For Garath

You verdant force.
You were young, vibrant, strong.
You dealt with dryads,
sold your soul to spirits,
gave to good.
They locked you away in the dark
and all you wanted to do was serve.
And then you held fast
to your loyalty
and two dear friends were killed.

You watched as the stag ate the bear,
and you knew it was right.
Your soul turned black and you were unaware,
But you used that force to fight.

You were used, you know.
Duped, manipulated, coerced.
A simple country youth
out of his depth.
All you wanted to do was plant.

I can't stop thinking about how it ended.
In a hallway outside of time,
shimmering white walls,
and a doorway to nowhere.
Your body broken and abused,
your clothes in tatters,
your honour missing,
the whispers of the wizard hissing,
and everything you stood for shattered -
the only thing left was the soul you bought.
The verdant power blazing bright,
And then you fell, and slipped away
into the night.

Gaze upon the heavens, and tremble.
Blind in one eye,
Crippled in limb,
You fell into the sky,
and gave up the only thing that you had left.

I hope you found peace.