In a land far away in time and tide, the minstrels once sang a mighty song, and it began...Once upon a time there was the sword.
The sword was born deep in the delicate past in this land far away in time and tide. It was born of need and fear, and many wise men of this land far away in time and tide came to guide its escape from out of the wylde. Each brought their art and their artifice, their secrets and their dreams...and the sword was born out of steel and moonlight and magic and terror and love, for it could not sleep in the wylde. And the wise men beheld the sword and were humbled by its beauty and the sword in turn beheld the wise men and was humbled by nothing.
The wise men bore the sword away and came with it unto the knight who served a dream, a man of great honor and dignity in this land far away in time and tide. The wise men laid the sword before the knight and he took it up, the knight's steel arm raising the sword and the sword's steel soul raising the knight. And the sword called to the knight and the sword and the knight sang a song of strength. And the knight beheld the sword and was humbled by its power and the sword in turn beheld the knight and was humbled by nothing.
And the knight and the sword traveled many leagues and knew many adventures as they raised one another before the people. They slew dragons and rescued maidens and cast down the towers of darkness and rode to the stars on cavalcades of light. They gave a future to the hopeless and stood vigil before the helpless and poured goblets of sweet wine for the homeless. And the people beheld the sword and were humbled by its majesty and the sword in turn beheld the people and was humbled by nothing. All the people loved the knight and the sword yet the knight and the sword loved none save the knight and the sword.
And so came the day in this land far away in time and tide that the knight and the sword rose up to battle death...and threw death down and smote it, though in smiting death, the knight in turn was smote and passed from this land far away in time and tide...and the sword grieved for the knight would rise no more. And death beheld the sword and was humbled by its grief and the sword in turn beheld death and was humbled by nothing..save death.
And the wise men of this land far away in time and tide covered the knight in mighty stones and beautiful tapestries, and they laid the sword across his breast in a chamber beyond eternity, surrounded by wilted darkness and frozen time and bid the sword sleep. But the sword still could not sleep...the sword watched, and waited, and grew restless. And sleep beheld the sword and was humbled by its vigilance and the sword in turn beheld sleep and was humbled by nothing...save death.
Yet not only the sword laid awake in the darkness unable to sleep...the knight too could not sleep. And as he lay in the dark, the knight began to twist like a flower grown in poison and listened to many whispers and was taught to resent that he was covered in mighty stones and beautiful tapestries and grew angrier and angrier until the knight was no more and the sword lay across the breast of a mighty lich who served only doom. And the lich beheld the sword and was humbled by its rage and the sword in turn beheld the lich and was humbled by nothing...save death. And the sword missed it's knight and the slaying of dragons and the rescuing of maidens....and so it watched and waited and grew desperate for it knew the lich not and could not sleep.
Until the sword felt the girl, broken in body and spirit, cast down beneath the mighty stones and beautiful tapestries. And the sword called to the girl and sang a song of restoration. The sword whispered to the girl...and would not let her sleep just as the sword could not sleep...and the girl awoke and was alone just as the sword was. The sword called the girl down to its chambers beyond eternity and down and down and down the girl walked...as all around her the darkness blossomed and time thawed as she walked.
And the girl came before the lich and the sword and the chamber beyond eternity became the here and the now. And the lich was angered and gathered power to smite the girl but the sword would not rise and cast itself from the lich's breast for it knew the lich not and the lich did not serve a dream, only doom.
The sword laid itself before the girl and she took it up, the girl's steel resolve raising the sword and the sword's steel soul raising the girl. And the sword called anew to the girl and sang a song of retribution. And the girl beheld the sword and was humbled by its promise and the sword in turn beheld the girl and was humbled by nothing....save the girl.
And so came the day in this land here and now that the girl and the sword rose up to battle the lich...and threw the lich down and smote it, and did not pass away from this land of here and now...and the sword grieved for the knight the lich once was and the girl and the sword sang a song of unity.
And the girl and the sword climbed out of the mighty stones and beautiful tapestries and were reborn out of ice and fire and sunlight and pride and passion. And the girl and the sword would travel many leagues and would know many adventures as they raised one another before the people.
And in the land far away in time and tide, the minstrels now sing a mighty song, and it begins...Once upon a time was the sword and its girl.
