Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time there was a kind, dashing young king. Okay, maybe the king was more middle aged, but he was kind and extremely dashing. Early on in his reign, the king had a kingdom that he loved and cherished so very much. One day, an evil dragon came and destroyed the kingdom. The king was devastated. He moved far, far away and built a new kingdom. He surrounded it with walls off the strongest black and gold materials known to man. Then he built a moat around the kingdom. He filled the moat with dangerous alligators, which occasionally he would hunt when the population grew out of control. Yes, the king spared no expense in securing this new kingdom. He was going to make sure to keep this kingdom intact.  There was only one lonely drawbridge with which one could gain entrance to the kingdom.

The king would go out and visit with the townspeople, but it was only on the rarest of occasions that the king would lower the drawbridge and let someone in. He was determined to protect the new kingdom at all cost.

One day when the king went out to visit the townspeople, he ran into a fair, young maiden. Okay, so she wasn't so young either. She, as well, was more middle aged. And she wasn't exactly a maiden as she had been married to her own king, but fair young maiden sounds so much better than middle aged divorcee.  (This is my fairy tale after all, and I choose to call her a maiden.)  The maiden had also experienced great loss in her life. She too had encountered dragons that had destroyed her kingdom.  She thought her life would never be the same again.  She was surviving the loss and was surrounded by many wonderful friends, yet deep down inside, she battled new dragons in her life of insecurity and fear.  She always felt that if she had been a better queen, she would not have lost the battle and her kingdom.

The new king took an interest in her. To her wonderful surprise, she felt things for the him that she had thought she would never feel again. She felt alive again for the first time in months. However, she began to get frightened. When she lost her first king, the battle was long, and it almost destroyed her. She began to worry. What if she falls for this new king, and she is not enough for his kingdom either? Could she bear that heartache again? No, she could not take that chance. The king had just begun to lower the drawbridge ever so slightly to let her in.  But one fateful night, she met the king and told him that she just could not take the chance of even the possibility of finding another kingdom to call her own, only to lose it.  So she ran away, and the king ever so quickly pulled the drawbridge closed.  He placed an extra lock on it to make sure that it was secure.

The maiden was very sad and distraught.  She had really enjoyed her time with the new king.  She wondered if she had made the right decision.  She finally went and spent a great deal of time with the Emperor of all the kingdoms.  He was a very kind Emperor who loved all the kings and queens with all His heart.  He gave them everything they needed to live a complete and satisfied life.  The Emperor took her in and showered her with His Fatherly love and affection.  He reminded her of her worth in Him.  He also talked with her for hours on end about trusting again.  She was so afraid of opening up her heart to that.  He assured her that if she would follow His guidance that she could learn to trust again.  It didn't mean that she would never be hurt again.  He wisely told her that any time we open up our heart to another, we risk being hurt.  But He assured her that He would always be with her.  And, He also affirmed that the new king was a really good man who had always been a faithful and devoted king for the Emperor.  She realized then that she had made a mistake in running away from the new king.  She wondered if he could ever consider lowering his drawbridge again.  She surely hoped he would.

She went back to see the new king.  When she returned to meet the king, she was like a different person.  The Emperor had killed her dragons of insecurity and fear.  The king met her in town.  He certainly wasn't going to invite her into the kingdom at this point.  The kingdom must be protected at all cost.  She explained her fears and concerns to him.  At first, he refused to even consider allowing her entrance to the kingdom.  She went away sadly but continued to talk with the Emperor.  The king was consulting the Emperor as well. In time, the king began to open up ever so slightly to the maiden.  The drawbridge is still closed, but he has taken the lock off.

The maiden is patient.  She is not in any rush to establish a new kingdom.  She is enjoying her life and all the townspeople that the Emperor has brought into it.  She will wait in hope that the king will lower the bridge and once again allow her entrance into his kingdom.  She simply wants to spend time getting to know the kingdom and enjoying the company of the dear king.  She doesn't know if she would eventually be a part of the kingdom or if she is just there for a season.  Only the Emperor knows that, and she trusts Him with all her heart.  What she does know is that while walking away from the kingdom was a mistake, much good did come from the circumstances.  When she returned from her time with the Emperor, she was bold and confident.  The Emperor had helped her slay a few dragons, and she knew that the next time one tried to attack, she was prepared with the finest armor and would be ready for the battle.

How does this fairy tale end?  The maiden does not know.  The king is thinking about lowering the bridge.  She hopes he will.  You see, she is not above swimming with the alligators to cross the moat.  Yes, it is dangerous, but after battling the dragons, swimming with a few gators would be like a walk in the grassy meadow of fairy tale land.  This king is worth fighting for, and the young maiden is ready and willing to fight.

To be continued...hopefully!