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 The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　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

　　~