Starcrossed

By Karen Shibuya

In far off world, a star did flare
and fall to earth in fiery glare.
Beneath this sign, a child, bare born
from safe womb, was severed and torn.
Lady Maya--they named her well,
for of her life, stars did foretell
of pain and grief and bloody war:
her future strife writ down in lore.

Astrologers who read her fate
in no uncertain terms did state
if Maya stayed, they'd see her dead,
so was foretold by childbirth bed.
A prophesy of doom did rest
on her head, fulfilled unless
she left, forsaking royal right.
So 'twas in the darkest night,
that at the Queen, her mum's, bequest,
so began the princess's quest;
her precious babe hastened away,
before she'd aged with advent day.

The parting wrapped in deepest sorrow,
took place before the dawning morrow.
And Maya, accompanied with naught
but trusty servant--life soon fraught
with the dangers of road and lane,
the royal heritage her bane.
The duo traversed a land unkind,
the royal guard hoping to find
a place for her untouched by fate,
so he searched as hour grew late.

They came to rest near fork in bend,
where he left her, his heart a'rend,
and waited in the thick'ning grove,
'til fielding farmer by her drove.
Finding Maya as she did weep,
he took her home to humble keep,
where she grew with the passing years,
guarded safe from fateful fears.

The child Maya, finally free,
in her later years, came to be
a brilliant lass of joy and grace,
possessed of fair and comely face.
Learnéd of wit and martial art,
with fleetest foot, she learned her part
of peasant lass with warrior soul,
and with these charms, a heart she stole.

The King of Air did come to heed,
the lovely lass upon brave steed,
guarding well false father's lands,
from rabid thieves in roving bands.
He watched her close from high above;
Infatuation turned to love.
His regard drew brothers' eyes,
who competed most with sibling ties.
The brothers four watched maiden fair,
the Kings of Fire, Earth, Water, Air.
Rivalry turned to Maya's heart,
to capture it with magick Art.

In jousting for the lady fair,
Maya suffered for their care.
Fires ravaged as she stumbled,
nearly falling as ground rumbled,
'til mist and wind quenched fiery rage,
the land before them naught but stage
for magick war fought to stalemate,
Maya the pawn in brothers' hate.
Yet still she urged the fighting done,
their battles lost for heart unwon.

Their love only excuse for war,
kingly three soon left brother four.
But King of Air, who loved her first,
breathed in her ear words of the curse.
Maya, dealt fateful crushing blow,
saddled her steed and slung her bow,
and bid her foster folk goodbye,
to traverse the land low and high,
until she found that place that born
her long ago that fateful morn.

Nearing the gate, she raised her chin,
her thoughts upon these absent kin;
Her peasant weapons still she bore
upon approach to castle door.
The guards called out from up on high:
"Put down the weapons or you die!"
Maya, defiant, troubled, shamed,
drew rusted sword to force the claim.

She fought well, with skills honed and keen,
her arrows true and sword cuts mean,
but beneath the weight of king's men,
her fated death she came to ken,
and as she fought with warrior might,
a falling star did split the night.

As the star did begin to die,
Maya wailed out a bean sidhe cry--
an eerie howl the king did hark
as his guard's arrows found their mark.
In haste, he joined them on the gate
as heir below fell to her fate,
and in Maya's pallid face beheld,
the Queen, his wife, now sadly felled
by grief for daughter loved and lost,
the stars' extracting inhuman cost.

He rushed to dying daughter's side,
her last span on this plane did bide,
and cried against uncaring fate,
whose message mortals learn too late.