by Bluecloud300

On the Island of the Moon,
Where the mists wax and wane
Dwelt a wondrous Kingdom
Where the Spirit Realm had lain.
~*~
And there dwelt great Power
In that Sacred Land
By Avista, moon-child,
By the touch of her hand.
~*~
And her Protector and Love True
To whom her heart was won
Was the good king Ashenriu
Child of the Sun.
~*~
Yet in that Kingdom not all was well
For an Evil not yet named,
The King's Vizier, in true heart was
Servant of the Dark One, eyes inflamed.
~*~
The Vile ones sought their chance
When the moon shown not above,
When Ashenriu had set sail
To find a treasure for his love.
~*~
And so as the ships sailed to distant shores
With the good king at the helm
The Evil Vizier set about his work
To free the Dark One from the Shadow Realm.
~*~
The king Ashenriu had set a seal
To imprison the Dark One within
For the Dark One was an ancient spirit
That had become an evil Jinn.
~*~
The Vizier opened that fated seal
To free his master of flame and fire
And gained great power and immortality
And his each and every desire.
~*~
But still their plans could not be
While Ashenriu was living yet,
So they sent a storm unimagined till now
That the Good king's end would be met.
~*~
The king, finding treasures grand
Was attacked by the sudden storm
Which, but for the one the king had sailed,
Destroyed all the ships forlorn.
~*~
Ashenriu tried to outlast the storm
But falling, hit his head
And though living, was unconscious,
And appeared as if dead.
~*~
The Evil Ones, believing their success
Went towards Avista's throne
To demand of her her Power
To take it as their own.
~*~
But the wise queen Avista foresaw this
And shielded her kingdom fair
By wearing a diadem of stars so bright
To attack they did not dare.
~*~
The shield she made was great and strong
Which they could not penetrate
But it was slowly draining Avista's power
By the Dark One's Fire and Hate.
~*~
Although the queen could attack
Her kingdom would then be laid bare
And so she continued to drain herself
To protect her people fair.
~*~
Finally, her eyes glowing white,
She called out for her love,
"Ashenriu, come quick! Make haste!"
And then a chant she wove.
~*~
The good king awoke, though far away
And heard his love's sad cry
Focusing his power vast,
He looked onwards towards the sky.
~*~
His eyes glowed white, burning bright
As he threw his form like a shroud
And became a mighty dragon
Soaring above the clouds.
~*~
His dragon-form, green scales gleaming
Flew at the call of his name
With eight pairs of wings, and sharp fangs
And covered in bright blue flame.
~*~
Flying at the speed of light
To his beloved home
To find it a land of shadows
Where the spirits wailed and moaned.
~*~
The Vizier, seeing Ashenriu thus
Saw his situation dire
And with his new abilities
Created a whirling tower of fire.
~*~
Ashenriu, with all his might,
Moved the tower away from him
And, changing direction rapidly,
Attacked him who caused it to begin.
~*~
Although the Vizier was in great pain,
Still he could not die
For the Dark Jinn's gift of immortality
Still in his veins did lie.
~*~
But the good king had a magic pouch
That could hold anything inside
Without filling up at all
No matter how long or wide.
~*~
The king Ashenriu took this pouch
And, opening it, made a tunnel of air
That took the Vizier, with his tower of flame
Into the pouch for eternity there.
~*~
But while Ashenriu was fighting thus
The Dark Spirit came
And as a cloud, attacked the king
And smothered his bright blue flame.
~*~
Avista felt her love true's pain
As he lay dying she cried out,
And felt as if her heart died too
No other love was more devout.
~*~
And as the Dark One came
Believing he had won,
Came forth the magic of Ashianti,
When Silver moon met Golden sun.
~*~
Avista's eyes surged with Power
And by calling him by name
Ashenriu came forth to life
Rekindled in bright blue flame.
~*~
In dragon-form he took to the skies
And throwing blue fire burning bright
He destroyed the dreaded darkness
And pierced the Dark One with light.
~*~
The Dark One took his true form now
Menacing, and frightening to behold
With silver skin and four crow-black wings
An evil more powerful than that of old.
~*~
Ashenriu fought with his vile foe,
But the darkness was stronger by far
For the vile one struck at him
With his deadly scimitar.
~*~
Ashenriu, gasping for air,
Was wounded from his flank
And falling towards the river edŭn,
Lay bleeding upon its banks.
~*~
At this the queen forsook her throne
And of this the Ancients sing
As she ran towards edŭn, despite the risk,
To save her love the king.
~*~
Ashenriu, in his human form now
Was healed by his love the queen
Took his stance, with staff in hand
And prepared to face the evil jinn.
~*~
His eyes glowed once more
His skin shone as the sun so bright
And he became empowered at
The Ashianti's height.
~*~
His hair grew long, his height grew
To the heights of the trees
Ten pairs of wings shining white
Would have brought a lesser man to their knees.
~*~
The Evil One, spreading his crow black wings
Threw feather darts at the king
Which, poisonous and acid-tipped
Would do much more than sting.
~*~
But the king took his staff Illuvitae
And using all his might
Destroyed the wicked poisoned darts
With a wave of his staff of light.
~*~
He then flew higher towards the sky
And, charging from the ground
Smote the Dark One with his staff
And gave him a mortal wound.
~*~
The Dark One fell from heaven's height
Into a mountain of lava and fire
And, dying, his body was consumed
Because of his evil desire.
~*~
And yet this desire was not consumed
For the soul of the Evil was yet alive
By forming from the very mountain a body
That towards his evil designs he could strive.
~*~
A body of mountain and lava and fire
Towards the very skies he loomed
And though he moved but slowly yet,
His eyes fell on the kingdom doomed.
~*~
Ashenriu began the fight once more
And as the Dark One attacked
The king formed a tsunami strong,
Whose waters held the monster back.
~*~
The Dark One tried to retaliate
But in anger gave a shout
For the water had cooled the lava,
Which allowed him to move about.
~*~
Before the Dark One became freed
And crush them with his bare hands
Avista closed her eyes and quietly
Began the chant of the Forest-Lands.
~*~
Vines entwined the evil jinn
Who, punished for his strife
Was choked by the living forest
And became the tree of life.
~*~
And yet still his spirit would not submit
And escaped his prison, enraged
Consumed with anger, prepared his attack
On those who would have him caged.
~*~
The good king Ashenriu flew
Towards his wicked foe
And staff in hand, like a mighty wand
He dealt a mighty blow.
~*~
The Evil One, wounded still
Had no power left to use
And looked at the king, quite fearfully
Knowing that he would lose.
~*~
Ashenriu spread his mighty wings
And from them stars which brightly burn
Sending his foe back to the Shadow Realm
Never to return.
~*~
In their hidden kingdom
He told his love of all he'd seen
The riches and treasures, and, saying thus,
He spoke to his noble queen:
~*~
"Though I have seen treasures far and wide
Whose greatness perplexes the mind,
Still no greater treasure I love than my love for you
Nor no better shall I ever find."
~*~
The Island of the Moon, safe once more
In the Ocean vast and wide
In the hidden forest-land
Where the mists toss in tide.