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The Ballad of the Palestag 

Eternal home VERDANIA, burning bright in our green heart, 

It calls us, holds us, pleads us dear to never stand apart. 

The clovers grow and nimble children play among the stalks, 

But none could play upon the land that that great PALESTAG walks. 

Its gleaming cloven hooves tread light, and with such high a stare, 

It makes its purpose clear, that it is no young fool's affair. 

Indeed the PALESTAG's pedigree stood mighty in the firth, 

Descendant grand of lands unknown whose stories filled the hearth

With tales of glory, wyrms and warlords, kingdom's rise and fall, 

and for such holy rite as such did PALESTAG stand up tall. 

For it was said in whispers verdant O so long ago 

The fellers of this PALESTAG would, like kingly clovers, grow

Into a power, dance divine, and so would justly reign. 

So spurred on dreaming dancers all, ambitions all aflame

But time and time again foolhardy heroes would fall short 

Not determined, so they'd say, just not the kingly sort, 

Perhaps they'd chase that PALESTAG angrily through all the glen, 

Perhaps they'd bring along a troupe of all their strongest men. 

Perhaps they'd try to trick the thing, with clovers so it ate, 

But nothing worked, and they resigned themselves to their poor fate.

So many men, with fervor started, did so quickly quit, 

"Had courage kingly requisite, but more of saintly wit

The beast's too fast, it strikes too deft, a deep mirage of eyes, 

Chase not after it, my friend, or thus I prophesize: 

You too will end up broken-hearted, dreams of glory rent 

As you, like me, are from that holy glade, despairing, sent."

So spoke the first, dejected paramores, that all was nil, 

That none could of these verdant lands the kingly mantle fill. 

And so the people of VERDANIA cast aside their hope

For kingly insight, sure they were, that none could interlope. 

Ages passed and went with PALESTAG running free, 

For none anticipates the rise of heroes, nor foresee 

That all their hopes were laid to blossom in two LOVERS grown 

From different seeds and different stalks, yet with harmonious tone. 

First dance they danced, Verdanian clovers all did hold their breath

For knew they clear that these two LOVERS' love would end in death

The lovers resolute did stand with clasping claws a-two, 

deciding to set off together, words they did eschew 

In action fav'rable they moved into that ancient glade

Where ageless, ancient, baleful, PALESTAG home has happ'ly made, 

For knowing that none hunted it of late it made repose,

In lands that no Verdanian right of wits dare ever goes. 

Save LOVERS twain, their claws as bright as hunted PALESTAG's pelt, 

Those never-to-be-separated-lest-their-hearts-do-melt, 

Upon the clovers waiting leaves they tread their mythic trail

Until upon the fallen leaves, the LOVERS hooves avail 

To find their gleaming quarry, resting lone beside a lough 

Perhaps, the LOVERS thought, in wait for counterpart in doe. 

And in that moment crowning, so they waited, hearts alight 

With purest perfect love their own, and of the coming fight. 

So speaks VERDANIA then, in that great roaring silent time

Almost like the sound of thousand clovers ringing rhyme: 

"You LOVERS both, your love will never fade into the green, 

For long I've lived, and long as I am seen, 

As long these caverns lush may burn with beauty so unique,

Fear not the PALE, in presence be not meek!

And dance together, ever fierce and ever glorious, 

And you assure yourselves victorious.

For lovers born on beat exact shall be forever cursed, 

But better damn'd than not to have it first."

And in that song, a frenzied love, they danced. 

And only once or twice to fleeing PALESTAG scantly glanced. 

No words were needed, none would find they fit into the twirls, 

Of LOVER finding LOVER's claws in their cyclonic swirls. 

He stares into his LOVER's eyes and finds them staring back, 

And in that moment, all the verdant world goes swiftly black

Entranced he finds himself, hypnotic in his LOVER's grip, 

Reflection real, to never falter nor once ever slip, 

To love and dance and live forever in his other half

Would make him love and live his life in spades of joyous laugh.

He saw it then, in PALESTAG's glowing pelt which did foretell 

Of kingdom's rise and kingdom's fall in flashes so pell-mell,

Visions grand of them two dancing, crowns upon their head, 

Of green and glory everlasting kept lush by their love

No worries of the violent caverns lay below, above, 

Nor anywhere, for they would dance and love forevermore 

Lest these caverns green are torn apart by plague or war. 

Thus made the LOVER's dance hypnotical grow quick in pace, 

But never LOVER's eyes to stag did move from other's face. 

And in that dance, a slash collected by a waiting claw

Or spinning hurricanes from PALESTAG's mighty maw 

Or clover lashes grown from ancient spells the LOVERS knew

Which did preclude the PALESTAG's mighty tries to follow-through, 

The LOVERS knew that they had won the fight as it raged on

In mighty stabs and strikes, a playful gambol, great capon, 

Until the beast was fell, the PALESTAG stood a test no more

For it was proof that LOVERS stood as kings that all adore, 

And in that moment LOVERS grew from love to PRINCES twain

And all VERDANIA's hopes in these two princes do remain, 

Until the end of time or end of this our hopeful land,

May PRINCES, like two woven strings may cleave from strand to strand, 

Live on in lively love and live in perfect double bliss, 

Live on in dancing wondrous fierce and, of course, in this. 

This song may last until the end of ages green and gold, 

But may the PRINCES never grow to see the other old, 

For age shall even our VERDANIA, shift again anew, 

And age our PRINCES too, are subject, years will they accrue. 

And in that mirrored love, their tender souls will weep the fate 

Of their other half's poor plight no weeping will abate. 

VERDANIA grows, VERDANIA lives, VERDANIA too must age, 

But never will VERDANIA grow into an empty page. 

So too will PRINCES, LOVERS once, by PALESTAG born again, 

Rule never separate this everlasting green domain.