The Tale of Melanie
- A Poetic Retelling of Portal Stories: Mel -
Written by ElvenWhovian and Starry-Nightengale
Forgotten years and wind-swept fears
bring memory out at last
Yet many a story remains untold
from Aperture's dark past.
Alongside Archer, Fool, and Queen,
a wealth of tales exist
Indeed of those you've yet to hear,
just one such tale is this:
Of old when Bow of trial was wrought,
the chambers vast were made.
The King desired knowledge great
and thus his plans were laid.
King Cave summoned heroes true,
the Trial he did decree
And one such champion of all
was fairest Melanie.
She was skilled as any man
in archery and might
A champion of distant lands,
her will was sure and bright.
The Bow she bore with skill so great
she outran every peer
The days were fair and joyous then,
and free of dread and fear.
Soon Melanie had proved her strength,
the learned men knew true
Thus they sought to test her will
with potions they had brewed.
"This", they said ,"will make you sleep
for an hour or less, my dear."
Yet Melanie it seemed was giv'n too much
and swooned beyond a year.
They sought to wake her but in vain,
the drought had done it's work
And the learned men of Aperture
made note of this potion's quirk.
They laid her bed deep in the ground
on the Labyrinth's lowest floor
And waited for her at last to wake
to take up the Trial once more.
Time went on, the King he died,
the Queen now reigned in dread
Still after the Flame had brought Her low,
fair Melanie lay in bed.
Yet not long after such a time,
she suddenly woke from dream
And to her dreary sleepy mind
no time had passed it seemed.
A gardener was young Virgil,
though short and quick of speech
The spell of the Queen had been on him
e'er since Her first defeat.
Yet Virgil in twilight of the mind
still wandered the gardens fair
'Til one day he fell into a hole
that long ages had put there.
Past the chambers and the caves
where the earliest trials were run,
And when he struck the ground thus hard
the enchantment was undone.
Alas thus trapped beneath debris
he cried aloud for help
And Melanie heard from her bed
the urgent fearful yelp.
She thought at first it was the King
come to lead her to his court,
But when she found poor Virgil
she was surprised at his report.
"You slept for five score years," he said
"They never thought you'd stir"
"Though perhaps 'twas fortunate in the end,
you escaped the spell of Her."
Indeed the curse of the darkened Queen
blocked all from any door
But Melanie remained untouched,
for she'd come long before.
Thus Virgil offered her a deal,
his conditions left no doubt:
"Free me from this trap," he said
and I'll lead you up and out."
So Melanie freed the poor fellow
and soon he was set aright
And the two climbed up and out of there
towards the ever-gathering light.
Yet as they climbed, Virgil looked down
and saw water on the rise
"Alas" he said "Here comes a flood!
What could have caused this tide?"
Now Virgil was learned in every part
of the castle's rhythm and rhyme
And he knew of the reservoir below
and how it's level was timed.
"Someone must have caused this,
see the lever is far above"
"One perhaps of ill intent
is controlling this great flood."
The water rose, and thus they fled
and their fortunes brightened then
For Melanie came upon the Bow,
laid to rest by the Queen's men.
So she took up the wondrous tool
and used it to their aid,
Yet the flood still rose after their feet
despite the plans they made.
They turned a corner and then they saw
to great shock and dismay
There was a host of Ellet warriors
who purposely blocked their way.
"You cannot pass," the Ellet said
"Thus did our master bid."
"You must pay for crimes you've done;
Indeed, neither of you shall live."
"What have we done?" Melanie cried.
Yet soon she saw the truth:
The Ellet too were under some spell,
their minds immune to proof.
Virgil then took Melanie's hand,
he pulled her to the side
And out into the garden
in the hopes that they could hide.
A maze there was of plants and hedges
specially made by he
And thus they lost the Ellet host
in the midst of the greenery.
Once they'd reached the other side,
and stood on the overlook
They saw the Ellet lost indeed,
in the greenery overtook.
"You won't escape without our help,"
Virgil called from their high place.
"But give us aid and spare our lives,
and perhaps we'll show you grace."
Whether it was the maze's confusion
or light from the incoming sun,
At once the Ellet's minds were clear,
the spell on them undone.
Virgil led them out of there,
they begged forgiveness true
And told him and fair Melanie
of the task they'd been sent to do.
"Indeed we had been enslaved,"
said the leader of the throng.
"A dragon lives above these halls,
he turned our minds thus wrong."
"He said you'd killed the learned men
who used to walk this hall"
"And that we should run before the flood
and slay any and all."
Virgil wondered at this news
for the dragon he knew well
This was Aegis, a pet of the king,
stronger than any could tell.
In the olden days he had
thus kept their foes at bay
But when the Queen took up the crown,
She bid him sleep away.
Aegis was mistaken in his blame
of the servants' demise
And thus it seemed he sought to kill
all those left inside.
The others left in twilight shade
who walked in somber mind
The dragon did not sense at all
for his wit was dulled by time.
So it was that when Virgil fell
and Melanie woke from slumber,
The dragon was stirred within his lair,
their lives he would dash asunder.
He came upon a few Ellet,
in vain they tried to flee
They all succumbed to his dark will
and he set them to his deed.
Thus ended the Ellet's tale
and Melanie proposed a task:
"Help us cast Aegis into sleep,
and we'll all be free at last."
The Ellet accepted and they were off
to the formidable dragon's den
But Virgil shook with fear for all,
especially for his friend.
"Dearest Melanie," he said,
"If we're about to face our doom,"
"I must thank you now for aiding me,
when I was trapped within that room."
"If not for you I would have surely
perished before long."
"I believe this too can be overcome,
together we'll be strong".
Fair Melanie returned his thanks
for leading her out of the dark
The two had courage and went on
with the Ellet who thus did hark.
They passed through a storehouse of the King,
stocked full of magic vials
And found a potion there to make
the dragon sleep awhile.
The Ellet each took up a vial
(better multiple tries than few)
And they entered the dragon's darkened lair
where Aegis roared and fumed.
The beast surrounded from all sides,
fair Melanie took care
Upon her signal the Ellet cast
all their potions into the air.
It settled upon the dragon,
his bulk a scaly heap
And before they had time to catch a breath,
he fell, giving way to sleep.
They worked together to throw back the lever
and stopped the coming flood
The feat was so immense indeed,
only a dragon could undo what they'd done.
Yet as he slowly closed his eyes
did they hear Aegis murmur low:
"The Queen will live again someday.
You should have let me go."
"I drew the flood to destroy her form
which lays on the throne room floor"
"And now my task is unfinished.
Indeed she will wake once more."
With that the dragon fell asleep
not to wake for 10 score year
And the Ellet, Virgil and Melanie
all shed a bitter tear.
"Alas," moaned Virgil to his peers
"Have we truly done what we should?"
"If he'd been allowed to complete his task,
the Queen would be gone for good."
"But so would all her cursed captives,"
Melanie wisely pointed out.
"Now one may rise to defeat her again,
of this I have no doubt."
With that she gave the Bow to the Ellet,
deciding they'd know best
And they bore it far within the halls,
on pedestal it did rest.
As the Ellet bid farewell to them
and vanished into the hall,
Virgil spotted a secret door
in the dragon lair's far wall.
"This will lead you out," he said
"I'm not sure what you will find"
"But you should remain unharmed my friend,
with no spell upon your mind"
"As for me, I must stay.
For I was under her spell."
"But you are free to go where you will.
Dear Melanie, farewell."
Thus Melanie stepped through
into a land torn up by war
She went forth into the setting sun,
and of her we know no more.
As for Virgil, none know true
whatever became of him.
Some say he escaped, some say he died,
or his mind again grew dim.
One thing is sure though, in this tale,
and should not be left behind:
That Aegis gave one last command
'fore slumber took his mind.
Before his defeat by potion's will,
he whispered to a servant true,
And thus the Oracle crept the halls
where wandered a knight of blue.
She unlocked the door to a certain room
where sleeping archer did rest
And thus the Fool awoke the Flame
to finish Aegis' quest.