Puppet - Zaknafein Do'Urden

WARNING! Contains spoilers to Homeland and Exile by R. A. Salvatore. Read at your own risk!

I’ve been a puppet

From my birth,

Enslaved in darkness

‘Neath the earth.

 

I’m tied with strings

Of spider strands.

You hold the cords

That guide my hands.

 

You’re my malicious

Puppeteer.

You smile as

You draw me near.

 

Your red eyes gleam

With lustful fire.

I give myself

To your desire.

 

You toy with me

And have your fun,

Yet I’m still useful

When you’re done.

 

Your paramour

And sometime spouse,

Now weapons master

Of your house.

 

So blessed am I

With fighting skill

That I teach children

How to kill.

 

Your demon deity

I hate.

My blasphemy

You tolerate.

My subtle smirks

And comments sly

Are all I have

To get me by.

 

For in the night

They haunt my dreams.

I smell the blood;

I hear the screams.

 

I am alone,

Cannot escape

The ceaseless darkness

Of my fate.

 

I’m tied with strings

On feet and wrists

And bound by chains

Of cowardice.

 

A puppet here

Beneath the earth,

Where spawn of evil

Have their birth.

 

Yet into dark

A light is born;

A star of virtue

Sees its morn.

 

I stare into

Your violet eyes;

A kindred soul

I recognize.

 

A smile wide,

A spirit free.

A stranger to

This world of greed.

 

A test of fate

By fate’s design -

Two-Hands you are,

And you are mine.

 

You bring a smile

To my face

Despite the horror

Of this place.

 

Are all our children

Born this way

Before their stainless hearts

We slay?

 

So quick to smile,

So innocent -

I must believe

You’re different.

 

A hopeless goal,

Yet I will strive;

I’ll fight to keep

Your soul alive.

 

You do not understand

Our race,

The depth of horror

That you face.

 

Your eyes so bright,

Your heart so pure;

Yet innocence

Cannot endure.

 

You must comply

With their demands;

Now bloodied are

Your nimble hands.

 

A wretched puppet

Tied with strings,

I cannot save you

From these things.

 

That caring heart

Will be destroyed,

Those eyes become

A soulless void.

 

Since I can’t save you

From this fate,

I know the course

That I must take.

 

Your blood - the blood

Of my own veins -

I’ll spill to save you

From this pain.

 

I fight to kill -

You are surprised,

And outrage flashes

In your eyes.

 

By treachery

You are betrayed,

But by your skill

My sword is stayed.

 

In mercy this

Would be your end,

But cowardice

Holds back my hand.

 

In love for you

My weakness lies -

Not by my blade

Shall Two-Hands die.

 

Like me, you will

Become a slave

Because your soul

I failed to save.

 

You spend these years

Imbibing lies

While I my coward’s heart

Despise.

 

I hear the tales

Of blood you’ve spilled,

And part of me

Is also killed.

 

Their wickedness

You used to hate -

How could my Two-Hands

Meet this fate?

 

Your spirit dead,

Your conscience numb;

Their warrior

You have become.

 

This time my sword

Will not be stayed;

I’ll set you free

With mercy’s blade.

 

We’re here like countless

Times before,

Yet now, this fight

Is so much more.

 

Our demons we

Must exorcise;

This day, one or

The other dies.

 

A battle in and out

We wage

Of brokenheartedness

And rage.

 

In clashing swords

And biting words,

The keening of our souls

Is heard.

 

Your violet eyes

With fires blaze,

Reflected in

My crimson gaze.

 

You name me “Murderer”,

And yet,

The blood of children

You have shed.

 

A sick corruption

Of your skill;

A thirst for blood,

A lust to kill.

 

In me you see

This cruel desire,

My eyes alight

With hellish fire.

 

Yet in my rage

The truth I give;

I slay the wicked,

So to live.

 

Confusion whirls

Within your eyes.

I strike and take you

By surprise.

 

Against the wall

I have you pinned.

One movement now

Will bring the end.

 

But now the truth

Is your defense,

Your desperate claim

Of innocence.

 

I stare into

Your fearful eyes;

Your gaze dispels

Their twisted lies.

 

I pull you close

In strong embrace

While tears of joy

Stream down my face.

 

Against all odds

You have survived -

The son I love

Is still alive!

 

You speak of hope

For liberty,

Yet I am bound;

I cannot flee.

 

And even now

My puppeteer

With vengeful spies

Our words can hear.

 

Awakened in

The dead of night

To hear of death

To set things right.

 

By virtue you

Have been condemned;

Your sacrilege

They must amend.

 

By love for you

Again betrayed,

By wicked hands

My heartstrings played.

 

I see the truth

Of their desire -

My heart for their

Demonic fire.

 

You were to be

Their sacrifice,

Yet in your stead
 I will suffice.

 

This blood of mine

I freely give

So that the son I love

May live.

 

My hands and feet

To altar bound;

Unhallowed fires

Blazing ‘round.

 

The flames reflected

On the knife

And glist’ning hands

That end my life.

 

My final words

A prayer for you;

I die in peace

And hope renewed.

 

For I can feel

Amidst the pain

The severing

Of cord and chain.

 

A darkness

Overtakes my mind.

I leave our horrid world

Behind.

 

Their lies no longer

Shackle me;

Perhaps in death

I shall be free.

 

But for my body

And my skill

My puppeteer

Demands me still.

 

Now resurrected

From the stone

Are putrid flesh

And rotting bone.

 

I’m bound again

With spiderwebs

And eldritch chants

To rouse the dead.

 

Imprisoned in

My undead corpse;
My soul is trapped,

My conscience warped.

 

My mind no longer

Understands

The brutal workings

Of my hands.

 

Through shadows deep

My voyage bends,

And like a shadow,

Death descends.

 

No need for rest,

No thought of pain.

No tears amidst

The scarlet rain.

 

Again we battle

Eye to eye,

My life a curse,

Your hope a lie.

 

By fate and fortune,

You have fled.

Yet none can long

Escape this web.

 

Your trail with silver strands

Is lined.

I shall not fail

My prey to find.

 

In final battle

Joined as one

Are monster, victim,

Father, son.

 

In ringing blades

And flashing eyes,

In savage snarls

And anguished cries.

 

My puppeteer

Is in command,

Her malice flowing

Through my hands.

 

My dance the play,

Her mind the stage.

She drinks of rapture

In my rage.

 

Yet still within me

Dwells a spark,

The spirit that

Survived the dark.

 

You call my name

In desperate hope.

She pulls with strings

Of spider’s rope.

 

The battle now

Is deep inside -

My wicked puppeteer

And I.

 

The pair of us

The halves of you -

And I as well

Am torn in two.

 

In foolish faith

You sheath your swords,

And suddenly
I am restored.

 

The puppeteer

Is overthrown,

My body once again

My own.

 

No longer bound

Are mind and soul -

Yet still she fights

To take control.  

 

The strings hold fast

About my limbs,

Which jerk and spasm

With her whims.

 

So many things

I want to say,

Yet in this place

I cannot stay.

 

The pain is written

‘Cross your face,

Your longing for

But one embrace.

 

Yet she will win

If I remain;

She’ll take me back,

And you’ll be slain.

 

I grind my teeth

And clench my fists;

Her tyranny

I will resist.

 

The coward’s chains

That held me bound

Now clatter, broken,

To the ground.

 

She takes control

With iron will;

I draw my swords

As if to kill.

 

But spirit, body, blade

Are mine;

This puppet has

Its own designs.

 

She bids me run

And slaughter you;

Instead I take

The course I choose.

 

I leap towards

The burning light,

My soul and body

Taking flight.

 

I cut the strings

And I am free;

I fall into

Eternity.

 

With final words

 I bid you run;

Escape the darkness;

Find the sun.

 

Your spirit echoes back

My call;

With breaking heart

You watch me fall.

 

Your violet eyes

With sorrow bathed;

Weep not, my son,

For I am saved.

Author's Note

Whew! You did it! Assuming you actually read the whole thing and didn't just give up halfway through and skip to the end, you just survived 102 stanzas of fangirly nerdiness. Congratulations! :) This is by far the longest poem I have ever written. The character Zaknafein is from the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore - he and all other characters and events mentioned in this poem belong to Salvatore and Wizards of the Coast, Inc., who I am not affiliated with (besides being a fan of the books.) If you're a fellow Drizzt fan, I hope you enjoyed all the subtle references. If not... I hope you at least found it somewhat interesting. :) I know it's long, but this was tons of fun to write.

Reviews

[LastMonth]

I've read it all.
I have. I swear.

Thing is, I always have difficulty when reading fanfics. Because I don't know the characters. Nor do I feel connected to them. The more abstract parts, I could get into. The specifics and the moment you started speaking about particular characters and what took place I found myself somewhat lost. That's always the problem with presenting fanfiction to an audiance which might not be knowledgeble about it.

Still. You've mastered the rhymes pretty well. I'm not sure what to say about the plot, since you claim it is not your own. Overall, this seems good enough, and I suppose that fans of this particular book series will love it.

Keep up the good work.

[AliciaB]

Thank you for your honesty. :) I wouldn't necessarily call this a fanfiction, since all of what occurs takes place in the books... I was just digging a bit deeper into this character's thoughts, based on existing evidence. But I can see how it would be hard to follow without having the background of the story, so yes, it makes total sense that you had trouble connecting with the characters. That is completely fine. I appreciate you taking the time to read it all and comment anyway. Thank you!

[LastMonth]

Oh don't mention it one bit.