[Lenore]

As I walk to the edge of the battlefield, I take a long look at the wreckage of a war that is long since past. There flying over the horizon, I see a flash of reddish gold, and a song coming off the wind. It spirals down over me. Then I hear it call to me. “Come with me.” It says. I wish I could go fly with it upon the wind. Glide over the clouds and across the sky. Its song makes me want to dance and sing out to it, but my continence tells me I should keep my feet firmly planted. Again I hear the call, and I still stand there not taking a single step away, I want to fly, I want to dance, but something inside tells me to turn and walk away. I start to wander the field when the great bird lands in front of me. I can see in his eyes that it wills me to ride him; there is something he wishes to show me. I shake my head no and still he prissiest. I try to walk around him, but for every step I take so in this he does. I surrender to him, but only to follow for in riding I become his master, and that is not a burden I wish to carry as of this time. He bows his head and takes to the sky. Flying low as to not loose me as of yet. I follow him across the battlement to a gate at the side there is a sign that reads; “Only lost souls may pass.” I stop not willing to pass for I have not lost thy soul and don’t wish to. He again lands at my side, nudging me to enter, I tell him not and point to the sign, and still her nudges me closer. This time he starts to sing, and inside I feel my courage grow. I push open the gate and enter. The great bird waits by the gate, he doth not enter. But still he waits, singing to give me the courage I need to walk further into this forgotten world of lost souls. Like a wave of death, they wash over me as I stand on the dock over the river of Styx. The ferryman’s boat slowly glides over the water into view through the thick mist that lies over the top of the river water. I wander closer to the edge of the dock as the ferryman’s boat draws closer. In the back of my mind I remember his name once told to me by my father, Charon. As the ferry comes to a slow stop he pushes back his hood. I look at him as he looks behind me to the great bird that serenades me. He offers his hand up to me. As I cross between the dock the ferry, the song of courage changes to a song of lament, but for whom I doth not know. As I enter the ferry he looks at me with sad eyes, he sheds a single tear but wipes it away; not wanting to let me see the power the song was having over him. I take the seat at the head of the boat. I turn to face him. Placing my sword at my side, still covered with the blood of thy enemies. I was intending to wipe off thy sacred blade when I noticed two coins, one strapped to each hand with a single piece of silver cloth. While the ferry glided across the river, not by the ferryman’s staff but of its own power. I set my sword back at my side. As I try to untie the silver cloths, Charon reached out to take my hand. Drew back it back, not willing to let any man see me as weak. I the leader of an army of great warriors. I untie the first, handing it to him, for now I remember why I had placed them there, “To pay the Ferryman for the trip across the river.” I heard my father’s voice say to me. It was so your soul doth not be left behind to become one of the lost. My ancestors taught me to tie a coin to each had before heading it to battle. It became clear to me in the light of Summerland that the lament was for a great Leader, a Leader of a great army, A Leader that died with her men with honor, I knew then that the Lament was for me…