Anarchy and Consequences

The Huntress becomes the hunted in this adventure, but then...

In a world gone mad she roamed the woods,

With nothing but her bow.

She had abandoned all her worldly goods,

As she was hunted high and low.

She had rescued one too many maids,

From the evil castellan.

Now she was banished to these leafy glades,

Lawful prey for any man.

The Huntress burned with righteous rage,

She railed at her plight,

She prowled like a tiger in a cage,

As she was harried, day and night.

While raiders cried havoc and villages burned,

She flitted from tree to tree.

The nights grew cold as the seasons turned,

And the Huntress yearned to be free.

With the first fall of snow the Huntress' heart hardened,

Her spirit cried out for revenge.

Her oppressor's many sins could never be pardoned,

Her goal became his end.

Her hunters found themselves hunted,

She slew them one by one.

There were many that she confronted,

Until finally there were none.

Each fell to a silent black arrow,

Piercing his chainmail chest.

Each died like a winter-struck sparrow,

None sighted the cause of his death.

When the snowdrifts over-topped the castle walls,

The Huntress saw her chance.

In the midst of one of the heaviest falls,

All in white, she made her advance.

Slithered up a drift and on to a catwalk,

Dropped silently into the yard.

Crept past sentries idling, making small talk,

Slit the throat of a careless guard.

Ghost through a door to where the lord is at table,

Draw the bow to the ear, let fly.

Dive out of the window to the roof of the stable,

After watching your enemy die!

And so it went, just as she planned,

She vanished into the night,

Her nemesis dead by her own hand,

She knew she had the right.

But the castellan had friends,

Friends with men-at-arms,

Who justified means by ends,

Applying power and force and charms.

They set loose their dogs of war,

To hunt the Huntress down.

So all is as it was before,

She is pursued through field and town.

Her revenge tastes bitter in her mouth,

It all begins again.

She has no choice but to flee South,

Each death a link in a chain.

© 2020 The Iron Horseman

Author's Note

This is another installment in The Huntress' adventures.

Reviews

[AC Sipe]

I love how accessible this is to the nerd in me. I’m sure that sounds weird but I feel like I’ve got friends who aren’t necessarily poetry fans that would enjoy reading about the Huntress.

[The Iron Horseman]

Thank you, AC. I am glad you feel that way. What I love is telling stories, and the Huntress is one of my favorite characters. Have you seen the earlier Huntress poems?

[AC Sipe]

I haven't had a chance to go back and read them yet, but it is on my to do list for the next week or so.

[The Iron Horseman]

I hope you enjoy them. Have fun.