He caught up with the merchants and his mercenary friends

　　who feared he might resent them, but they quickly made amends

　　he saw among their slaves the same twelve men that he`d paid for

　　and hoping not to anger him, they gave him even more

　　Again, he turned them down, but they`d decided for themselves

　　and so came to own as many men as dwarves and elves

　　his mercenary friends were less afraid but still confused

　　about the choice he made and all the magic that he used

　　"Sorry that we left you all alone with that old queen

　　but we`d have all be killed if we had dared to make a scene"

　　the hero laughed along with them, but with a bitter smile

　　he wondered, in the end, if this excursion was worthwhile

　　the leader of the mercenaries found him late one night

　　sitting by himself beside a fire`s dying light

　　a man with so much power who declined a queen`s request

　　he`d never even heard a story like that told in jest

　　"Though she was a tyrant, she was still a queen and all

　　she offered quite a grand position, as I do recall

　　and weren`t you always looking for a princess to be saved"

　　"I`d rather be a merchant than a hero and enslaved"

　　The mercenary leader laughed "it`s really such a waste

　　but someone ought to live his life according to his taste"

　　he left the hero by himself to watch the fire die

　　the hero, now a merchant, turned his head toward the sky

　　"Just how many kingdoms will become my enemy

　　there could be no hero now as qualified as me

　　in all those heroes` songs there was no mention of a slave

　　is every evil dragon out there hiding in some cave"

　　Deciding that he`d disregard his issues with the queen

　　and hoping nevermore to see a pair of eyes so green

　　he figured it was best he just complete the simple quest

　　to keep the merchants safe, but he would take no time to restStolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

　　Somehow he wound up in another new career

　　trading slaves across the plains and dangerous frontier

　　he was well aware of how their fate was now his own

　　and he could still recall the kindness he had once been shown

　　The humans which he owned were mostly prisoners of war

　　the ones the merchants gave him though were worth a little more

　　several elves who`d otherwise be sold to noble homes

　　and many dwarves who emphasized they weren`t the same as gnomes

　　He knew the look upon the soldiers` faces from before

　　he had seen it countless times in his own time at war

　　the beauty of the elves could rival even the princess

　　he tended to avoid them as it caused him some distress

　　The dwarves were strong and noisy and complained of everything

　　but even while they worked they always had a song to sing

　　the merchants had been tired of all the hero`s songs since fall

　　so they had no complaints about the dwarven tunes at all

　　He wondered what he`d do with them upon their safe return

　　his quest was interrupted by the money he could earn

　　he asked the slaves about their lives but few had tales to tell

　　most of them survived a war they all described as hell

　　Other merchants keenly listened when they spoke of war

　　some of them had made a fortune selling swords before

　　but they were soon discouraged by the stories which they heard

　　sorcerers so strong they could make lightning with a word

　　Their foes had not used swords but terrifying sorcery

　　an empire filled with magic yet unknown to history

　　they burned the forests where the elves had lived for countless years

　　and crushed the mountains til a river flowed with dwarven tears

　　Even though the slaves had seen the hero`s recent fight

　　still they claimed that if he met them he should flee in fright

　　"they take no treasure, gold, or land, they only kill for fun

　　they worship death, so if you see them, save yourself and run"

　　The human men were soldiers who were scared and tired of war

　　fighting off invasions by that queen since long before

　　"one day as we held that tyrant`s ruthless army back

　　that ghostly force descended from the skies in one attack"

　　The elves and dwarves were sympathetic to the soldiers` tale

　　the more the merchants heard, the more their faces all turned pale

　　these were not the stories normal people often hear

　　every word was from a nightmare, stained with blood and fear

　　The hero was content to never fight a war again

　　he`d rather slay a dragon than a thousand evil men

　　but what they said about the way that evil army fights

　　weighed upon the hero`s mind for several sleepless nights

　　"Armies full of sorcerers and monsters yet unknown

　　casting spells that shook the earth and melted flesh from bone

　　waves of pure destruction that destroy and terrorize

　　monsters like a thunderstorm descending from the skies"

　　The hero wondered if a fight with mages would be tough

　　he`d won a hundred battles, but he`d lost more than enough

　　his doubts became an irritating weight upon his mind

　　but soon his new uncertainty was all but left behind

　　often several weeks would pass without a beast in sight

　　the plains and woods were all too peaceful even late at night

　　many of the merchants thought it nothing more than luck

　　some thought it had been too long since last misfortune struck

　　After spring had come and gone they still were far from home

　　and still they had a year ahead to trade or freely roam

　　the hero recommended that they waste no time on trade

　　and go back to their homes with all the fortunes they had made

　　They all agreed that they had seen enough excitement now

　　the year had been too long and they had all survived somehow

　　but over the horizon at a peaceful time of year

　　darkness like a twisted sunrise filled the air with fear

　　The slaves all cowered feebly at the sight they knew too well

　　this was what they all had seen before they walked through hell

　　with his eyes enhanced by magic, first the hero saw

　　an army so unnatural, he stared at it in awe