Just a humble villager, a pilgrim then a slave

　　never closer to his friends than to an early grave

　　maybe it was luck that brought him power but he knew

　　he`d do anything to make his oldest dreams come true

　　He`d found himself a family, and drank the finest wine

　　his children never touched a farmer`s tool, and that was fine

　　he loved them and he gave them every benefit he could

　　no child of his would ever break a sweat by chopping wood

　　His endless foreign conquests had come to a quiet end

　　the empire now had great armies on which it could depend

　　the emperor had given him obscene amounts of gold

　　and all across the empire, all his tales were often told

　　There were few who hadn`t seen him in a story book

　　there were paintings of his wars wherever one might look

　　and even in the farthest reaches, all his songs were sung

　　his face and tale were known to every subject, old and young

　　He was tempted to feel satisfied with where he stood

　　maybe he`d done everything a modern hero could

　　but sometimes when he told his children tales of what he`d done

　　a feeling crept upon him that he`d only just begun

　　It seemed that he had everything he`d dreamt of in his hand

　　but when he held a bag of gold it felt like dirt and sand

　　he`d look upon his peaceful town and he`d begin to shakeIf you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it`s taken without the author`s consent. Report it.

　　with every quiet day that passed his heart began to break

　　He swung a wooden sword to train his children and to play

　　but it began to feel more like a shovel every day

　　he played the hero`s role at home, and loved it for a while

　　but there was only one who knew the pain behind his smile

　　Before he`d even realized the longing in his heart

　　his wife had packed his things already, knowing he`d depart

　　"I could never keep you from the dreams that you still see

　　the sooner that you go the sooner you`ll come back to me"

　　He promised her as always that he`d come back when he could

　　but he was bound, as any hero, to the greater good

　　she smiled as she had always done and watched the hero leave

　　hoping there was something worth is efforts to achieve

　　It used to be much harder to say goodbye at the door

　　he`d cling to all the children who he`d long been fighting for

　　now that they were older though, they begged him not to go

　　they wouldn`t understand his quest, but one day they would know

　　They`d be safe wherever in the world their father went

　　he`d protect them from whatever evil may be sent

　　no matter what the enemy, he`d come to their defense

　　his power to protect his empire now was common sense

　　But when he thought of how he`d made his nation what it is

　　and when he thought of how the songs he knew compared to his

　　he realized he monster hunting days had come and passed

　　years of killing only humans trickled by too fast

　　That is why one day he came to kneel before the throne

　　driven by longing for the only dream he`d known

　　"I can`t count the people who I`ve killed to spread your rule,

　　but am I just a murderer, a hero, or a fool"

　　"You have served me well and you`re the hero of this land

　　tell me what you want, that I might place it in your hand."

　　"give me honour, give me war, but not some battlefield

　　give me monsters, give me fights with foes who never yield"

　　The emperor was taken by the words of his young knight

　　at first surprised, he had a thought that filled him with delight

　　"as you know, our empire has expanded west and east

　　but to the north, the icy hills are guarded by a beast

　　Indeed, you`ve made our empire strong and safe for many years

　　but for all our power, we are not without our fears

　　if you have the strength to rid the world of such a threat

　　the world itself would be forever in their hero`s debt"

　　The hero thanked the emperor and left him right away

　　his comrades all had nothing but the kindest words to say

　　"you`re certain that instead of wealth and land you seek a quest

　　you`d rather die a legend now than count your gold and rest"

　　Their words were lost, for in the end he knew why he must go

　　destiny had called to him since very long ago

　　and as his restless feet were once again upon the road

　　in his heart, nostalgia for adventure overflowed