A Long Time Ago, There Was a Prince.

A long time ago, there was a prince. He was a very good prince and loved his people dearly. But the prince had an enemy. This enemy was not very strong but he was crafty, and he hated the prince with a passion. He knew he could not defeat the prince or attack the man directly, for the prince was very strong and a valiant warrior, so the enemy thought of a different way to drive a dagger into the heart of the prince whom he so despised. The enemy disguised himself as one of the princes messenger’s and traveled amongst the people telling lies about the prince and reminding people of the things they feared most, telling them of many strange and terrible things that cast fear into their hearts. Many people forgot their former confidence they had had in their prince and his ability to protect them; fear, something that the kingdom had not known for a very long time began to slip through the cracks in people’s homes. No longer did people sleep so soundly in their beds. Many people even started to hear strange noises in the night, they spread rumors too. These things only seemed to confirm in their minds the truth of the enemy’s lies. The enemy delighted in the chaos and pain he was spreading, knowing how troubled the prince would be to see his people suffer so.

The prince learned quickly of his enemy’s doings and his heart was greatly grieved by the pain that was being inflicted on his people. He knew that he could stop the enemy at once, he had the ability to hunt down and capture or kill this bringer of chaos, but he also knew that his people had put their trust in the enemy, and it would only hurt them more to bring him down now. So in his loving wisdom, and with the help of both his father, the king, and the counsel of his good friend, he devised a plan.

“I will disguise myself as one of our people father, and I will go about the land and amongst our people not as a prince but as a friend and brother. I will tell them things that will remind the hearts of those hungry to hear, that there is something more to life than fear.” Both father and friend heartily agreed with his plan.

“Son,” said the king, “I have another thing to add to your plans. So that we may take further power away from the enemy and increase our peoples love for us and confidence in us, so that they are not so easily swayed. Bring all that hear your words and remember their love and trust. Come with them, and bring them to the palace, we will coronate all who are willing and who love you and accept the word you speak to them, we shall make them princes and princesses, a part of our family, and when your time is done and you return to me as prince of the land, they can go back and continue the work you have started.”

“This seems very good to me,” said the friend, “But there is still one thing I would add, I will stay here for the time being, it is yours to go first and be among your people. But when you return and send out those who have learned to love you and follow you, I will go with them. They need to hear and know of your love for them, they need to know it not only from you, but from those who know you best. I will tell them about you and about your father, the king. When they know you as I know you, they will no longer listen to the words of the enemy and be driven by this fear he tries to spread. Instead their hearts will be filled with love and confidence. Then they will gladly serve you and give their lives for you and for your people, because they know that you would do the same for them.”

And so it was agreed, and the plan delighted the hearts of the three. As soon as all the preparations were made, the prince donned the garb of a peasant and leaving behind all his finery and the comforts of the castle, as well as his horse, he took up a walking stick and started his journey to be with his people.

The prince wandered for many months, speaking to those he met and in the town squares telling people of the love, the king, had for them. Teaching them and proclaiming a new way of living, a way full of confidence in the love of their king, a life free of fear and the terrors that stalk the night and hang around the edges of what we see and know. He taught them and reminded them of the life they had once had, of things they only barely now remembered. Children came flocking to him in the droves, their precious little hearts hated the fear they saw around them all the time. Here was a man with confidence and words that spoke of freedom from the fear they had known, at this point, all their lives. Many others listened to his words and followed him as he walked and travelled, marveling at his words. It seemed too good to be true, what would life be like without fear? So strong was the fear that no one remembered what it had once been like, when they had all lived with confidence and trust in the lord the king and his son. But hearts rejoiced at his words, but they were afraid as well, could his words actually be true? How could his words be true when things were so dark around them? Fear and longing warred in their hearts, but still many chose to follow him, many chose to hope that this man, lowly as he might seem, might actually know how to save them, and give them something they could only hope might be real.

Many, however, those who had listened closest and dearest to the words of the enemy, and especially those who had seen the fear in those around them as a means to control people, did not great the prince with joy. These men and women regarded the prince with suspicion and anger. Who was this man to come into their lives and their towns spreading word in this manner to the people of the land. Were not their lives hard enough? Did they need false hope to burden them down? Surly this man was a fraud, what could he know about the king? It was treason for one so lowly to speak with such intimate terms regarding the king of the land, he must be punished for his insolence. In the name of the king let him be punished! Or so they said in their hearts. But they also were slaves to fear, and did not turn against him yet, the people loved him too much, they knew they had to wait a while before they tried to do anything to harm him. The enemy was there as well, wherever the prince went, though he never showed himself too boldly, for he, of all people, had the most reasons to fear the prince. The very sight of the prince of sound of his voice was enough to drive terror into the heart of the enemy, but as he would hide, and there terror would lessen the hate would always grow strong again in his heart. Whenever the prince moved on, left a town, or stayed in someone’s house, that is when the enemy struck. A whisper here, a scoff there, whatever he could to encourage the people’s disdain and their fears. As long as they did not learn to love the prince, as long as their hearts refused to believe how much the prince and the king loved them, the enemy knew he still had power over them. But once they became aware of the prince’s love and devotion for them, he would lose all grasp he had on them. Then the prince would win. How his anger and hatred boiled at that thought, and how his heart trembled when he thought of the day that would inevitably come, when the prince would turn his hand against him, and come hunt him down. The enemy knew he could only have so much time, but in that time, he would do whatever damage he could.

The prince continued to walk among his people with confidence and without fear, and to show them a new way of living. The crowd following him continued to grow, though they still had fear in their hearts. Some of the crowd however, began to draw very close to him, close enough to call him friend. They had many long talks with him, some even going into the late hours of the night or early morning. He told them many things, things about the king, things about himself, things about the world and about themselves. Often they did not quite understand his words, but something about them and the man they followed began to stir a hunger in their hearts that they could not deny. This was a man, not only that they wanted to know, but they wanted to be like.

Finally the hate in the enemy’s heart grew beyond what he could bear and despite his fear the enemy began to make plans against the prince. The more prominent leaders and people of the town who feared the prince and his words of freedom began to meet in small clumps and whisper. Their fear turned to hate as the enemy went from group to group planting lies and hate in the hearts of the people. A plan began to form in their hearts, but still their fear was too strong.

The prince knew of course of the enemy and his followers, he could see them meeting in the streets, see their hate for him in their eyes. He watched as they whispered lies about him through all the villages, turning many people away before they ever got a chance to meet him. Still he did not rise in anger against them, though he grieved at the unneeded pain their actions caused. But he was in the business of healing hearts and dispelling fear, anger and wrath are not the tools for that. So he waited and continually showed his love for his people in all that he did, reaching out to those who would heed his voice and listen when he called.

As the months continued to pass the accusers of the prince became bolder and began to get louder. Their words would sometimes echo across the streets, when he passed their houses they would spit at him or shut their doors in his face. Many people left him in this time, their hearts turned aside by the anger and fear of their neighbors. But some still remained strong and followed him; they knew that if they left now they would have nothing left. They had given everything to follow him, now he was their all, they had nothing left to loose, and everything to gain.

It was a dark night when tragedy hit. The prince had been asleep in his bed when he was awakened by the sound of a young girl’s cries for help. Immediately he jumped from his bed, grabbing his outer robe as he ran from the house heading in the direction of the cries. He had very sharp hearing and his sense of direction was very astute, so it did not take him long to track down the girl. To this day I do not know, and the prince has never told me, what the girl was doing out so late, or why she was where she was, I imagine it had something to do with the enemy. But there the girl was, she had been walking near the edge of a cliff, had slipped, fallen and slid part of the way down before catching herself on a small ledge which she now clung to desperately. Underneath her was a sheer drop of a couple hundred feet into the jagged bed of the river that ran at the bottom of the ravine.

The prince took in the situation in an instant and just as quickly started moving to rescue the girl. He had no rope that he might be able to lower down to her, though even if he did he doubted she would be able to grab it amidst her fear, but he also could not lower himself down to her either. The cliff was treacherous and it was dark but the prince took no regard for these things as he shimmied as best he could over the edge and along towards were the girl clung. He tried to call out to her to reassure her that he was coming but her cries for help were so loud she could not hear him. Fortunately the cliff at this part had a little bit of a slope to it and in a short period of time he was able to get down nearby where the girl was and still have solid, though steep, footing. Here he paused however, the girl was still screaming as loud as she could and still did not know he was there. If he came alongside her too suddenly she might panic and fall just as he was trying to reach for her. He could not safely approach her until she quieted enough that he could let her know he was there and had come to save her. The prince waited and waited, and finally the girl’s screams turned to sobs and her sobs quieted down, she was losing strength.

Then the prince reached out his hand, “Hush, I am here, I heard your cry for help and I’m here to rescue you.” The girl started slightly but kept her grip as she turned to look at him. Then the prince saw who she was, she was the oldest child of the leader of the village, one of his people who hated him the most. She turned white with fear when she saw him, her father had been telling her all about this man. She looked at his offered hand back to him again then down at the drop below. “If you would rather not accept help from me I can go and see if I can bring someone else to help you.” Said the prince as he waited, his heart yearning to sweep the girl up and carry her to safety.

Her face grew even paler at the thought of being left alone and she quickly reached her hand out towards his. “No please, don’t leave, please, help me, please.”

He snatched her hand and pulled her quickly to his arms where he held her a moment as she trembled and shook. Then carefully, slowly, he made the climb back up, watching every step he took to make sure it would hold both their weights. By the time he had made it to the top the girl had passed out from exhaustion and the strain of it all. Gently he carried her back to town.

Now the prince had been staying in a house near the edge of town, and his hearing was much more acute than anyone else in town, so no one else had heard the girls screams and cries for help. But sometime right about the time the girl was starting to quiet down on the cliff, back in the village the girl’s mother burst out of the house screaming. “My child is gone! My sweet girl has gone missing!” The news spread quickly and soon the whole town was awake and searching for the lost girl. Not much longer after that it was noticed that the strange man who wandered from town to town (the prince) was also missing. For those who knew the prince this filled their hearts with joy, for they knew no one was more likely to save the girl and bring her back unharmed than the prince, but for those who did not know the prince this filled their hearts with anger and dread. Soon the villagers were no longer looking for the lost girl, they were searching for the prince, and many of them were armed.

A cry went up from the edge of town, they had found him! He was stumbling, weary from exhaustion; his outer cloak was wrapped around the still unconscious girl and hid her from their view. But they weren’t looking for her anymore; they only had eyes for him. “Murderer!” “Thief!” “Kidnapper!” the cries rang out. The enemy nearly danced with glee as he went from person to person egging them on. It was all going so perfectly!

The words got louder and louder, and then came the stones. No one ever remembered who threw the first stone, or even, how they had all ended up so perfectly equipped with the stones to throw. The prince saw the stones coming and quickly turned to shield the girl from their impact. He laid her gently on the ground and used himself as a shield against the coming missiles. He’d tried to talk to them, tried to call out and tell them what had happened, but they would not listen. Just as they were beating the last of his consciousness out of him the girls eyes fluttered open. As his eyes closed and his strength failed him she heard him say one last thing. “Thank you, thank you for letting me rescue you. It was an honor.” A stone caught him on the back of the head, and the weight he had been holding off her as he struggled to protect her gave way and he collapsed. She started to scream.

All else fell silent as her scream ripped through the crowd. She pushed his limp body over as she struggled to stand up, turning to kneel beside him cradling his face in her hands. “He rescued me! He saved me! I was out where I shouldn’t have been I slid off the edge of a cliff and he came to rescue me! This whole time he was trying to keep me safe and you murdered him! Look what you have done! Is this really what you wanted? Is this really the sort of people you want to be? I hate you! I hate you all! Go! All of you go! And leave me alone!”

Her words cut the air like knives. Her mother stepped forward but her daughter’s glance stopped her. “I do not wish to talk to anyone right now mother, least of all you. Did you not even notice? Did no one notice that he was carrying me? Did no one notice me at all? He saved me, carried me all the way here, and this is what you have done. Leave me. Now.”

The crowd dispersed and as it did so the prince’s followers came rushing forward, they had heard the commotion but had not been able to stop what had happened. They gathered around the girl and the prince weeping and covering him with what blankets, coats or shawls they had with them. Morning came around and none of them had moved, their hearts were too sore and there was nothing they felt like they could do to move the body. All day they sat with him, none of them moved even to eat or drink as they sat in silent watch. The sun set and still they stayed, weeping and watching, none of the villagers approached them. All around the village a silence hung no one wanted to talk about what had happened.

Dawn of the next day came. The girl’s mother brought them a bucket of well water and a dipper. She didn’t say anything as she left it near them but the girl smiled her thanks in return and the mother went away her heart eased a little. Hours passed and it was just reaching midmorning when the sound of horses hooves could be clearly heard on the road leading into town. Everyone gathered, though those watching over the prince did not move. Who would be coming to their town on horseback? What did they want? What would they think when they saw what had happened? Around the corner, crown glinting in the sunlight, came the king. Behind him were his most trusted servants and the palace’s best carriage. You see the king had been watching over his realm and keeping an eye on his son from afar and he had seen what had happened.

The villages were dismayed at the sight of the king; they drew back as he rode straight to where the prince lay. Their dismay increased when he jumped of his horse and knelt by his son’s head. “Son, oh my son!” His cry echoed around the village, and a great wail went up from the villagers, what had they done? The king bent his head and wept, as did all the villagers. For a time no one moved.

Then gently the girl reached her hand and laid it on the king’s arm. “He died protecting me. I’m so sorry, if I hadn’t… if I… maybe if…” the king shook his head.

“No sweetheart. This is not your fault, in truth I am not here to cast blame or kill those who would be responsible for this act. My people have forgotten my voice; they have forgotten the trust they once had in me. It is that forgetfulness that has caused this, for in truth they did not know what they were doing. If they are willing, I would still have them remember their love for me, turn to me that I might heal their broken hearts. They do not now remember anything but a life filled with fear and sorrow. Besides, what greater thing could I do to them than what they have already done to themselves? There will come a time of reckoning and all who have not learned to call on my name and heed my voice will be dealt with. But that time is not now. There is still hope for these people.”

“You sound just like him.” One of the prince’s follower’s observed looking intently at the king.

“That is because he is my son, prince of the land, and he knows me and my heart well. He has been my messenger to the land, but now it is time to bring him home.”

“Sir, he’s dead.”

The king didn’t respond immediately but picked the prince up and carried him to his carriage. “If you believe that, then there is no reason to follow me, but if you want something better to hope in, and live for, then come follow me, and we will see what shall become of your prince.”

As a whole everyone of the prince’s follower’s stood up, including the girl. “We will follow.”

“Good, my servants will lead the way to the castle, we must go on ahead.”

Not quite knowing what to make of it all, but filled with a strange sense of hope the group headed off as quickly as they could to the castle near the center of the realm. It took them many days to get there, but though their excitement and anticipation to finally arrive at the castle was great they did not mind the length of the journey. They spent the long hours talking and sharing stories of the prince and the things he had taught them. The girl heard many strange and marvelous stories and her heart was warmed to hear of his goodness and kindness. These people were so different from the ones in the rest of the village. The sores in her heart began to heal as she listened to more and more of the prince’s words, and her heart ached more and more to think of what she and the other villagers had said and done to him.

Finally they arrived. The group was filled with hushed anticipation as they made their way up the steps to the entrance of the castle. A servant met them at the door, “come, there is someone who is looking forward to seeing you.” They hardly dared to breathe as they followed the servant. He led them into a grand hall filled with beautiful tapestries paintings and sculptures, and there, on the far side of the hall, looking out a window, stood the prince.

He turned to great them and their joy was profound. His laughter joined in theirs as they met and embraced all around the group. The prince rejoiced to see that the girl he had saved had come as well.

At last, as things calmed down one of them managed to ask, “my lord, how is it you’re alive? How did this happen? When we last saw you we thought sure you were dead.”

The prince smiled as he looked at them. “There is much you have yet to learn about my father, but one thing that this land desperately needs to know is that he is a master healer, and longs to heal the wounds of this land and his people. But first he had to heal them in me. But come, we shall not tarry, my kingdom is at war and as we speak the enemy continues to spread lies that wreck people’s lives, homes and families. There is much for you to learn, but first I have something for you to do and someone for you to meet.” At this he led them to his father’s throne room. There his father and the prince’s friend sat waiting, smiles wreathing their faces.

“My father you have already met, and this here is my dear friend, whom I hope you will get to know quite well soon. Father, friend, may I present to you the new additions to our family.”

The king stood up with his arms spread wide, “welcome home, my sons and daughters, welcome home.”

The group looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. The prince stepped forward and smiled. “Some time ago an enemy of both my father and I started to spread rumors against us across our entire kingdom, and turned our people’s hearts toward fear and away from us. In order to regain our people’s trust, and to bring them back from the fear that they now live with in every waking hour of their life, I was sent out to go amongst them. And it was decided by my father that any who would accept my word among them and turn towards me and follow me that my father would adopt as his sons and daughters that they might know him not only as king but as a father and that they might better be able to talk among his people in his kingdom without fear of anything the enemy might say or do. And thus it was decided that all who would follow me home, if they so desired, would be crowned princes and princesses and become members in the royal family.”

The group looked at each other in amazement, than all as one they knelt, humbled in their heart by what they had heard. “My lord,” said one who often remembered the princes love for his people, including himself, “this seems too great a thing to accept, but if you and your father deem it right, then I for one accept.” The rest of the group murmured ascent, though the girl the prince had rescued looked up questioningly.

“Yes daughter?” The king asked, smiling at her kindly.

“I… well… Sire, even me? I hardly know the prince, I only followed him because I was worried, and he had been so kind and had rescued me… I don’t feel like I can accept this, I’m not really one of his followers. I’m the daughter of one of the people who accused him most. I even accused him and spoke harshly of him to my friends. I do not feel like I deserve this.”

The king smiled down at her, but it was the prince who answered. He stood in front of her and looked her in the eyes. “If you could choose now, which would you desire? To stay with me and be one of my followers, or to go home to your village and still speak against me?”

The girl’s eyes flashed as she stood up straight, meeting his gaze. “I never want to speak ill of you again; I want to be with you; I want to follow you. If you will have me I want to be yours.”

The prince’s eyes lit up as he smiled for joy. Laughing he picked her up and twirled her around. Still laughing he set her feet carefully on the ground though he remained holding her hands. “Let it be known to all, that when the work that my father has given you is done, and when the time is right, I will make you my wife.”

The girl gasped. Those of his followers who had been with him the longest started to grin, though some who had only just started to get to know the prince looked a little confused. The girl was the most confused of them all.

“You can’t be serious, you can’t… actually mean me, why would you say that? Why would you want to marry me?” She looked at the prince with wide eyes, fear biting into her heart. What could he possibly mean?

“I am very serious, more than serious.” Replied the prince, “I would not say it if it were not so.”

“But you can’t possibly love me like that, you can’t possibly… I am not worthy of that sort of love, I am not… I’m not the sort of girl you should be with. I… there’s no reason for you to want to marry me.” Fear warred in her heart mixing with anger at the thought that he might be playing the fool with her, what if this was all a lie? But behind the fear, as she kept her eyes on him, deep in her heart there was a growing desire for what he said to be true. What if he could want me? What if he is actually speaking the truth? Trembling she watched him and waited.

He smiled at her. It was an odd smile, he looked almost as if he expected her to be joking, as if her protests were a little ridiculous. Despite herself she found herself smiling back; laughter forming in her heart, though she held it back, still unsure.

“Let me be the judge of who is worthy and who is not. And let me judge what sort of girl I will choose to love. Let me judge if there is a reason for the desire in my heart to call you mine. Trust me that I would not pursue you if I did not love you, and I would not ask for your hand in marriage if it were anything but the most precious gift you could give me. Trust me that I love you, and that nothing you can say or do will change that.”

“But why me?” She looked at him, eyes still shadowed with fear. “Why?”

“Answer me this,” again he smiled at her, laughter dancing in his eyes. “Do you want to be mine, to marry me?”

Fear filled her heart, but something else flashed out stronger: her desire to say yes. How she longed to throw fear and reason aside and throw herself in utter abandon at his feet and say yes. Yes I love you, yes I will marry you. But how can you be sure? The age old question echoed in her heart. Be sure? Be sure of what? That she loved him? That he loved her? That everything would work out? What exactly was she sure of? In her mind’s eye she saw him again reaching out to her as she clung desperately to the cliff, the love in his eyes as he offered her his hand. She remembered again him thanking her for the privilege of rescuing her right before the stones finally knocked him unconscious. There was one thing she was sure of: this was a man she could trust. If she could trust him, if she allowed herself to trust him, past all logic, past all fear, past all thoughts of reason, if she allowed herself to trust him the way she longed to trust him. Then there would be no fear as to whether or he loved her. He said he loved her, and that was enough. She would choose to trust.

“Yes, I want to marry you, yes please yes.” She laughed, cheeks burning and heart aglow. “Yes I will marry you, my prince.”

With a shout of joy the prince took her in his arms again and spun her around. Laughing and twirling he danced around the room with her in his arms. Finally he set her down again and turned to his father. “Father, may I present to your newest daughter, and very soon to be, my wife.”

The girl blushed again and dropped into an awkward curtsy. “Sire.”

The king smiled at her and laughed; reaching down he took her hand. “You are my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased. I am very proud of my son’s choice.”

“I still don’t understand why he chose me, Sire.”

“That is ok, you will understand more as time goes on. And remember, its father now, not Sire. You are a member of the royal family yourself you know.” With that he stepped forward, face beaming with pleasure. In his hand he held a beautiful crown which he placed on her head. “Welcome home, princess.”

The prince’s followers all cheered. Tears welled in the girl’s eyes as she looked back and forth between the prince and her father.

Then the prince motioned her up to stand with him and his father as they turned to welcome the rest of his followers into the royal family. “Come,” He said to her, “help me welcome your new brothers and sisters into our family.”

One by one the prince led each of his followers to his father, and one by one they were crowned. Their faces reflected joy and astonishment. Much was the laughter and many the tears that were shed, though no one’s laughter was quite as beautiful nor shed quite so many tears as the bride-to-be.

After this there commenced a coronation feast where there was much laughter and rejoicing. During the feast the prince gave his followers a new robe to wear and to remember him by. To his bride-to-be he gave a dress of surpassing beauty. “Wear this” he said, “and remember the love that both I, and your father, have for you. You are my princess, cherished in my heart forever.” All the followers rejoiced in this gift beyond all others that they had received.

Then as the feast neared its end the prince stood up, goblet in hand. “This is a great day, and there is much reason to rejoice, here among us many people who had been in bondage to the enemy have been set free. Now that you have known freedom and that you have known both the father and I, now I would send you out again, my people need to hear about their king, they need to know how much he loves them and would ease their suffering and heal their hearts if only they would let him. Tonight you will sleep here, but tomorrow you must go, go to the people and tell them what you have learned. Tell them of my father, tell them of the life they can live in peace and joy instead of fear. And when they are ready, bring them back here that we may add them to our number and send them out as well and in this way reclaim our entire kingdom. You will be ridiculed, banished, abused, slandered and spit upon. People will question your sanity and your birthright. But I tell you the truth, you are heirs to the kingdom, you are sons and daughters of the king, nothing and no one can change that.”

He turned to the girl he had rescued, “Tell my people of the love I have for them.” She nodded her head, “ I will.” Even now she yearned to go back outside the castle and fight for her prince’s people, for her people, to tell them of a life without fear. A life full of trust and love.

The prince continued talking. “But I will not send you amongst them alone. I cannot go with you now, my time to return has not yet come, but I will send with you my dear friend. He has offered to join you guys in this task and there is no one that I would trust more or would rather be with you guys. He knows both me and my father. He has much that he can teach you, listen to his words and it will go well with you.

“But come, let us drink to our father the king, his love for us is never ending and his hand brings healing to our lives. May his name forever be on our lips, amen.”