the gods of tranquility

blonde like the summer hay

with the voice of a breeze

the other was a mute

who wore robes of all different colors

and loved to knit

and grew her deep red hair all the way down to her feet

and the other was the youngest and boyish feature

with the head of a birds nest 

and the hands of clay

and the heart of rushing waters

 

the king also had a queen

but she was never scene nor heard by anyone who was not allowed in her room

she remained in her chambers day and night

attended by only two of the kings most upstanding and 

long lasting servants

the townsfolk and country peeps

talked about her mystery

some saying that she was more beautiful than any living person

too beautiful for the eyes of mortals to bestow 

and some would say she was a hideous and dangerous beast 

transformed by some evil scheme 

who was and was to always be

chained and locked away from man

never to be revealed

and some small few were heard to be whispering

that she did not exist in body

that there was no queen anymore

that she'd died during the birth of her third daughter

and that her spirit swarmed and congested the room 

where she was forced to dwell

.(…..but only until the king removed himself from her presence and wed another

in order to continue the kings line 

with a son)

 

but, before the truth is revealed about the queen

it is important to describe the king and his loves

 

he was a tall, handsome king

with hair like overgrown vines

and shoulders broad and strong like the hills that he ruled over 

and a back strong like the mountain range above

at the feet of which stood his estate

he loved all three of his daughters

each differently and for their own uniqueness

but his favorite, was Manassa

his third daughter

with leaves in her hair

and dirt under her fingernails

who was never seen without a stick in her hand

and a twig in her mouth

even at the dinner table

she ate her food using one hand

and using only one side of her mouth

and only ever used a wooden spoon and nothing else

she was an adventurer and an explorer

and was never without a recent tail to tell

but the thing the king loved the most about her

was her fight

a mighty fight she had

her father was convinced that Manassa would live for a very long time

because she was bound to fight death

til death himself was panting for mercy 

begging for her submittance

 

the king would sit on the big window sill

over looking the gardens to the north

and watch her from there

for hours

running over and through

hedges and brush

declaring to trees

warning of conquer

laughing with the breeze

stories and tales

monsters and motes 

this was her world

and the king looked over her

from his window sill 

smiling with delight

 

(to be continued)