The Raven Prince
He wears a doublet stitched with silver thread,
A plume-tipped cap, his boots of velvet black.
His form is lithe, as though by faerie bred,
Yet mortal still, with noble grace intact.
He bows with ease, rises with dancer’s knack—
Appearing as paige who serves the Raven-Fae king.
His presence shines; no poise does he lack,
And every gesture seems to softly sing
Of elegance and jest, in perfect balancing.

The Raven Prince, of royal Fae-born line,
Has come to speak a prophecy of doom.
The mortal king is charged with dark design,
A traitor’s trick to bring Fae court to gloom.
The stars declare his daughter’s fated tomb:
Before next dawn her gentle breath will cease.
Dressed in silks, the Prince sees her in her room
In secret grief, and seeks her heart’s release,
For in her gaze he feels a tender peace.

He learns of plots the court has sworn to keep,
Yet speaks not her fate. For father, her heart forlorn—
She knows these halls where dreaded secrets creep,
He knows her soul, pure as springtime born,
And love takes root where duty once had grown.
To see her smile, he jests, and plays the horn,
Yet in his gaze a truth is softly shown—
He’ll die or change fate: she will not weep alone.

He lingers then, where lords their counsel keep,
Unseen, he catches threads they dared not weave.
The king no traitor—truth lay buried deep,
But still his sire demands this kingdom grieve.
The princess sees him—her heart cannot but cleave
To this strange paige whose grace betrays his guise.
Through jest and dance, she learns what love believes:
That even tricksters, masked in dark disguise,
Can shine with truth when fate’s deception lies.

As he plays the fool, this paige in disguise,
A master mage with charms that none can see,
He watches the princess with her starlit eyes,
Knows her soul, like his, has no treachery.
Her laughter rings like bells across the lea,
Her kindness shines where others’ hearts are cold.
Though Fae decree her death as destiny,
The Raven Prince, with will both fierce and bold,
Resolves to change the fate that stars enfold.

He takes to raven’s form, a loyal spy,
A shadow gliding swift with mortal beat.
He hears the secrets knights seek to deny,
Bares them forth to Fae court and royal seat.
Yet his father dismisses him as cheat,
A son who weaves his plots deceived by schemes.
Yet for his love, he vows no foul deceit.
He places faith in mortal maiden’s dreams.
Love is fraught—only lovers know what it means.

With charms upon his wrist to trip any snare,
He stalks in secret and none can mark his tread.
He sees with wisdom—others remain unaware,
The poisoned wine, the vows of silent dread.
A dagger flash; a mortal knight lay dead.
A spell burns bright to still the dead man’s stare.
The Prince vanishes swift, raven cloak spread,
A shadow borne upon the moonlit air,
To guard the maid whose soul is bright and rare.

The flock draws near; their wings with moonlit weaves.
They call him back, to claim his rightful name.
They bind him fast with oaths like tangled leaves,
And swear him pain should he resist their claim.
Two worlds he trods: one mortal, one Fae flame.
The princess pleads, “Stay here, where hearts are true.”
As faerie’s call burns darker with its aim,
In his breast the storm of choice breaks through—
To love, not bow, though blood-born oaths undo.

He vows to guard her through the peril’s thread,
To keep her safe until next dawn is born.
No trickster now, but one in love instead,
A vow more strong than crown or mantle worn.
Though fate decrees, though faerie oaths have sworn,
No prophecy will steal what he has won.
He pledges his heart even if it breaks at morn,
No Fae shall fault her union with Fae son—
For when love blooms, old laws are overrun.

At the kingdom’s ball, in a mask of black,
He whirls through halls where laughter drowns out fear.
Though Raven King proclaims: ‘The time—turn back.’
Forsake this love; no mortal heart may bear.”
She dances by his side, her eyes crystal-clear—
“I see in you no mask, but all you are.”
And her love is all he chooses to hear.
He vows to defy the ill-fated star,
To break the chain that binds him from afar.

She stands beside, fair as the midday flame,
Her hair like sun, his hair of raven’s night.
His eyes hold storms that none can hope to tame,
Yet by her gaze they soften in her light.
Not Fae-bound now, he casts aside all slight;
He means to win her hand, her heart, with ring.
For fate, not fall, has placed him in her sight,
He speaks of love, no longer whispering,
And curses Fae court and Raven-Fae King.

She wears a mask of white, a swan in flight.
She knows not yet, his blood nor hidden name.
She sees him dance beneath the moon’s pale light,
Her eyes like stars, her voice a gentle flame.
They walk where roses twine with love’s acclaim;
Their vows grow wild though fate will not abate.
He kisses her—discloses his Fae-name;
No longer Fae, now bound to mortal fate.
Magic confessed, no more will shadows wait:

They swear their love eternal, pure and good,
His father, again demands him “Come home!”
But love is more than duty, beyond all blood,
hearts, not crowns, should mark where one may roam.
Her loyalty becomes his only throne;
Together they defy the Fae decree.
The Raven King, with wrath as hard as stone,
Prepares the curse: wings black eternally,
No longer free, no more the man she’d see.

Enraged, his Father again implores:
“Come, wear the Fae-crown, rule the realm you claim.”
But he refuses, her love is what rewards,
Her mortal truth more rich than Fae-born fame.
The prince declares his choice, his father’s shame;
And his shape is torn, his voice to caws is thrust.
The princess weeps; her grief becomes his chain.
She begs the Fae, her love too fierce, too just,
“Bestow me wings as well, in our love trust!”

His father’s wrath transformed him where he stood,
A raven dark as night, with plume of flame.
The princess falls upon him for all that’s good,
White feathers crown her brow, tears fall like rain.
Her grief so fierce it shakes the Fae with shame—
Immortal love has pierced their ancient lore.
She begs the skies to keep their hearts the same,
To let them twine as birds for evermore,
Till vows outlast the crown, the realms, and more.

She casts her mask aside upon the floor,
implores her love to speak devotions they once knew.
He caws once low, then seeks his voice once more,
And in that tongue the words come soft and true:
“I love you.” His tears like rivers break through;
The court stands still, watching their grief forlorn.
The Raven King, struck deep, repents too;
Beholding love so pure, so nobly sworn,
He gives her wings as white as light of morn.

Now two great ravens, black and white, take flight,
Immortal hearts in feathered forms entwine.
They soar where moon dissolves to breath of light,
Beyond the reach of throne or lore define.
Their tale is sung where truth with dream align,
And love breaks the cruel decree of false schemes.
Those who hear, now may leave their doubts behind;
For even cursed, true love redeems the dream,
And flies beyond the bounds of what is seen.