The friends he`d made in town all thought he`d surely lost his head

　　"life at sea`s an easy way for slaves to wind up dead

　　slaves would rarely volunteer to work aboard a boat

　　a slave was always first to find a knife against their throat"

　　The boy was sure they`d only miss so good a friend as he

　　they`d miss his songs and stories while he sailed upon the sea

　　"I`ve survived enough and I`ll survive a little more,

　　and I`ll be back next year, so what is all your whining for"

　　The merchant hired a galley built as long as it was tall

　　strong enough to challenge every hurricane and squall

　　at least a hundred oarsmen, all with arms as thick as trees

　　and fifty hired soldiers put the merchant well at ease

　　The boy would join the other slaves in tending to the ship

　　cleaning lower decks, and moving cargo through the trip

　　the ship set sail to bring the merchant`s business to new shores

　　sails full of wind and manly power in its oars

　　Excited as the boy was, he adapted rather quick

　　his stomach lurched with every wave, but never once was sick

　　he worked as hard as anyone, despite his lack of skill

　　his eyes were wide and hopeful and his hands were never still

　　About a month of sailing passed without much trouble made

　　the ship then landed at a port to do a little trade

　　the boy was quick to move the cargo as he looked around

　　for he had missed the city and his feet had missed the ground

　　The merchant soon was satisfied and once again set sail

　　but in that time the boy had heard an interesting tale

　　at the foreign port where many stories could be heard

　　he heard an epic rumour and he clung to every word

　　according to an older sailor, who was now retired

　　not long ago at sea, an epic battle had transpiredStolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

　　pirates, foolish as they are, attacked a royal fleet

　　and at the hands of one brave hero, all had met defeat

　　A hero to defeat the pirates with his bravery

　　risking his own life to let his king and queen go free

　　surviving only by his will and by his magic sword

　　who can here imagine what would be his just reward

　　The boy returned to sailing with that story in his heart

　　as he worked he wished that such adventures soon would start

　　he`d tell the story every night to friends among the crew

　　and as the scale of the story grew, his audience did too

　　The shipmates all enjoyed the slave`s extraordinary tale

　　the boy`s imagination entertained them without fail

　　with every port they passed through, his story grew more bold

　　and so did he, with ever time the story was retold

　　Never had he been so full of epic tales and dreams

　　his heart so full of optimism bursting at the seams

　　half a year at sea had seen him grow up strong and tall

　　he knew that he`d be ready when adventure came to call

　　With time to spare the boy sought out a soldier who was bored

　　who happily agreed to teach the boy to hold a sword

　　the soldier was impressed because the boy was quick to train

　　he suffered through his injuries, and didn`t yield to pain

　　The voyage thus continued as the merchant did his trade

　　but there was still an ocean full of fortunes to be made

　　when a year had come and gone the merchant came to say

　　"if you all agree to stay aboard, I`ll surely pay"

　　Everyone would earn a share of what he had in store

　　every slave and oarsmen could buy freedom, land, and more

　　and so the ship was laden with unprecedented wealth

　　the weather ever kind, and every crewman in good health

　　With spirits high the voyage had become a pleasure cruise

　　but on one cloudy day the lookout brought them dreadful news

　　a ship was fast approaching with its sails all coloured black

　　within an hour a pirate ship was likely to attack

　　Laden down with gold the galley slowly came about

　　with no chance of outrunning them, the merchant`s luck ran out

　　the captain ordered every man to take up sword and shield

　　so much gold at stake meant they were not allowed to yield

　　The boy was slow to understand the panic of the crew

　　for if the pirates came aboard, he knew just what to do

　　before too long they were in range to cast their lines and hooks

　　and soon the boy would see what he had never read in books

　　The hired soldiers in their armour led the ship`s defense

　　the merchant always hired the best and never spared expense

　　so the boy was shocked to see the deck fill up with blood

　　as pirates swept through soldiers like an overwhelming flood

　　The boy took up a sword as heroes often did in song

　　put wondered if he`d heard the words recited to him wrong

　　pirates were supposed to be the wretched and the weak

　　the bandits now before him made his soldier friends look meek

　　Too confused to reconsider jumping in to fight

　　the boy could only disregard the carnage in his sight

　　stepping over all the lifeless bodies of his friends

　　he focused on the way a hero`s story always ends

　　He`d find the strength to swing his sword until the pirates fled

　　if they didn`t run, then every pirate would be dead

　　so he charged a group of pirates tired from the attack

　　then he stumbled to the ground, and everything turned black

　　~