Prince Hakeem stared at the letter that had just arrived. He hoped that the news would be good, yet he prepared for the worst. He opened the letter and gazed at the words under the glow of a candle and hope that whatever it said had the power to shine a light on the darkness that he had always known. He just hoped his suspicions were true, for a new age was in store for the kingdom of Solvald if he was right.
He could hardly control the shaking of his hands as he started reading the letter that he’d so desperately longed for.
To the not-so-dark Prince Hakeem,
You win, okay? You were right and I was wrong. Yes, I said it. I was wrong to spurn your advances. I admit that it all seemed too good to be true. But what I forgot is that, every so often, good things actually do happen.
I did come to the realization that our love can flourish despite everything; not only that but I’ve ceded from my state of denial. I have chosen to take action and come to you myself. In fact, as you read this I am likely at least halfway to Solvald. I hope that this correspondence arrived to you in a timely manner. You should have sufficient warning before I arrive, for I am sure you have preparations to make.
Let me begin in stating that I blame fate for all of this, yet I’m grateful that it happened because of the greatness it may bring. I guess it makes sense now. Does it not, my dear? Surely, you’ve figured out that a shadowy hand has been playing the royal family as pawns in its quest for wealth and dominance. Some fear that whoever is pulling the strings has greater plans beyond what one can even experience within nightmares. No one person has a well-formed idea of exactly what the plan is, but most regard it as mere rumor-mongering. The fear cast upon them by the great fortuneteller Madam Faaq’az, who prophesied an end to their tyranny, rules whoever is the one ruling from the shadow.
Madam Faaq’az’s prophecy clearly instilled fear in the one in control, for the words it spoke revealed that all it would take is a kiss of true love between a dark prince and the daughter of a gem cutter whose birth evoked the sun to shine after centuries of absence. It appears that the tyrant hiding within the shadows hoped that the prophecy would fail to come to fruition.
Fate had other plans, of course.
Though I have never shared this with anyone, I feel you should know that the girl whom the prophesy spoke of is me. I never believed the stories my parents would tell, but I must have pretended well that I did, for I had them fooled.
I was the fool however. You cannot expect an intelligent girl like me to believe the story they told–about how the sun shone briefly on the moment of my birth. There are stories of what the world was like before the skies became grey, with clouds that let in only enough light to allow the crops to grow. I, of course, assumed the fact that my father does indeed cut gems fed into the falsity of their tale, but I suppose that doing that spared me from the fear that I never really was special, and that I’d dream of a life that I would never attain.
Legends has it that, before the darkness fell upon us, fruit bigger than one’s fist grew in bounty, while grains grew as far as the eye could see, some of it wild like thorn grass.
Truth is, I never would have accepted my fate if I hadn’t run into you. Well, you ran into me, but that’s not the point, is it? I harbor no ill thoughts after you carelessly collided with me as you hunted mallowcats at that oasis in the Valley of Shards. Unfortunately, I cannot forget when I saw your face as I came to. I can still clearly envision the darkness contained within your face, yet when I stared into your eyes, I noticed a pinprick of light just begging for release. Little did I know then that you are the heir to the Obsidian Throne of Solvald; the one they call Dark Hakeem, the young man who many fear with good reason.
There are many stories that have spread across the realm that instill nothing less than abject horror, but I know with my entire being that the stories are not true. Perhaps it was rumors based on innocent assumptions, or maybe an enemy of the state spread the stories of you intentionally. Either way, we must change that if we wish peace for this nation–if that is what you want–for they say that you lie with a silver tongue. That is a statement I sincerely hope is not true.
I believe you to be honest, and feel so within my heart as well; forgive me if that sounds strange.
A poet named Veiled Scribe once said that there couldn’t be love without darkness as well. But if that is true than would our people not be full of happiness and joy, for darkness this deep would only come from an even greater love? Such love does not exist, but it can; for if the darkness were to wilt away into nothing, the light would shine bright once more. Our people would prosper, even the vagrants that occupy the central badlands.
That brings me to the reason for this correspondence, my love, for I wish for you to join with me so we can end all this madness. You must also not bother yourself or others with the dark facade that you work so heartily to maintain. For I saw the real you that mid-summer’s night when we strode hand-in-hand under moonlight while Shazaih’s Comet streaked the heavens. Who I saw was not cruel and hateful, like you try to appear, but rather a kind and loving young man with a warm heart and bright smile. My mother always told me that one could unveil the true measure of a man by how he reacts to a woman in distress: the man you showed me the day we collided was kind, compassionate, and caring.
You are like a pillar of sunlight forced to live in darkness, like the bottom of a chasm deep below the earth, which is so dark that any creature that creeps there is born without eyes. Not even the world’s magicians or alchemists could possibly give sight to these bottom-dwellers, for darkness changes a person and often their descendants continue to pay the price.
Fortunately, the solution to the problems that have plagued our people for so long is simple; you must kiss me, Hakeem. That is if you really do love me? If your answer is yes, then turn around. For you will see I lied when I began my letter, detailing my plan to visit you. As you read this, I am not half-way to Solvald.
I’m closer than you think.
Indeed, I delivered this letter myself.
Look behind you, Hakeem. I stand in your doorway awaiting your kiss. The whole kingdom awaits you.
Kiss me, Hakeem.
Hakeem dropped the letter when he read these words. He turned around quickly and was pleased to see the silhouette of the gorgeous girl who had proved to him that he did indeed have a heart. He hardly had to think about standing up and running towards his true love; he didn’t even hesitate.
He felt her arms around him as he pulled her into the embrace. They joined their lips in a moment filled with bliss. It felt as if time itself ceased while they kissed.
When at last they parted and opened their eyes, a new world greeted them. It was a world illuminated by long-absent sunlight. The evil among the shadows had lost its grip on the sun and now lay dead and sizzling under warm summer rays.
Therefore, it came to be that the Shining King Hakeem ruled over the land with the Lightbearing Queen at his side. The kingdom of Solvald entered a golden age of prosperity and wealth. Forever after, the sun shone bright on the land and all those within it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Benjamin J. Snider lives in rural Appalachia with his wife and their toy poodle. in his free time, he can be found writing Young Adult Fantasy and science fiction. Benjamin is currently finishing his debut novel, ‘Once Upon a Dream’, the first in his fantasy series. Learn more at www.facebook.com/ThreeDreamsSaga and on his blog www.benjaminjsnider.info