The Once Great Hero

Phantom pains. They surround me constantly. Aches here, twinges there. They remind me of what I have lost, of what I will never have again. Nightmares, too. Messy, disorganized collections of remembrances. Rarely accurate, always terrifying. That's not even to mention the clumsiness, when I expect myself to be able to do something, only to remember I can't. Not anymore. Not ever, in this world. But once, in another time and place. Once, I was fast and agile. I could shoot a bow better than the Queen's Guard. I could climb the trees of the Follagway Wood better than the Follagway elves. My body was once covered in scars, mementos from battles that I had fought and survived. They would pain me at times; it was something I was accustomed to. Now, even though I bear no marks, they still ache.