Elegant, Serdika was,
Sitting on her golden throne.
With hair that was ravens-wing black
And her skin an olive tone.
She never smiled for she was still alone.

“Dear daughter of mine,
What dost thee seek?
Why dost thy wander
And mope and weep?
And why in the castle dost thee keep?”

“O, father of mine,
My heart despairs.
For not one lord
Hath come for me here.
And apart my soul and heart dost tear.”

And with a troubled heart
At Serdika’s fate,
He left his daughter
At the Eastern Gate,
Never to return until it was too late.

Upon her shoulders,
The kingdom falls.
Along with the duties of
Finding a king for all.
More trouble will to Serdika, befall.

But lo, a lord she did find.
A noble, swarthy king.
Finally smiling and glowing,
She did the right thing.
And in her mind, did the wedding bells ring.

In a rage,
To her castle he raced.
He demanded to see her,
And stared into her face.
“What did thee do?” his words with venom were laced.


Serdika fell to her knees,
And with a great cry,
She asked “My lord,
I’ll help you, I’ll try.”
And he glared at her then said “No need, the fault is mine.”
He left soon after
And she was shaken.
With determination, she said to herself,
“My lord must be mistaken.”
The troubles she did not notice, for she was taken.

Two weeks before the wedding,
It was brought to her mind,
The turmoil, protests
And mobs of each kind,
For the people thought a worse lord she could not find.

Half and half,
Did the kingdom stand
On who thought the right
Ruler was of this land.
And Serdika heeded the people, and returned the wedding band.

Some time later,
She heard a great shout.
And looked from her window
To see what was out.
And guess who at the front of the army did flout.

Her lord at the front,
Sneering and mean.
Looked up to the window
“My lady, dost I see.
Thy did not heed me, so war I give to thee.”

“Come down from the tower,
And thee I will save.”
But Serdika knew
Her lands he would raze.
And upon the haughty lord, her steel eyes did gaze.

“No!” She shouted.
“With my people I’ll stand.
For my people and I
Are one with the land.
You kill one,
You kill us all.
And the city of Serdika will soon fall. “

Grabbing her bow and arrow,
Down to the gate she fled.
And rallied the troops
And charges she led.
Though the battle was lost, and many were dead.

And down to her people,
She ran to protest.
“Enough with this killing,
Put me to the test.
Kill me if you wish, but save all the rest.”

And backwards she fell,
With an arrow in her chest.
Slain by the one
Whom she loved the best.
“Milady, that will teach you
To ignore not my cries.”
And he turned his back
On the woman he despised.

And finally, finally,
The father came home.
And saw the pile of dead.
He cursed the days he roamed.
For on the top, his daughter lay. And he wondered what she had done.

And to all he said
“For the girl that cut the land in two,
Vitosha shall be the name.
And those who remember why will be few.
But Serdika shall be the name of the city, for the girl did much, too.”

A swarthy stranger
Walks the land
And stands by the grave of the mount.
And remembers the hand
That caused this strife, and returned the wedding band.

No tear dost he shed,
None fall from his eyes.
For he did not care for the girl.
He says his goodbyes
And turns his back
On the woman he never loved.
He turns his back
On the murdered woman he despised.

And to this day, straight and true
Vitosha and Serdika still stand.
And they still remember
The pain of this land
And the girl in slumber.
The one murdered in eternal slumber.