《A Nameless Patrol》 Nameless Patrol Ever so clever, the Jester in Red! In the cemetery he dances among all the dead Around him they swirl, the spirits and ghosts ¡°All restless soldiers return from your posts!¡± "It is I¡±, said the Jester, before he declare ¡°Return from the grave, return from despair.¡± ¡°For I have come, and I do see fit¡± The weary dead rose as if slaves at the whip "Gather round me now, for song I shall bring,¡± Spectral maidens arose and started to sing "Merry, Merry, Misery Lost my soul to witchery Now I¡¯m here, and come to thee The Jester¡¯s call has rung in me" His bells rang off his shoes His bells rang off his crown His bells rang and they did amuse Those who rose from the ground Such was a somber sound, the music of that night. Spirits twirling, dead man whirling, Ohh such a sight! Dead men stood and gathered round Deathly dancing to the sound "Torment, Torment, consumed we All dead men surrounding thee Jester you have called us from the grave We fallen bodies of men once brave" Now listen to me closely, and listen well On patrol was when I fell beneath the Jester¡¯s spell My legs became not my own, they moved of their own accord As they walked, I shook and took hold of my sword The dead bones snapped The ghastly howls never ceased Never was a man whom felt more trapped Though I wished to never have been released "Merry are the witches of Misery No longer Tormented, these soldiers are free Tiss such a sight for all to behold All these things dancing round so bold This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.Stuck I am, So stuck I shall be Dancing with these dead, for eternity" But alone I was, for no other there drew breath Even the Jester had known the cold touch of death And though my life was still my own Not a day has passed that I still don¡¯t hear those moans Those groans, those wails, those terrible sounds Like desperate cries from dying hounds I danced, I pranced, I sang their song And in that moment, it was as if I belong A happy time it was, cause my days are spent with no other For when I was a babe, I was left by my mother A terrible plight, of what I was born The week with no name had left me forlorn And I chance to rub my eyes For I thought my wits had done me wrong But when I blinked the spirits had left the skies The Jester, the ghouls, the maidens; all gone I looked round, but I could no longer see Neither sight nor sound of Torment or Misery Alone I stood, alone I was Then I thought I should Give a round of applause A jest of mine, to give farewell to any lost soul A final moment of merriment, then back to patrol But then something tapped my shoulder, and I turned to look It was he, the Jester, and my body shook I was scared, you see, and asked why bless me with such a sight "Why grace me Jester? Why let me join you tonight?" He jumped up on a grave, his feet pointed both ways When he looked down at me, he had this to say. ¡°All dead folk, both spirit and ghost. From Alger to Ryekal, all the way to the Aredas coast. Those that linger, and those never put to rest. I am their singer, for them I perform my best.¡± Then a terror so bold struct within my chest I brought my hands up and held my breast Let go the blade I once held so firm And grew as pale as those who lay with worms ¡°Then what you say, if it be true Then how do I still draw breath? Alive I was, or so I knew Have I forgotten my own death?¡± The Jester smiled, and this he said, ¡°Know thee my songs are not aimless I sing for both the Nameless And those that are dead¡± He left me then, and back to patrol I had to return Now a night does not pass where I do not yearn To hear his song, and dance once more To feel like I belong, like I had once before The Houndmaster Dancing that night with the Jester Is one I shall always remember I sought him out the following days Searching for signs among all the graves ¡°Jester, Jester, please come back!¡± I shouted and begged until I lost track. For fifteen long days, I tried to find He, who had brought me peace of mind But my search always ended the same: Isolation filled Doubt and dolorous pain Time passed like wind, until snow started to fall Autumn blew by without once hearing his call I told others what had happened that night But all that heard only laughed at my plight ¡°You must have dozed off,¡± is what they had said. ¡°Forget idle dreams, there is no Jester in Red.¡± ¡°Quit acting so strange, quit telling these lies!¡± Was never spoken by lips, but showed in their eyes. Despised and mistrusted, I returned to the dead A wretched man I was with a heart full of lead I sang, I pranced, I hummed his tune I sprang, I danced, from night to noon But still there was no Jester No maidens, no ghouls The only soldier left to pester was me, the fool ¡°How cruel, how strange, how long must I toil?¡± Deranged and estranged I sat on muddy soil Rain fell like despair and it was all too easy to see I was beyond repair: sorrow-stricken with Misery. Heavy hearted and lost In the cemetery I remained I departed when the frost Left me weary and pained Days turned to months, and I began to wonder if My meeting with the Jester had been a curse or a gift. A cold shadow crept amidst the soft glow Of the pale blue moon, and fresh fallen snow I was alone. Now and forever No line could I find Whether stupid or clever To describe the sublime If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. In meeting the Jester One night beside my cot, sat two other men Their lanterns burned hot As they took up their cards again ¡°Come now,¡± they beckoned to me ¡°Join us once more, like we used to play¡± ¡°Games better with three, will you not sway?¡± ¡°Just a game,¡± is how I replied Though I felt if I had denied They would only press me again So I took up the cards And played with these two men We laughed and joked Filed pipes to smoke Drank brandy, shared rum All while desperately, I tried to have fun But the joy, like the Jester Just wouldn''t come Smiling while beguiling I counted the seconds as they passed Unending was my pretending Until at long last The game was over The cards were through And I returned to my cot Until the day was new But before crimson light could hit my eyes I awoke to a candle by my bedside It was another soldier returning from his post The color of his face was as pale as a ghost Cold sweat dripped from his brow I asked his trouble and this he avowed ¡°Last night I was to see to the hounds¡± ¡°Feed the beasts and silence their sounds¡± ¡°But the gate, I must have forgot to lock¡± ¡°Now on the streets all the dogs do walk¡± ¡°They run, they bark, and I was unable to catch¡± He dug his nails into his cheeks and started to scratch ¡°The Captain, I fear his whip and his stern gaze¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be punished for this until the end of my days.¡± I grabbed his wrists and removed them from his face ¡°Breath easy dear soldier, this mistake we can erase.¡± ¡°Sun is not up and the Captain sleeps in,¡± ¡°We¡¯ll capture the beasts,¡± I said with a grin We flew threw the streets wasting no time Chasing after all the strange sounds The houses passed by as we tried to find Each and every one of the hounds Two had made it to the front gate One was snacking inside of a butcher¡¯s crate Four were found in the alleys and behind the shops We cornered the beasts and made them stop We searched and found All of the hounds, but one evaded our quest The sun peeked through the clouded sky As we tried to catch our breath The beast was fast and seemed to fly Anytime we would draw near It was large and gray and would growl our way The other man shrunk from fear ¡°That hound is from Hisskar!¡± he called with a shout ¡°Long lived are those beasts and hard to calm¡± ¡°Soon the people will be walking about¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous, we must sound the alarm!¡± I shook my head and told the soldier ¡°no.¡± ¡°If we do, he''ll be brought down by the bow.¡± ¡°Go if you must, but I ask you to trust that I will find a way.¡± ¡°Perhaps a song will bring him back,¡± ¡°If he will not listen to what we say.¡± The man ran off, and now It was just us two I thought no wrong could be found in song So I performed the only one that I knew And as if the beast was waiting for this He stopped and dropped his head I approached him as he laid in bliss Singing the song of the Jester in Red I pet his fur and he let out a howl As triumphant as the thunder He muttered not even one growl And nearly fell to slumber I heard the bell and knew it meant The beast would soon meet its end We left Scrydell and on we went I had found myself a worthy friend. The joy I sought could not be bought But now it had been found So north we trot, just us two: Master and his hound.