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Hear the beats of the hooves of a horse as it gallops on the worn paths
Traversing a continent vast
Connecting the homes of those who dwell alone
Shrinking the gap of connection until the name
“Hermit” isn’t quite the right word
Hear the swish of the twilight wind rustling through the rider’s dark hair
Messy locks held barely back by a red sash
A midnight cloak draped over his shoulders
Enveloping all of him in darkness
Except for his eyes
His eyes, they say, shine and have no comparison
Wide yet genuine, brilliant yet mysterious, like himself
Perhaps this is why women become adrift when he rides by
His eyes are the moon to their tides, drawing them in
Then pushing them away with the fading hoofbeats of his horse
He stays in no place for long, always courteous
Tipping generously with coins slightly scuffed
No one knows why until they find themselves kneeling on the side of the road
Emptying their purses with shaking hands into his satchel
Of course, they do not know that it is him, the hermitwayman
When in respectable situations, he is admired by many
Women catch a glimpse of his glorious eyes
And dream being lost in them forever
He is always polite in saying no to the courageous ones who ask him for a night alone
But he does not tell them why
For he has fallen for another, his perfect compliment
Luscious golden locks adorn his head, and scarlet eyes say what words cannot
He is the blazing sun to the hermitwayman’s moon
They circle about, occasionally meeting in bursts of fiery, glorious passion
Before oh so cruel time forces them to break apart once more
Sometimes he wonders what would happen if they stood hand in hand
And refused time, refused the way of the world
Gentle touches and slow kisses, not needing to remember every last moment
Drifting off to Neverland side by side and returning to the land of the living in each other’s embrace
One day, he says often, I will gather the courage to stay
Now, his lover is on his mind as he speeds up his horse in eager anticipation
The stone cottage lies ahead, bright light flickering out from the glass window
He cannot help but warmly smile at the sight
So close, yet so far from the one he loves
His cloak is wrapped a bit tighter as he shivers
Finally, finally he reaches the home, dismounting the majestic horse quickly
Leading the horse to a small stable and tying the lead as fast as he can into a knot
Eyes shimmering, stomach bursting with swarms of butterflies
He bounds up the cottage steps two at a time
Raps on the door “tu-tap, tu-tap, tap tap tap”
No response comes save muffled curses, and he frowns and pauses
Before flinging the door open and placing one foot inside
Gaze flickering about, finally landing on moving shadows in another room
He dashes to them, bursting into the bedroom
Two strange men gawk at him, but he does not see them
No, he sees another man, bound firmly with sturdy rope and tied to the bedpost
A red sash is tied even tighter around his mouth
He is bent forward on his knees, leaning on an object
The hermitwayman lifts his chest up with trembling hands
Crimson stains soak the man’s shirt and vest
Sticky pools of red surround the wooden floor beneath the man
The scent is undeniably metallic, unbearably so
A second later, the hermitwayman screams
The man is leaning on a sword embedded deep into his chest
Once golden locks are ruined by splatters of blood
Before this night, the hermitwayman did not kill
But now, he takes delight in planting his own sword into the hearts of the two men
One in red armor plates, one in dark knight’s armor
Now stained even more so with crimson
They were obviously guilty, already covered in his lover’s blood
Once their final breaths dissipate into the night air
The hermitwayman kneels down and weeps
Not for the cruel minions of time whom he has just slain
But for the beautiful sun whose light has gone dim
The butterflies of joyous reunion are replaced with the deep ache of unexplainable sorrow
The hermitwayman has no room in his heart for another
Forever cursed to mourn his fallen sun and wander
Life holds a spark of intrinsic joy no longer
There is no one to share his soul with
So he roams unanchored all over the land
Hear the beats of the hooves of a horse as it gallops on the worn paths
Yearn to catch a glance at the rider’s face
To see his once shining eyes now weary and dull
Time has struck his lover a sudden deathly blow
Yet the hermitwayman has been cruelly spared