Edward the Just

This is the story
Of Edward the Just
Whose actions were noble
And whose word you could trust

Chosen from birth
By the hand of fate
To live in the ruling class
And the governing state

Edward’s father was strong
A man of great renown
Whose exploits were known
In far off towns

When he was of age
His father gave him a blade
He taught him to fight
Without being afraid

Edward worked hard
To earn his father’s pleasure
For more than gold
It was his greatest treasure

His training was hard
And it made him tough
But no matter how he tried
It was never good enough

His father was perfect
In all that he did
How could he match up
When he was just a kid

Edward grew older
And didn’t often fight
But in the face of injustice
He stood up for what’s right

As part of his curse
His parent’s had to choose
A girl for him to marry
Whom he could not refuse

His father and mother
Took great care
To chose a woman
With a stately air

They picked a woman
Who was in good health
Who had pure blood
And an inheritance of wealth

When Edward met her
He wasn’t impressed
Her nose was held high
And she was haughtily dressed

Her name was Isabelle
The daughter of a Duke
She was so prideful
Edward wanted to puke

Edward wasn’t happy
But he was still just
So he honored his parents
And put his life in their trust

It was somewhat surreal
When his father said
In less than a fortnight
You two shall be wed

For the next few days
His mind was consumed
With thoughts of this girl
And the wedding to ensue

Finally, one morning
In a state of unrest
He went for a walk
Deep in the forest

Into the darkness
Of the forest he went
Moving ever onward
Till his energy was spent

He was about to lie down
And rest for the night
When he spotted a cottage
Almost hidden from sight

The house belonged
To some lowly peasants
Who immediately bowed
When he came into their presence

Because of his status
It was his noble right
To make this family
Host him for the night

The family took him in
And the father told his daughter
To prepare him his bed
And get him some water

This maiden was fair
She was simple and pure
There was humility in her eyes
And strength in her stature

As if by a love bug
Edward had been bitten
When he first saw this girl
His heart was smitten

There was something beautiful
In her humble face
That hid a gentle spirit
And a dignified grace

They ate a hearty dinner
And for the time being
Edward forgot his fiancé
And the wedding ensuing

That night as he slept
On a bed made of hay
He dreamed of the maiden
He had met that day

In his dream he was walking
Toward his new found love
When a giant rock
Fell from above

This boulder separated
Edward from his prize
It grew a pair of arms
And two red eyes

The boulder turned into
A giant-rock creature
As Edward looked closer
He recognized its features

On the front of this rock
Was his father’s face
Wrought with shame
And full of disgrace

This granite monster
Started to come near
And for the first time in his life
Edward felt fear

He grabbed his sword
In the midst of his fright
And hit the monster
With all of his might

The blade of the sword
Broke like a twig
The creature he faced
Was just too big

Edward quickly gave up
And started to run
But the creature he faced
Was not yet done

It came towards him
Like a wave of the ocean
Edward tried to escape
But ran in slow motion

Two stony arms
Lifted Edward to the air
He entered the creature’s mouth
And the blackness there

The darkness was thick
And Edward started to choke
But just before he died
His body awoke

He felt his clothes
And they were wet
The dream was so real
That he had started to sweat

He searched around the house
But only saw the father
So he asked him bluntly
Where is your daughter?

My daughter Elena
Is gone for the day
She has gone into town
And will be back late

“Elena, Elena
A name oh so sweet
Her name on my tongue
Is a savory treat

Elena, my love
With a name so divine
I will find you again
And take you as mine”

So Edward set off
In search of true love
To find this angel
Sent from above

While walking the path
He saw a garment
When he examined it closer
His heart rent

It was Elena’s dress
He could tell by its scent
The rest of her however
Was hauntingly absent

He looked for more clues
And found some feathers and hair
Evidence that a struggle
Had occurred there

Edward remembered
A tale he had heard
Of a creature with a man’s head
And the body of a bird

A hideous black creature
With a shrieking laugh
An ugly murderous creature
Known only as the Volrath

It was twenty feet tall
And had talons like knives
It captured young women
And made them its wives

He had heard rumors
Of the Volrath’s attacks
And the husbands who went to find it
That never came back

Whatever the rumor
This was no time to fear
Edward got himself ready
And gathered his gear

With his shield on his back
And his sword in his hand
He ventured out to find the Volrath
And to make his stand

He trudged up the mountain
To the Volrath’s lair
He could tell he was close
By the stench in the air

At the top of the mountain
Was a dark cave
A home for his harem
But for their husbands – a grave

Next to the cave
Stood a gigantic tree
With a nest at the top, where
The Volrath would sleep

Edward looked through the cave
At the bodies strewn around
But his little Elena
Was not to be found

He knew that the Volrath
Had her up in its nest
He pondered for a moment
On what to do next

He cut the sleeve
Off a dead guys shirt
Then took out his pouch
And filled it with dirt

At the back of the cave
Were the rest of the women
They were so badly maimed
That they barely looked human

He led them outside
And sent them on their way
Then turned his sights on the Volrath
Whom he now must slay

Edward took some rope
Found on the cavern floor
Wrapped it around his waist
And tied it to his sword

He threw his sword
To the top of the tree
And climbed the rope
Silently

When he finally got up
To the Volrath’s nest
He saw the creature
Was still at rest

Elena was held tight
In the Volrath’s grip
She had a black eye
And a bloody lip

Edward untied his sword
To make his attack
He drove the blade deep
In the creature’s back

Although the blow was strong
It wasn’t deep enough to kill
And the Volrath awoke
With a deafening shrill

With Elena in its claws
It took to the air
Then laughed at Edward
As if giving a dare

With arms spread wide
Edward leapt from the tree
Hoping he had measured
The distance accurately

While he was in the air
Flying through space
He hurled the pouch of dirt
In the Volrath’s face

He landed safely
On the bird’s big behind
Then by wrapping a cloth
He made the creature blind

The Volrath was angry
And darted to and fro
It was all Edward could do
Not to let go

He reached out a hand
And grabbed Elena’s wrist
Then punched the Volrath’s face
Using his fist

The Volrath let go
And Elena was free
But little did it know
That it was headed toward a tree

Edward directed Elena
To hold him tight
Then he grabbed his sword
And they both took flight

The piercing blade
Into a tree was sunk
The two of them hung
From this sword in a trunk          

They turned just in time
In order to see
The mighty Volrath
Impaled by a tree

Although they were shaken
They both climbed down
And finally made it
Safe on the ground

Elena thanked Edward
For saving her from harm
As they walked home
She held onto his arm

He brought her safe
Back to her father
When he saw her wounds
He brought her some water

Elena’s father
Barnabas was his name
Had strong arms
And a massive frame

The peasant father
Had no money for a reward
So, he cleaned Edward’s blade
And sharpened his sword

Edward thanked them both
And returned to his abode
He went up to his room
And wrote “Elena’s Ode”

While he was writing
Edward’s father came to talk
He was wondering what went on
On this two-day walk

Edward was nervous
And tried to hide his letter
He said it was for Isabelle
But his father knew better

After reading the note
Edward’s father discovered
Edward’s true love
Was now uncovered

He knew this girl
Was in the lowest class
He assured Edward
His feelings would pass

It was his duty to marry
For the sake of the family
To marry this Elena would
Only bring calamity

Edward tried to explain
But his father wouldn’t budge
Edward was upset that his father
Was so quick to judge

With only one week left
To the marriage commencement
Edward told his father
To cancel the engagement

He made a decision
That could end his life
He decided that Elena
Would now be his wife

Edward’s father
And Isabelle’s too
Both sought counsel
As to what they should do

Edward’s father was angry
And though it may have been cruel
He decided to solve this
By the test of a duel

Edward’s father would chose a man
To face off against his son
A fight to the death
Would decide who had won

If Edward married a peasant
His father would lose face
He chose to have him killed
Than to live with disgrace

He chose a man
Who he knew Edward couldn’t beat
A man who up to this point
Had never suffered defeat

Edward knew this man would be strong
And yet he wasn’t afraid
He was fighting for his rights
And fighting for his maid

The two men approached each other
In armor head to toe
Because of the other man’s helmet
His face he did not show

The battle was fought
In the middle of a field
Each man brought with him
A sword and a shield

When the battle began
Edward saw the man’s skill
And knew that this was someone
He could not kill

He got hit in his rib
And a blow struck his shoulder
Each smash of the blade
Felt like a hit from a boulder

As their swords clanged loudly
Edward knew his end was near
And like a flood sweeping over him
Came an overwhelming fear

One of the blows
Landed on his head
He fell to the ground
As if he was dead

The man stood over Edward
With his sword ready to thrust
“You’ve always been weak”
He said with disgust

Like a wild animal
Finally released from its cage
These words sent Edward
Into a righteous rage

He rolled to the side
And jumped to his feet
Not willing to accept
A premature defeat

The battle surged onward
To the clanging of iron
Edward fought bravely
Like a fearless lion

With a burst of speed
And one crippling blow
Edward was finally able
To defeat this foe

The man was near death
It was clear who had won
And with one final breath
Said, “I’m proud of you son”

Edward removed the man’s helmet
Shocked by his father’s face
He picked up the lifeless body
For one last embrace

Edward learned that day
What it meant to be a man
It is staring down the face of fear
And taking your stand

It wasn’t long afterwards
As word travelled fast
That Edward was shunned
As a societal outcast

Edward didn’t mind
He followed his heart
He and Elena
Would make a new start

Edward took Elena
And made her his wife
And they lived happily together
All the days of their life

And as for Isabelle
The girl full of pride
Some foolish noble
Took her as his bride.