by: Tameldra Anlath, Lady Bard of Baldur's Gate date: 1332 DR source: The Sword Never Sleeps And now you laugh and stamp your feet Profanely bellow for more ale And mock my limp, my burns, and scars Weakness your valor makes hale. Let me tell you, sneering younglings As ’gainst my feeble sloth you rail Twas a time when I was as you Bold, foolish, young, and pale Rode to tame the world entire Though dreams ’gainst talons fail Fell friends and lovers one by one Burned, gnawed, screaming, pierced-impaled [Chorus] Alone I faced the dragon and lived to tell the tale Through streets aflame I staggered on, Each shadow bore a dragon's glare. The Dock's roar drowned by leathery wings, Smoke poisoned each breath of air. The Laughing Goblin burned to ash, The Bitter Blade was black despair. I watched my friends crushed one by one, Their pleas ignored, the gods elsewhere. Through cobbled paths and ruined gates, I reached Valjevo's castle stair. The city's cries, a ghostly hymn, As dragons fouled what once was fair. Alone I faced the dragon, and escaped his horrid lair. Within the castle's shattered hall, The bronze behemoth made his claim. Srossar, bound to shadow's grasp, Burned brighter than Valjevo's fame. His claws tore through the ancient stone, Each strike a herald of my name. I danced through death with fleeting steps, My limbs worn raw, my will the same. The pillars fell, the roof collapsed, The castle's ruin bore the strain. The beast entombed, the silence vast, But still my heart could not exclaim. Alone I faced the dragon, and survived his endless flame. Through rubble deep, I crawled and bled, The Moonsea called, its waters cold. I leapt and swam beneath the stars, Each stroke a tale of hope extolled. The dragons wheeled above the waves, Their cries a dirge of power bold. The southern road was harsh and long, Its trials worn on spirits old. To Baldur's Gate my steps did lead, Its gates a haven to behold. Yet still I dream of scales and fire, Of claws that carved the lives they sold. Alone I faced the dragon, his hoard my life of gold.
