Hope Amidst the Ruins

Life is a gift, so they say. It is a present that is a culmination of all the good and bad things said and done in the past and a chance at creating a favorable and serene future. But if you are one who has witnessed a great deal of suffering from a myriad of defeat, demise and debacle of a once hopeful and joyous kingdom, would you still consider living another day worth fighting for?

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There was once a king who ruled a kingdom, its name long forgotten. They did not have a mountain full of golds and riches nor were they free from insurmountable problems and challenges. But unlike other kingdoms, they are contented with what they had. Each day, the wise and noble king had to leave to fight the war, protecting his territory from neighboring kingdoms wanting to conquer and dominate his realm. And each day, he would come home injured, wounded and bruised but nonetheless victorious. And his queen would attend to his injuries, freshen him up while his princes and princesses would gather around while he speaks about the glorious battles he has won. They all would listen in awe as he recounts how he averted the battle axes and dodged the arrows thrown at him in the chaos of war. In their eyes, he was the greatest. He was majestic.

One day, on his way home, a troop of highly trained assassins ambushed him. If not for his firstborn prince finding him unconscious somewhere near their palace garden, he would have been dead. They immediately sought the help of their healers and wizards to perform spells and chants to bring him back to health. But the king had suffered irreversible damages. The healers were only able to give him potions that would sustain his life. He survived the onslaught but would never again be able to get up and fight battles the way he used to. Upon hearing the news, the queen was devastated.

Threats from all over the kingdom aggravated the king's state. Left with no choice, one of the princesses took charge in fighting her father's battles. It was not an easy feat as the princess had very little training in combat. But with the help of the other prince and princesses, they were able to survive.

But not dying is not synonymous to living. Without the king's presence as the ruler, the once prosperous, contented and joyful kingdom started to collapse. Seeing his kingdom slowly caving into its downfall, he tried to get up. And up he did. But soon enough, his health deteriorated. His condition became far worse than when he suffered damages during the ambush. And being the fighter that he is, he once again tried to get back up. This time, not to fight but to somehow finish everything he started. One way or another. He wanted to leave a legacy. He wanted to be remembered as the great and majestic ruler that he once was. He wanted to be the one that protected his kingdom, not the one who sits idly by, crippled by injuries waiting and watching as his kingdom - the one he fought so hard for, built brick by brick with his own hands - fall apart.

For him, waking up another day, bedridden is like waking up at a prison cell. He felt like a captive detained and shackled for a crime he never committed. How can life be so unfair to him? What could he have done to deserve such a cruel and brutal fate? They say life is a gift but why does it seem like a curse to him? A punishment. A fight he doesn't even want to win. And so he wraps himself in misery and hopelessness. He built a wall that no one would ever be able to infiltrate. Not one soul would ever fathom the pain he endured, the burden he carried. He is tired.

The princesses wished the king could see how he is still the majestic ruler they once knew. That no matter how weak and fragile he thinks he has become, he is still their king. The hero who told his battle stories of courage and bravery. Because of him, they are able to fight whatever challenges has given them. He is a fighter. A believer. An inspiration. The father who showed that amid the anguish and desperation, as long as there are people who love and believe in you, there is hope. The hope that one day, the torment will end and as long as the kingdom remain together, they will live happily ever after.