The Bumblebee's Voyage

The following is an excerpt from the book The Bumblebee's Voyage, a collection of folk tales and information about a famous pirate ship that sailed the seas in the early Second Age. This short passage mentions the crew's fabled heist of a wealthy Restan noble's coastal estate, and the actions of the Bumblebee's Captain, Melina, who went down in history as a folk hero for all who oppose the rich and powerful. 

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There are several contradicting accounts of the Solan Dunes Heist recorded from the years following the event. It was not entirely unexpected for many people to falsely claim they had seen such a momentous happening firsthand, but it has also been speculated that the family of Edric Blackstone and other local nobility deliberately fabricated and dispersed rumors in order to discredit the rather embarrassing narrative that had taken hold among the populace. Considering the subsequent crackdown by the authorities on commoners that were heard perpetuating this particular narrative, this speculation is not without merit. 

Despite these attempts to keep the tale quiet or, at the very least, destroy its credibility, this narrative is the one that persisted and eventually grew into the legend we recall today. The acts of Captain Melina and her crew at Solan Dunes have since been immortalized in song, poetry, and visual art. One of the most well known and succinct versions of the tale is a song heard often in seedy taverns or on the deck of a ship, but is rarely received well when sung amongst polite company and nobility in particular.

There was a Blackstone by the sea

Who robbed his peasants dry,

He laughed at their most desperate pleas,

From 'hind his walls so high

This Blackstone had no greater love

Than comfort, wine, and gold,

His wife, as lovely as a dove

Grew ever far and cold

Come, Come!  Melina comes to give the lout his due!

Come, Come! Melina! If you're rich she'll come for you!

The sky above the Dunes grew black

The Blackstone's fate was sure

From 'neath the Dunes, the Bees attacked

Right through the cellar door

The Bees had been bequeathed the key

By Blackstone's lovely wife

Who found Melina's honey sweeter

Than her Blackstone's life

Come, Come! Melina comes to give the lout his due!

Come, Come! Melina! If you're rich, your wife she'll screw!