The nation he now represented found itself at peace

　　the happy hero had become the castle`s centrepiece

　　but when he started worrying he`d die of boredom soon

　　the peaceful nation`s king began to sing a different tune

　　He`d make the hero more proactive in upcoming wars

　　free from all the politics that kept him stuck indoors

　　the king declared himself the rightful emperor that day

　　and any king who challenged his authority would pay

　　"What our kingdom faces now is not a common threat

　　though we`ve tasted victory, we haven`t won just yet

　　still our native lands are under enemy control

　　as if giant monsters came and ate our empire whole

　　This will be the year our empire finally bites back

　　on this day, by my decree, we`re launching our attack

　　we won`t wait for them to come and take our homes and land

　　now we`ll bring the fight to them and truly make our stand"

　　Everyone who heard their leader`s declaration cheered

　　all except the hero`s wife of course, for as she feared

　　once again her husband would be bound to fight alone

　　winning battles far away in service of the throne

　　All the same, she wished him safe adventures as he went

　　knowing that his quest was not a fate she could prevent

　　she only told him that if he should ever face despair

　　he could come back any time and she`d be waiting there

　　He wished his wife and children well and left without delay

　　off to lead an army to a battle far away

　　stories of the hero brought morale back like a wave

　　and now he was inspired by the support his nation gave

　　He didn`t care for details but from what he had been told

　　his kingdom`s nearest neighbours had been growing rather bold

　　their armies were allegedly preparing to attack

　　the hero`s job would be to lead a charge and force them back

　　He didn`t talk to many of his soldiers on the wayThe tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

　　the prince with whom he marched however, had a lot to say

　　"please don`t run ahead this time, we need you at the front

　　if we meet much resistance, we`ll need you to take the brunt"

　　The hero didn`t care for all his warnings and his pleas

　　he had strength enough to slay his enemies with ease

　　still he promised he would lead the army from nearby

　　he didn`t say the reason, but nobody asked him why

　　The battle started quickly when they came upon a hill

　　and came upon the camping foes with overbearing will

　　the hero barely had a chance to swing his sword or fight

　　the enemy had fallen long before the fall of night

　　Prisoners accounted for, the war was quickly done

　　the hero sighed, a little bored with how the fight was won

　　his generals surprised him though when later they declared

　　"we`ll continue this attack while they are unprepared!"

　　The hero was excited to continue his campaign

　　singing with his comrades of the monsters to be slain

　　they marched across one kingdom to the border of the next

　　no quicker war was ever written of in any text

　　Morale was soaring higher every step the army took

　　he hadn`t seen so great a force in any picture book

　　the hero watched his army carry on with glee and pride

　　carrying their banners through the empire`s countryside

　　They passed through several villages where there were none to fight

　　and broke through several forts and towns in just a single night

　　but when they found the capital and started to invade

　　even he was forced to see that this was just a raid

　　There were no assailants, no resistance there at all

　　the hero was confronted only by that kingdom`s fall

　　the air was full of smoke and screams, the roads were dyed in red

　　city after city, those who couldn`t run were dead

　　The war had been decided long before it had begun

　　Their enemies had barely any strength or time to run

　　the hero didn`t celebrate but had his share of drink

　　retreating into parties where he wouldn`t have to think

　　There he filled his world with songs of pride and victory

　　drinking to success and to his king`s prosperity

　　in weeks, the army had expanded their empire tenfold

　　the emperor was pleased to hear the rumours he was told

　　Though its former glory hadn`t fully been restored

　　the emperor put all his faith in his new hero`s sword

　　the hero and his army soon became so widely feared

　　that nations would surrender when the hero`s army neared

　　Sometimes kingdoms sent a challenger to hold him back

　　but he would make a show of winning with one quick attack

　　countless brave contenders came before him one by one

　　but they all lost their kingdoms when the tournament was done

　　Only one had made a real impression on the knight

　　a princess with an army much too weak to even fight

　　she challenged him in desperation with a rusty blade

　　the girl`s attacks were ruthless but too easy to evade

　　He froze the ground beneath her and he quickly moved along

　　there`d be no verse for princess within his hero`s song

　　the army dropped their swords as if they welcomed their defeat

　　the princess swore revenge and made a cowardly retreat

　　After that pathetic battle, though he knew not why

　　he started feeling restless as he stared up at the sky

　　his army`s strength was growing, and he had much less to do

　　the epic battles that excited him were much too few

　　Every now and then the hero took a holiday

　　tiring more of parties than of fighting night and day

　　the drunken prince would never let the awkward hero be

　　the more he drank the more he spoke of fire and piracy

　　Fortunately, most had long forgotten his debut

　　the hero`s reputation in the empire quickly grew

　　though he felt exhausted he was sure that he was fine

　　he had gold in store and only drank the finest wine