It didn`t matter anymore if soon the war would end

　　at least not to the soldier who the prince still called his friend

　　all that mattered was surviving one more day of blood

　　then awaking from his drunken slumber in the mud

　　Be they men or demons, elves or monsters on the field

　　all invited war and were too stubborn now to yield

　　his enemies all cried out for revenge against mankind

　　but all that meant to him was they were never hard to find

　　He didn`t count the years he spent in war but he was sure

　　no enemy that was could end a hero`s adventure

　　why should he be burdened by the choices they all made

　　they came to take his life, and with their lives they justly paid

　　Maybe he resented how is fate cast him aside

　　but with the victories he claimed he would be satisfied

　　his sons could wait another year to see him anyway

　　and maybe they would join him there as warriors one day

　　Those shadows that still lurked somewhere, the reason he`d been cursed

　　stalking him like predators that couldn`t sate their thirst

　　those were his true enemies, and he would kill them all

　　so anyone who tried to stop him, simply had to fall

　　The fire he sat beside at night did look a little strangeUnauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author`s consent. Report any sightings.

　　sometimes it brought him back to that old dragon`s mountain range

　　his victory had been decided from the very start

　　though sometimes what he saw within the embers broke his heart

　　Either way, his cause was certain, he would fight and live

　　to take a life and save one`s own was easy to forgive

　　his path was clear as always, though it twisted and it turned

　　he`d swing his sword with honour as his magic once had burned

　　One day he found himself not far from where the prince now fought

　　and took some pride in seeing him use things that he had taught

　　their enemies had been reduced to remnants here and there

　　victory was close, as far as any were aware

　　Battles carried on across the empire`s continent

　　but news of victories was among the most prominent

　　the northern front was almost broken, giving them a chance

　　the humans finally had taken an offensive stance

　　The hero and the prince fought on, the two were side by side

　　the prince`s genuine excitement proving hard to hide

　　"we may just see the last of this war before end of day

　　let us finish this before those demons get away"

　　Caught up in the prince`s pace the hero swung his sword

　　"then you should quiet down and start thinking of my reward"

　　he laughed as they went forward to destroy the demon threat

　　but though the day was theirs, the war was not decided yet

　　Their northern foes were still by no means weak, and they fought well

　　not a single one of them would stop before they fell

　　the hero did his best to aid the prince in his attack

　　although he spent most battles at the stronger prince`s back

　　The battle gave the hero little time to stop and think

　　and for the first time in a while he didn`t crave a drink

　　he felt a satisfaction in the battle`s looming end

　　and looked on with affection at his strange old royal friend

　　He started losing his momentum as the day went on

　　for like the prince he had been fighting since the break of dawn

　　so while the prince still charged ahead, the hero fell behind

　　envy of the prince`s power forming in his mind

　　Still, the end was near and then he`d be free of that place

　　he watched the prince cut down his foes, a smile upon his face

　　and there among the enemies the prince would make his prize

　　the hero noticed several pairs of desperate, golden eyes

　　~