Part 4 of a 6-Part Series by

~“Ah, Rhoye of Khetaine!” said he. “In arts of iron and steel you are the unequalled master, the man of swords. But here we have an affair of the heart. Such is the province of a poet, a man of words.”~

This must be the shortest and most light-hearted tale from the Wandered Lands we’ve read so far. Forget the epic battles, fight scenes, or dramatic events; this time we visit the world of romance and poetry, thus you can already guess our favorite bard Astropho is once again at the center of the action.

PLOT

As our two companions Rohye and Astropho are sitting at a tavern of a fishing town they’re passing through, a young fella approaches Astropho seeking his aid in a matter of the heart. He explains that he wants to master Astropho’s poetic skills to gain the heart of the girl he is in love with but that unfortunately has been set up to marry another man by consent from her father.

Without giving any spoilers, Astropho has another plan to bring together the young man and his beloved…But not through poetry!

POEMS

Every chapter here begins with a song/poem by Astropho. These are love poems that some might want to read while others will prefer to skip over. They really don’t aid the plot or are by no means indispensable to further enlighten us on the unfolding events. They’re just a nice bonus, no more no less.

CONCLUSION

As this was a very short tale, so is its review.

It seems like the author here wanted to explore a more laid back, humorous setting. Astropho is our MC while Rohye is just happy to sip on his drink and smirk at his friend’s schemes to help two young lovers be united.

This is a somewhat drastic departure from what we’ve been used to, but even warriors sometimes need to take a step back and enjoy a drink…or two!