Shandamaire

Beyond the dark t’ward light of day There is a land far, far away This place is known as Shandamaire A little castle’s nestled there Around this castle dark and tall There is a garden still and small The flowers there no longer bloom Within their little garden room But it was not so long ago That you could see the flowers grow The blossoms there were bold and bright While welcoming the morning light T’was then a princess young and fair Strolled the grounds of Shandamaire All of the birds and creatures small Would answer to her lilting call The princess loved her favorite toys A dancing doll that brought her joys With a button where one eye had been And a sturdy soldier made of tin The kingdom loved the charming lass With hair of gold and skin like glass And everything was perfect there In the lovely land of Shandamaire Then came an evil prince one day To steal the princess’s land away At first he tried to win her heart But with her land she would not part He decided then to make her leave So as the kingdom knelt to grieve He’d take it for his very own And seat himself upon its throne He chased the girl with golden hair Through hallways in the castle there Out to the garden she did flee And begged the prince to let her be The soldier and the dancing doll Heard their tiny princess call And hurried to the garden path To stop the evil prince’s wrath Next to the garden’s old stone wall The princess saw the dancing doll But the doll and soldier were too late To save her from her awful fate The evil prince gave her a shove And rocks fell down from up above The sturdy soldier made of tin Kept the wall from falling in But while he held the wall in place A smile came to the prince’s face He took the girl with golden hair And left the land of Shandamaire And now within the garden small A rusting soldier holds a wall Through winter snow and summer rains Sturdy and stout he still remains And high atop that garden wall Are the remnants of a dancing doll Its face you see is never dry As tears fall from its button eye Eternally they stand and wait For their princess by the garden gate And if you look they still are there In the far off land of Shandamaire