High upon a hilltop
in the pastures of the field
Watching silently the other side
to where her fate was sealed ~
A castle stood in prominence
its presence did command
Authority and utmost respect
throughout all the land.

Though she did not see the beauty
of springtime in the air
She did not see the animals
or flowers everywhere ~
She only saw the heartache
locked behind the doors
Of the city in the Castle
surrounded by its walls.

She sat on the other side
with the valley far below
Of the Castle that had sealed the fate
that she had come to know ~
Banished from the kingdom
they didn't understand
That love was more important
than a betrothal between lands.

A love that was forbidden
was the only thing she saw,
For nothing else had mattered
than the one that she adored ~
Stolen moments and rendezvous,
whispers here and there
Nothing was more important
than the secret love they shared.

But he was promised to another
with far more wealth than she
Betrothed to another kingdom,
their love could never be ~
He had pleaded with the council,
his father and his mother,
But their love was overruled
by the promise of another.

Banished from the Castle
never to return
She would never see her love again,
she was soon to learn ~
While the valley on the other side
was to become her home
And without her love to comfort her
she felt much more alone.

With the news of the marriage
spread throughout the land,
The betrothal of her lover
with another's hand ~
She watched the celebrations
silently from afar
As she cried upon the hilltop,
a pain within her heart.

Although it was his wedding,
of one thing she was sure,
That he would never stop loving her,
the woman he adored ~
For love was more important
than the joining of the lands
But no one else could see that;
they could never understand.

So she could only sit and watch
from her hilltop silently
Wishing him only happiness
for all eternity ~
For she could never be with him
in the warmth of his embrace
And she'll never know the pleasure
of being in his new wife's place.

Across the valley on the other side,
how different things would be
If he had never been betrothed
to someone he'd never seen ~
But the business of a marriage
between the two together
Brings harmony to the world
they know and love forever.

And as she watched from afar
she knew that any hope had died
Of the Castle finding any heart
to ever change their mind ~
So she wiped the tears from her eyes
and stood to her feet
And said goodbye to the love
who had made her life complete.

On the other side he looked upon
the hilltop where he saw
The woman he loved more than life,
the one that he adored ~
He saw her rise to her feet
and wipe away her tears
And with one final silent kiss,
he watched her disappear.

© Christina
11th October, 2002

"This is the tale of a bittersweet love that could never be....a tale of forbidden love....a tale of a love, though more important than the betrothal of two lands through a marriage, would live on in the hearts of those who lived it ~ though they would never be together.   We see the heartache of the woman as she reflects on her memories as she sits on the hilltop and watches her lover's marriage celebrations in the Castle "on the other side", and her final goodbye as she ultimately lets him go.  And we see him, looking on from the other side, with his own heartaches at not being allowed to be with her.  "On the other side" is an important metaphor in this story, not only the title.  It represents the separation between them; the love they share so out of reach; the happiness they desire together; the life that would complete them....it is all on the other side with the other ~ the one they love."