Alyssa Villa - Her Long Poem

Photo: D.R. Wagner

A Different Sort of Fairy Tale

Alyssa Villa

Up in the endless sky,

High above the snowy mountain peaks,

There was a land where the people can fly.

Beings that had strong wings with colorful streaks

That allowed them to soar high.

This place was ruled by a king and queen

Whose reign brought love and peace.

They had a beautiful daughter of eighteen

That they had named Elise.

Her wings had a most beautiful sheen.

Elise had hair the color of darkest night,

Her wings shimmered black with streaks the silver of stars

And her eyes were filled with a blue light.

Yet she was not quite dainty, as she could spar

With the finest warriors. She put up quite a fight.

There was one fight that had managed to ensnare

Her. She was destined to be married to Owen, a neighboring prince,

So that they could produce an heir.

Yet this was something she had to be convinced

Of, for she thought the arrangement unfair.

Owen was quite the opposite in looks to the princess,

With his bronze hair and peachy skin.

Wings of pure white streaked with gold he did possess.

They’d make a formidable pair should they both just give in.

He had honor and a shared sparring as a common interest.

The two had not once met,

As the parents had done the matchmaking

And this made Elise upset.

She thought love should be hers for the taking.

So she would not marry him; her mind was set.

As for Owen, he knew his duty

Was to marry Elise, but he too was against the marriage,

Not knowing of Elise’s strength and beauty.

So he protested and would not pledge

His hand to hers, despite his parent’s plea.

The parents then conspired to have the pair meet,

Refusing to cancel the engagement.

They needed to unite and would not accept defeat

Of this they would not relent.

To get the two together they had to resort to deceit.

Elise was told one night to look her best,

For she was to have a formal dinner with her father and mother.

She complied and went to get dressed

Without giving another

Thought to the casual bequest.

As for Owen his parents told him

That he was to oversee the signing of a treaty

So he must look presentable and give his hair a trim.

To this important task he agreed

And readied to leave on his parents’ whim.

Elise entered the great hall

Wearing her tiara and jewels.

She saw Owen’s golden light and then stood tall.

Although taken aback she managed to ask, “Who are you?”

Owen turned to face her, upon seeing her beauty he was enthralled.

With a slight hesitation he said his name.

Slightly apprehensive, she looked him over,

Not remembering he was the one who had a claim

Upon her hand, she just saw his broad shoulders

And charming smile, she felt some strange feeling go aflame.

Taking a defensive stance,

She questioned him about his intention.

Why was he there, was he trying to make an advance?

She looked him in the eye, giving him her full attention.

They circled each other in a nervous dance.

His response made no sense to her,

But then the truth became clear.

She realized her parents had tried to deter

Her refusal to adhere

To the engagement, that much she could infer.

As she spread her wings and rose

She tried to leave the room.

Owen realized who she was

And that should he choose he could be her groom.

That thought made him give pause.

What he would have done next

Is quite unsure, as he was knocked to the floor.

An explosion rocked the castle leaving it wrecked

And Owen was kidnapped by the evil Dracul Queen.

Who in order to make him compliant placed upon him a hex.

When Elise came to she found the four parents frantic.

The Prince was gone without a trace.

Nothing among the rubble left a clue, just a jumble of bricks.

Anger filled the Princess’s heart as all he could see was Owen’s unconscious face.

She vowed to rescue him as her interest in him had turned romantic.

Taking to the sky Elise searched far and wide,

Yet the evil queen had hidden Owen in a dark cave

As she tried to persuade him to have her as his bride.

He could not fly and was forced to behave.

Owen was given a year to accept her proposal or he’d die.

The months slipped by and still he was trapped,

But never losing the hope that he’d someday be free

To be with Elise as his will was slowly sapped.

Taking pity on him a lowly mole promised to get word to a surface bee

And that promise he kept; the prince was rapt.

Princess Elise had not given up her quest

And had been searching every single day

Rarely taking time to rest.

Following any leads, her wings taunt with dismay.

It had been exactly eleven months and twenty-eight days without progress.

Fate was on Elise’s side as she paused to sip from a stream.

The bees were buzzing with news.

That a sun man was trapped for a cruel scheme

And that in two days he had to choose

To die or become a Dracul King.

It was from them that Elise learned of the secret spring

That led to both her beloved and her foe.

It took all of the first day before she stood at the opening

Of the cave where Owen was filled with woe.

It was the final day, and he still would not marry the evil queen.

Princess Elise entered the cave and was discovered by the mole

Who recognized her from Owen’s stories

And led her down the hole

Into the darkness past the Dracul armies.

With only an hour before he must give an answer, Owen said a prayer for his soul.

He had a blade that he had saved to end his life,

For the hex kept him from harming the Dracul.

As he prepare to end his strife

Elise entered the room and hit away the tool.

Across the dirt floor went the knife.

Surprised and elated Owen embraced Elise, she felt her tears flow.

Under the Dracul’s hex he could not leave,

Unless someone who loved him told him to go.

“Come with me, let’s leave this place; don’t grieve”.

Elise told him, eager to take him to his home.

Right under Dracul’s nose they managed to escape,

Avoiding her minions the pair made their way to the surface.

Yet the sight of the sun made Owen hesitate.

Being underground had taken its toll, Elise said, he must shield his face.

Supporting his weight, she had him use his wings as a cape.

Yet before Elise could take home the one she adored

The Dracul Queen learned that Owen had left

And shook the cavern with a terrifying roar.

Princess Elise knew from that tone the Dracul queen was bereft,

Yet she would not lose Owen again and must prevent the impending war.

So once again she implored to the mole for a favor.

Collapsing the cave was the only solution.

Eager to help the young woman, the mole’s new loyalty did not waver.

He called upon his subjects and they gave their contribution,

Though at first the large boulders did not even quaver.

Then all of a sudden with a loud CRASH

They all tumbled down,

Trapping the Dracul forever, not leaving chance for a rematch.

After thanking the moles, Elise decided to not stick around

So once again she put Owens arm across her shoulder and flew up in a flash.

They flew high, all the way back to the kingdom in the sky

And Owen was soon nursed back to health.

Elise wanted to proclaim her love but was worried about the reply

She might or might not get, so she kept her feelings to herself.

The Prince however had indeed fallen in love, impressed by Elise’s selfless sacrifice.

As soon as Owen was well he called to Elise.

She flew over and asked, “What did you need?”

“I need you by my side, won’t you marry me please?”

Owen implored dropping down on one knee,

Looking up into her eyes and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Elise’s feelings broke through

And she exclaimed, “Of course, I love you too!”

They were married the next morn

And a year later produced the anticipated heir, Tibalt, their firstborn.