A Fable - Chapter 3

To the prince this was adventure of the highest order. He knew it was not right for him to be in his mother’s apartments, but the idea of seeing a completely new part of the world was too much for him to contain.  The room was tastefully appointed with all of the appropriate accoutrements for a queen. Even though the accommodations of the prince were lavish by any standard, his mother’s apartments reached a new level of grandeur. And, in the eyes of the prince, it was as it should be.

His exploration continued from one room to the next until he entered a room that contained a terrible and frightening sight. There on the opposite wall stood a menacing, gnomish creature, bent and twisted with a frightful face. It so startled the prince that he gasped and then screamed. He turned and ran as fast as he could back to his apartments into the arms of his waiting mother.

The prince was sobbing and shaking. His heart was beating so hard it could almost be heard. The attendants began to circle around mother and son as if it were a protective wall. The queen simply held the boy and let him calm in his own time. Gradually his breathing returned to its normal rhythm and his sobbing ceased. When he looked up into his mother’s eyes, she could see in his, both terror and confusion. She determined at this moment, as only the wise are inclined to do, that her best guide was to listen. She began with a question.

“What has frightened you so, my prince?”

“There is a terrible creature in your room!”

“In my room, how is it you know this?”

“I saw it in your dressing room.”

“You entered my apartments without my permission and found something frightening?”

“Yes, mother, I am so sorry. I shall never go in there again.”

“See that you do not. You must respect the privacy of others.”

“But, what was that mother?”

“We will discuss that later. Now, I want you to remember this: When I give you instructions that limit you, it is not to restrict you, but to give you time to prepare for the responsibility of knowledge when you receive it.”

The queen began a much more stringent schedule for her son. His education and spiritual growth needed some attention if he was to be ready to deal with the truth of his encounter with the frightening visage in his mother’s apartments. She began with a regimen of stretching to improve his posture which was noticeably being affected by his hunched back. She also brought in teachers of voice and instruments to give him access to the harmonies of life. Blended into this mix was a spiritual guide who offered the wisdom of ages past and books of scripture offering a good design for living.

What was most powerful to the son of course was the example set by his mother with her attributes of kindness, listening, sharing and teaching freely and openly.

The king had paid little attention to his son in person. However, from a distance he had watched the prince’s growth and observed his character. What struck the king most of all was how much his son’s character mirrored that of his mother. The king had even come to see a difference in the physical attributes of his son. Somehow the deficiencies of symmetry and reflections of other physical characteristics of members of the court seemed to diminish. What showed through were the sweetness of his disposition and the respectful nature of his behavior.

But, a kingdom is not without its politics. A small cadre of ambitious dukes began to plan an expansion of their duchies into another kingdom. When word leaked and found its way to the king he gathered his advisers and it was decided that a confrontation would be necessary to quell this ambitious enterprise. 

With a carefully developed plan, outlined to the most minute detail, the king gathered his forces and led them to end this plan to divide the kingdom. But even in the most ideal of kingdoms, there are those who for power or money would sell their soul. A traitor had leaked the plan to the dukes and they had a plan of their own.

The king led his forces into a trap which very nearly cost him his life.

To be continued…

©Herb Ratliff, November 28, 2012, All Rights Reserved