A/N: Originally written for an English assignment: write a narrative poem. I got an A. J
Disclaimer: I do not own it, any of it.
Queen Beruthiel and her Cats of Ten
Listen, my children, and I shall tell you the tale
Of Queen Beruthiel and her cats of ten
And when, years ago, they all set sail
Never to be seen in Osgiliath again.
Tarannon was the twelfth King over Gondor to reign
And under his rule, things were all very well
But his wife, Beruthiel, was solitary and vain
And hated Osgiliath, where the two did dwell.
She was a loveless woman, no child bore she
She hated all colors, save for silver and black
She hated the sound and the smell of the sea
Bare were her chambers, and of her heart, 'twas a lack.
Ten cats had she, nine of black, one of white
They were her slaves, and were feared by all men
They would wander the streets, all the day, all the night
Men cursed when they passed, for afterwards then
The cats would return to their Queen, and she
Would then on journey into their thoughts embark
By the memories of her slaves the Queen could then see
All the secrets of Gondor that were hidden and dark.
She was hated in secret by her country and spouse
They feared their Queen, and her cats of ten
When the Queen then demanded a change of house
King Tarannon decided he had had enough then.
He put her and her cats on a ship alone
And set them adrift before a strong north wind
And not one eye in Gondor cried, not one throat did moan
To see their Queen on the mast, tied up and pinned.
By the light of the crescent moon, the ship drifted away
And when her people saw their Queen last
Her ship had sunk into the Great Sea to stay
With a cat on the bow, and a cat on the mast