Draw near, dear friends, and lend thy ear,
For tales of lands both far and near
And how dear friendship
Were turned foul by the Beast
Aye, Jealousy, which dines well
Yet mocks its feast
Listen friends, that ye grow wise
And so avoid the hurt of the serpentâs lies

In the Barony of Theren not so very long ago
Dwelt two mighty warriors, knights they were
Who struck many a thundârous blow
And so it happened, both did meet,
Upon this sunny day,
While battle raged in Ker'Leor
Amidst marauderâs fray

And as they cleaved dear flesh from bone
Each found the otherâs shield, his own
Till soon the bodies lay strewn around
With naâer another to be found

They turned, one to another
And gazed with new found eyes
As if theyâd found at last a brother
Made fast by comradeâs ties
They stood a moment,
Then both laughed, as true warriors do
Knowing well what they had found
A friendship, strong and true

The first of many battles won,
For it seemed indeed
That whenâer they stood together
That no evil could take seed

Until their fame did spread the land
Growing in each telling
Till even more than life it was
Their reputation swelling

But then...

Twas winter in the pass near Shard
Amongst the Beasts of Snow
The two heroes fought to clear the way
For travelers to go
When from the hills nearby arose
A scream did reach their ear
And twas no doubt as to its source
The sound of distress was clear

Swift as the wind the hills they climbed
Rushing to her aid
And soon there found two Gargoyles
Circling round the maid
No chance had those beasts of stone, against our heroesâ blades
And it was but a moment till the warriors stood alone beside the maid

As gentlemen they were,
Both did remove his helm
And hands extended, did help the maid
Rise from off the ground
My Thanksâ, said she, her eyes aglow
And at last her countenance revealed
That her to fore, her night -black mantle
Did for the most conceal

For such beauty neither man had seen
Hair so golden, or eyes so green.
But like so many things in life
What was fair did hide the truth beneath
For darkest pitch, as black as night
Her heart Îtwas vile beyond belief

And so began the downfall
Of our mighty, love-struck fools
For from that day did they compete
But to her, they were but tools

At last, as such things tend to do,
Our heroes came to blows
And so mortal wounds each struck the other
Till at last they lay, bleeding in the snows

But Îere they died they heard her laugh
Standing there nearby,
And with a wicked grin she smiled and said
Lord Sura has his prize!

For with you, together, no one could withstand
The brotherâs love within your heart
But jealousy and rage are strong
And so drove you apart

Now my Lord, his cause is won
So die, you foolish men,
For my Master will now rule the land,
From Shard to fair Theren

And the two realized their folly
As they gasped for their last breath,
And each took the crossbow from his belt
And let fly their bolts of death

As in life, they stood,
As none had stood before
Both bolts did pierce the womanâs heart
She died aâfore she hit the floor

"Forgive me brother" said the one
"For the foolishness of my pride,
A brother you will always be"
And with that, they died

Now, dear friends, I pray ye
Learn from the lesson here,
Listen not just with your head,
But with the Heartâs True Ear

True love was neâer won
At the cost of a dear friend
And that which seeks to charge the price
Will be bitter in the end

So mind you well, comrade
To thy friends be true
And watch thee well for jealousy
Let it not get the best of you.