From Hills Sunkissed

Where now the hills sunkissed? Where is the green of grass?
Where is the warmth of love, and the light of stars?
Where is the hand over breast, and the coloured banners?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the carpet of flowers?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The hills sunkissed no more; snowy white the hills, blanketed by shadow.
Where shall wander now the knight of truth's long thorn,
And when shall hope return to his downcast eyes forlorn?

When now the hills with red we paint, when now we battle cry,
When now we hunt and praise the gods of war and sky,
When now we remember the knight from hills sunkissed
When he, through snow and strife, travelled north boldly.
His blood was spilled for honour, for love of all hearts true,
Farleze cared not where one came from, nor what one could do.
When he came to Skadi, his shield did not lag, nor his southern sword,
And with both he fought, his heart a Skaden lord's.

With four northern chiefs, four great beasts Farleze fought,
With his valour, honour and might, our safety was bought.
Where snow fades to grass, where warmth dims the slopes,
When laughing at soft-hearted Cetoile and its foolish hopes,
Remember Farleze from hills sunkissed, remember his trials
Remember kinsmen can come from afar, fight all as equals.

From Hills Sunkissed is a Skaden lay concerning Farleze d'Aiglecorce, a Cetoilais knight. The lay is notable because its story accurately conveys the Skaden memory of d'Aiglecorce while contradicting official Cetoilais records. Skaden generally regard the Cetoilais with disdain. This work is one of the few Skaden pieces that celebrate a Cetoilais, albeit through the lens of Skaden identity.

Historical Basis

Farleze d'Aiglecorce fled Cetoile following his excommunication from the Knights of the Stars and conviction of treason against the ducal house of Demaine in 723AR, at the height of the War of the Bloodied Thorns. The circumstances of his excommunication and conviction are contested by two conflicting histories. The official history states Farleze supported, wittingly or unwittingly, a plot to assassinate the heir to the duchy. Farleze was later pardoned of treason due to his negotiations between Skadi and Cetoile, which led to a swift end to the War of the Bloody Thorns. The Skaden history, and the history described by Cetoilais historians who doubt the official history, states Farleze refused to support his superiors in the assassination of Marleau Iseult, and that his knowledge of the conspiracy and conspirators led to the assassination of his wife and child, and forced Farleze to flee Cetoile.
Farleze spent several years in Skadi, during which he became advisor to Asberk, who was unifying the clans. Farleze held love for his homeland, but little for political machinations. He was an honest, straight-forward man, skilled with the lance and shield. While he held disdain for politics, he knew the importance of prudent governance and leadership, and his advice in these matters allowed Asberk to maintain a national army that was, by comparison with Skaden forces previously and since, the most successful military Skadi has ever amassed. Farleze was an example of honesty and strength, both valued highly by Skaden culture.
Farleze met Selene Desaume in his sixteenth month in Skadi. She had been captured by Thegn Vaskr the Walrus, and he kept her as one of his wives. Her servants were part of his house. In the throes of homesickness, Farleze swore to Selene he would see her and her maidservants home. The male servants had long been killed, either by Vaskr's clan or the cold, unforgiving land of Skadi. Skaden sources say Farleze was open with Asberk regarding his promise to Desaume, and that Farleze did not believe it conflicted with his role as Asberk's advisor.
Time proved Farleze correct. Half a year later, at the Battle of Peony Fields, the forces under Vaskr's command betrayed the Skaden forces. This betrayal led to the death of Asberk; a death avenged by Farleze himself following the negotiations between Cetoile and Skadi. It is recorded that Desaume was pregnant during the Battle of Peony Fields. Some sources say the child was Farleze's. The Skaden people were unaware Cetoilais women must light a candle in supplication to Ielhim in order to conceive.
Farleze's negotiations between Cetoile and Skadi were permitted by on the Skaden side by a majority of Thegns in a moot and on the Cetoilais side by a General of the Crown. The negotiations resulted in the release of Desaume and her retinue. A number of Skaden who had taken a liking to Desaume followed her with permission from the Crown and the Duc d'Zareth. Skaden were permitted to forage and hunt in the mountains and hills of the Skadi-Cetoile border, but were not permitted to slaughter or steal the livestock of Cetoile citizens without permission of their owners. The negotiations resulted in a firming of the border and a measure of respect between forces.
Farleze advocated for the rights of Cetoilais property, but also for the honour of the Skaden people. A mausoleum and monument to Asberk, a cooperation between Skaden and Cetoilais workers, can be seen high on Aiguille Blanc in the Alblézard Range. As part of the negotiations, Farleze was permitted to behead Vaskr as a traitor. His head was tarred and given to the moot. Because of his fair negotiations, he was pardoned for his crimes and his excommunication from the Demaine ducal knights was rescinded, but Farleze chose to reject the offer of a position in the Knights of the Stars.
Instead, Farleze retired with Selene Desaume to a quiet estate on the Zareth-Skadi border, where he oversaw training of the estate guards.

Related

Cetoile | Skadi | War of the Bloodied Thorns