The Sheriff bowed before King Giles, and said,
"The apples have been placed as you desired;
yet Ranulet complains that he is tired
of sitting on the stocks in others' stead.
No doubt all else but he will now be blamed."
"My thanks," said Giles, "and see the Sage has chains
to play with. Set him down by those remains
of all the gentle jesters once he maimed."
He turned to face his friend, the Forest King.
"Does she come soon? The people quickly tire;
apples and home are all that they desire.
The fruit I must deny, yet home they'd wing."
"See how my archers climb the hill," smiled he
who ruled where green was leaf, and tall was tree.

But as he looked, a cry spread through the throng,
and turning, he beheld Aurorielle
now rising swift from former island hell
in fluttering flight that entered into song.
For even where they stood, the sharp of sight
could tell that in her arms she held a boy,
carrying him like one who brought her joy;
in fairy form she found the burden light.
All present knew the cost of Robert's will,
and why the pretty Fay had lain asleep;
that children four had lost their lives to keep
eternally this angel sleeping still.
What wonders passed this day? Was Robert gone?
What now the fate of fields they farmed upon?

"The river rises," cried the mighty Fay.
"The fairy goes to stir it by her power.
Then shortly she returns in happy hour,
so on this little hill I bid you stay.
Now and forever rain will wash away
the curse a hag once placed on Durrinelm;
and all the other plots that plagued your realm
lie vanquished by the archers of the Fay."
At that, the people climbed up near the walls;
within they were commanded not to go.
It wasn't safe; their king had told them so -
perhaps too little room within his halls?
"But if the river rise," said Giles, "where now
is Robert's party? Far below, I trow!"

The Forest King could find no words to say,
but watched the fairy fluttering in flight.
To him, her loss was dark as blackest night;
alone of all the Fay she went away,
the dawn's delight, beloved Aurorielle,
and chose to leave her people all behind,
because a boy had loved with all his mind
his fairy dear, and dared to enter hell.
Giles wondered what the children of the Fay
were like to live amongst, that never die;
on God's behalf they rule the endless sky,
the land, the sea, and pow'rs of night and day.
This wingéd man, this sculptured work of art -
did blood within flow red, or beat a heart?

Beyond the sight of eyes the fairy flew,
but now the Forest King looked ever west;
whether by eye, or other senses blest
he saw her, Giles knew not; but from the blue
yet darkling early Western skies there came
the rumbles dull and dark of clouds in pain,
with sudden shafts of distant greyest rain,
as nature raised her skirts and curtsied, tame.
For not for naught was all the skies' delight
given control of earth and wind and wave,
to order all the blessings that they gave -
Aurorielle, a Fay of power and might.
Beyond men's sight, she hurled at hills her rain,
and in the river ran Sir Robert's bane.

"Down, sir! Get down!" Sir Robert raged alone.
"Now is this not enough, all seventeen?
Admit it! All your powers had gone unseen,
hardly could you have asked that we had known
truly a werewolf were you, Blaidd the bold.
Hold! Reconsider! I can bring you wealth,
treasure for bloody acts of clever stealth,
in victims' blood your tale will soon be told.
When did a werewolf gain regard of kings?
Living in safety, free from fear of those
nightly you track with eye and ear and nose?
Safety and surfeit I'll provide, and things
greater than you could garner in your form -
oh, blast! Why fight, when meat surrounds you, warm?"

But though Sir Robert bargained by the gate,
with werewolf growling madly in his den,
surrounded by the bodies of his men,
the hounds within had led him to his fate.
Too late he understood the matchless Fay
who order all the world in which we dream,
and neither tire nor sleep, but serve the scheme
of God, all heaven's bright and blesséd day.
The swan, the horse, the eagle and the Queen
had penned him in a little gated space
within the tunnel. Any other place
Sir Robert would have gone to flee this scene -
the river washed the island with its foam;
the Bastard met his end - now hell's his home.

"Thus passes Robert," cried the Forest King.
"Yet hate him not, for hatred makes you slaves.
Think it enough he perished 'neath the waves;
a grave of his own making. Comfort bring
to those who suffered much, and then forgive;
forgive him, or else never you'll forget
his tortures. Then the name of Ranulet
would ever in your memories still live."
But as the crowd all cried with tears of joy,
Aurorielle came once again in sight;
but not with Trefor, though she bore him light;
she came alone, without the dreaming boy.
One last and final time the fairy soared,
before she left forever Sunderland's sward.

The Forest King she knew, but would not see;
for now she must begin to change her ways,
and learn to be a maiden many days,
no more to meet the Fay in forest free.
So on she went, and o'er the wall she flew;
Giles ran towards the gate, and saw her land.
Fertility was flowing from her hand -
unknown to her, a host of apples grew.
She heard a mighty sound, like piles of staves
that fought for room within the castle's halls;
then growing trunks erupted through the walls,
destroying all the hated work of slaves.
The towers four fell down around her knees;
and everywhere were endless apple trees.

With mortar all destroyed, the children four,
hearts filled with gladness, laughing as they flew,
embraced the only mother that they knew;
enfolded in her wings, they did adore
the fairy who had dreamed to set them free,
for seven years a-sleeping on the isle -
and in whose place they played a little while,
a season each, the Forest King's decree.
King Giles beheld again with radiant joy
the children that he succoured in her stead;
allowed at last in peace to greet the dead -
three lovely little girls, one blesséd boy.
Then up and off as one they rose and swirled;
united, to the ending of the world.

Aurorielle rose with them through the skies,
but no one's eyes could follow all her flight;
she passed beyond the reach of sense and sight,
and never came again in fairy guise
to Sunderland. And thus began her wait
to learn to be a maiden meek and mild -
the muse of sweetest song and wonders wild -
but first of all, eschewing Robert's hate.
For hate makes prisoners of those it owns,
and never gives the hater ever back
a single thing it caused their life to lack,
and yet entraps them long in lonely groans.
A happy life before the fairy lay
when Trefor woke from sleep in future day.

But Ranulet could not be found at all.
Around the stocks, a little grove of trees
stood swaying in the gentle summer breeze.
As Adam's apple once began the Fall,
fat Ranulet had eaten up his bane.
Now reddest apples grew within the court -
but whether good for cooking, none report -
for no one touched the tainted trees again.
Afar, the fort at river's end was smashed,
by rush of raging river's roiling water
that put Sir Robert's seaward knights to slaughter,
as through the river mouth it onward crashed.
And thus in Robert raged the hounds of hell,
until, in his despite, went all things well.

King Giles beheld the shining one who came
in nick of time to help him take a lead,
and by his swift arrival made concede
any who would have chosen Robert's name.
His features were idealised and exact;
no little imperfections marred his face.
Unspoiled by any fault, and filled with grace,
his glistening perfection showed he lacked
a part in Adam's blood, for from no soil,
nor even from a rib had he been made.
In him divine perfection was displayed,
who never knew the penalty of toil.
No part of plague, or poverty, or pain,
nor saving grace an angel could sustain.

They sat upon the hill as waters rose
around them all in one enormous pool.
"And what of Trefor?" asked the former Fool;
"We saw the fairy rise with him. Who knows
what deep enchantment now upon him lies,
and even though he brought us all release,
I would not ask him this to bring us peace,
if peace could ever come in other wise."
"Fear not for Trefor," smiled the Forest King.
"for you will meet again beneath the sun,
e'en though by then you'd think his race was run,
and thus his song in glories long you'll sing.
No more of his adventures can I tell,
of him who for a fairy ventured hell."

"Well then, my thanks to you, and all your folk,"
said Giles, "for though you lived here many years,
you succoured us in secret when in tears
we fled here; yet you laid on us no yoke.
Yet still I wonder, since you help at all,
what purpose has been served by waiting years
to come to us, and help destroy our fears -
although you owed us not to come at call."
"You long must live," his rescuer then smiled
"before you see the reasons for our ways,
looking upon this time from future days,
and then you will not think our minds are wild.
It also serves to wait; we prize this fact -
God knows the perfect time at which to act.

For choosing is a gift God's given you,
and by its nature men can never know
what will arise while on you ever go;
nor can you change a single thing you do.
We Fay know many things still yet to be,
because to us time goes both forth and back.
I stand in heaven's joy and inky black,
that ruled before the time of earth and sea.
And yet the Fay by nature knoweth not
the treasure trove of want, desire, and will;
our once-made choice was joy, and joy is still
the nature of our long-accepted lot.
Yet faith and hope and righteousness that men
express are ever alien to our ken.

For who may choose, who once saw fire divine,
and knew the truth before creation's day?
Yet only those who went the hating way,
and though they saw the Lord, his ways decline.
They left us, and our joy was made the less;
but ever we restrain them as they seek
to subjugate the lost, and crush the weak;
instead their efforts make the more confess.
For truth is seen most clearly in the lie,
and joy is wanted most by those who groan;
and faith is best expressed by those alone
who strive to serve; and hope, by those who die.
These things in darkness deep remain concealed
until their opposites become revealed.

We chose between two futures in our youth,
to serve the sovereign Lord, or be his foes.
No thanks get they that hate him; yet suppose
they had not been? Who then would know the truth
that did not know the lie? And so, by choice,
a man becomes the master of his fate;
to triumph over evil makes him great
in ways we cannot share. Yet we rejoice!
For though you rise above us in the end,
or fall below the lowest you can guess,
our great and lasting joy is man's success,
to which our every effort we will lend.
You are our joy; and demons you will shame -
for nothing they can do exceeds your fame!

So though you long like us to have no flaw,
and crave the holy power that we wield,
believe within your spirits is concealed
true greatness, that an angel views with awe.
To be revealed at length, the fruits of love
that God above will lavish on you long;
till earth shall die, and comes the end of song.
Those who receive with thanks his gifts above
shall have them all forever and amen!
Whilst those who want them not will ne'er be forced
to cling to God; instead, they'll be divorced
from him and you and us, all o'er again.
In heaven those who true hosannas bring,
both men and angels, there in gladness sing!

"Then what," said Giles, "my brother, is your name?
And how should I address my thanks to you?"
"Do not!" then gasped the Fay. "I thought you knew;
our Maker's praise we ever will proclaim!
Desiring God's own glory to accrue,
those long-lost angels fell, and went away.
For love of God and men the faithful stay,
and serve our Lord as devils never do.
In the beginning we received a choice -
that we would spend our energies for men,
who God has loved much more, both now and then -
because of you, he gave us shape and voice.
Although we rule the powers of day and night,
envy us not - for you are God's delight!"