In the Arms of Autumn

A steel morning's breath, in the arms of autumn leaves
A gaunt rider pushes forth upon a pale steed
The landscape grows treacherous underneath her
Through rain and snow she makes her lonesome way

In her arms, she grips her burden, kept so close and warm
Spells cast to ward off vermin, keep her safe from harm
Her child crawls slowly out into the night
The rider calls, "This is not the place you die!"

Hope beckons her, ushers her, shephards her
I make my way to the river
Dusk eats the sky, vultures fly, mother cries
My child, I must deliver
Faith lures her, coaxes her, pushes her
Must make my way to the river
Frost splits the night, fingers pry, lullaby
No arrows left in my quiver

Legend speaks of the mythic river
Flowing quick with the living water
Wind bites and the mother shivers
Gives her back to shield her infant daughter
But the path is not for the weary
Fraught with graves of many more great
Long nights ahead waking bleary
Ride ahead and meet your final fate

Legend speaks of the mythic river
Flowing quick with the living water
Wind bites and the mother shivers
Gives her back to shield her infant daughter
Though the path behind has left her weary
She has proven herself more great
Long nights ahead waking bleary
So she rides ahead to meet her final fate

I have seen this place before
But it's hard to know anymore

The flowers bloom
The ground gives way
The frost succumbs
To warmer days

I have shed all the tears
The time has come to cross the plain of fear

Rise from the earth
Do not look back
To prove your worth
Be taken back

Lifting off the ground, I feel it ushering me
Pulled taut towards the mass of a trillion souls
Clouds part, show me the way, oh what vibrancy
I shatter firmament and transcend the world
Child in hand I reach for it
Grip the almighty sky and rip it free
Set our course straight to the plain of fear
This is it. This is my fate

In the arms of autumn
We go further now