Editing The Emperor's Day Martyr

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===I. The Vision===

T'was Emperor's Day, long past,

Or so the story goes,

And the Emperor took the journey

That every child knows.


When suddenly He was struck

By a vision dark and grim

Of subjects in grave danger

In prayer, beseeching Him.


But clearest seen by far

To fall upon His gaze

A girl, so pure and bright

She shined through all the haze.


She knelt before a giant,

Its manner cold and dread,

And held it a great axe,

It brought down upon her head.


The Emperor broke the trance

And declared "It shan't be so."

Then through the warp He travelled,

To stop the killing blow.


===II. The Children of the Emperor===

He quickly found the world

From where the vision came

And went to join his subjects

Who fought on in his name.


Where upon He found

A schola under siege,

Full of faithful fighting

And praying to their liege.


Though he searched the schola,

The girl could not be sought.

"Perhaps, I'm merely early,"

The noble Emperor thought.


When through the din of battle

He heard the mournful cry

Of children sadly weeping,

In fear that they may die.


The Emperor went to join them

And with a joyful call

He proclaimed his many presents

To give to one and all.

===III. The Gifts===

When the children truly saw him

Their faces all turned bright

And quickly was forgotten,

The terrors of the night.


A trusty wooden lasgun,

To a young Storm Trooper boy

Who thought of all the Xenos

He would slay with his new toy.


And to a future Commissar

He gave a golden sash,

For he would grow to lead his men

With cunning, dare, and dash.


And to a little sister,

He gave a stuffed silk skull.

For to His honor would be pledged

All the traitors she would cull.


Then there among their number

Was one unlike the rest.

She minded all the children,

like a hen within a nest.

===IV: The Daughter===

Her soul was fine and wholesome,

Her faith was strong and pure,

Her whole life she had given

Unto the Emperor.


She was the oldest of them,

Though, truly, not by much

She simply was their sister

And was treated just as such.


Her training was just finished

Her time there was now spent

She only awaited orders

To join her new Convent.


She was every bit a blossom

That still had yet to bloom,

When then He did remember

That He had seen her doom.

===V: The Greatest Gift===


The Emperor held her tight,

For His sorrow was so great,

And He showed her the near future,

That was to be her fate.


Then softly he did speak,

So gently to her ears,

To grant her one last present

To lessen all her fears.


"What gift may I offer

Or what thanks can I give,

To one about to die,

So that others still may live?"


The girl began to weep,

But her face, it was not grim.

She smiled just like an angel

As she explained to him:


"To die for the defenceless,

To succeed at my last task,

To stand here with my Emperor,

For what more could I ask?"


Then it was as He had saw,

For His vision came to be.

The chamber door burst open

To reveal the enemy.


For the vision He recalled

And knew it to be true

This young girl would soon die

And there was nothing He could do.


===VI: The Battle===

For in, then, came the monster,

That would strike the angel down,

And carve from her an offering

To place upon his crown.


The children began to wail,

Some sought to run or hide,

While others could not move

And only stared and cried.


But between them and the monster,

The blessed sister stood

And fought there to protect them

As any mother would.


Yet, the monster was too much

And she fell down to her knees,

The monster raised his axe

Deaf to all the children’s pleas.


Then the Emperor spoke

And sparked fire in her heart

She thrust forward with her chainsword

And rent its chest apart.


===VII: The Martyr===

Even as she struck,

And ended the great strife,

The daemon axe came down

And stole away her life.


The Emperor knelt beside

And cradled the martyred daughter,

Knowing she had stopped

What would have of been a slaughter.


Then rushed in the instructors,

And defenders to the scene,

Of the Emperor and His daughter,

So silent and serene.


The Emperor told the story,

Of what there had transpired,

And not one could stand to hide,

The emotion she inspired.


Away the two disappeared,

And not a word was uttered,

Until loud cries from the courtyard said,

"A miracle's occurred!"


===VIII: The Miracle===

For there amidst the carnage

A statue of marble stood,

From where or when it had come

No one there understood.


For the statue was the Emperor,

So grand and finely crafted,

His hands upon the shoulders of

The sister He had raptured.


Her face was poise and beautiful

Free of flaw or blemish,

So perfect that they all agreed,

She had never suffered anguish.


For every Emperor's Day after

The schola would gather for prayer,

Around the perfect statue,

That the Emperor placed there.


And there beneath their feet,

Forever carved in stone,

"Always I am at your side,

You'll never stand alone."

[[Category:Warhammer_40,000]]
[[Category:Imperial]]