Summary: I was recently struck by similarities between Crysania from Dragonlance and Nicodareus from the far more obscure Watershed trilogy. This poem of contrasts and parallels is the result. You shouldn't need to have read either setting to appreciate it.
White Robes, Black Wings
SPOILER WARNING! This poem has a bunch of spoilers, though I've mostly kept them vague, for both DL Legends and the Watershed. But I figure you've either read the books already or, if I'm lucky, my poem might catch your interest enough that you decide to read them when you might not have otherwise. Still, if you want to read the books WITHOUT spoilers, go read them and THEN come back and read this poem.
Cleric's robes of holy white
In the world of Krynn we know so well
Kind gray eyes, a face of light
A healer's heart with abiding faith
In another world, unknown and far
Demon's wings of spreading black
Passionate eyes of leaping flame
Great clawed hands, preparing to attack
Lady Crysania, cleric of Paladine
A gentle priestess, young and wise
Love and fate led her into the gods' design
And to Raistlin, a dark mage with a human heart
Lord Nicodareus, Dassadec's child
Through life spanning ages, a faithful slave
Called the Eye for his world-reaching Sight
A compassionate leader, patient and brave
On a quest of hope for a god of good
She challenged the past and fate itself
The archmage's soul she thought she understood
But both their hearts were more flawed than she knew
Wreaking evil for a god of hate
He saw brothers fall, precious friends die
Pitted against heroes who must prevail
He fought on, knowing he must always try
Many pains laced through her way
Fear for her beloved, grief for her world
Doubting and weary, she sought to pray
Her god's kind comfort always held her safe
For a tally of failures not his fault
He faced dark condemnation from above
Tortured countless times, abused without cause
By a god who did not return his love
Into nightmare she walked, afraid but strong
To the Abyss itself at her mage's side
But their souls were torn as things went wrong
In a realm where her god held little sway
Fighting unbroken, accepting his pain
Believing his punishments only right
After months of pursuit he faced his foe
And a deadly trap invisible to his Sight
Lost in the underworld, besieged by dark
Unable to find the one she sought
Then terror, bonds, a stake, a spark
Through fire and pain she went alone
Even in death, not granted peace
Betrayed by the father his heart adored
Through Dassadec's cruelty and vengeful scorn
Only to pain was he restored
Grief and guilt tore through her mind
Realizing love had not been all she felt
Yet friends still sought her, bound to find
And through it all, her loving god forgave
Simple torture of agony no longer enough
For the angry vengeance his god enjoyed
Shame and the breaking of his heart
Pride and innocence broken and destroyed
If Paladine had treated his daughter so
Would her heart have turned from love of him?
No, her faith would live through pain too deep to know
She too might believe she deserved the hurt
In a crushed soul his faith endured
A loyalty his cruel god couldn't understand
His heart more fit to serve a god of light
Deserved, yet never felt, a father's loving hand
Faithful to her final breath
Her people called her "Revered Daughter"
In the end she lived, kept safe from death:
Crysania, a hero to her world.
Faithful to his final breath
His father called him "Worthless son"
In the end he died, struck from behind:
Nicodareus, a hero praised by none.
Author's Note: As you can probably tell, I greatly love and admire both of these characters. The books they're from are amazing too, even though they can be painful to read at times - but then many of the most rewarding books are! If you haven't read Dragonlance: Legends and/or Doug Niles' Watershed Trilogy, and if you're one of those lucky people who has time to read, maybe you'd look up a copy?
And since we're just that kind of fangirls, my sister Razzle and I have BOTH posted 'Nicodareus comes back' fanfics under FF.N's brand-new Watershed trilogy category! Please note, it was Razzle's idea first to write a story like that - I've just jumped on the bandwagon. Well, take a look at the fics if you like! :)
To hear the audio version of this poem as read aloud by me, click the Homepage link on my profile and then go to "Audio Fanfiction Library." It's a new (started in 2010) but growing website, run by my sister Razzle and me - check it out! We'd love for you to be a voice-actor for fics we record and upload in the future, and/or get some of YOUR fics made into audio form!