The Baroness of Roesone

Come closer now… and hear it plain… Of Roesone’s fields… and quiet strain… This land was never meant for rule… No ancient line… no gilded jewel… No blessing cast… no banners sworn… Just dust and steel… and men war-torn… They carved their claim with blood and flame… No god had called… no right had named… And from that clash… of ash and bone… Rose Roesone… by will alone… Where no lord was meant to reign… Still rule was carved in blood and pain… No holy right… no sacred chain… Yet still it stands… through loss and gain… And at its heart stands Marlae’s name… Roesone by blood… by will… by claim… No crowned queen… no chosen heir… But forged by strife… and named as fair… They call her just… they call her cold… They weigh her worth in grain and gold… Yet in her gaze the truth is shown… She holds the land… though not her own… To north, Ghoere beats the drums of war… Sabres rattle at her door… And Diemed waits with patient hand… To claim again the stolen land… No season passes free of strain… No peace is more than borrowed gain… For every border, oath, and stone… Is held by strength… and strength alone… Where no lord was meant to reign… Still rule was carved in blood and pain… No holy right… no sacred chain… Yet still it stands… through loss and gain… The regents watch with careful eyes… Through temple prayers and merchant lies… The law stands firm… then bends again… As power shifts in quiet men… Yet softer steps move through her hall… No herald’s cry… no banner’s call… For where they pass, no secrets hide… Her silent watchers at her side… She keeps them close, both night and day… And sees through them what others say… No whispered plot, no hidden throne… Escapes the eyes she calls her own… No song she sings… no peace she keeps… No easy rest… no gentle sleep… For what was taken… must remain… Or all returns… to ash again… Where no lord was meant to reign… Still rule was carved in blood and pain… No holy right… no sacred chain… Yet still it stands… through loss and gain… And she who bears the baron’s name… Holds not for pride… nor fleeting fame… No fate was writ… no stars ordained… Just will enough… that it remains…