The Ballad of Praeteritia
Long long ago,
And Far Far hence,
There was a cursed island– forever lost in time
Its origins shrouded in mystery
Lying somewhere in the dark ferocious sea,
Nestled in the depths of anonymity.
Hidden away deep in the pockets of time and space,
Not even a single map in existence had contained its trace.
For time had forever stopped over here –
No living man or woman had aged even a year
The wind blew differently, and storms which ravaged the sea
Were all deathly silent, and the rains always poured quietly
The sun never set on this land, yet it was cloaked in gloom
For that one fateful night – no citizen had anticipated their doom
It happened on a cold winter’s night
When not a trace of evil was in sight
And the heir to the throne was born.
But the evil yet trusted minister, full of scorn
had already made plans to become the successor.
The beloved King and Queen were oblivious as ever-
Till the minister drew his sword, and in one sharp blow
Ended the king’s life, gave orders to kill the prince in the snow
The Queen, distraught and despaired was banished to the cellar
As the new king assumed the throne, much to the subjects’ horror.
On the same night, an innocent citizen, a humble dweller
Came knocking at the new king’s door, begging him to consider
His ailing son’s case – who was sure to die otherwise
If the King wouldn’t help the poor man by paying a negligible size
“Away, you fool! Stop wasting my time, I have no time to fend for the weak
Grow money on a tree, or let the bastard die, his chances of surviving are anyway bleak”
As the man’s cries fell on deaf ears, he had sworn to teach him a lesson
By cursing not just the king, but the entire island in his aggression
The name of the curse: “Aevum Proprius Perdita” fittingly translated
To “Permanently Lost in Time” – as was the town, now ill-fated
“Thy land shall never know any growth or prosperity, thou errant, decayed whey-face!
The curse shalt not break till thee die, and a deserving king doth take thy place”
Thus, the island remained, sinking lower in obscurity – as miseries unfurled
An “Ultima Thule” – lying beyond the boundaries of the known world
Having no knowledge of the outside world, the island was now renamed and resurrected
To “Praeteritia” – the one that passed by, disregarded, forever neglected.
Outside in the snow, the king’s servant didn’t have the heart
To kill the innocent little prince, who was destined to thwart
The evil king – as foretold at his birth, the prince would change the fate of the town
Only if he somehow survived right now, in order to reclaim his crown.
But for now, dangers lay outside so the servant thought it was best
To leave the cursed town, sail somewhere far far away and rebuild a nest
Where he would raise the little boy, to a fine young man
And that’s how it happened-the prince lived well, grew up to be a fine fisherman
But little did he know, his fate was still attached to that cursed night
As the birthmark on his forehead gleamed in the sunlight,
So did the chain hanging around his neck, carrying the royal crest
If he held onto it for long enough, it would prove to be the Queen’s test
For in the whole town, only she knew what these two meant
And the hopes of identifying their new king – rested on the delirious Queen’s bent
So, fate struck its chords, pulled its strings and orchestrated their reunion
In the form of a frightening storm – impossible to survive for any other human
Except for our prince – who was carried by the waves to the shore, unconscious
The islanders, terrified beyond their wits to discover another human, still conscious
Dizzy and confused, our prince woke up to a strange land beyond his imagination
Everything from the way they dressed to talked – seemed as if from another generation
The quaint old town was a unique sight to behold – like a frame paused in time
But all the citizens’ faces gloomy and petrified, as if someone had committed a crime
No sooner than the evil king find out about his new visitor
Was our prince thrown into the cellar, finally reunited with his mother
The haggard old lady didn’t fail to recognize her son, she was no longer alone
She explained everything to him, showing him a similar chain of her own
Supported by a few loyal men serving the previous king
The mother-son duo made a plan to regain everything
They successfully killed and dethroned the king – bringing an end
To his life and cruel regime, the town’s growth finally started to ascend
It was an end of a long, dark era -the curse was lifted, and so were the people’s spirits
Under the new regime the town made remarkable progress, reaped plenty of benefits
The island became the most developed and richest country in just a matter of time
Now everyone migrated and wanted to settle there, to live a life so sublime
The town was no longer called “Praeteritia” – but “everlasting good fortune” or “Aeva Felixia”
More commonly identified today as Île Verte off the coast of Southern France, or The French Riviera.