He found the shipyard and he asked for work upon a barge

but captains only laughed and offered passage free of charge

“who could take a fee from such an honest man as you

and even captains on our ships have little work to do”

The pilgrim had a hard time trusting generosity

but understood their words when he saw their technology

ships that billowed smoke were pushed along by giant wheels

serving countless passengers impossibly fine meals

He joined a voyage meant to cross the ocean in a week

the ship so fast it left the pilgrim unable to speak

he thought when he arrived that he might recognize the port

but so much there had changed that his nostalgia was cut short

The captain of the ship that gave him passage over sea

even tried to give him gold to spend enjoyably

the pilgrim thanked his benefactor but he rushed along

how could the economy become so safe and strong

He walked along the streets of where the empire once had ruled

not a single trace was left of any war he fueled

the guilt he’d learned to live with didn’t seem to have a place

in such a world where there were smiles on every single face

Horses pulling wagons finer than he’d ever seen

couples dressed in garments that would suit a king and queen

in his agitation he walked briskly out of town

hoping that the countryside would help him settle down

He walked along the cobbled roads that never seemed to end

coming to a point where trees and shops began to blend

but where there should have been a forest, as he walked around

busy towns and cities full of life were all he found

He didn’t even notice by the time he had arrived

the empire’s former capital, where once he’d lived and thrived

almost every castle, house, and landmark that he knew

replaced by new and better things, too splendid to be true

Lost on where to start with looking for his fated quest

absently he wandered down the street he knew the best

the mansion where he once had lived was there but occupied

unsure who was living there, he crept around the side

Inside he saw a family, but it was not his own

children playing happily where his children had grown

before he left he stopped to ask a gardener nearby

about the ones who lived there, though he couldn’t tell him why

The gardener was friendly and had worked there many years

he told the pilgrim there were many things a servant hears

“long ago, before my time, there lived an elf and knight

once the knight was slain in battle, then the elf took flight

Much later on her children came to sell the old estate

I heard they’re hiding in the east, in quite a healthy state

you’ll find they’ve lived in luxury for many years out there

if you ask around, beyond the hills, you’ll find out where”

The pilgrim thanked the gardener and left without delay

heading east without a single stop along the way

and when he found the place the gardener said his wife went

sure enough, her presence there was more than evident

Little children playing near a house of modest size

their ears a little pointed, even some with golden eyes

when they saw him coming they all quickly ran inside

he smiled and kept on walking to the fate he’d been denied

He knocked upon the door at once and asked about his wife

wishing soon to hear of her extraordinary life

the man who lived there almost fainted, when he met his guest

the pilgrim felt a certain warmth begin to fill his chest

“Come inside and eat, you must be weary from the road

let us give you all the hospitality you’re owed

children come and meet the man who gave us all we own

a hero long and our ancestor, who fought the world alone”

The pilgrim went inside and there he met his progeny

several generations of his children’s family

“tell me, do my children still survive, and are they here

never will I leave them just to fight and disappear”

He took the man before him to be one of his grandsons

although his hair was grey he looked just like his little ones

“I’m sorry but your children passed away some time ago

your son was my grandfather, but now he rests below”

The pilgrim, once a hero and father, sat in shock

for a while he couldn’t hear the man before him talk

he felt ashamed to know his children died ahead of him

and how he left them suddenly to chase a heroes whim

“Please don’t feel as though you should’ve stayed behind back then

your children were so proud of you and grew to be fine men

although they hid their lineage after the empire fell

stories of your exploits were the only tales they’d tell

They understood that all they had was paid for by your sword

and how, for all your pain, you gave them all of your reward

I wish that I could give you better news, but this I know

your wife may still be living, but she left here long ago

When all your sons had grown up well and strong, she said goodbye

she said she had to find you, or at least she had to try”

the pilgrim had been satisfied to know they all survived

but longed to know the family of which he’d been deprived

He asked his great grandson about the way the world had changed

about how everything had suddenly been rearranged

they spoke for hours about what he had missed while he was gone

and he was shocked to learn about the path the world was on

“The ones we called the demons were the first to speak of peace

the remnants of the empire also longed for war to cease

but something happened to the north and some call it a curse

and many of the northern tribes were forced to leave, or worse

refugees of many races came to seek our aid

and most were welcomed, though at first, so many were afraid

but what the so called demons bought, we never could have guessed

they brought their magic and the skills with which they had been blessed

The ruined empire was renewed in little time at all

becoming a new kind of culture that could never fall

we share the world with everyone and celebrate our life

but that is not to say the world is not without its strife

To this day, no one dares go to far north of here

there, it’s not uncommon for new evils to appear

even dragon fire is not too rare a thing to see

but who or what is there is still the greatest mystery”

The pilgrim was reminded of a battle long ago

recalling evils to the north that nobody could know

monsters rising up to fight that should’ve been long dead

the recollection of that day became a sense of dread

He spent the night to rest his weary heart but couldn’t stay

and left to chase the rumours of his wife within a day

humbled by the legacy his wife had left behind

perhaps his family and quest had somehow been aligned

~