The Legend of the Sword
by Michael Doyle

In the centuries that came before
Myth and legend became the ways of lore
Man and mage coexisted in peace
Until Mordred's darkness slipped its leash

A sorcerer turned to his dark ambition
Against mankind in a betrayal of transition
Marching on Camelot as man's stronghold
In an effort to turn light into dark as foretold

As evil and is beasts burn the sacred ground
The good of King Uther was seen as it abounds
There he stands with Excalibur in his mortal hand
He stood to defend goodness and all of England

Victory would be his yet once again
But it was only a moment before he'd have to defend
His people against the forces gathered for evil
All of those hellions led by an incarnate Devil

The hope was for no more purges and an end to killing
Prayer in motion stood and if only the good Lord be wiling
Mage and man might again find their way to harmony
However unlikely this was sure to be the end to be

Drawn into the castle's quiet keep
So much blood would spill to make us weep
Treachery's dagger has silenced the mother
Of the once and future king whose sword belongs to another

The crowded streets of Londonium thrived
As the British people somehow survived
A street urchin in anyone else's eyes
Grew to be a young man of much surprise

A fighter such as he to the core of his soul
If only he might keep the dragon under his control
Nightmares fill yet another feverish night
Until he wakens at the first grace of light

A usurper it is who was then set upon the throne
As the people struggled to remove a sword from stone
Evil there is deeper than deep in the castle's well
Where magical beasties and witches secretly dwell

Whispering warnings about the balance of power
That cannot be transgressed by a fabled tower
The boy king it comes seemly as is inevitable
And the usurper finds himself unable

To keep his bargain or sell himself steep
There are secrets enough that will not keep
The resistance against it is that which is growing
Against the evils that sleep without knowing

The secrets of those who will take their stand for good
Though however the hero struggles to make it understood
That the trouble with Vikings under the king's protection
Is that there is no escape from freedom's daring conception

The boy king is coming and won't be stopped
The will of the people cannot be dropped
Capricious as the tyrant's will is arbitrary
Any tale that tells otherwise is to the truth, contary.

(c) November 19, 2021  Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved