He opened up his eyes in shock, relieved to be awake

　　ashamed that such a nightmare could be more than he could take

　　his memory was foggy, so he pushed his fears aside

　　whatever it was, it had the sense to run and hide

　　He sat up quickly, trying to determine where he lay

　　assuming he`d grown tired and stopped to rest along the way

　　but when he tried to stand his entire body screamed in pain

　　and blood poured out of open wounds upon the ground like rain

　　He curled up on the ground and whimpered, feeling near to death

　　barely holding on to consciousness between each breath

　　after what felt like a day had passed in agony

　　his bleeding had subsided and he got up on one knee

　　He groaned in pain and found his voice was gravelly and dry

　　then much more disturbing things began to catch his eye

　　his hands were grey, his fingers withered almost to the bone

　　and now he knelt amidst the ashes, completely alone

　　The dragon`s fire had burned until the war had been erased

　　no evidence of battles or the enemies he faced

　　with all his strength he started walking, though he`d quickly tire

　　he knew that still his duty lay somewhere in the empire

　　"I`ll find my family and king, and then after some rest

　　my magic will return again, and I`ll be at my best"

　　despite the pain and stiffness in his legs he walked along

　　whispering the words he knew to one old hero`s song

　　The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

　　He walked for many days toward the empire and his home

　　moving like the winter breeze, unsure where it would roam

　　finally he found the end of where the fire had spread

　　looking back from where he`d come, he wouldn`t count the dead

　　In his life he`d travelled many times on just his feet

　　but never had there been so few along the way to meet

　　survivors of the fire had started settling here and there

　　but even where the living were, still sorrow filled the air

　　No one spoke of heroes or the glory found in war

　　no one dreamt of conquest of the demons anymore

　　no one that he met in cities hadn`t lost a fiend

　　no one spoke of war except to wish that it would end

　　The hero walked until he found himself before a place

　　where once he spent his days in peace and in his wife`s embrace

　　he limped along the roads he`d walked upon once with his sons

　　smiling at the thought of them when they were little ones

　　He came up to the door and almost felt their presence there

　　but found no sign of his own wife or children anywhere

　　now the house was empty, though he found a little note

　　and quietly the hero read the words his wife had wrote

　　"Maybe you`ll survive this battle, should it be your fate

　　I`m sorry but the war is long, no longer can we wait

　　the children will be safer if I take them far away

　　I`ll hide our gold, and maybe we can meet again someday"

　　The hero was relieved his wife and children would survive

　　he couldn`t know just where they went, but they were still alive

　　maybe they`d return to find him wealthy once again

　　surely he`d reverse the empire`s sorry state by then

　　The weathered note fell out of his dry hands and hit the floor

　　they barely had the strength to cling to paper anymore

　　he stumbled to the chair where he once sat beside the fire

　　where his family would sing his songs and never tire

　　Instinctively he reached out for a small bottle near the chair

　　remembering the times he`d spent alone in comfort there

　　the bottle wouldn`t open though no matter how he tried

　　it shattered when he dropped it, but the hero only sighed

　　Many years had passed the hero by in endless war

　　had they stayed they might not recognize him anymore

　　the dusty house he left behind, where now he sat alone

　　brought upon a restless feeling like he`d never known

　　He wandered through the capital he couldn`t recognize

　　the people full of life he knew had nothing in their eyes

　　merchants and their trade were gone, the buildings were destroyed

　　not a trace of anything, that anyone enjoyed

　　The hero almost wondered why he`d bothered to return

　　there was no army left to lead, no forest left to burn

　　but deep inside he knew he still desired another quest

　　for only when a hero died did heroes ever rest

　　~