And so the prince’s best and brightest travelled out at dawn

to see if anything so sinister was going on

although their force was weakened by the absence of those knights

the prince still had a good end to the battle in his sights

The hero and his men, along with many thousands more

pushed their stubborn foes north, though much slower than before

the humans sang of how the demons would soon disappear

so no more would the humans of the empire live in fear

The hero started feeling like his curse was healing now

every day at war his body felt lighter somehow

but still his magic failed him, all he had now was his blade

to occupy his time upon the battlefields he’d made

As always was the case in war, before a victory

there often came long periods of great monotony

waking up and marching on to chase the demons back

gaining bloody ground with every bloody day’s attack

But humans kept their spirits up when battlefields were stale

a party followed every single triumph without fail

but at the end of every day when camps were full of song

the hero drank alone til one more battle came along

And when the prince did worry for the state of his old friend

with the morning’s battle, all his worries soon would end

for none could match the smile upon the fighting hero’s face

as if it were his pleasure to defend the human race

In the midst of battle he would show off when he could

and taught his new friends of the rules of war he understood

“keep your wits about you til your foes are out of sight

and always keep your comrades to your left and to your right”

The soldiers rarely questioned anything the hero said

while those who didn’t follow his advice soon wound up dead

and though the way he fought was often contradictory

many felt his deeds might just go down in history

“So wise a veteran of war shall lead us all one day

the prince himself has lent an ear to what he has to say”

rumours held that such a skilful soldier would soon rise

to see him knighted one day soon would come as no surprise

People just assumed the prince would soon promote the man

maybe they were meeting to discuss a battle plan

but in the end they couldn’t know for sure why late at night

the prince would sometimes sit with him beside a dying light

A fire was always burning by the hero’s lonely tent

the hero drank the old wine he was starting to resent

but neither kept him very warm as autumn winds set in

and it would be too long before the next day could begin

“My old friend, you fought as well as any man today

I wondered if you might have anything you’d like to say”

the prince approached the hero who just stared into the fire

“no, but I’m sure you’ll be talking to your heart’s desire”

To the hero’s cold remark the prince could only sigh

he knew he couldn’t cheer him up, but never ceased to try

“you may be an awful friend but you’re a friend of mine

if it helped you talk, I could acquire some better wine”

“Tell me what you need your highness, or leave me alone”

the prince was quite relieved to hear his friend’s sarcastic tone

“you’ve done enough for us, I’m only here to speak of life

I’m sorry though, I’ve yet to dig up news about your wife

But does it not excite you that peace might soon come again

you should be off celebrating, singing with your men

I can understand if songs of heroes strike a nerve

but you should go accept the praise they all know you deserve”

The prince had meant the words he said but still the hero stared

the hero heard him but gave his old friend no sign he cared

he only shook his head and drank his wine without a word

the prince continued on, not knowing if his voice was heard

“Listen to me, you can take some pride in what you’ve done

you’ve made your share of mistakes, the same as anyone

see this to the end with me, and soon we’ll get some rest

didn’t you say killing demons is what you do best

You push your limits daily still, despite your current state

won’t the burden of each battle one day be too great”

he wanted to know how the hero still fought with such fire

weakened though he was, it seemed that he would never tire

“Are you still confused about the demons or the war

none of that should even matter to you anymore

fight them like we always have, and don’t lose any sleep

the guilt for taking lives at war is not just yours to keep”

The hero tossed his empty bottle at the burning coals

“your highness, I’ve killed countless foes with countless aims and goals

the only thing I need right now is something else to kill

order me to carry on as normal, and I will”

The prince gave up and nodded as he turned away to leave

“just fight for whatever cause in which you still believe”

left alone at last, the hero tried and failed to stand

then looking at the campfire, he extended his right hand

Through his fingertips he saw the fire he held so dear

the fire that only recently had filled the world with fear

but still his hands were colder than the bitter autumn air

nothing burning near him but a campfire here and there

And so he drifted off, too tired to shiver in the cold

longing for the warmth of all the stories he had told

but as he fell asleep, hoping his wife and sons were fine

his dreams were of an epic battle of his own design

~