The Star of Untandake

(This original narrative poem is set on a fictional continent near the South Pole called Untandake (pronounced "oon-tahn-DA-kay"). Read on to experience an adventure full of danger and romance; and perhaps a lesson or two about justice and mercy. Now available in a beautifully illustrated paperback!)

Chapter 1 – King Karake’s Quest

In the vale of Untandake

Where the winter waters flow,

And the sunlight simmers softly

Fanning fires in the snow;

There the lord of southern snowfalls,

The proud power of the peaks,

The great king, Karas Karake

Called his Court of Sunless Weeks.

"Hail, brave boreals!" He bellowed

Through his flaming feasting hall,

"Who will dare the Devil’s darkness

To gain glory for us all?"

"All my sages and my scholars

Have since seen a falling star

Soaring southward to the tundra,

Where the shifting shadows are."

"Now this challenge I here purpose

And this contest I propose:

That the crown of Untandake

Shall be found beyond the snows."

“Find the star that fell from heaven

Into Satan's darkened den.

Bring it here into my fortress

And with mighty herald then,”

“Crown and throne I’ll transfer freely,

And my scepter shall be yours;

And the keys to my great treasuries

shall unlock their hidden doors.”

“You my sword shall wear with honor

And my daughter you shall wed.

Like the stars will be your household;

Like the sun will be your head.”

Then great king Karas Karake

Silent stopped, serene and grave,

And the cries of his proud people

Echoed mighty through his cave.

What a din of swords and armor!

What a rush of fur and feet!

Every gallant man for glory

And the kingdom would compete.

Yet the youngest of these fighters,

Called least noble of these knights

(For his arm was yet untested,

And of stature he was slight)–

Last to leave was Sendo Sarge

Son of Sen Sarge the Bold

(Shieldbearer to Karake

In the frozen wars of old).

This Sendo had no strength of arms,

No battle prowess wise.

He could boast no deeds but failure,

Yet one hope still held his eyes.

Karavel, Karake's daughter,

Whose name means "Karake’s gift,"

Crowned with locks like snow in sunrise,

Her form soft as windblown drift–

Karavel, the polar princess

Born in summer’s midnight sun–

She was Sendo’s sole desire

(In his mind, already won).

She herself was somewhat anxious

at her father's changeless vow.

Though she sought to feign indifference,

She was greatly troubled now.

“Why should I be made a bounty?”

Wondered she, amidst the noise,

While enthroned next to her father,

Holding still with stately poise.

So as Sendo joined the thronging

Of men marching off to quest,

Karavel felt silent sadness

That her lovers never guessed.

Chapter 2 – A Right Wrong Turn

Through the endless azure morning,

All the soldiers southward wound;

Through the forests and valleys

Each his own path forged and found.

Through the endless azure morning,

Rimmed with red that never rose,

With the dying sun beneath them

Every champion his route chose.

Some away’d across the lakelands

Over ice fast firm till spring;

Some sought shortcuts through the mountains

Where the frost and wind would sting.

As for Sendo, he chose meekly–

Picked a path through hamlets near:

A road running to the tundra,

But of danger mostly clear.

For young Sendo was less valiant

Than his lips were wont to boast.

Now he called himself a coward–

Feared he lacked what wanted most.

“Ah, those noble knights that passed me

Choose the swifter, steeper ways!

This path southward runs but roundly;

I won’t reach the star for days.”

So he gripped his gear and quickened,

Through the cottage fields and farms.

He resolved to run with courage–

Hasten boldly to his harms.

In such state he came to crossroads

And there saw a sorry sight–

Saw a boy beside a reindeer,

And the boy was faint with fright.

At the crossroads, far from village,

With the twilight all around,

With no sight but desolation

And with wind the only sound,

There the boy saw Sendo marching–

Cried out “Sir! For God’s sake stop!

I have hurt my only reindeer

And my load he’s left to drop.”

“I have brothers who await me

To return in haste with bread.

Yet I cannot carry all now,

And tonight we’ll not be fed.”

Now young Sendo was not heartless;

He was moved, as men should be.

Yet his quest commanded hurry,

And he feared that time would flee.

Almost he left the bundles–

Strode right past the anxious youth.

He had stepped around the reindeer

When to conscience came this truth:

“What if Karavel were troubled?

What if she a burden bore?

Would you carry for your princess,

See her home to happy door?”

“What if Karavel were hungry?

What if she had need of bread?

You would sooner loose your fingers

Than forget that she be fed!”

Then young Sendo, son of Sarge,

Yes, of Sen Sarge the Bold,

To his everlasting credit

Heard what heart and heaven told:

Turned and gathered up the bread bags

Added bundles to his own–

Searched the trodden snow about him

For the sacks the deer had thrown.

Not a loaf was left unlifted;

Sendo shouldered all weight well.

Lightened boy and reindeer led him

Grateful more than words could tell.

Long they traveled o’er the snowdrifts,

Full five miles westward went,

Ere they reached the boy’s small village

Where the trio rested, spent.

It was night, but ever sunset,

Endless hour of nether blue,

When the reindeer reached his stable

And the boy his home came to.

There was bread with praise unladen–

There to stay was Sendo bade

By the elder brothers worried

For the young one long delayed.

Chapter 3 – Out of and Into the Way

Though the brothers could not pay him,

Rich with thanks did Sendo start,

In the morning never changing,

His route backwards then to chart.

Doubt and duty wrestled in him–

Swirled like snowflakes in his mind.

He had a done a deed of mercy

But was bitterly behind.

Fallen star, so bright, so brilliant

Which all Untandake sought,

Fallen star, the key to glory

(Maybe more, as Sendo thought!)–

Had he failed to find this treasure? 

Was the prize already won?

Did some brave of King Karake

Hold that fragment of the sun?

And if so, what good was mercy?

For great kindness, what returned?

Thus with heavy heart he hurried

To the cross where he first turned. 

Pale the polar night around him,

Deep in cold the cobalt skies,

When young Sendo scurried southward

Yearning yet to hold his prize.

On and on the pathway plodded

Through steep hills and scattered trees,

While above, a faint aurora 

Waved within celestial seas.

Now the way began to widen;

Frozen forests came in view–

These last guards before the tundra

Where but dwelt a hardy few.

And he saw, before the woodlands, 

A small cottage, northward turned,

And without, a woman bundled,

Gathering sticks soon to be burned.

Old she was, but stubborn

Like the moss upon rude stone:

Never more or less than haggard

After ice and storm have blown.

“Hail, brave solider!” said the woman

Catching sight of Sendo’s sword.

“What crusades await contending?

What adventures ride you toward?”

“Come and tell, and share my supper,

Small and thin though it may be.

Long it’s been since I’ve seen strangers;

Long I’ve lacked all company.”

This she said, with softer measure

As a soul who jests in pain–

One whose life has longed for sunlight

Underneath a frozen rain.

Once more Sendo, mad for mission,

Would have walked ahead straightway–

Would have thanked but passed the woman

And had nothing else to say.

And once more, as he went walking,

Came that straightening so divine,

That sheer rod that guides and chastens–

Level measure of man’s spine.

Conscience caught him, held him firmly

Though he fought and struggled hard:

Vainly protested most fiercely

That he’d not detour one yard.

“What if Karavel were lonely?”

Came the voice he could not quell.

“Would you leave her in this wasteland?

Wave and nod a curt farewell?”

“What if Karavel were friendless?

What if she had sorrows sore?

You would swear that care and comfort

Were what God had made you for.”

So he took the woman’s offer;

Came within, her hearth to share;

Helped her make a meager dinner–

From his own food added fare.

How this old and weathered woman

Seemed to shine that winter day!

As they supped before her fire,

Her cares melted all away.

She told Sendo many stories

Of days distant, far adrift,

And from Sendo heard his hoping

To receive Karake’s gift.

At this tale, the woman waited–

Seemed to have some news to say–

Then, her hesitation broken,

She addressed him in this way:

“I have seen the star you’re seeking–

seen it fall from heaven’s sphere.

I can tell you where to find it

If you falter not for fear.”

“In the forest deep, behind me

In the rimey glades and dells,

I have seen a secret fire

Which of weighty portent tells.”

“Yet those woods are dark with danger

And with evil spirits fell;

In the sunless night I hear them:

Legions loosed from frozen hell.”

As if called, a wind came whistling

Down the chimney to the floor,

While outside, a phantom whisper

Seemed to stalk beneath the door.

Then was Sendo sore astonished,

And he trembled first for fear.

But he mastered his mind quickly–

Thanked the woman, cavalier.

Chapter 4 – Starlit Darkness

A new day, if it be called that,

Did not dawn, but gave its glow.

Sendo hefted then his sword hilt

And surveyed the shadowed snow–

Kindly thanked the cottage woman,

Turned and took a nearby trail,

One that went deep into darkness,

Full of peril should he fail. 

One last glance the woman gave him,

And her face showed subtle fear:

Revelation now regretted–

For she now held Sendo dear.

But young Sendo had some courage,

And desire, more than much.

Greater men than he had prospered

With good character as such.

Under pointed pines he ventured

Through the thickets close and dim,

Step and snow the only sounding 

In the silence shrouding him.

Fallen trees made rootbound towers

And deep hollows filled with ice.

Fatal words were in that wreckage–

Claims that courage had its price.

Deeper grew the gloomy twilight

In each frozen forest bough;

Tighter Sendo held his weapon

In a hand that sweated now. 

All at once, in endless walking

Through the forest all the same,

Sendo noticed something novel;

Through the gloom, a glimmer came.

Far and faint in curious clearing,

Something gleamed with gold and blue;

In the soft and pale surroundings

Shown a supernatural hue.

All his fears were fast forgotten;

Sendo rushed to reach the place–

Crashed through branch and billowed snowdrift–

To celestial sign made haste.

To the clearing’s edge he clambered,

Sudden stopped, and stared amazed.

There, in hidden hollow shining

Was the star the king had praised.

Yes, the star of Untandake:

A great stone of flaming frost.

Blue it blazed like uncut gemstone;

Gold it gleamed like sunlight lost.

Sendo reached to touch in reverence,

Took the star up with his hand, 

While it flared and flickered softly–

Made his sword a crystal brand.

But before Sendo could triumph 

Or exult in fortune found,

The faint whispers of his wonder

Were cut short by baleful sound.

Sharp and sudden round the clearing

Rose a din of dreadful howls.

In the shadows of the forest–

Amber eyes and gruesome growls. 

If then Sendo had been slower,

He’d have stained the snow all red,

For the wolves were at his elbows 

When he dove and rolled ahead.

In the hollow of a root ball

By some tumbled, ancient trees,

Sendo scrambled into cover–

Found a narrow space to breathe.

Though the wolves came thick and snapping,

Sendo blocked with starlit blade,

Hewing frantic blows like lightning

In the terror of the raid.

Sendo’s sword arm slew a dozen–

Clogged the woody gap with gore;

Yet the howls without grew louder

And incensed the demons more.

With a roar, one deadly alpha

Shoved his head and body through–

Came near nose to nose with Sendo,

Frenzied muzzle clamping to.

Something murderous and evil

Raged within those feral eyes–

Something far beyond mere hunger

In the foaming fangs and cries.

Sendo screamed for frightened panic,

Yet his sword came flying down

By the light of star still shining–

Cracked the alpha through his crown.

All at once, a sudden stillness 

Hushed the bloodstained snowy glade;

With the wolf chieftain defeated,

All his subjects feared the blade.

Quick as swirling leaves in autumn,

Or as candles snuffed to smoke,

Each wolf faded back to forest:

Spite dispelled by fatal stroke.

And the silence then resounded 

Like the silence in a dream,

Leaving Sendo white and wary

In the star’s untroubled gleam.

Chapter 5 – The Final Trial

Slowly Sendo, full of caution,

Peered outside his wooded cave,

With his heart a drumbeat sounding

Midst the silent, grisley grave.

In his fright he’d lost his bearings,

Yet a tangled trail was near,

Running eastward (as he judged it)

Which could lead to highway clear.

With all haste, he took his treasure,

Shining star so dearly bought,

Wound with speed all through the woodlands–

Too astonished now for thought.

Yet he reached the wood’s edge safely,

And the deadly danger passed;

Almost staggered into twilight

And beheld the tundra vast.

There beneath the vault of heaven,

Sendo laughed and shouted cheers–

Held his star aloft, triumphant;

Offered prayers and happy tears.

Yet amidst this exultation

At the peak of his delight,

One last trial came to Sendo

Which almost undid him quite.

Tackle, tumble, sudden impact–

Someone knocked him from his feet–

Sent the star skidding beside him

Over snow and icy sheet.

Unknown figure, cloaked in cowl,

Wrapped with rags on face and hand,

Stumbled, scrambled for the gemstone

Over shimmering crystal sand.

But still Sendo was the swifter

And his footing fast regained–

Made mad dashing for the stranger

And his prize so freshly gained.

Trip and tumble in the snowdrift!

Grip and grapple on the ice!

But soon Sendo had his foe felled,

In his arms locked like a vise.

“Noble knight, have mercy on me!”

Cried the stranger on the ground.

At which Sendo, shocked, released her–

So pathetic was her sound.

She indeed seemed but a beggar girl,

Not foe or hateful thief,

And as Sendo picked his star up

She began to cry for grief.

“O sir please, have you some pity

For a slave or thieving thrall?

I am captive to cruel masters

Who have bought me, life and all.”

“I had hoped to buy my freedom;

For my ransom stole your star;

Hoped my liberty to purchase

With this treasure from afar.”

Thus she sorrowed all disordered,

But still Sendo looked on grim.

There were many poor and bonded;

What was one more wretch to him?

Had he not dared deadly forest?

Fangs of wolves broke with his blade?

He had won the star, and with it

All reward and accolade.

But good Sendo, son of Sarge,

Yes, of Sen Sarge the Bold,

Found his heart too warm for winter,

For his eyes could not be cold.

He beheld the veiled girl weeping

Though he tried to look away.

Stubborn reasons rose within him,

Yet his heart would have its say:

“What if Karavel were captive?

What if she were sold enslaved?

You’d give riches to redeem her–

Any price her captors craved.”

“What if Karavel were weeping?

Faint for fear of vulgar men?

Many thousand stars you’d offer

To restore her peace again.”

Then did Sendo strive and struggle

And he quivered at the cost–

Saw what duty now demanded–

Almost wept for treasure lost.

Sendo kneeled and held the slave’s hand,

And her crying turned to calm,

Then with slow and painful motion

Put the star within her palm.

He released the jewel of heaven,

Closed her fingers round the stone,

And with thickened voice addressed her:

“This comes not from me alone.”

“Karavel, Karake’s daughter

Whom I hoped by this to win–

For her love, you have your freedom,

For to do aught else were sin.”

Then the captive stared at Sendo,

And the star illumed her tears–

Made her eyes like great auroras

Such have shown unnumbered years.

With a slowness still uncertain,

Hood and veil she drew aside,

And the daughter of Karake

Held to Sendo with heart wide.

Karavel, the polar princess

Born in summer’s midnight sun–

She was Sendo’s, soul entire,

For by mercy she was won.

Epilogue

Thus the star of Untandake

Was both given and received,

By a noble knight named Sendo

In a tale still scarce believed.

Thus did conscience’ call bring blessing,

And on humble heart place pride.

For the kingdom’s crown was Sendo’s;

Karavel his graceful bride.

And in after days, good Sendo,

Who grew wise as well as brave,

Had the star of Untandake

Laid upon Karake’s grave.

There it shines, through polar nightfalls

Ever blazing blue and gold.

Bright memorial to mercy–

Ever warm in winter’s cold.

Yes, the star of Untandake

Shines in every conscience clear;

By such light men learn that goodness

Gives away what it holds dear.