Destiny

DESTINY I His stories echoed in my ears, Their tickling with sorrowful cheers, Of the faun I once was now drifting away. Fading with the silhouette of who he was for years, Small figures twisted from clay, Played out the theatre of dreams washed away, Broken branches left in my wake, Unto the river to cleanse my thoughts, at the break of day. The rising sun reflecting off the water's face, Aphrodite's daughters were bathing in the lake, Sheets of falling crystals shattered in the pool, She was the eyes of the forest, And it's downwards spiraling iris compelled my very being to its centre, A frozen stream at the core of its soul, Grasped my feet, my calf, my body in whole, As it dove with me through the dancing shadows of eternity. In that deafening darkness I heard a voice, So sweet it could pierce a leviathan's roar, Let alone the dull droning of the abyss that obscured, The eels and catfish from my gazing, At its beautiful source, The Queen in all her glory, Her presence divine, her whispers that story, Of a place where poetry was all of life, She gave me an amulet, This piece, this piece I held in my hand, The piece itself, a map of the land, A vessel for the spirit's release, Just like the King Of Paradise, Had told me in ghost-like reflection, But who was this faun that now sat on his throne? Who thinks he basks in paradise reborn, But doesn't he know all around him are spies, They send word, back to the King of Paradise, And they watch through covetous eyes. ───────────────────────────────── DESTINY II I came to a boulder in the field, Glinting bright, Bathed in pale moonlight. It moved; Armor smooth, solvent in its healing. A sword lay broken at his side, KNIGHT: "What if?... What if?... What if?..." The knight repeated over and over. KNIGHT: "I've been watching, Since the first time you galloped through. Did you not think I saw you from the woods?" FAUN: "Watching me?" KNIGHT: "You gave me life, There is more at court, More etched upon its walls. Your presence has been known, Since Elysium's first stones? Don't you know who you are?" FAUN: "And who are you?" I asked. KNIGHT: "I was your guard, Before this world I did depart." FAUN: "How can this be? Here you stand before me." KNIGHT: "This field ~ I will never leave. For I will wait where I was slain. You gave me a kingdom, A life of wealth." FAUN: "I don't understand. I am just a faun from the forest. You must mistake me for a man." KNIGHT: "Today your thoughts are small, Because you've only seen a glimmer, Of your destiny. You called his name, And they heard your cry ~ It echoed through destiny's pages, Your thoughts are threads through Elysium's sky. Take these robes. You will pass as one of the court. Find the library. There... you'll see." It was days and nights, Through fields of dew, Dawns falling to mountains & caverns. I ran until my footsteps, Vanished into the mist. Before the fog fell in blue. Emerging from the woods at last, The entrance rose before me, Wreathed in vines, The library's door. I stepped inside. The walls stretched with paintings, Yet they moved, alive, Each a portal to paradise. I watched for hours, enthralled, Each frame a door. Could I knock? Would they make me wait? ───────────────────────────────── DESTINY III The visions I saw, As I stepped into court ~ It was a dream, Through his labyrinth, I walked, As IF I were, a mere idea in someone else's mind. This journey of mine, Thread through the maze, Pulled along by unseen hands, Toward a glow, Toward the biggest show in the land. I stepped through the gates of paradise, And the world unfolded like a painting alive. The golden towers stretched endlessly, Their spires vanishing into the heavens. The streets below filled with those, Who shon with an inner light, As though their hearts had been polished to brilliance. Marble statues lined the grand avenues, Each one greater than the last. Yet as I walked, I saw them move; Subtle shifts of their eyes, The flicker of a hand, Caught mid-motion. Were they watching? Or was this another trick of this maze? FAUN: "Do you see me?" The air was thick with music, A symphony of strings and choirs, Rising and falling like waves. Even the smallest sound, The rustle of a robe, The tap of a heel against the stones, Became at one with the melody. The crowd parted as I moved through them, Their faces obscured by masks of intricate design, Gold, ivory, and obsidian, Each adorned with feathers and jewels, just like mine. They spoke a language I had never heard. CROWD: "Can we trust?" "Is he one of us?" "Ask him?" "Where are you from?" "Where is your virtue?" "What do you want?" FAUN: "To tell the truth, I'm a faun from the forest" CROWD: "He said he's a whaler from the oceans" "Hate him!" I ran. "Hold on!" Above, the sky churned with motion. Serpents of light woven into an ocean, Of scales and skate, Leaving trails of luminescence in their wake. This was not the sky I had known; This was a canvas of dreams, Chaos & beauty as one. Fountains dotted the plazas, Their waters cascading in impossible patterns ~ Liquid gold, flowing upward before falling in crystalline arcs. In one, a phoenix bathed, Its feathers igniting with every splash, Only to extinguish in a burst of steam. In another, a school of fish swam against the current, Their scales reflecting the faces of those who gazed too long. It all glowed upwards in shimmering turrets. My horns loomed above the crowd, A beacon I could not hide. To move among them, without blame, I had to become something else. Something unlike myself. A deep hum that echoed in my chest, As though the very stones recognized my presence. And then, the throne room came into view. ───────────────────────────────── A hall vast enough to hold the heavens, Its ceiling painted with scenes of triumph and despair, I would need a helmet to protect the world that was in my head, Then I saw it; A suit of armor, Shining in gold, Etched with the history of Elysium it told. I turned to see a suit of armor beside me, Above its head a constellation of stars A fate that shifted with every breath. The cool metal hummed against my fingers, As I lifted and placed it over my head. KING: "At last you came, Do you know how long I have been waiting?" FAUN: "Since I called your name?" With a serpents tongue that twisted over itself, he hissed. KING: "Little Faun, you've come so far, Through labyrinths spun beneath the stars. I'm so proud of you my little friend, You are so close to reach the end. But seduction's art must first be sung. Make them move while you stay still, Want burns brighter than force of will. To rule, you must command the heart. Wether it goes out or remains inside, Your will is the true key to paradise, Ambitious men covet crowns. Seduced by gold's fleeting gleam. Offer them dreams, And they'll sleep forever. Take humble tools to make your start, A simple hammer and a tether." But his words were not a gift to me, Each held a trap I couldn't see. Growing branches on the poison tree. He'd test my will, my mind, my pride, And watch as doubts grew deep inside. Once, he praised my skill, Said my voice could charm the fiercest birds from their perch, "Seduction, Faun, is a subtle game, To make them move while you stay the same. Flatter their hearts, then pull away, For want will bind them more than sway." Yet when I used his lessons well, He turned and laughed with endless doubts, KING: "You've learned, my child, But not enough. A master gives love..."