Lays of the War of the Ring

Lily of Frost
or
The Lay of the White Lady

Maid of Rohan
Daughter of kings
Tamer of steeds
With feet of wings
Delicate as mallorn leaf
Sturdy as sword of steel
Heart touched with sorrow's frost
And pain that would not heal

The walls seemed to trammel her
Her bower close her in
As she watched the tricked descent
Of her lord and kin
Ever colder grew her heart
And darker grew her thought
As around her all things fair
Did wither, die, and rot

At day's end there rode to the hall
A Ranger high and fey
His coming was as a cleansing gale
To blow her dark away
Love it seemed to her
So pleasant was the thought
That perhaps now darkness
Would not encroach un-fought

He road away to bloody deeds
At the Hornburg's gate
But she being woman
Had to stay and wait
With bated breath and shining eyes
She watched his grand return
And whene'er he gazed on her
Her heart and mind would burn

But cruel fortune, and cruel fate
Stole her lord away
Upon the paths of shadow
He would ride at dawn next day
Her love blazed up within her
Passion would not be denied
Desperate she approached him
Begged leave with him to ride

Upon her pain with sadness
Looked Isildur's valiant heir
It pained his heart to sorrow
One so brave and fair
But his heart belonged to Arwen
Already plighted was his troth
And gently he refused her
Leaving shield-maid waxing wroth

The light that had so suddenly
Come into her life
Had disappeared so quickly
He would not make her wife
Dark grew her sea-grey eyes
And deeper grew her frost
It seemed in that desperate hour
That hope and love were lost

When two days later Theoden
Rode for Minas Tirith tall
She buckled on a sword
Hoping valiantly to fall
Donning helm of secrecy
She followed well her king
With her a valiant perian
Meriadoc did bring

Under Mordor's shadow
The host issued forth at last
Battle lust was on them
The desperate die they cast
Crying "Death!" with one voice
Their valiant horns they winded
The lady rode well-by king's side
To keep him well defended

But in the height of glory
Behold! the sun grew dim
The wraith-lord smote with deadly dart
The steed of Theoden
Mad with pain, in agony
The noble stallion fell
He was master's bane
Though for years had served him well

Down stooped the Nazgul
Upon the fallen king
It bent its neck and hideous head
Wrapped fallen one in wing
But Eowyn of Rohan
Her lord would not desert
As father he had been to her
And she feared no pain or hurt

She drew her palely gleaming blade
Her eyes grew hard and fell
Down she cast her gleaming hair
And hideous beast did quell
But with a cry of bitter hate
The Ring-wraith raised his mace
Her arm and shield were broken
Pallid grew her face

But up behind the bitter foe
Meriadoc did creep
And shore through leg and mantle
With sword-thrust true and deep
Then Eowyn, tottering up
With final burst of valor
Thrust her sword beneath wraith-crown
Ended his reigning hour

Forward swooning she stumbled down
Upon her fallen foe
A shuddering cry went winging up
And away with wind did blow
But upon the empty mantle
The frosted lily lay
Her darkened eyes saw nothing
Of the dawning of the day

Theoden lay dying
Meriadoc did him farewell
The king ne'er knew that Eowyn
Lay near by as well
Then her brother Eomer
A dour-handed knight
Rode up to the fallen
And his heart was filled with night

Her face was deathly pale
Whiter than Caradhras
Eomer's eyes grew hard
When he beheld his loss
He road out on the field
Not knowing she yet lived
And to the men of Haradrim
Hard battle he did give

The men of Gondor riding out
Upon that field of pain
Came to succor the valiant riders
And gather in the slain
They lifted gently upon a bier
The king and his defender
When they saw that yet she breathed
They did their best to mend her

Down far below fighting still raged
Upon the stricken field
More and more attackers poured
Refusing yet to yield
Then in the eleventh hour
Of that red sword day
Up the river came sailing
Aragorn tall and fey

The orcs and trolls cast down their swords
The mighty mumak fled
And from the ships men disembarked
Piling up hills of dead
At last the tide turned in the favor
Of Gondor's valiant host
And when all had been said and done
'Twas they who'd slaughtered most

But still within the circles
Of white city Eowyn lay
Her eyes and ears were closed
To the triumph of that day
In vales of shadow wandering
Her mind began to fade
"Fetch the heir of king's!"
Mithrandir the servants bade

Up the hill in guise
Of Ranger, Dunedan
Aragorn to save her
Came striding once again
He labored long among
Those Black Breath had smote
And came at last to Eowyn
As she lay with face remote

Sadness lay upon him
Knowing that still she yearned
For he who could not love her
His heart with sorrow burned
With gentle voice he called her
And laved her icy hands
She awoke and looked on him
Who'd heeded not demands

To life and health she was returned
But not to joy or hope
The Captains left to dare the East
Riding to dark at sturdy lope
And she stood upon the battlement
As drawn away was Dark Lord's Eye
For if he found the ring bearer
Then all the world would die

Beside her came up Faramir
A Captain tall and stern
He too sorrow had known
For in one deadly night both father and city did burn
An arrow wound still troubled him
He could not ride with the rest
Forced was he to remain behind
In the House of Healing's nest

Between those sorrowed, troubled hearts
There shot a beam of sun
And in that darkest moment
The heart of maid was won
Away from mind tumbled the veils
Of icy pain and frost
For she now saw hope
No longer was all lost

Together hand and hand
They daily watched and stood
When Mordor fell and sun blazed out
Then joyous was her mood
Riding out of East's sunrise
With the Captains Aragorn came
But no longer was he ranger
King Elessar was his name

He looked on her and smiled
It set his mind at rest
To see her now with one so good
Truly for her the best
Her eyes now blue as western sky
Returned his gentle smile
She and Faramir were married
In but very little while

With no bitterness left upon her heart
She watched King and Arwen wed
For now she loved him differently
Her worshiping temper sped
Then they did wish each other joy
And with Faramir she left the land
They settled in Osgiliath
Forever hand in hand

United were their wills
When westward they would gaze
For they remembered sorrow and pain
But also blessed days
Thawed was her desolation
Her sword she laid to rest
The restless heart had found at last
A place in peace to nest

Finis

I will be writing more of these when the mood takes me, so stay tuned and let me know what you think!