The Beginning
Once upon a time, as most
stories begin, is not so appropriate for this tale, as it began before time was
marking the comings and goings of life. But, nevertheless, we shall begin at a
point of time in the story. This is the point where, our hero, the beneficent,
wise and powerful KING, charted a plan
for his threatened realm – a realm with so many territories they couldn’t all be
named and more subjects that the stars in heaven.
A jealous rebellion has
broken out against the KING which endangers the realm’s stability and
existence. Now, one must not think that the KING could not muster an
overwhelming force of his own military to squash the revolt. He could.
But, I told you, the KING was wise.
A rebellious element overcome by brute force would only thrive
underground, chewing on their bitterness and anger waiting to fight again some
unsuspecting day. No, he must change
their thinking, and then their hearts could be changed.
Now, the KING had no queen,
for she had died in child-birth five years before. His son, the prince, was their only heir to
the throne. So, just before dawn, as the rebels were gathering with huge and
hard boots, fire brands in their hands and curses in their mouth to attack the
palace, the KING took the five-year-old Prince under a large grey hooded cloak
and fled down the palace stairs.
It was here that everything
changed. The KING suddenly stopped and perched with one foot up and one foot
down on a step - he had heard something.
It was the cry of an infant. Searching through the grey mist of pre-dawn
light, he saw movement – like a moth caught in a web –thrashing, erratic,
desperate movement. The cry was weak and pleading. Time – no time. The big and hard boots were coming, the fire
was near. He reached for it and with his
right arm swooped it up. It was wet and
slippery with its own blood as he tucked it under the big grey cloak and fled
into the mist.
That was the last he saw of
the realm’s subjects for a long, long time.
- next week- The Ancient Forest
