From her soul comes a light as pure as that of a warrior's heart............

.......as the Dark One walks away from her last encounter with the demon who tormented her for too long.........she feels a sense of freedom as never before.........as if the weight and cold of the highest peak has been lifted from her.....light floods within and without......and her heart beats calmly and steadily knowing that this is the last time she ever will be faced with this demon with eyes of a serpent......forever more she will be surrounded by the kindest hearts with souls of pirates and angels intermingled.....for they are the ones who have always truly cared for her.....and the Dark One knows this without doubt.......the harbor is lit with rays of light raining from the skies above.......luna moths flutter in the night and one rests upon her arm peering at her.....love fills her heart as she views this magical creature......one who lives for just one week......but one week that is filled with love for its mate and of the offspring that are brought forth.....and with this the Dark One vows to live every day as though it were her last and to seek and love and care as never before..........and she will discover her true love.....of heart and soul and passion upon the earth she walks upon.....in the fastest time.......now that she loves her own heart......it will bring to her the one with a knightly soul that will hold her within his arms where she will feel the truest of loves from his heart to her own.........

Black dark is all she sees through the tears that fall from her eyes.......

.....and the Dark One.......her heart breaking in pieces.....feels the tears upon her face cascade to the ground beneath.......yet again she has let the most evil demon of them all without a heart take life and love from her soul.......from the water's edge she hears the melodic voice that tells her that all will be well in time........that she must walk on with her sword at her side and her head held high.......to focus on the beauty before her.......the glowing moon and the sparkling stars....and they will guide her to the reality of her long-held dreams........and the demon shall be left behind in her own misery........one that the Dark One cannot rescue her from.....one of the demon's own making..........and one that the Dark One must forget forever more........

The rain slashes down upon the Dark One......

.....and her armor gleams wet as she hears the bitter words of the most evil of the demons that have taken so much of her life from her upon this earth……after so long and he still lurks upon the edges of her world…..hoping to tear her into pieces but he cannot…….she is stronger than he and always has been…..a green glow emanates from his very soul, evil as it is and full of true and bidden darkness…..his heart one full of unrequited anger at himself…..for he fears the Dark One as her love protects her from his black intentions…..he knows he must run as he always has…..for he has tried to take her happiness and joy again even for one day….but she prevails despite his lashing words…..and the Dark One knows he cannot ever take what she holds most dear…..her love of the pirates and angels that have come into her life…….the ones who truly know her heart, her soul…….the ones who believe in her……the ones who have true hearts borne of love…..not evil…..not evil as the coward that sits upon the edges of the forest…..she raises her dagger to the sky and the stars swirl and the wind comes up and he runs into the forest once again knowing he has no chance at survival if he attacks again….so he escapes to the black hole of loathing that engulfs his soul…..the place where he shall live for the rest of his days…….the Dark One places her silver dagger within its hilt and walks onward over the brick pathway to her seat near the harbor and watches as the ship comes upon the horizon…….and knows he is here……the one she loves…..the one she has been waiting for……he is on his way…….and she will be waiting………

So long it has been.............

….so long it has been since the Dark One has appeared upon the pathway with her silver sword in its hilt covered in shimmering stars and her body gloved in dark armor…….but here….now…..she walks even though she feels pain of heart, soul and body……..nothing will stop her……not even the demons who watch her from the edges of the dark forest not far away……her heart breaks for the thousandth time with thoughts of the one who has instilled great strength within her mind and heart who could at any moment leave her…......alone in this world yet again……..her mind shifts to the evil ones who hope to take from her all that she loves and she vows within her heart to fight to the end no matter.....for no one will take her hope.......her dreams.........her life...........no one........and she walks onward with her hand on the hilt of her sacred sword of light............

Lights shine in the darkness.......

........as the Dark One stands on the brick path........before her is the brilliance of hope.......lights upon the tree that touch the sky glow and she feels happiness within her heart for one moment........a moment that longs for so much more........and she thinks of the ones who have come into her life and given her the strength to survive even for just one more hour......or day........and she longs for new love and light........

Silence.........

.........in the darkness.......which path to take........she hears no answers.........but waits again and again......hoping......but for what........more darkness..........where is the light.........the Dark One screams within for the light.........

……..the Dark One feels as though time has taken itself from her……that there is no time left….

….how shall she continue to protect her sacred harbor…..who will continue the constant vigil over her magical place if she must leave once again……forever……her mind races not knowing her path……or where she belongs……her heart says she belongs in her place of peace but her mind takes over and in that moment she feels so much pain……her heart breaks for the thousandth time…….she has fought battles beyond what she thought imaginable…..and survived beasts and demons that she never knew existed……but for what……..still, she stands alone hoping for something…….for someone…….to care for her as she is…….not perfect……but as the loving heart and soul……her heart beats with memories hoping for them to remain forever within her…….and her thoughts wander to that pirate with the sparkling eyes who captured her heart when she first came to this perfect place…..her sadness this night envelopes her in its cloak of darkness and light…..for always they are one…….the Dark One remembers and hopes for all to come together as it is meant…….this night…..and always………

……..as the beasts move against the edge of the forest she feels more demons move toward her trying to sway her path……

……one very loud demon who thinks only of her own self…….and others who push her from her given place…….but she draws her sword and lashes out as they attempt to prey upon her territory………the large demon’s mouth large enough to swallow a king cobra………and the others, just fiends passing through with no care but to their coffers of gold coins made from the unwitting eyes of people blind to their offerings……….”Be Gone”, she says…………and they close their arms closer around their takings and turn……riding off on their sad, neglected ponies……and yet, still, there is the loud demon to deal with………the Dark One draws from her power and a lightning bolt erupts from her sword and the loud Demon cowers at her feet……”Go, before I take your head! Leave this place and do not ever return! You are not welcome here and if you do not go at my bequest, the others shall rip you to pieces…..”……..the loud demon scurries away in the woods and is gone……the Dark One returns her sword to its gilded hilt with stars sparkling on her belt…….she hopes for peace and no more demons but knows that they shall appear as time passes….and she will be ready with heart, soul and love to conquer them……..whatever it shall take to protect her place of peace…………..

Freedom…..it is what she feels as she sits and gazes at the lights dancing upon the soft waves before her…..

........music drifts across the water and she breathes in the serenity and the sweet, warm air....for she is free of the demons...sleep comes to her now without fight...and words swim within her mind waiting for her to unleash them upon paper for all to know....for her dreams will be born and live to be shared with those who choose to be at her side...the search for love no longer holds her prisoner....she knows within her heart that if it is meant...it will happen in its own time...but for now she can be at peace with her own self...yet silently aware of the beasts that may exist upon the fringe of the forest....and is ready to prove herself....to anyone who challenges her...for she will not let her place of peace be preyed upon by the demons of the past that have stalked her for so long.....nor the demons that have existed in her life as she searched for love.....no more....she is a woman in love with life.....and that love within her heart shall bring to her more than she can imagine at this moment....for even now there is hope....if she continues on her path...one so long in coming but one that will be what she has always wished for.........

The final call has gone out and the Dark One waits………

……she stands strong against the demon who has entered her kingdom for what will be its last time…..the Dark One draws her dagger from its hilt and holds it within her hand….ready to take the head from the scourge that has so ravaged her heart….a heart that bears only love…..but this demon must fall and be scattered to the winds……or peace cannot reign……….the dark haired demon with skin of leather moves toward the Dark One with words of hate……..and the Dark One holds the tip of her sword to its neck…….ready to spill its yellow blood upon the ground……for she shall rid her land of this demon scourge if it is the last thing she does in this place she loves with her entire being……..the viper snarls and lashes out with her hands and the Dark One lunges her sword into its neck…..lashing……the demon’s head stares at her from the ground as its body falls at her feet……its eyes stone cold as the pavers beneath…...yellow blood spilling……with no soul within…….a demon life taken to protect the goodness that still exists within the kingdom of the Dark One……and the nightmare is over and done and gone and buried……for all time….the demon is dead…….the Dark One lives on……….and she shall protect her kingdom from all that step upon its grounds with thoughts only of themselves…..they shall be blocked from her sanctuary or their blood shall be spilled and taken by the winds……away…….away………the Dark One rests and breathes in the pure air and wonders when the battle shall be at its end……..when she shall be able to rest without threat of demons…..will it ever be she wonders…….she has grown tired…..and wishes for respite……and hopes for love to come to her soon……so that she will no longer have to fight the battles alone…..she wishes for someone to be at her side……someone as strong as she……..someone who loves her as she is………the Dark One…….the one with a heart filled with love to give and protect…….in the glistening waters of her beloved lake her dagger is freed from demon blood……she returns it to its hilt at her waist……the hilt sparkles in the moonlight as the moon glows among the stars……and she sits upon the marble bench and hopes…….

The Dark One is spent from a day of battle…..

……her face is wet with fallen tears as she stands staring at the glowing moon above…..the evil demon upon her this day has ripped at her very soul……she wonders how this kind can even exist within the world….but knows far too well the darkness that exists……even now it claws at the edges of her sacred space……her sanctuary………peace is threatened more than ever……..but, now, this battle will tell all……..she will not leave…….she will conquer and rule……this demon shall be destroyed and thrown out of her kingdom……it will happen….and she begins to form a plan within her heart to protect all that she loves…..and soon all shall be as she wishes it to be for the good of all…….the final call has gone out…….this demon scourge shall be rendered speechless and be thrown to the wind……the wind shall bring to the Dark One peace once and for all…….and her heart shall heal and peace shall be hers……always and ever more……

Yet the demons of the past again prey upon her hope…..

……. leaving her with little air to breathe….and the demons of the present hit her again and again….all that she has left is hope for the future…..if there is one for her………her past keeps haunting her……the moonlight is again hidden behind clouds so thin…..yet so dense and thick they prevent her from seeing the light she yearns for with all her heart…....it is too dark to walk within the shadows any longer……somehow she must break free of the darkness……..but how she wonders……..everything seems so bleak………peace seems beyond her reach at this moment…….so many demons to slay……..they never cease to appear…….as she sits motionless with tears in her eyes she hears yet another demon beyond the harbor’s edge…….this one shall not get away…….she moves with lithe speed freeing her dagger from its resting place and stands ready……the demon lunges but she drives her dagger into its heart……taking the life of yet another evil vampire that has drained her of life too many times……...it cannot happen again……she must hold on to hope and believe……for there are good vampires out there too…..just as hope exists somewhere within her heart…….it beats erratically within her convoluted by despair and loneliness……..the power of her love struggles to overcome………..

The Dark One breathes in the pure air of freedom……

……she walks upon the engraved walkway once again and forever…….turning, she stands and sees the glow of the full moon moving upward towards the night sky and she gasps with awe and smiles……sitting on the bridge she admires the beauty and serenity that surrounds her…..as happiness fills her with hope……the Dark One feels faith in herself that she will ever walk within her harbor of peace…..and knows it to be truth….within her heart that beats steadily…….just as she is sure of her place and of who she is……more than she ever knew or could have imagined…..love will be her guide in everything……as she imagines, feels, receives…..and more than anything…….the love that she gives……..will bring to her all that she desires……

The Dark One is spent from long hours of dueling with the demons that lurk in the shadows and attack her time after time without resolve…

….she sits and breathes in the cool night air, breathing to give life to her own heart……she has fought too hard for one day and needs the peace of her beloved harbor…..she aches with sorrow at the lies and delusion that the demons throw at her over and over…….knowing that she must hold on to hope and move to a life without such things within…..her only hope…….she holds on knowing they will come soon…….and she will be free to live again……a new start…….a new chance…and she must make it work……..and she will…with love and hope…….for she will not return to the lair of the past ever again……….

As the Dark One steps upon the path that leads to the gazebo on the hill, her heart beats…..

….as if it is telling her to be still and listen to the power that exists within her…..to the love that is still there buried deeply beyond the scars of the past......for it is love that will bring to her all that she wants…….light shines like a beacon from the full moon as it rises high…….a cloudless sky……..stars sparkling as if they are the orchestra performing a brilliant aria conducted by the universe……hope rises within her and she feels it as she has not felt it for so long…..stronger……with more belief that she will surmount the demons that lurk on the edges of her mind……in the darkness……the moon rises full above the lake shadowing the water with a brilliant pathway of light to the other side of existence……where she has longed to be for so long…..an existence filled with light, hope and love……no despair…….no demons……..only love……so that she may have the life she has dreamed of for so long……and she knows it will be…….

A ray of light so pure streams down and casts a shadow on the pavered walkway of the Dark One herself.....

….and she gazes downward at the armored profile wondering…wanting…..wishing….hoping for another shadow to join her among the bricks engraved with memories of day’s past……..someone new, someone with a heart that feels her own……a man or immortal who will feel as she does about her beloved harbor and will walk with her……..not against her…….as so many have…….someone of truth……..not one who holds back……..but one that gives all in passion of thought, feeling and belief……..not like the others who surround her who ignore the reality of existence……..what good can a life without truth be…..the Dark One knows it is nothing that she desires……her strongest desire is that of knowing truth from lie……..and to walk with someone who knows the same……who believes the same……but where is he……..hidden from her eyes for this time……but he shall appear from the shadows when her heart is free…….when that day comes is a mystery to her……..one she feels ripping at her very soul…..she desires light more than anything within her heart to free her from the sadness that has taken joy from her on far too many star-filled nights…….her only peace that of the glowing moon………but, soon, the Harvest Moon will be upon her and she hopes with her entire being that it will be on that night that love fills her heart more than ever………..forever………

Ever as she wanders, the Dark One seeks the light within….

….yet the demons that lurk by day continue to rip at her heart and soul……their intent is to bury it beyond her grasp…..each time the Dark One reaches out for hope she is forced backward toward the cliff’s edge where darkness seeks to take her last breath for its own….she holds on for one more day with strength of will……..fighting against the evil that threatens to take control……within herself she fights against the ghosts that threaten to throw her from her chosen path……one given to her by fate……a fate that has long eluded her…….a fate that she holds close to her heart…….hoping, seeking, wishing for what she has waited for so long to know……to feel…….to live another day…….to have love and music and laughter invade her life once again to stay with her until the end……………

As the heat of the sun warms her, the Dark One sits overlooking her beloved harbor gazing at the bluest of waters…….and her mind wanders….

….she seeks within her heart a way to move forward to new light and new hope……..at once she sees the musical one make his presence known within the harbor and her peace is taken from her……but an illusion is what she needs at this moment to be free of her thoughts if even for a short time…….he moves with the crowds among the seekers of fame……with words for all……the Dark One sits studying the scene before her and wondering……..wishing………hoping…….for a life that holds within it magic, music and peace….things she has fought for so long to have…….when shall they come to her……will they ever come…….thoughts race within her mind…..she remembers the first who brought her childhood dreams to life…….then Blackbeard who showed her places and brought music to her heart…..and then the Angel with Wings who brought laughter and fun, if even for a short time….so few……so rare……..how can there be anyone else she wonders…..someone who can bring all to her…….a childlike view of life, beautiful music and laughter………where is he……within her heart she hopes for such a Prince or Pirate or Immortal who will bring a smile to her face once again and breathe life and love back into her heart….one who will make her believe again that all is possible…..she must find just a glimmer of belief within her soul….within her heart……and, perhaps, he will appear…..one who she can give her love to……one she can share her life with…...she wonders if he does exist……..

As the Dark One sits upon the carved stone near the water’s edge, she remembers the love she once had, yet lost for so long….

….and, yet, never can be ever again but she feels the warmth of love from moments past that lit within her heart a love that shall forever be with her…..for her lost Prince shall always be a part of her heart and of her soul even though he is gone…..gratitude fills her heart for the time that they once had as they played within their castle in the magical field surrounded by a forest, dreaming of the life they would have forever…….wildlife played upon the grasses nearby and beneath a winter moon star-lit eyes shone above the snowy field……that of a stag and its mate watching them……as the Dark One and her Prince of Scots gazed upon their beauty…..magic filled the air……yet, one day, it was gone and sadness ruled over the Kingdom…..leaving the Dark One in deep despair at the loss of her Prince as she sat looking out at the heart shaped pond from her tower windows……the one who held her heart….her whole life…..in his hands……he chose to take another path away, far away from their love and in that moment a great love was lost…..forever……..as the Dark One searched her heart she found her way with tears and sadness……sadness so deep that it broke her heart so deeply that no one could enter…..she wondered if ever anyone could ever touch her heart again……..and her journey began to the place where magic filled her heart…..her beloved harbor……the place where she felt she belonged more than ever she had felt before…….

Out of her memories, a duck appears as she sits on the stones……..and tears fall down upon the ground beneath her remembering the loss but feeling love in her heart for what once she had…..and knowing that it will always be with her until the end of time…….rising from her seat she holds the silver ring within her palm feeling the heat of the love that once existed…..within its band the words “all I refuse and thee I chuse”………with strength, she throws it into the water far beyond vowing to give her love to this place forever……knowing that what once held her heart can no longer be but that she can carry the love within her…...as their love shall always exist in life and in death…….

The scent of darkness is in the air, overcoming the gardens nearby as the Dark One walks upon the pavered walk……….

….yet even as the Dark One’s light shines brightest, the serpent that is darkness slithers at the edges of her reality hoping to strike at the very heart of her soul…..trying to bring her down to the level of its underworld existence….but she must fight against it and its mate until it is not a threat to her happiness any longer…..it is a battle of wills……darkness against light…..over and over………never ending………but she will overcome it with strength, courage and valor……..as the serpent has none of these to fight with…….its only weapons are that of ill will and underhanded ways……and they cannot overcome her no matter that her heart is bleeding with sadness for loss once again……the loss of a thousand nights knowing that one of her own blood is borne of hell and has refused redemption……she cannot save the serpent…….the serpent has chosen its own path of shadowed light…....shadows of guilt covered with lies and deceit………light beams down upon it and it hisses wildly burning in the heat…….but no one cares to hear its blackness…….and the Dark One is upon it wielding her Sword of Truth…..striking it down for the last time and not looking back……..moving forward to a life without the darkness of the serpent’s will……the serpent whose given name denotes that of a rose covered in thorns is banished forever from her life and cannot hurt her ever more……….the Dark One stands upon the hill where the gazebo rises toward the sky……..the sun sets and the moon rises and the stars appear……..gazing upon them she stands strong with her sword at her side…….slowly, she raises it toward the sky and vows that no one shall ever take from her ever again that which is most precious…….her happiness and her light……..forever they shall remain within her as she guards her magical harbor once again…………