In case, there's not enough room for the explanation in the summary, here goes. Do you remember the first assignment Rune was given in The Lark and the Wren? She was supposed to write a song in which a mortal king makes a deal with an elf and doesn't keep it. His punichment had to be something unique. Now, I'm no musician--my friends scream at me if it looks like I might try to sing--but I'm not too terrible ast poetry when I feel like it. I felt like giving the assignment a try. I hope you enjoy it. (This poem is also featured in the poetry section at Rinkworks.com.)--Lady Belegwen Lightningblade

Elven Curse

Long ago, in days of old,
To mortal men the elf-kind sold,
Great treasures of magic and lore.
They do no more,
For to a king of mortal descent,
One of the elf-kind lent,
A rosebush of a magic kind,
Midnight hued roses, petals star lined.
There was but one condition,
That everyday without omission,
A pruning of the rosebush must take place.
If alas that was not the case,
Than any curse the elf saw fit,
The king's own land would suffer it.
A blizzard came in January.
Oh, mortal, be wary.
And, my friend, it was so cold,
The king could not his promise hold.
And when that icy night's moon rose,
And all were in a gentle doze,
The elf appeared with anger grim,
A promise was broken to him.
Unto the king he sorrowfully said,
Till all within this land lie dead,
For millennia, to the end of time,
All in this land shall speak in rhyme.
And unto that elf we owe it,
That all within that land turned poet.