A/N: Inspired by that bit of brilliance, Puppet Lane. This was a poem I'd started but abandoned after it was turning out a lot different than I had wanted it to, and then I found Puppet Lane. Freshly motivated, I looked for Ludus and finished it. I hope it rings true enough.
I tried to give it a medieval touch, but I may have just ended up making it incomprehensible. Feedback welcomed, encouraged, pleaded for, and wished fervently for in the wee hours of the morning.
Come ye now to Ludus, town of game
Ply thy trade and keep ye warm, 'tis fine
Just be sure ye never tell thy name
To any folk besides thy kin and kind.
Here be where the brownies burn the town
Here be where the princess eats thy heart
Here be where the boys with boys lie down
Where aught but mortal folk are put to cart
For here are lovers, liars, all that dream
Not all wis that dreams are aught but sweet
And like ye, not a one be what a seem
So ye be careful who and how ye meet.
Here be where the ladies serve the maid
Here be where the bears have all their teeth
Here be where the navy lacks a blade
Where thieves and pirates wear the laurel wreath
In Ludus all thy dreams be born from mist
But waking cannot free ye from their lies
The ending doth not end, but doth persist
In Ludus a must learn to see one's eyes
Here be where the magic swords do fail
Here be where the knights are aught too bold
Here be where the damsels wear the mail
Where tin and iron's worth be more than gold
So mark thy trail and lucky iron keep
Tell not thy destionation nor thy source
Do thy work, take care of what ye reap
Be sure thy will and fist have equal force
For here be where the dragons come in scores
And here be where the faeries come to kill
Where quests oft end in taverns or with whores
Here be where the slayers hone their skill
Our Ludus be the faerie town of Fey
And Ludus be the witching realm preserv'd
Our Ludus be a town for those who stray
From sanity and lawfulness conserv'd