“A hero is born out of the ashes of despair...” Jeremy Limn

Glowing in tremulous moonlight,
High upon a jagged cliff,
Rides the haunted soul of bonnie Todd Ramble,
The forsaken son of Lord John the Fifth.

Some claim to have seen him clearly,
While others have heard him speak;
But few, if any, know why he rides
With face and eyes so bleak.

They'd met on the morn of Valentine's Day
When her mother had wed his sire,
Todd was a young man of twenty,
And Helen, but ten and five.

He'd smiled and teased like a brother,
Then she'd smiled and teased in return,
And from the beginning they'd loved one another
Like siblings, without carnal concern.

Then came the day some five years hence
When returning from months abroad,
Todd happened to wander into a glade
Not far upon Ramble sod.

Framed by autumn's splendor
And bathed in warm sunlight,
She stood alone in a quiet pool
With nary a garment in sight.

Hair the exact shade of copper
Curled wildly past her hips,
Affording but glimpses of creamy white skin
And caressing her breasts peachy tips.

With eyes that stared in wonder
And a heart that beat with lust,
He watched her bathe her perfect body
Not knowing just who she was.

Though conscience and breeding did urge him away
He stayed hidden, his eyes full of treasure.
He moved not an inch as she hummed and swayed
In time with feminine pleasure.

When finished she quit the clear water,
And he felt the shock to his core,
For he knew her now as the sisterly friend
He'd loved, and as brother adored.

Shame filled him hot and deeply felt,
Well cooling the heat of his ardor,
But though he did slip quietly away
His mind remained full of her.

When later they met over dinner,
Helen's smile was happy and wide,
But it faded with hurt when he pulled away
From the hug he sought to deny.

Staring into her brimming blue eyes
He felt torn in manly directions,
Wishing so hard he could completely erase
The image his memory reflected.

And as the weeks did come to pass
He continued to hold her at bay,
Avoiding those moments she might catch him alone
And innocently tempt his shame.

Then came the night she entered his room,
Driven by worry and pain,
Never guessing the hell she would unleash
When she softly called his name.

From dreaming of her he sprang awake,
Jerking upright in startled confusion.
He hid his nudity beneath his bedding
As she shimmered with moonlight's illusion.

"What have I done?" she begged to know,
"I know not what it can be.
I've searched and scoured my mind and heart,
But can't think of a single bad deed!"

Her pain was more than he could bear,
And he moved to take her hand;
He pulled her close and knew in a thrice
He'd sold his soul to be damned.

"You who was always my sister
Are no longer safe at my hand,
For my love as a brother has gone away
Before the love I feel as a man."

There was a moment of absolute stillness
As his words sank into her mind,
Then she leaned away to stare in shock
Into the eyes that agony lined.

He caressed her cheek with a gentle hand
As if frightened that she might break,
And watched in dread for the expected repulse
He was certain she would soon make.

But moments passed without her denial
As the truth did dawn in her heart,
She must have been blind not to notice
The changes that time had wrought!

Not saying a word she lifted her hand
And tenderly touched his face,
Feeling the stubble of his morning beard
As their hearts began to race.

"We mustn't!" he whispered and shifted away,
"You know not what you are doing!"
But her smile was shy as she shushed his lips
With her fingers. That was his undoing.

His mouth met hers with an anguished moan
As his hands sank into her hair,
And he bore her down as their tongues embraced.
Neither heard her nightgown tear.

For hours they loved with bodies and hearts,
Never letting their minds infringe
As they shared and savored the true st love
They'd found within a friend.

Then with the dawn she fell asleep
And he carried her to her bed,
Then stood there thinking as he watched her sleep
Of the obstacles that lay ahead.

His father despised his son's very name
For he'd hated his dead first wife,
And though Lord John might bow to duty
Their marriage he was sure to deny.

'Twould be too much to ask for,
Her hand for a lifetime of bliss.
No, most certainly John wold marry her off
To whomever he damn well wished.

With a sigh Todd returned to his chamber
And dressed for a long morning ride,
But under duress he completely forgot
The evidence the linens did hide.

By noon the maids were a-twitter
At what knowledge their chores had realized.
One recounted the blood in his bedding,
Another the girl's bloodied thighs.

By four o'clock all save the family
Were aware of what they had done,
And the ancient old butler was smacking his lips
For he hated the Lord's only son.

As he carried the tea to his lordship
He rehearsed his speech in his mind.
It went without saying it was none of his business,
But his hate would caution deny.

The house seemed steeped in foreboding,
Not a sound was heard through its halls
As everyone waited with baited breath
For the fury that soon would befall.

It came with a shattering of china
And Lord John's bellow of rage,
As his wife wept brokenly into her hands
The butler slipped happily away.

In minutes the house was in uproar,
The girl hauled down from her room,
Then every witness with evidence
Stepped forward to seal her ruin.

When the final maid had at last spoken
The Lord sent them all on their way,
Then slowly advanced upon Helen,
Whose face was ashen in shade.

With every word growing louder
He condemned her and called her a whore;
Then losing control he struck out with his fist
And knocked her limp to the floor.

The Lord and his lady then quit the room
And left the girl where she lay,
Not hearing the sobs that soaked the fine carpet
Or her words as she quietly prayed.

Much later, as the sun sank toward evening,
Todd entered the house with a rose,
After hanging his cloak he searched for Helen,
His smiling heart singing love's prose.

Instead in the parlor he found a nightmare
That ripped his heart from his chest,
For there sat Helen with her battered face
While his father conferred with a guest.

With their attention full on each other
The men did not see him come in,
Until with a sob Helen hurled herself
Into Todd's arms, her self-control rent.

"Don't let him marry me off!" she begged,
"I can't bear the thought of another
Taking from me what should only be yours
By right as my heart's chosen lover."

Todd stared at his father in anger
As he held her tight to his breast,
Then he felt his anger redden to rage
As he met the eyes of the guest.

He knew the man, a Baron renown
For infamous, salacious deeds.
There were rumors of torture and murder and rape,
And many bastards were claimed of his seed.

"She is too good for the likes of him!"
Todd hissed to his father in fury,
"I cannot believe you would throw her away
To a man who would treat her cruelly!”

Lord John jumped to his feet enraged,
Nearly mindless by his son's insurrection,
And the Baron looked on with malicious amusement,
Relishing their lack of affection.

Hot, bitter, acidic words
Were hurled between father and son,
'Til Helen was shoved behind Todd's back
When John's hand produced a gun.

"Thanks to you she's worthless now,"
The Lord's voice was hoarse with hate,
"I'll not permit you to impede
Their marriage this very date!"

Sanity lost, Todd charged his sire
With a roar of frenzied denial,
Forgetting the gun until it discharged,
The slug dropping him to the floor tiles.

A shriek rang out and Helen collapsed
At the side of her beloved.
Cradling his head as his blood soaked her gown,
She begged him not to die yet.

As the Baron sipped tea and John looked on
Todd's eyes struggled to open,
And he gazed with love and pained regret
At the tear-stained face above him.

"You are my love, my only love,
How it hurts to say good-bye!
But even though death would keep us apart
Know you've something of me inside."

Turning his gaze upon the Lord
His voice hardened with steely censure,
"Though my body is gone don't think that I
Will let any harm befall her!"

Then with those words his life expired,
And Helen was led from the room,
While the servants that clustered around the body
Felt shock and guilt for Todd's doom.

The Lord was cleared of suspicion
For many confirmed self-defense,
And three weeks later the wedding was held
Making Helen the Baroness Laurent.

That night, screams rang from their chamber,
But the servants were too frightened to care,
For screams weren't uncommon when the Baron was home
And they knew not to interfere.

When the sun at last rose the next morning
The bride was found tied to the bed,
Her eyes were wide, her body was quaking,
As she whispered of a man dead.

The Baron's nude body lay crumpled
Four stories beneath the window,
When questioned the bride only answered
Something strange about a ghost.

Eight months passed, she bore a son
She named for her beloved stepbrother,
And so began a dynasty built
On love and pride and honor.

The Baroness Helen never remarried
They described her as kind but sad,
Some said she spoke with the shade of a man
At night before she went to bed.

And on the jagged moonlit cliff
The man was often seen,
Keeping her safe as promised
And protecting their beloved offspring.

~The End~

c. 1994

Image by DarkmoonArt_de from Pixabay