The king had a problem. He was powerful and wealthy enough to own all he could ever want. His palace was lavish, with polished marble, mighty walls of solid stone, and iron clad gates. His treasury was filled to the brim with riches, statues made of silver, gold, ivory, and pearl, mounds of coins and jewels, and chests full of exotic furs and jewelry. His meals were always feasts, with a table laden with rare meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and sweets baked of honey and precious sugar. His lands were fertile and rich in resources, ensuring the prosperity of his whole kingdom. No army dared cross his borders, for his retribution was swift and his ferocity could not be withstood. Yet, in the king’s mind, there was a blemish. This stain prevailed over the perfection he had created. For the king had no male heir. His beautiful but duplicitous wife had only given him one child. To rectify this, the king had thought to marry the princess to a strong prince of a neighboring kingdom, or perhaps a commander, triumphant and returned from defending the king’s land. His daughter had other plans. She had made it known to her suitors that she wished to become a priestess and had sworn her heart to the gods.
This made the king furious. He believed he could convince his daughter that her desire was foolish, and at the very least punish her for her disobedience. First, the king locked her away with her mother. He felt that the punishment was sufficient after the queen died, and welcomed his daughter back to court with open arms. This had proven his point, that the strong survive. Yet, the princess informed him that the queen had undermined his authority. The queen had ensured the health of the princess by giving her daughter her own meals and water rations. This sacrifice made the princess even more convinced to give her life to the gods, and so she did not renounce her vows.
Her only desire was to become a priestess, which just made the king more furious. He determined that his daughter must be punished more severely this time, so he locked her away in a damp cell, deep below the palace. Here, he was sure that her spirit would break and, one day, she would call out to the guard watching her to be escorted back to her father.
Time passed, and the princess was not brought back before her father. Days turned to weeks and those weeks turned to months. Eventually, those months became years. Left within the darkness beneath the palace, the princess waited. Abandoned by her father, her only company was the constant rotation of guards that awaited her recantation.
As the years moved on, the king decided to solve his problem another way. He appointed many heirs, from capable commanders to shrewd advisors, but all met with untimely and peculiar deaths. A general who had been made heir apparent was suffocated when his tent collapsed on him during a campaign. An advisor who succeeded him was pitched from a horse, breaking his neck. The problems compounded; without competent advisors or generals the king began to suffer losses in both wealth and territory. People started to whisper that the king and his lands had become cursed. Soon, large swaths of the populace were leaving the once fertile and rich lands. With less and less people to work, distribute and consume, the prosperity of the kingdom dwindled. Frantic for a solution, the king issued forth a message, promising that he would bestow his crown on anyone who could remove the curse from his kingdom.
Deep below the palace, the princess was aware of the growing problems and restlessness in the kingdom. Her guards found their post dull, and her company was a great reprieve from the stillness and boredom. Each day brought a different guard on rotation, and each day she learned more about the men and their families, their desires, their fears, their joys, and their sorrows. She shared moments of both glee and woe with each of them. She joined them in both laughter and tears. From them, the princess began to learn many truths, while gaining their loyalty and respect. From them, she learned of the king’s decree and decided it was time that the curse was removed.
The king sat upon his throne, bewildered. His daughter had asked to be brought before him, and now stood proudly in his throne room. He had not anticipated this, or that years of suffering and solitude had done nothing to break her spirit. A smug smile slowly replaced his confusion. He was not disappointed; it was testament to her strength that she had survived so long, which showed how well he had raised her. She must have created the curse that had come to plague him and his land through her belligerence. If she was ready to acknowledge his wisdom and request forgiveness, then she must also be ready to bring balance to his kingdom.
As the princess began to speak, the king’s smile slowly gave way to a smirk. How dare she say that the kingdom’s problems are mine alone? What does she know? His expression shifted to a frown. How does she know that I ordered the assassinations of those heirs? They did nothing for my kingdom! I appointed them and they all disappointed me! The frown mutated until it became a scowl, and the princess declared him the curse upon the kingdom.
“You cannot judge me! You dare to suggest that I am the problem? I made this kingdom! I made you!” The king stood abruptly, kicking his chair over and spitting his next commands. “Guards! Guards, take her back to her cell! NO! Take her to the gallows! I have been merciful enough with this stubborn princess!”
None of the guards moved. The king turned his attention to the men that lined the hall, more than five between each column. When did so many arrive? The king moved to the nearest guard, grabbing for the sword that hung at his waist. The once-cowed soldier stepped back, out of the king’s reach.
“It would seem, Father, that hope is more powerful than fear. It would also seem that kindness is stronger than violence. You once told me that only the strong survive and that I would never wear your crown or sit on your throne.” The princess stepped past the king and several guards restrained him, preventing him from attempting to seize her. A guard removed the king’s crown and offered it to the princess as she stood before her father’s throne. “It would seem that I am about to do both.” She turned to face the former king, sitting comfortably and adjusting the crown upon her head. “Guards, there is a cell to be filled with a determined spirit that needs breaking.”
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