Sir Balthazar says:

I was commanded by my Patron, Baroness Jena Whitehart, to write an occasional piece for the new Princess of the Mists, Quentyn. Fine, who is She, I asked? What does She do? What does She like? I emailed around and got these snippets: She is not the new Prince Leohtulf's lady, He had promised Her five years ago to make Her a princess. She loves to fight. She loves Xena, SF, sushi, swimming (was Olympic class). She is a new mother. She is the webmistress of the barony of Darkwood. She has blue eyes and reddish blonde hair. Should be enough, right?

Undoubtedly, it was enough, for the following lovely poem is the result of that quest.

Pantoumimic Toast

for Princess Quentyn Siobhan O'Riordain

Through the Darkwood never ending
Where the sun has seldom kiss'd,
Sinuous beauty light is bending,
Comes the Lady of the Mist.

Where the sun has seldom kiss'd
Golden tresses, blue eyes shine.
Comes the Lady of the Mist -
Honeyed words and form divine.

Golden tresses, blue eyes shine,
Mistress of the webworked pages:
Honeyed words. The form Divine
Brings words fair-spoken through the ages.

Mistress of the webworked pages -
Skilled with pen and skilled with sword.
Ringing through the Middle Ages
Tales of squires who kept their word.

Skilled with pen, as skilled with sword -
Mother's hands. Her herald's voice
Tells of those who kept their word
To golden mermaid and rejoice.

Mother's hands! The herald's voice
Announces dinner: futomaki;
For our mermaid, we rejoice.
Pass the fugu, down the sake!

Announce the dinner Lords and Lackey,
Purpure Lady of the Mist.
We'll pass on fugu, drown in sake!
Day downs the night and brings us bliss

Purple mornings in the mist
Sinuous Sunlight, knees are bending
Lie we down here `till we're kissed.
Xena's daughter- never-ending -
Princess Quentyn of the Mist!

Balthazar of Endor
Bard to Baroness Jena Whitehart
Tarnmist, the Marches, West Kingdom

Thanks to Sir Balthazar for kindly allowing us permission to reprint his poem.