The Last of the Greats

I came across the foam-white sea,

a sword in hand, a heart unshaken,

to lands where shadows hung in halls

and the cries of the fallen called for justice.

Grendel knew my strength,

his mother knew my wrath,

and the dragon would learn

that even fire cannot undo the courage

of a man who stands for honor.

I bore the weight of my people’s hope,

the laughter of kings, the tears of widows,

and in the night, when shields were broken,

I saw my own fate mirrored in the abyss.

I fought not for glory alone,

but for the echo of right,

for the pulse of Geatish blood

and the stories that will outlast my bones.

And when the dragon fell,

and the fire faded into smoke,

I lay among my treasures,

knowing courage is measured

not by years, but by the hearts it shields,

and by the courage it inspires beyond the grave.