The Keimathea Chronicles, Part II
King Ma’alekei continued to rule
his realm with wisdom, and the people continued to enjoy prosperity and
peace. During one of the King’s nightly
banquets at the palace, a young man joined in the festivities for the first time
of his life. Joronae was exceptionally
handsome, his mind razor-sharp. He was
well-loved by his fellow Keimatheans, and King Ma’alekei inwardly held Joronae
to be the pinnacle of his kingly work.
Ma’alekei had personally taught and guided the young man for years,
instructing him in botany, alchemy, architecture, zoology, astronomy, and
law. Joronae had come, at a tender young
age, to understand the intricacies of royal law, and had a very bright future
before him serving in Ma’alekei’s court.
When Joronae attended his first
royal banquet, however, he began to see things in a new light. Literally.
The crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall caused the royal jewels in
Ma’alekei’s royal diadem to cast rainbows of color across the floor, walls, and
ceilings. The diadem glittered and
glistened under the penetrating light of the chandelier, enhancing its
already-glorious beauty. Joronae found
that he could not take his eyes off of the royal diadem. He was absolutely captivated by the diadem’s
splendor.
Joronae’s neighbor elbowed him
gently and commented, “King Ma’alekei is in fine form tonight, isn’t he?”
Joronae briefly lowered his eyes
from the diadem to the regal bearing of the one wearing the crown. But he immediately refocused his attention
upon the glittering jewels. The diadem
was stunning. Suddenly, a single, stray
thought crossed his mind – “I wonder what wearing the crown would feel like?”
Back at home, Joronae was able to
put the thought of the diadem out of his mind.
He put his efforts back into his family’s garden, and continued his
tutelage under King Ma’alekei. When not
at the royal palace, Joronae was untroubled by thoughts of wearing the
diadem. But Joronae came to many more
banquets in ensuing days, weeks, and months.
Each time, he found his attention more and more pre-occupied by the
glorious, splendiferous crown perched atop Ma’alekei’s brow. Eventually, Joronae could not even partake of
the bountiful feast. The pit of his
stomach ached, and he was possessed with an insatiable desire to wear the
diadem himself, even if only for one moment.
Finally, one night, Joronae could
contain himself no longer. When the
guests dispersed after the banquet and returned home, Joronae concealed himself
in one of the royal restrooms and waited several hours until the castle was
completely quiet. Joronae knew where the
diadem was kept at night – in a locked cabinet in the foyer outside King
Ma’alekei’s bedroom. Joronae steeled his
nerves, and crept silently up the stone staircase to the foyer.
At the top of the stairs, Joronae
gaped in shock. There it was! The crown!
The diadem! It was right
there! The King hadn’t locked the crown
in the cabinet tonight! Joronae could
simply pick it up and put it on his head!
There was nothing stopping him!
No obstacles, no difficulty, nothing to stand in his way!
Joronae barely noticed that,
without the chandeliers lit, the diadem lacked its luminous splendor—it didn’t
glistened, and seemed almost positively dull, almost as if the greater part of
the light cast by the diadem in the royal banquet hall stemmed from the one
wearing the crown rather than the crown itself.
Had Joronae been thinking with the clarity and wisdom the King had
imparted to him, he might have noticed all of that. But all Joronae could think about was the
crown, and how he longed to place it upon his head.
He paused momentarily: the hairs on
the back of his neck were standing up.
What was that about? It almost
felt as if someone were watching him, anticipating the tragedy about to
ensue. Joronae reached out, touched the
ruby at the center of the diadem, caressed the gold filigree, and swiftly
picked up the diamond-encrusted band to place the magnificent crown upon his
own head.
It was far heavier than he had
imagined! Joronae staggered under the
immensity of what he had done, and the immensity of the royal crown that he had
just claimed for himself. If the King
could wear it, why couldn’t he? It seemed
only fair that the best and brightest of Keimathea’s citizens should share the
ability to wear the royal crown, didn’t it?
Why did Ma’alekei alone claim the right to wear it? Come to think of it, who crowned Ma’alekei
king to begin with? In fact, why
shouldn’t Joronae himself be the ruler of Keimathea? The king had, after all, taught Joronae so
much, and it seemed to him that he was beginning to exceed his sovereign’s
abilities in several disciplines.
Perhaps trying the diadem on for size was just the beginning of great
things for young Joronae …
Just then Joronae noticed strange
things about the lighting in the foyer.
It wasn’t that the room was getting brighter; but rather, if such a
thing were possible, the dark room was getting darker. Indeed, the diadem
seemed to be drawing in darkness from outside.
With horror, Joronae immediately knew what was happening. The protective shield around Keimathea, the
Kingdom’s protection from the dark forces outside—somehow Joronae had
deactivated the shield.
“Yes, my son.” Joronae was shocked by the quiet, calm voice
in front of him. The King – not asleep,
not oblivious to what was happening. He had felt someone’s eyes watching
him! What had he done?
“Yes, my son,” King Ma’alekei
repeated. “The shield is generated by
the diadem when it sits upon the head of the rightful ruler of the realm. So long as the crown is not usurped, not worn
by one unworthy of it, our shield remains intact. You have broken the shield. Keimathea will never be the same. You will never be the same.”
Joronae crumpled to the ground,
crushed. How could he have been so
foolish? He knew that Ma’alekei was the only rightful king. He knew
that the royal crown belonged on the King’s head, not his own. He knew
there had been good reason for the King’s edicts. But he had been so overcome by desire for
that which was good that he could not see reason. And now all was lost. What would become of him? What would become of Keimathea? What would become of King Ma’alekei?
