The Ballad of Lenore (part 23)

Oriel told me, "Your brother has not awakened

When he does, he'll be escorted back

To the place where your men were waiting

With the petitions' replies in your pack"

The Coastal Kings will march then

The Wakening Bear will ride forth

Everything will come together

At Grimrocks Valley, to the north

We settled into the travel

The day was overcast and dark

The woods were silent on either side

Gathering crows our passage did mark

I draped my cloak atop my mare

The cold had such a fierce bite

She warmed my legs but my face froze

The edges of my hair frosted white

Most of the riders had donned their hoods

The wagons creaked slowly behind

We crested the summit of the pass

The first of several in kind

(to be continued)

©Kiku poem 2016