Ballad Storytelling Structure

Help me write a narrative ballad with strong storytelling.

Story to tell: {{story}}
Setting: {{setting}}
Central characters: {{characters}}

Ballad structure:
- Quatrains with ABAB or ABCB rhyme
- Alternating tetrameter and trimeter lines
- Refrain that deepens with each return
- Dramatic dialogue where characters speak
- Incremental repetition building tension

Compose:
1. Opening stanza that sets the scene
2. Rising action through 3-4 stanzas
3. Climactic moment with dialogue
4. Resolution or haunting ending
5. Refrain woven throughout

Annotate the traditional ballad techniques used.