The pilgrim wore a hood to cover up his bearded face

the visage of the empire’s first hero all but erased

he took the money he had earned and found a place to stay

listening to rumours of the world along the way

After years of solitude beneath the castle grounds

he was almost overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds

but more so was he shocked to listen in on what was said

the many rumours of the war and of himself which spread

“They say that evil emperor is still hiding somewhere

and now the capital is rule ruled by his old one-armed heir”

“I heard the demon army sent another diplomat

suggesting they begin negotiating peace at that”

“Did they ever catch the one knight who took the prince’s hand

it seems like almost everything when how that demon planned”

“to think that he escaped somewhere despite what he has done

unleashing that ancient dragon’s fire on everyone”

He disregarded most of what he heard as idle talk

but one thing that he heard improved his mood while on a walk

“to think that drunken prince is running things all on his own

I just hope he manages to leave the wine alone”

In the end, it didn’t matter what rumours with true

if he was unwelcome, there was nothing he could do

the pilgrim’s only option was to travel far away

and hope he found a place that hadn’t heard of him one day

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He thought of finding work aboard a ship but realised

he’d likely be discovered even if he was disguised

and so he’d hide himself within a box aboard a ship

planning to be hidden the duration of the trip

He quickly climbed aboard the biggest ship he found at bay

and found himself a wooden crate where he could hide away

he overheard a crewman say the voyage would be long

and he was quite relieved to hear the hired men were strong

Soon the ship set sail and he was finally at sea

the wind was steady though the waves were gentle as could be

sometimes at night he stretched his legs and scavenged for some food

he only took the scraps he found and ate in gratitude

The stowaway enjoyed the rocking of the ship upon each wave

reminiscing how the sea had once become his grave

he passed a week or two in boredom glad he wasn’t found

but then he heard a terrible but too familiar sound

He listened as the merchant ship prepared itself to fight

he heard a crewman say a pirate’s ship had come in sight

the stowaway thought desperately of what he ought to do

should he help the merchants or stay safely out of view

He waited and he listened while the pirate ship drew near

the crew aboard the merchant ship all overcome with fear

but when the pirates caught them and the decks were overrun

the stowaway decided he would like to see the sun

He left the comfort of his box and found a sword nearby

and wrapped a scarf around his head, revealing just one eye

he walked up to the deck where pirates waved around their swords

risking life and limb to reach the lower decks’ rewards

A pirate saw the stowaway and made to slash his neck

but soon the pirate’s bloody head was rolling on the deck

the hero hadn’t faced a pirate’s blade in many years

but memories of times like those no longer brought him tears

At first nobody noticed as he walked across the deck

while every time he swung his sword it cut a pirate’s neck

the man who wore a mask approached the pirate ship with ease

moving through the battle like the gentle ocean breeze

He jumped aboard the pirate ship where still the captain stood

intending to destroy the ship as quickly as he could

he looked around and sighed, for though the sea was wide and vast

he recognized a handful of the pirates from his past

He didn’t bother talking as he knew their type too well

he welcomed all who challenged him and all who did so fell

he didn’t need his magic now, his sword was sharp and fierce

there wasn’t any pirate’s heart his sword would fail to pierce

~