The Rescue

Madison mounted her coal black mare

In the yard of the Smugglers Inn,

Her coat was black and her hair was fair

And her jodhpurs tucked well in,

The sky was in a threatening mood

With its thunderheads from hell,

As lightning forked on the ancient rood

And the rain teemed down as well.

‘You need to get to the Laird,’ I cried,

‘Tell him to haste to me,

Another day and she may have died,

I’m trying to set her free.

But the Pikemen stand outside her door

And they say they guard her skin,

There were locks and chains on her door before

Up there, in the Smugglers Inn.’

‘Tell him to bring his gallant troop

To dismay the Duke of Bray,

He means to imprison his daughter

In his tower, the Lady Grey,’

The Pikemen said that I’d lose my head

If I tried to breach her door,

And wouldn’t answer whenever I asked,

‘What is she locked in for?’

So Madison wheeled the mare around

And she put it to the spur,

If any could ride a horse to ground

I knew that it was her,

She headed off to the Castle Croft

Head bent to the driving rain,

With lightning flashing around her mount

I watched her across the plain.

What seemed to take forever, I thought,

Was merely an hour or two,

But then my fears were set at naught

As the troop came jangling through.

Each man had raised his sabre and

He’d kept his powder dry,

My heart was surging within me as

The troop came riding by.

And then, at last, was Madison

Still riding with the Laird,

Determined then to save her friend,

To show her that she cared.

The Pikemen soon were beaten down

Were lost in the affray,

I never did catch a glimpse of him,

Their lord, the Duke of Bray.

It took a moment to smash the locks

On the door of Lady Grey,

And all the troop had cheered out loud

As the chains, they fell away.

Madison was the first in line

To embrace the one within,

But we were not to know what lay

Up there, in the Smugglers Inn.

The Lady, held in a firm embrace

Had staggered out through the door,

But blood and pustules were on her face

Like we’d never seen before.

A dying Pikemen called, ‘You fools,

You’ve unleashed a bitter ague,

And then he sighed just before he died,

‘Behold, you have the plague!’

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Breanna Riddle]

You've done it again. You turned a serious story of a girl trying to save her friend into a tragic end that came to follow the death of those who loved her the most. Very impressive i loved it! It was very humorous and very enjoyable thank you for sharing! :)

[Acataleptic]

DAVID
Oh my goodness.
Just.... wow.... your meter and rhyme and everything are just so lovely and your poem is fantastic. I admire your writing; loved reading this.

[TPK Stories]

A very tragic ending...a pleasure to read as always...

[Relic]

Wow, what a mistake they made huh? haha Great ending to this one. This reminds me a little of Poe and the mask of the red death. Nice one David, love it.

[R Smith]

excellent twist again David, a tale of romance and maiden locked away in a tower, the charging troop come flying to the rescue to release..........a plague! Wonderful work my friend :)

[Valentine]

I was expecting a far different end. Surprised us again, I love the old time feeling I get reading your writes. great rhyme and fascinating tale. Valentine

[Barbz]

In an incredible attempt to Rescue she who was considered imprisioned, they actually opened the doors to Hell! Be it bubonic or pneumonic, The Plague is a deadly infectious disease that spreads as a wildfire. Descriptive in language as only you can do it, although I was taken by the expression "Each man had raised his sabre And He'd kept his powder dry". This, an expression I heard in a song, as a youngster. I admire the Poets rhyme, this time and every time. Congrats, David Lewis Paget! Barbz