A Heroes Tale

Dust on my boots, sun in my eyes, a mountain of scars my only prize

Dragon slain, kingdom saved, I walk back empty-handed, no parade

Villages whisper, strangers scoff, "That's the fool who thought he could walk above

The ordinary, the mundane," their sneers like daggers in the summer rain

Hero's journey to a dead end, where's the fanfare, the trumpets' blend

No homecoming feast, just dusty streets, echoes of "He's lost his heat"

The whispers bite, "Delusions of fame, chasing dragons, playing the game"

But the shadows I fought, the monsters I tamed, are etched in my eyes, an indelible frame

My shield hangs crooked, dented and worn, a badge of battles none here have borne

They point at the cracks, the tarnished crest, oblivious to the fire at my chest