Cardinal Succession     1st Story Moonlight reflected In the blade of a sword Not clean of blood But wielded with courage A warrior with callous eyes Masking a wounded heart Humanity thoroughly suppressed Out of necessity Lethal grace, beautiful Desperate for redemption Masked as retribution To hide the pain ~ 2nd Chapter Her voice; its softness Ringing true, causing agony Gentle where it cut But as deadly as the sword Scented by flowers Voice of velvet when she read Piercing the warrior Rendered defenceless The green in her eyes Beckoned and seduced Made the warrior grasp the sword Determined to not surrender ~ 3rd Sentence To remove an armour Takes courage and heart Unclasping, revealing Our weakened state To stand naked Soul bare; heart discovered For green eyes to see For soft hands to linger Warriors in danger Sharpen their minds and swords When paladins combat They fear nothing ~ 4th Syllable She spoke of love and friendship Drove a wedge of life Between ribs of steel Aiming for the warrior’s heart Her words lingered Echoed in the night Next to the campfire, under the moon The warrior lay sleepless, dreamless Wanting to escape the warmth Dreading closeness and dependency From the alluring tone of voice In her memory ~ 5th Letter Allowing love; admitting friendship The Gods granted entrance To show the warrior What path to take Entering the clearing In the deepest, darkest forest Daring to stand there, defenceless Offering her heart A warrior, taking the risk Of losing more than her life Wins greater values Than yet another conquered nation When her heart comes home ~ © G. Brooke Back