The Healing of the Pools
In her despair, dark and lonely,
Longing for her son, her one and only,
In quiet shadows she waits forlornly;
Her desires and dreams whisk her eastwardly.
"My son, my son, my son,
My dearest, my beloved one,
Your life had just begun,
Too soon your race was run."
Once again came the pixies, bright as stars,
Who once had borne her ring away,
And whispered to her grieving heart
The words that turned her night to day:
Lenore, gaze upon your own heart;
A holy hope is growing there.
For joy, the holiest of love will start
In all the trials of love you bear.
Look again toward Pools of Restore,
The changing fruits of sacrifice;
Erase the sins of forgotten lore,
For love has paid the price.
No longer bound by Restiny's name,
The pools rise to Restore once more;
What vengeance stained, pure love overcame,
And healing has filled the eastern shore.
The changing tides of love's fruit
Have healed the pools with merry light,
Redeemed the grieving king's pursuit,
And planted healing in the night.
Passive, peaceful elves of Restore
Dwell again in peace along the eastern shore,
And will share the pool's slow healing grace,
With man and elf, from every race.
Your son's heart was pure,
His wisdom sure,
His ways secure:
Predestiny.
Mighty Lion and lord,
Valiant without a sword,
Cherished and adored:
Predestiny.
From the eastern shore once more
Sang the gentle elves of Restore:
"Our pond has the power to mend,
Even when life is near its close;
By sacrifice it can transcend
The death from which new life arose."
She went to his grave on the crimson shore,
Beneath the velvet flower bed,
And lifted the son she so adored,
Cold in her arms, for he was dead.
As Restiny, in days of yore
Bore his son through dark and dread,
So east to the Pools of Restore
Journeyed Lenore, bearing her dead.
He had come too late; his son was gone;
The pool was powerless to save.
But she came with the healing dawn,
When love had overcome the grave.
She laid him in the waters, crying:
"Come back, my little ewe,
Hear my crying for you.
Where have you gone, my love?
Show me, oh stars above.
Come home, come home to me;
Oh my son, hear my plea."
In the healing waters of life
Rose her son, free of death and strife.
Love required sacrifice;
This was the needed price.
Valor is doing right;
This was the quest of a knight.
The ground began to shake and quiver,
For the restored life sent a shiver,
To the Lord of Darkness and Dread;
In panicked fear for his life, he fled.
What is this terror of the night?
What has caused such awful fright?
Run, dragons and goblins of evil, and hide;
It is not safe to abide.
Fear has made our Lord scream;
He has had a nightmarish dream.
Who is a match for the elf-man
Born of the crimson land?
A warrior man his father,
An elfin princess his mother;
Against him no one can stand.
Come again to the land where the willows weep,
To the land where the weak do not sleep;
Come to the land of the mighty and brave,
To the land of the sinful and depraved.
“Go, my son, into this land;
Be my voice, be my hand.
Overtake all the evil, vile ways;
Receive my blessing and my praise.”
Then King Altiny, his father, came
And loosed the golden chain he wore,
The emerald ring of elfin fame
Once sent to him by his Lenore.
"Take the mystical emerald ring;
Learn of the power it will bring
To unite enemies and foes
In power stronger than swords and bows."
The knight who was once a foe,
Who wanted to pierce with sword and bow,
Joined the son on his valiant quest;
By night nor by day would either rest
Until the evil Dark Lord would burn in the lake of fire,
Ending all of evil's dreadful desire.
Wicked goblins fly at night,
Fleeing fear and fright,
Servants of the Dark Lord's hand;
Against united friends no one can stand.
The mighty take a stand
To bring peace to the land
The brave defend the weak
They are not proud but meek
Strength is in conviction
Wisdom in benediction
Rest on a true foundation
At last within the Void of Night
The son stood face to face with Dread.
The Dark Lord raised his sword to fight,
But the prince stood unarmed instead:
"Your strength is in the lie you told,
That valor lives by might and sword;
But love has broken death's cold hold,
And you no longer are its lord."
He raised the ring; its light shone bright
On men and elves who, side by side,
Had come as one to stand and fight,
And in that light, the lie had died.
Servants of Darkness have met their ends,
By enemies who joined as friends;
Shone round about them, ring of emerald light,
Ending the Dark Lord's evil might.
In the Lake of Fire they were cast,
Into torment that will forever last.
For men and elves, a new day dawned;
All drank freely from the healing pond.
The water of life freely flowed to all,
Bringing life to all who heed the call.
The valor of men ‘n’ elves
Is love beyond ourselves —
A love that reaches others,
As though they were our brothers.
Love and virtue,
Noble and true,
Always abide
In these your guide.
Riches are never found in gold
True wealth is neither bought nor sold
Charity yields a hundredfold
True friends remain when you are old.
Value what you know to be true
Never again will darkness subdue
Virtue will be what you pursue
And your life will always renew.
This dark fantasy poem is part of an ongoing fantasy poem series—each installment is a self-contained tale that also weaves subtle allusions to the others, creating a tapestry of epic fantasy poetry and deeply connected fantasy stories that will ultimately form one complete narrative. In this chapter of the saga, the atmosphere leans into the shadows—haunted battlefields, ominous prophecies, and long-buried secrets—while the language remains lyrical and accessible for readers who love story-driven verse. The poem explores how love endures in a world marked by loss, how destiny calls flawed heroes into war, and how the choices they make echo through realms both seen and unseen, all within a compact, cinematic reading experience.
For Further Reading
This is one in a series of fantasy poems that blend dark fantasy with character-focused storytelling. It invites you to follow recurring figures as their paths intertwine across battles, betrayals, and fragile moments of hope.
- There’s a poem on the capture of Lenore.
- There’s a poem about Lenore’s love.
- There’s a poem about how the war began.
If you like this one, check out the other: you can expect similarly atmospheric dark fantasy poems that balance intimate emotions—especially love, grief, and the weight of destiny—with sweeping conflicts of war and magic, each piece adding another layer to the larger epic.
