You found me in the gutter, a boy with empty hands

You found me in the gutter, a boy with empty hands
Gave me bread, a name, a reason to stand
I wore your crest like a second skin
Followed the road where you had been

I thought that duty was the only truth
A blade to carry, a vow to soothe
But I watched you fall on that crimson field
And I saw what honor truly yields


So I lay down the sword, I break the vow
I won’t become what you are now
Let them call me coward, let the banners fall
I’d rather live without it all
No more honor, no more grave
I choose the life I was too afraid to save


You raised me like your son, I owed you everything
But I won’t let your death become my offering
The lilies you wore, I left them in the mud
They bloom in silence, fed by blood

You taught me courage, but you never said
That courage only leads to the dead
I loved you, but I can’t repay
By walking the same thorned way


So I lay down the sword, I break the vow
I won’t become what you are now
Let them call me coward, let the banners fall
I’d rather live without it all
No more honor, no more grave
I choose the life I was too afraid to save


Maybe in another life I’d stand beside
And wear the lilies with pride
But I still hear your voice in the rain
Saying “live, don’t let my death be in vain”
So I let the armor fall to rust
And carry only what I must


I lay down the sword, I break the vow
I won’t become what you are now
The lilies fade, but I remain
A different kind of truth, a quieter pain
No more honor, no more grave
I choose the life I was too afraid to save

Just a boy who walked away
Not a knight — just the one who stayed