Between a Nazgûl and His Prey

[Intro: Alternating 7/8 and 5/8; low dissonant guitar motif beneath a distant ascending female melody] [Verse 1: Dark contralto, intimate and controlled] Torchlight followed polished floors, While battle waited past the gate. A white dress carried cups and cloth, A steady hand beside the grave. Praise came softly, warm as chains, Wrapped around a guarded name. Beneath the linen, under breath, A hidden blade was taking shape. [Pre-Chorus: 11/8; bass climbs beneath clipped guitar accents] Kindness built the narrow path, Duty drew the walls around it. Every warning meant as shelter Pressed the iron deeper down. [Chorus: Expansive 5/4; soaring melodic line] All my life, the world decided Where my courage ought to end. Every title placed upon me Taught me how to break its hold. Buried fire gathered slowly, Fed by silence, fed by shame. When the hour came to claim me, I had already claimed my name. [Verse 2: Shifting 7/8 and 9/8; firmer vocal attack] Morning horns called riders forth, Their shadows crossed the open land. Glory rode beneath the banners, Grief remained within my hands. Courage earned a softer word, A fever meant to pass with time. Still the edge grew keen in secret, Still the will became a spine. [Pre-Chorus: Rhythmic figure returns with heavier guitars] Closed gates taught me how to listen. Long halls taught me how to wait. Every order left unanswered Made the coming choice more clear. [Chorus: Higher register, broader harmony] All my life, the world decided Where my courage ought to end. Every title placed upon me Taught me how to break its hold. Buried fire gathered slowly, Fed by silence, fed by shame. When the hour came to claim me, I had already claimed my name. [Progressive Instrumental: Guitar in 5/8 against drums in 4/4; ascending Éowyn motif gradually overtakes the descending Witch-king tritone] [Bridge: Low contralto over sparse bass pulse] To my father, a daughter kept from danger. To my brother, a sister left behind. To all of them, a servant of the wounded. No one saw my shape beneath the mail. Every gaze completed the picture Before the truth could be named. Even death, crowned high in shadow, Read the armor and missed the face. [Build: Time signatures contract through 7/8, 6/8, and 3/4] Years of careful expectation Gather now behind my eyes. Every door becomes a hammer. Every silence learns to rise. The life assigned to me lies broken. The buried self steps through the flame. One last voice repeats the blindness That has followed all my days. [Breakdown: Lead vocalist falls silent; low guitar drone, scraped strings, distant cymbal swell] [Disembodied spectral whisper effect: extremely deep, pitch-shifted, distorted, brief, spoken once] No man can kill me... [One full measure of silence] [Lead female vocalist returns alone: sudden full-band 4/4, maximum force, soaring sustained belt] I AM NO MAN! [Fatal Strike: Full-band unison impact; blade-like guitar glissando] Your prophecy became a prison, Built from pride and ancient fear. One truth stood before your darkness, And arrived too late to hear. [Post-Climax: Crushing half-time groove] A crown can know a thousand legends, Count each kingdom, war, and grave, Then fall before the life it measured As too small to ever name. [Final Chorus: Soaring sustained notes; triumphant transformation] All my life, the world decided Where my courage ought to end. Now the borders lie in pieces, Scattered underneath my feet. Buried fire stands before them, Bright enough to mark the day. When the darkness came to claim me, I became the blade that stayed. [Outro: Slow 6/8; clean guitar carries the completed ascending motif] Cold morning settles on the field. The empty crown has lost its shape. A lifetime spent beneath their judgment Ends beside a fallen wraith. History remembers clearly What every guarded hall concealed: The woman standing in their sight Was always stronger than their shield.