Codex Atlantia, Michael of Bedford
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 Michael of Bedford | |||||
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 Ermine, a lion sejant erect affronty per pale azure and Or the head counterchanged crowned with a ducal coronet set askew bendwise Or all within a bordure engrailed gules. |
For this poem, I focused on how often Duke Michael has reigned as King, both in Atlantia and in the East before that. Michael of Bedford was the first king of Atlantia.
Michael, the Lion’s Might
Michael of Bedford, with crown askew,
A knight of valor, yet a man of flaws.
In tournaments fierce, his blade ever true,
He wins through skill, not by the crowd’s applause.
His lion’s crest proclaims the knightly cause,
Yet off the field, his heart is mild and shy.
Though bound by honor and the chivalric laws,
He questions what it means to live and die.
The whispered jest of lords, the squire’s sigh:
“How can one knight so oft the field command?”
A thousand victories under Bedford’s sky,
Yet in his clasp, no lover’s gentle hand.
For all his fame, the truth he scarce can stand—
Each duel a battle ’gainst his own dark doubt.
The weight of triumph, like a shifting sand,
Reminds him what the noble life’s about.
Oh, Michael, heed the call, cast fear anew!
For none may fault the crown you proudly wear.
Michael of Bedford, with crown askew,
A knight of valor, yet a man of care.
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