[Verse 1] I was bartered on a banner Child at court Pale and still They drew borders on a table With my hand as the quill Red cloth White cloth Laid across the feast I learned my family’s colors Before I learned my own beliefs [Chorus] I am the thorn-crowned bride Passed like a secret from side to side They trade my body for a battlefield Ink on parchment Blood on shields I wear their roses in my hair But none of them were ever there When the drums shook through my bones at night Thorn-crowned bride beneath their banners bright [Verse 2] He came home from Tewkesbury Eyes like shattered winter glass Called me “princess Little victory” But I tasted iron in the glass Once I wore a northern favor Then a lion on my sleeve Every oath they swore around me Sounded mostly like “you leave” [Chorus] [Bridge] [low vocal register] I walked through rooms of whispered maps Boot prints on the woven lands Names erased with melted wax All rewritten on my hands Father Husband King Then cousin Fell like dice across the floor All that stayed was my reflection And a bolted chamber door [Chorus]
