Slowly, after many days, he opened up his eyes

　　Full of cold and hunger but too sore to feel surprise

　　his vision blurred, he looked around to find his hands were bound

　　him and 50 others all in chains upon the ground

　　"look at you, awake at last" a voice called out to him

　　beside the boy the merchant sat, alive but looking grim

　　"You`re as brave as any hero lad, but lucky you`re not dead

　　your fight was quite heroic, til that pirate hit your head"

　　"Where`s our ship, and where`s the crew" his throat was sore and dry

　　"the ship was taken on that day, and here the crew all lie"

　　the merchant pointed to the room where fifty men now lay

　　"most were killed, the captain too, and some are on their way"

　　And so without a meal or drink, they occupied the brig

　　rolling in their filth like some some old sick and starving pig

　　he rode that wretched pirate ship that rocked upon the sea

　　dreaming of a hero`s life, and setting himself free

　　Every day imprisoned there felt longer than the last

　　half the crew still living died before a week had passed

　　some of hunger, some of thirst, and some of injury

　　the boy was slowly overcome with fear and misery

　　"Pull yourself together boy, we`ll make it out alive

　　night will end and slightly better days will soon arrive

　　they`ll sell us off to work then we`ll escape and start to roam

　　I may have lost a fortune but I`ve twice as much at home"

　　Sure enough, in time it was just like he had foretold

　　the pirates brought the prisoners to auction to be sold

　　but for one unlucky boy caught up in the attack

　　the captain sold the rest but then he took the young boy back

　　"Little one, you ran into your destiny head first"

　　you overcame your injuries, your hunger, and your thirst

　　you`d be better suited to a battle than a mine

　　either way, you`ll walk the plank unless you stay in line

　　At first the boy refused to work aboard a pirate ship

　　but threatened with a painful death, the young boy bit his lip

　　several pirates took their cut of gold and left the crew

　　but soon the pirate ship was back at sea with work to do

　　The pirates were a scary lot but disciplined at sea

　　the boy was tentative, but did his work as faithfully

　　"children weak as you would sooner run away or hide

　　here you are a pirate now, so have a little pride"

　　The boy was still ashamed to join the pirate`s ghastly crew

　　but if he would survive then there was work he had to do

　　after several months of work he understood their pace

　　working til the work was done, another day to face

　　He didn`t hate his work and took the good days with the bad

　　he never tired of fights and there were plenty to be had

　　the captain only punished him, for starting fights he lost

　　to get a little stronger every day was worth the cost

　　His swordsmanship advanced about as fast as he had grown

　　and all his years of labour put some muscle on his bone

　　tempted to be happy with the food upon his plate

　　soon a battle would occur to test his moral state

　　Just as he`d experienced himself not long ago

　　the pirate ship approached a royal ship that travelled slow

　　"we`ll take the gold and ransom off the passengers and crew

　　failing means we all will hang, so you know what to do"

　　Every pirate on the ship would charge in the attack

　　any who declined would find a knife against their back

　　so hesitation didn`t last with no choice left but one

　　to live or die in battle and forget the urge to run

　　The boy recalled the violence of the pirates` last attack

　　and hoped the ship before him wouldn`t bother fighting back

　　but soldiers of some foreign kingdom lined up at the rail

　　and it was clear they meant to hang the pirates without failStolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

　　Like a dream the boy was caught up in the bloody raid

　　pushed aboard the royal ship while holding up his blade

　　an injured man soon ran at him to kill or there be slain

　　before the boy could say a word, the soldier cried in pain

　　Soon he noticed that his sword had pierced the soldier`s chest

　　the boy withdrew the bloody sword but he would find no rest

　　a pirate picked him up and threw him forward once again

　　before he`d fully woken up, he`d killed at least three men

　　The pirates gathered up the treasure stored beneath the deck

　　and kept the crying passengers and injured crew in check

　　the boy was told to search below for passengers and gold

　　the captain said he`d grant him any treasure he could hold

　　Feeling colder still than any night he spent in snow

　　the boy picked up a sabre and he ventured down below

　　the middle decks were full of silk and fabrics soft and fine

　　the lower decks were home to bars of gold and bottled wine

　　He opened up some boxes filled with curiosities

　　happily distracted from his own atrocities

　　tempted by the captain`s words he searched for something nice

　　but every treasure he discovered, made the boy think twice

　　He heard another pirate coming down to claim a prize

　　when suddenly a fancy looking barrel caught his eyes

　　like a wooden oyster, maybe he would find a pearl

　　but all he found inside it was a frightened little girl

　　Staring at the girl who wept and pleaded to be freed

　　he knew the kind of life a girl in pirates` hands would lead

　　he thought of where to hide her but he had too little time

　　and if the boy was found out, he`d be killed for such a crime

　　The pirate fast approaching, suddenly he took her hand

　　with a single motion he then forced the girl to stand

　　the girl cried out and fought him but he dragged her past the crew

　　and then it came to him, he knew exactly what to do

　　"Don`t you touch the princess" several prisoners had cried

　　but once the pirate captain heard that word, his smile grew wide

　　"a princess is the finest merchandise we could acquire

　　her ransom soon will buy us any treasures we desire"

　　"You promised when we took the ship, a promise we all heard,

　　and though you are a pirate, still a man is worth his word"

　　he picked the princess up with both his arms, while smiling wide

　　"I can have what I can hold, unless our captain lied"

　　The ship was deathly silent while the captain stroked his beard

　　there wasn`t any ocean where his anger wasn`t feared

　　he looked upon the young boy who returned his fearless gaze

　　"never have I been so fooled, in all my pirate days"

　　The captain laughed and laughed until the icy air had cleared

　　the prisoners all cried while all the pirates wildly cheered

　　"this ship has made us rich but that boy put us all to shame

　　we got our share of treasure, but the prize is his to claim"

　　"Tonight will be a feast to celebrate our little friend

　　he seemed a weak young lad but he`s a pirate to the end!"

　　he couldn`t help but feel encouraged by the pirates` praise

　　as he drank he found it hard to meet his captive`s gaze

　　So it happened that the boy, a pirate`s slave, so poor

　　no hammock for to sleep in, not a copper coin in store

　　came into possession of a princess on her way

　　to broker peace between two kingdoms still at war today

　　The captain didn`t falter on the promise that he`d made

　　but wouldn`t see a princess eat his food unless she paid

　　"your master here will teach you how to earn your food and drink"

　　if either of you skip your work, you`re dead before I blink

　　The princess dragged her feet at first and soon her dress was rags

　　but hunger gave her strength to sew some clothes from some old bags

　　she gained a reputation soon for mending shirts and sails

　　she cursed the pirates` work but she neglected no details

　　The boy was haunted every day, by everything he`d done

　　for all the lives he`d taken, he had only rescued one

　　he thought of how to free her but he had no strength or wealth

　　but the most that he could do was keep her in good health

　　When a month had passed another ship came into sight

　　it didn`t look as valuable, but pirates always fight

　　the boy refused at first but was encouraged by the crew

　　who beat him to submission til his motivation grew

　　The merchant vessel foolishly resisted the attack

　　the boy was thrown before them, and could only fight them back

　　once he`d killed a merchant, then he claimed his share of gold

　　resolving then to purchase any freedom to be sold

　　Slaves aboard a pirate ship were compensated well

　　freedom could be bought, if slaves could steal enough to sell

　　living such a life, the boy was never free of fear

　　but scary as the crew was, the economy was clear

　　The quartermaster never failed to document a prize

　　honest to his duties, and no gold escaped his eyes

　　soon the boy learned it had been decided long before

　　it`d take a year to buy the freedom he longed for

　　And so the boy continued his adventure on the sea

　　learning of the world now through a life of piracy

　　the boy became accustomed to the pirate`s life of crime

　　promising the princess that they would be free in time

　　At first he feared the shame he felt with every fight and raid

　　would cripple him for all his years, whatever price he paid

　　but gradually his sword began weigh a little less

　　and taking lives to save his own would cause him no distress

　　He never sang his hero songs, but kept them in his mind

　　and swung his sword heroically when he was in a bind

　　the people that he killed were just a hero`s sacrifice

　　though it cost him sleepless nights, he felt he`d paid the price

　　Surely even heroes wouldn`t let themselves be slain

　　they`d persevere and fight again before they died in vain

　　no songs tell of heroes killed by any sinless man

　　as a hero he would have to fight the best he can

　　One day he would save a life for every one he took

　　and he would be the hero like in any children`s book

　　if piracy should be the prison sentence of a boy

　　should he be condemned if there were days he did enjoy

　　Every time he managed to survive another raid

　　he became much stronger and a little less afraid

　　no longer did he fear the sound of dying sailor`s screams

　　there was only one way he could reach his farthest dreams

　　All the pirates fought beside each other as a mob

　　not a trace of teamwork, every man to his own job

　　so he learned to watch his own back when they raided ships

　　pirates had no need for friends or close relationships

　　He lost count of all the ships he raided with the crew

　　but by all the gold he earned the number wasn`t few

　　though he earned more scars than gold his first few months aboard

　　he became a fearsome pirate when he held a sword

　　Motivated by his quest to free the girl he saved

　　and one day be a hero, never more to be enslaved

　　he showed no mercy to himself or to his enemies

　　ever day he woke, he felt like he could rule the seas

　　A year of piracy had seen the boy become a man

　　six long years had left him since his pilgrimage began

　　eventually the day had come when he could pay his price

　　he`d killed and stolen just enough to free him from his vice

　　With the princess in his arms he left the ship one day

　　the captain took his gold and quickly sent them both away

　　somewhere very far from where his voyage had begun

　　finally the hero`s life of piracy was done