The lay of Hawkman and Hawkgirl

Pedro and Ines

Not long since Henry waged his war
Against his sons that queen had bore
And raised their sire to deeply hate
Thus early throne to claim as fate

By sending host upon their lord
Against their father's very sword 
And also strove with each the other
As man to foe so sons their brothers

Thus every drop of Henry's blood
The soil of English lands would flood
Until at last then Richard came
The Lion heart the name he claimed

Whose strength those wars did cease for good
With aid of bandit Robin Hood,
In Portugal a king did reign
And son did bear that owned his name.

Who's hand was sold for vengeance sake
The wrath of king to fury slake
To seal a vow with foe of foe
He deemed a friend through mutual woe

Of having daughter wed to king
Who neither one those days were deemed
Their husband's lord of Castile's heart
Though both were gave a wifely part.

So father wed the first to son
A deal now black with hate was done
And ruin brought on child for dint
Avenging first to king he sent.

Although his daughter good did fail
In future life to well avail
And slew her son Peter the just
For hate of Jewish man he trust.

But lo digress I must at time
So other tale I write you'll find
Again was Pedro gave to wed
To Constance all for sake of dread

His father sought for Castile's king
Whose death he hopes alliance brings.
And Pedro great resenting fact
Yet still was gave to courtly act

As deemed by law to stranger wed
And forced by duty share a bed...

Author's note: Peter of Castile was a king of Castile who had promoted a Jewish man named Samuel Ha-Levi to the status of treasurer. Many nobles resented him for this. His family and the nobles of the country conspired against him. He tried to protect the Spanish Jews from his brother Henry II of Castile's frequent pogroms and executed many antisemitic leaders in those circles. (Note that this Henry the II of Castile is not the Henry the II of England from the last chapter.) Because of this many nobles sided against him and a civil war started. The war ended when Henry II of Castile snuck into Peter's tent and stabbed him to death. After his death all Castilian Jews were persecuted and forced to wear yellow stars. His mother Maria De Portugal supported his brother Henry II of Castile against him. His opponent's named him Peter the cruel but many remember him as Peter the Just including the English poet Chaucer who wrote a lament for his death.

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