Coming Home With Hope by John Tansey-d2yt708 via www.DeviantArt.com
Once upon a time there lived a great King. He had a son, Prince Alphonse and a daughter, Princess Julia. The Queen, Margaret, loved her children very much. King Archibald loved his children as well but held them to very high standards.
Alphonse and Julia understood this. After all, they were the offspring of a great King. During the summer of Alphonse’s twenty-second year, he won the intra-Kingdom swordsmanship contest. A parade was held in his honor and the people cheered and cheered as he passed by. When Alphonse knelt before the King, his father, to receive the sash of accomplishment, the King held the sash high to the wild acclaim of the crowd. But when he placed the sash over his son’s head, the King whispered, “Your posta longas and thrusts were sloppy, son.” Alphonse bowed his head. His joy at winning was shattered.
That autumn, Julia competed against all of the maidens of the land in an archery competition. The princess out-performed all of the maidens by many points. A dinner was held in her honor. The King held her trophy aloft as she stood next to him and the crowd cheered and clapped. As he turned and handed it to her he whispered, “But you missed two bull’s eyes, my dear.” Julia took the trophy and held it up to the audience but her achievement felt like ashes in her mouth.
The next spring, Prince Alphonse declared he would have an adventure. He gathered a handful of trusted friends and galloped away. For a time carrier pigeons brought news but after a year, no news arrived.
The Queen grew sad but the King said, “He’s on an adventure. He’ll return soon covered in glory.”
The next year, just after her eighteenth birthday, Princess Julia declared, “I wish to sail to far off lands.” She gathered a handful of her friends who were also expert sailors, and they sailed away into the dawn at high tide.
The Queen wept every day. Both of her children were gone from her. The King said, “She’ll return covered in glory.”
A year, then two, then three passed by with no news. The Queen became melancholy. She stopped organizing balls and fairs. The King grew stricter. Nothing his councilors did was good enough. The people of the kingdom received stricter and stricter laws concerning quality, law, and production. He never smiled any more.
After five years the people, crushed under the restrictive laws began to rebel. Mud clods were hurled at the King when he rode through the streets. Lawlessness increased and the once nearly empty prisons filled to overflowing.
“What’s happening?” he cried out to the Queen one night in their apartments.
Queen Margaret looked up at him from her needlepoint. “It’s you. Nothing is good enough for you. You tighten the law until your subjects cannot make a move that’s within the law.”
“I’m looking out for them,” he shouted, red-faced. “I’m helping them improve.”
Margaret raised an eyebrow. “And now our children are gone and the people throw mud at you.”
He stared at her for a moment before his shoulders slumped. He pulled on his velvet robe and left the bedroom.
Two years later look-outs at the edge of the kingdom sent homing pigeons to the castle. Princess Julia’s ship was heading for home port.
The King and Queen hugged when they heard the news. The Queen began preparations for a welcome home ball. The tow of then stood on the castle ramparts most of everyday eager for the sight of the royal ship’s masts. When the ship was sighted, cannons boomed and church bells rang.
When the ship pulled into port, the King and Queen were waiting on the dock. They could scarcely breathe as the ropes were tied off and the gangway was lowered.
The Queen gasped when she saw not only Julia, but also Alphonse, step onto the gang plank and walk toward them. Tears flowed as she ran forward to hug them both as soon as they stepped on the dock. After many tears and kisses, the two siblings stepped toward their father. Before they could kneel, the King grabbed them both into a bear hug, tears in his eyes. “Forgive me, children. I was a fool.”
Julia and Alphonse traded looks of surprise. “No, Father,” Alphonse said as he clapped his father on the shoulder. “You have never been a fool.”
“We came because of the messages, Father.” Julia reached up to stroke her father’s face.
Queen Margaret’s eyes went wide.
“I’ve missed you both.” He held them at arm’s length, filling his eyes with the sight of them. “I was too hard on you. Too demanding.”
Julia hugged him tight. “We love you, Father. Your messages at every port said it all.”
That night at the ball to welcome them home the King made a speech. “Welcome home to Prince Alphonse and Princess Julia. They left home to escape my hard heart. I never took joy in their accomplishments – I just demanded more. When they left, I demanded more and more from my subjects. I’ve nearly brought my kingdom to ruin. I declare tomorrow a day of Thanksgiving. All laws passed since Julia sailed away will be rescinded. Anyone convicted of breaking those laws will be released. A feast will be held at the jousting grounds for the whole town.”
He held his arms wide and beamed at his family. “My children have returned.”
The End
913 Words
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