The King and the Knight
Once long ago, before the stories of
the great round table, there were kings. To wear the crown of king
was a thing of consequence and there were only a few true kings. A
true king is a master, in touch with the mysteries of life and sworn
to obey only the highest laws of LIGHT. This is what makes a man a
king. A knight is a man whose sole desire is to serve such a king.
The devotion and loyalty of a knight to his king is beyond question.
As each day passed, the knight waited
for the summons of his king. Some days he was left to his own
contemplations and other days the king invited the knight to the
inner chambers of the castle to celebrate the mysteries of life with
the ruler himself. These days were the knight's favorite, for to be
in the company of the king was his greatest joy.
On such a day as this, the knight
mounted the castle steps with anticipation: his willingness to serve
the king only surmounted by his longing to be in his presence. A
page ushered the knight into the inner chamber where the king awaited
him. The king motioned him to come near and presented him with a map
and specific instructions pertaining to the protection of an outlying
village. The knight listened with all of his attention to the
details and specifications of the king's plan. He knew that the
responsibility for his own safety and the safety of all the villagers
was about to be placed in his hands. He was honored to be trusted to
perform this act of protection for the king. As he knelt for the
king's blessing, he he thought he heard this quiet whisper, “My
grace and protection will be with you always, go, and know that I am
with you and that it is I who will do everything for you.”
As he left the castle, throngs of
people blessed him and wished him wellness and success on his journey
and many pressed sacred objects into his hands, believing that these
would keep him safe. The knight received these things but did not
let his focus or thoughts wander from the king's words, which he
silently repeated as a mantra to himself.
As he rode he kept his attention on
the king and took courage and strength from the power and certainty
that shone from the king's face as he had spoken with him. He
reached his destination near nightfall and found everything as the
king had described. There was a nearby stream and a hollow place in
which to lay his bed. He rested and waited for morning.
As the darkness began to lift he felt
a most thunderous shaking, as if the earth herself were being torn
apart. He felt a searing white heat and smelled an acrid smell,
which seemed to burn its way into his nose and into his lungs, making
each breath he took a torture. He wondered if he were about to enter
the very pit of hell itself. He raised his eyes and met the hooded
eyes of the most enormous dragon, he could possibly have imagined.
The roar and the smell of the fire, which was breathed from this
beast's nostrils, threw him backward. Then, he remembered the king
and the trust that the king had placed like a mantle upon his
shoulders. He gathered his courage and kept the king's face in his
mind like a vision and he began to fight. It was a holy fight and he
held back nothing, for he fought for the one thing that he held dear
above all else, the defense of his king.
Despite every ounce of all his
efforts, despite the bravery of his hear, he began to fail. He simply
did not have the power to destroy the immense beast, which he had
been pitted against. As he was about to draw his last breath, he saw
again the king's face and heard his voice. The king spoke to him
across the great distance and offered the knight his aid. The knight
gratefully accepted. Immediately the dragon was gone, the only thing
left of it was a thin spiral of mist. The knight's wounds
disappeared and he was filled with the purest sense of peace and
love.
He rode slowly back to the castle and
in wonder, rode through its great heavy doors. Throngs of people
cheered him, for he had destroyed their mortal enemy and there was
great celebration in the streets. But, for the knight there was only
the king and the incredible grace which had spared his life and
filled his heart with love. He climbed th castle steps once more and
was ushered into the inner chamber. He knelt with deep humility
before the king. The king spoke to him and said, “You did well,
you forgot only one thing and that is that I said, I would be with
you always and that I would do it all for you.”
