by A Lump Of Clay
Chapter 1 – The Prince Gets Cocky
In the beginning of time, in a land far glorious than ours, there was a great and mighty King who ruled over a vast kingdom. This King had a prince called Bright Star who was a handsome man and grew to be a brave and mighty warrior. The King was proud of Bright Star and gave him a great army to command. So magnificent and powerful was Bright Star that the people of the Palace fell over each other to please him. Every time he walked the halls of the palace, it was like sweet music to their ears.
One day, he thought to himself,
One day, he thought to himself,
“I am so great that there is no one more powerful than me in the entire kingdom. Why, I am so mighty that I could be the king. Come to think of it, I SHOULD be the king! And I WILL!” And he plotted and schemed to snatch the throne.
Now, the wise King, from whom nothing is hidden, came to know Bright Star’s haughty thoughts. He laughed at the Prince’s arrogance and summoned him to his Throne room, and gave him a thorough dressing down.
“I alone am King of this Kingdom. I am the one who made you a great and mighty Prince in my Kingdom. But you are contemplating treason against me, your Sovereign King?”
This was the moment Bright Star had been waiting for. It’s now or never, he thought. He drew his sword and signaled to his army. But the King held out his Royal Scepter and the King’s guards quickly surrounded all of Bright Star’s army.
“You, Bright Star, will never sit on this Throne. You are hereby banished from the Palace, to await your fate.” The Palace guards then chased Bright Star and his army out of the Palace grounds.
Chapter2 – Bright Star Instigates The Common Folk
One day, many years later, the King’s emissaries to the cities of the Kingdom brought bad news to the King. The Royal city-halls have been turned into all sorts of venues for the people’s own merriment, with absolutely no fear of the King. The people in the Kingdom, under Bright Star’s influence were now living very wicked lives. They were totally evil to the point of celebrating evil as good! Many of the emissaries had been humiliated and abused. One was even chained at the entrance to the Royal city-hall and tortured– his eyes viciously plucked out as entertainment! Even children were rude, selfish and disobedient and raised with no love for the King.. Everyone was praising Bright Star and did not even bother about the Royal emissaries as they moved among the people, seeing to their needs.
The King was furious.
“These people don’t deserve to be in my kingdom. I will destroy all of them,” he thought to himself.
Chapter 3 – The King’s plan
Now, the King also had another prince whom he loved very much – the Crown Prince, Beloved Son. Beloved Son was very special to the King. So much the King loved Beloved Son, that he was constantly in the King’s bosom, and the King was very protective of him. Everyone in the palace wondered at the mystery of the great love the King and Beloved Son had for each other.
One day, the King called all the Palace officials together. He told them that he will not tolerate the wickedness of the people anymore. He explained that he had a plan to save a few people who will repent and honour their King. The rest will be executed. Then he will build a new Kingdom of peace. Everyone was pleased, but the Royal emissaries shook their heads.
“But Your Majesty. How will we do it, since Bright Star seems to have everyone at his beck and call?”
“Nobody listens to us anymore as they have appointed their own people as “emissaries” of your Majesty.”
“And they have ALL gone bad – every man, woman and child! Who is there good enough for the new kingdom?”
There was an uncomforable silence in the Royal Court
“True, none of them deserve a new life,” the King declared. Then he turned to Beloved Son.
“I will send my Beloved Son, He will go to them and live among them and be as one of them. But you, my Beloved Son, will not follow their evil ways. You will carry out my mission and teach them about me, the Only True King. I know those I have in mind to save. These will hear your voice and will humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways. You will absolve them of the punishment for their wickedness and they will have a new heart and will henceforth follow my laws. And only these will be granted citizenship in my New Kingdom . When your mission is completed, I will bring you back to me. And I will hand you the New Kingdom to rule forever.”
The whole Court was stunned! The Great King wants to send his Beloved Son out into the condemned city? To certain death? Just to save a few of the undeserving wretched fellows?
“I am the Sovereign King. My ways are not your ways. I have spoken. Make the preparations.”
Chapter 4 – Beloved Son leaves the Palace
Somberly, the Palace servants approached their Crown Prince. Obediently Beloved Son took off his Royal Robes, his Crown, his Ring and all his Royal Regalia - everything that identified him with the Royal Palace. The Royal Valet trembled uncontrollably as he dressed the prince in simple commoner’s clothes. The Great Throne room went deathly quiet as the Court musicians stopped playing, hands frozen, at that unbecoming sight of the King’s Beloved Son. The King, eyes brimming with tears, embraced his Beloved Son for a long moment. Time stood still as the King very slowly walked him out of the throne room. The King’s ministers hung their head in shame, not bearing to see their Prince walking out of the hallway, stripped of all that made him the Crown Prince of the Kingdom.
“I will bring you back to me” His Father called out, voice faltering, as he watched his Beloved Son walk out of the Throne room. Everything in the Palace grounds seemed to slowly wind down to a halt. The guards at the Palace gate stood aside in shocked unbelief, hands frozen in a ridiculous half-salute, as the Prince whom they saluted daily, now walked out of the Palace, unrecognizable from the man-in-the-street outside.
…..and the story continues
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