Today’s thought 5-11-09: A Story of a King

I never really try to write fiction or allegory, but when I wrote this I was feeling particularly whimsical.  I know it is not the greatest representation of the thoughts I was trying to portray, but it was fun to write.  Enjoy.

There was once a great king who ruled a great kingdom.  He was a loving king, and wanted all his people to be happy.  The king was especially fond of his children and gave them a vast sum of land.  So that they could always remain happy, the children were given a law to keep.  The king promised that their land would be eternally safe if they obeyed the law.  The law was to never open the northern gate unless for the king, for whoever passes through the gate will rule the children.   In his love, the great king allowed the children to keep their own land without his interference.  But next to the gate he left a tablet with his law etched upon it:

This is the law of the Great King,

Given for the good of my Children:

I am the ruler of this land

He who is allowed into the northern gates

Will, for a time, rule those within

But when I return, woe to him who has taken my rule

For I will bear the shame of my children

And I will destroy he who has presumed to take what is mine

Soon there was a revolt within the very city of the great king, and one of the king’s strongest knights attempted to over throw the crown so that he might have it for his own.  By the kings very word the knight was cast from the kingdom, but the knight was not finished.  He found all those within the kingdom with dark hearts and took them to build his own kingdom.  However, the knight had no land of his own.  So he took his dark minions to the land of the king's children.  When they arrived, the cunning knight went to the northern gate.  There he met the king’s children playing just within the gate.  “Come to me dear children,” the knight said in a fatherly voice.  “Your king has left you without truth.”  The oldest child replied, “What are you talking about, great knight.”  The knight smiled, “Oh you foolish children.  Do you not know that the king put you here to get you out of his way?  He has had a great banquet without you for he desires to have all his kingdom to himself, and now that you are gone, he does not have to share his inheritance with you.”  The children were in dismay and offered the knight a place in their land.  Unwittingly, they opened the northern gate to the knight.  As time went on, the knight deceived many of the children, and many forgot of their father.  The children became weak and their bodies aged and twisted.  The children were in torment, and the great king could hear their cries.

The counsel of the king gathered to discuss what was to be done about the corruption in the land of the king’s children.  The council suggested that the king give the word and the whole land would be destroyed along with the rebellious children.  Little did the counsel know that the king had already made a decision before the counsel was even formed.  The king’s eyes filled with tears.  "I must save my children."  One of his high council members protested “But my king, the evil knight now rules the land of your children, you must destroy the children to destroy the knight, for the knight is now within your children’s hearts.  The king let out a great sigh, “I will go and get my children.”  The council was in an uproar, “But my king, your children have picked a new king; they are not even your children anymore.  You do not rule their hearts.”  Without a word the king began his walk.

After days of travel the king arrived at the northern gate.  By his word the gates opened, and he entered as the rightful king.  There he met his children who looked nothing like their former selves, and they did not even recognize their great king.  The evil knight came to the king, “How dare you come into my kingdom.” The great king replied, “I have taken back what is mine.”  The evil knight then ordered the children to kill the king.  With every strike that the children delivered upon the king the more they started to resemble their former selves.  When the king was beaten so badly that he could no longer be recognized, the children once again looked like they had before the knight had come.  The knight in fear shouted, “Why have you come here.  From your throne, you could have sunk the entire land into the belly of the earth.  Why have you lowered yourself?”  The king smiled, “I have done this for my children.” 

As the king arose from the ground, his deep wounds faded.  Then he looked at the knight and said, “You no longer have dominion over my children.”  And by the kings word the ground swallowed the evil knight.”  The king turned to his children, "You may now return to me; the northern gate is always open to my kingdom.  I have removed all obstacles from your path.  All you must do is choose to come to me and you can be my children again.  The king returned to his throne.  Many of the children had been so diluted they remained, trying to hold on to the rotting inheritance the evil knight had once given them to cover their eyes so that they could not see the greatness of the king, but some followed the king.  For the rest of time the children who returned to the king worshiped their king with thanksgiving and lived in the king's land in happiness for his love was ever upon them.