The King's Plan

The prince drew his broad shoulders back and nodded at the guard standing watch.

The guard saluted the passing prince. “Your highness,” was his greeting as his eyes followed the majestic form down the glimmering hall.

The prince hardly noticed all who bowed in the streets as he hurried to the secret meeting his father had called. Could it be time already? He knew of the plan. Had helped come up with it. But now that the time drew near, his heart beat a little harder and an unfamiliar feeling caused his breathing to become shallow in his chest.

When his shoulders filled the doorway to the throne room, two sharply dressed guards approached. One smiled and motioned with his hand. “They wait for you in the inner chamber.”

The prince smiled at his friends as they walked him to the panel behind the throne. Only those closest to the royal family knew of the secret doorway to a private meeting room. The guards would pose on either side of the throne and keep watch.

The door closed behind the prince as soon as he stepped inside. The king embraced his son, and the counselor smiled grimly when he took his seat.

Thick silence hung in the air, confirming to the prince that he had been correct in his assumption about the subject of the meeting. No one wanted to say what everyone was thinking.

When the counselor cleared his throat, two sets of eyes rested on his kind and wise face. “We knew this day would come.”

The king nodded with sadness in his eyes. “Yes. Giving the people their own land has filled them with pride.”

“They believe they possess the power,” the counselor added.

The king shook his head with a sigh. “They wanted the space, and I love them enough to give them many chances to prove themselves. I’ve stayed out of their way, always hoping they would prove me wrong. But it seems, they no longer remember me. They want to follow my adversary.” Tears spilled on the king’s cheeks when he blinked.

The counselor stood and paced behind his chair. “They must be awakened. We all know your adversary is a liar and will torture them, one by one, simply for the pleasure of doing so.”

“Yes.” The king nodded. “I’ve sent many messengers to remind the people of who has given them all that they have. That I still love them and want to give them even more if they would only stay loyal to our kingdom.”

The prince allowed his mind to drift over past reports. The people had grown more and more wicked, it was true. Many of the prince’s own friends had been messengers for the king but had been treated cruelly, eventually dying at the hands of the wicked people. Some had been beheaded. Others burned. Many had been ripped apart after starving in dungeons and prisons for nothing more than delivering the messages his father had sent.

It wasn’t right and the prince’s heart broke over and over again. And yet, he saw the way their enemies had confused their people. Made false promises and lavished short term pleasures on the people in order to trick them and draw them away. Now, it seemed the enemy’s tactics had worked and there was nothing else to do, other than initiate their ultimate plan to bring the people back.

The prince leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “It’s time for me to go.”

His father shut his eyes against the tears that would not be held back. “It’s the only way. My son, you are their last hope.”

The prince nodded.

“But if you go to them the same way all our other messengers have went, they will not hear you.”

The prince examined his father’s face. “Then how will I go?”

“As nobody.” The king’s eyes held those of his son.

The counselor stood between them and placed a hand on each shoulder. “If they know who you are when you arrive, they will kill you immediately. You must live among them and become one of them in order to gain their trust. Only then will they listen to you. But not all of them. You will wait and watch them. When it’s time, you will draw a dozen into your inner circle of confidants.”

The king reached for his son’s hand and sandwiched it between his own. “You will leave all of this behind. It will seem as if you are alone in a world of enemies. But I have been watching, and I have selected a faithful couple. People who will not be swayed by riches or power. They are almost ready to receive you into their home. You will go as their son.”

The prince swallowed and tried to imagine it.

His father continued, “You have never known cold, hunger, poverty, or physical pain but these will become your new companions.”

The counselor knelt in front of the prince and looked him in the eyes. “You will be hated, spit on, yelled at, and your physical body will be ripped open. Your blood will flow as the people you love and rescue will reject you and eventually kill you. Even as you look on them with love, they will look back at you with hate. As you pray for their souls, they will despise you.”

The prince nodded. It was the only way. Nothing else had worked. He was the last hope of the people he loved. They did not even know the danger they were in, but he did. They didn’t know they needed rescued, but the prince knew. They may hate him and reject him, but when it was over, his sacrifice would save countless people who would otherwise be lost for eternity.

Their enemy would see it as a victory, but it wouldn’t take long for the truth to emerge. Through this sacrifice of the Son, the people would come to know the love and truth of the Father.

The son stood and embraced his father and then the counselor. “I’m ready.”