I heard this story on April 20th, 2017 and I’ve been writing it ever since. The story I heard was just the bare bones but it pierced my heart and I thought, “I need to share this.” This is only the first half, if you enjoy it, leave a comment and let me know that you want the second half, it should be ready next week. Enjoy.

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The sun broke over the tops of the trees and cast its brilliant light upon a clearing in the forest. The light revealed a circular pit eight feet deep and twelve feet across with a single lonely post standing in the center. About the pit, a stillness hung in the air and an eerie silence seemed to speak of the terrible fate that met all those who spent their last moments there.
The only disturbance to the unsettled peace was a soft breeze that explored the deep grooves on the post where tiger’s claws had left their fearful mark. Wrapping around the post and picking up speed as if spooked, the breeze raced back into the forest, through the trees and into the valley several miles away where it rallied its strength and charged onward across the valley to the royal palace that stood proudly upon the mountainside opposite the forest.

Prince Joshua walked out onto his balcony to welcome the dawn as a gust of wind swept past him and whipped the flag which flew from the tower behind him. He turned his head upward to admire the way the sun caught the colors of his family crest and he fixed his thoughts upon his subjects. Throughout the land Joshua was known to be an amiable, valiant, and selfless leader who cared more for the well-being of his subjects than himself; he was mighty in battle, fair in court, and wise in all of his ways. There was none who could rightly accuse him of wrong and his subjects loved him dearly, yet there was unrest brewing among the people; he could sense it in the air and hear whispers of it on the breeze.

A man had come from the east and had begun to instigate the villagers against their righteous ruler with promises of wealth, glory and fame if they should turn away from the prince and follow after him instead. Surprisingly, the prince’s beloved subjects were giving ear to the empty promises of this foreigner and Joshua could sense the chasm forming between himself and the people whom he had sacrificed so much to protect. His heart was burdened at the thought that those whom he so dearly loved should doubt that he had their best interests in mind, that they could believe that this stranger cared more for them than he, that they would turn their hearts from him to chase after vain glories…
As the prince grew darker in his contemplation, his thoughts were interrupted by a soft hand which lightly rested on his shoulder before wrapping around his waist and embracing him from behind.

“What are you thinking of?” his wife whispered as he turned around to face her.

“The people.” he responded as he looked down into her eyes and brushed the hair away from her face, safely tucking it behind her ear.
To him, she was the most beautiful among women. It wasn’t because she was any more fair than other women he had seen, but simply because he loved her so truly. Her eyes were a fierce green, mysterious and changing as the sea, her hair was long and soft, cascading across her shoulders in an unconcerned manner, and her figure was small and delicate so as to make it easy to forget how strong and independent she was. It was that fierce independence of her character that often got her into trouble.
She would try to take care of herself and would only come to him when whatever issue she was dealing with was beyond her own ability to fix. They were often small matters, such as her duties in the kingdom, her role as a wife, or even just the worries and concerns of her daily life, but she didn’t need to attempt to handle them without him. He wanted to give her everything she needed and her stubbornness always seemed to get in the way. He would always shake his head and smile ruefully and remind her again that she need not toil on her own before asking him for help.
Though she knew that she could come to him, he could tell that she felt the need to prove herself. Prove herself as what, he didn’t know. There was nothing she could do to make him love her more, and there was nothing she could do that would make him love her less because it wasn’t her excellence that made him love her, it wasn’t her charm, it wasn’t her beauty; he loved her simply for all of the little things that made her who she was and for the person who he knew she could be, the person he saw inside of her. He loved her because he was loving and she was the object he chose to bestow that love upon.    
All of this passed through his mind in a split second as he gently wrapped her in the security of his strong arms and breathed deeply of the crisp morning air.
Looking out across the land he loved, thinking of the people he loved, and holding the woman he loved, Joshua was quiet and his heart was full.

The prince and princess stood in silence for a while longer and watched as dark storm clouds built on the horizon and gradually blocked out the sun. The wind too began to change from a gentle breeze to ferocious gusts which chilled the princess to the bone and caused her to withdraw into the chamber while Joshua once again stood by himself overlooking his kingdom. There was something building in his heart and rising in his chest that he couldn’t seem to shake; a sense of foreboding that haunted him.

It rained for weeks and the princess found herself restlessly wandering the halls of her palace. She would meander from room to room and inspect the fine things which once filled her with awe, but now seemed dull and mundane. The business of royal life bored her and she spent as much time as possible outside in the gardens and in the rolling green hills where she could imagine herself free from the responsibilities that her marriage had brought her, but with this unceasing rain she had been trapped within the prison of her mind, unable to release the pent up frustrations of her chained spirit.

She hadn’t always felt this way.
At first, she had been enthralled with life with Joshua. He adored her and always treated her with dignity, respect, tenderness, and love. She had never so much as heard a cross word from him, and it was his quiet strength which first drew her to him. He was authoritative without being commandeering and he carried himself with the dignity of a king. She had always admired the way his thoughtfulness lent grace to his movements and the way she could read his emotions in his eyes. From the first moment he laid eyes on her she could tell that he was captivated and it enticed her where she might not otherwise have given a second thought. She had no desire to be royal, but she did desire to be loved and to have excitement and the idea of life with the prince gave her surety of both. Though he was not the most handsome of men, he had a heart of gold and she knew that. He was merciful where she was sharp, he was loving where she was calloused, he was patient where she was listless, he was honest where she was guarded, and he was selfless where she was selfish. She felt the weight of her own inadequacy and constantly tried to prove to herself and to him that she could handle the responsibility of being his, but deep down inside she knew that she couldn’t and it ate away at her. She began to despise the qualities that made him so far superior to every other man she had ever known because those same qualities made her so unworthy of his love and regard. She couldn’t measure up and she subconsciously distanced her heart from his. After all, it was only a matter of time before he realized how beneath him she was and he lost interest in her, so the less her heart was attached, the less painful it would be when the spell she unwittingly cast upon him wore away.

Though Joshua was uncompromisingly loving and attentive, she found herself building up walls to keep him and his love out and the excitement she thought would never fade was dampened by the responsibility that came along with her life as a princess and the daily duties of royalty that seemed to oppress her wild spirit. She felt that she was wilting and she longed for something to zap her back to life.  During the weeks of rain, she noticed that Joshua was increasingly busy trying to quell the beginnings of a rebellion, but he always made time for her regardless of his demanding schedule. He was overwhelmed with meetings and consultations, but he never seemed frustrated or short of temper, just saddened by the building unrest in his land. Day after day she watched as he patiently dealt with angry subjects and consulted with trusted advisers, she listened as he discussed the well-being of the kingdom with the court and she wondered, if only for a moment if perhaps a rebellion would free her from the monotony of her royal life…

 She had heard rumors of a dazzling stranger from the east who made grand promises to all who would listen, but she hadn’t given much thought to this mysterious figure until the day he came to speak with Joshua. It was another gloomy day and she was making her way toward the east drawing room when she was met by a handsome man draped in black. She felt the tingling rush of excitement she so craved mingled with a hint of danger when his dark gray eyes rested on her. This stranger’s gaze wasn’t like Joshua’s, full of admiration and respect, it was voracious and consuming in a way that made her blush. As she muttered her apologies and fumbled to make her way past him he flashed her a smile that seemed to beg her to stay. Her palms began to sweat, her heart began to race and for just a second she hesitated. That moment was all it took as his hand brushed hers and gently clasped her delicate fingers in a firm hold.
“Come with me, beautiful.” He whispered as he led her into the shadows.