THE KING'S DARK SECRET
On many occasions, the Prince recited love lines to her, but his love songs never appealed to her emotions. During one of their encounters, the girl got so heady and dismissed the Prince when he tried to use his status to compel her to succumb to his advances.
In reaction to the Prince’s vain and empty boasting, she declared that nothing in the world will ever make her consent to his advances. Infuriated by her declaration, the Prince likewise vowed that nothing in the world will stop him from having sex with her in his lifetime.
There was a challenge between the two strong-willed personalities, and the Prince went as far as vowing that even though he failed to have sex with her in her lifetime, he will definitely do it with her corpse. That was one hell of a dare!!! They went their separate ways hating each other and seemingly forgot about each other eventually.
Many years passed. The lady got married and the Prince became the King after his father died. Still, he hadn’t as much as stepped on her shadow, not to mention touching her. Sadly, the lady died in childbirth, leaving her only surviving son and husband to mourn her. She was kept in the mortuary pending her burial.
The Prince, who was now the King, heard of her demise and recalled his vow. At once, he enquired and found out the mortuary she was kept in. After finding out, he sneaked into the premises at night, located her corpse, and had sex with it just like he had vowed. He kept his word and felt like a man after the act, not knowing that he wasn’t alone.
The village drunk, tossed by the misleading spirits of alcohol, had unconsciously found his way to the mortuary where he fell asleep. But the King’s groans didn’t let him continue in his delightful slumber, as it woke him up to witness the despicable act. The drunk couldn’t believe it when he saw the King delighting himself on the bosom of a dead woman.
He screamed in shock, expressing his disbelieve at the king’s action. He then ran off to spread the word to the inhabitants of the kingdom. But the king chased after him, fell to the ground, and begged him not to mention a word of what he saw to anyone. The drunk agreed but on one condition.
He demanded that the king never objects to his opinions on matters of the kingdom. He also demanded that the king should never allow anyone in the kingdom to object to his opinions. The desperate and helpless king agreed to the drunk’s terms just to make sure that word of his dirty secret never gets to anyone in the kingdom.
The drunk became the only one who could question the king and counter his decrees without any sort of punishment. Even the king’s elders feared to point out the king’s obvious mistakes. But the drunk said and did whatever he wished to the king and walked away scot free, a thing that never ceased to baffle the people of the kingdom.
Many years passed, and things remained that way. The drunk virtually became the next most powerful person in the kingdom. One of the king’s son came to him one day and inquired to know why he always let the drunk walk free despite his confrontations, challenge, and opposition. The king couldn’t bring himself to tell his son about it.
But his son persuaded him and spoke with so much maturity. When the king noticed that his son had become an adult in mind, he told his son the truth. To his utmost amazement, what seemed like a big deal to him tended to seem like a non-issue to his son. “So that’s what’s making the drunk hold you to ransom?” the boy asked.
“Yes, my son,” the king replied. Immediately, the King’s son proffered a solution to the problem. He said to his father, “this is what you must do. Call for a meeting with the people of the kingdom, tell them you have crossed seven seas and mountains because of your love for the kingdom and for the people of the kingdom.”
“Tell them your love for this kingdom drove you into performing the most despicable acts anyone can ever think of. Tell them you’ve had to steal, kill, covet peoples’ wives, and even had sex with a corpse just to make sure the kingdom and its people are safe and secure.”
“After you tell this to them and get them to believe it, it wouldn’t matter what the drunk tells them any more. If he goes ahead to speak of the act he witnessed, you simply admit to having done it and claim it was all because of your love for the kingdom and its people. That way, you will be off the drunk’s leash forever and do to him as you will.”
It was such a brilliant idea!!! The king couldn’t believe his own son could think of such a brilliant scheme. Then It dawned on him that one can only chase as much as a thousand, while two can chase as many as ten thousand. You can find that in the Bible. At once, the king summoned the town crier and commanded him to call for a meeting.
The people of the kingdom gathered the elders were well seated, the king assumed his thrown in all confidence for the first time in years, the drunk also assumed his position like he was the heir to the throne, not knowing his days had started being numbered. The king rose, greeted everyone, and began his emotional speech.
“My people, you all know how much I love this kingdom and cherish you. My love for this kingdom has made me do many things, some of which are quite despicable. But I did them out of love for you and the kingdom. I’ve had to murder the adversaries of this kingdom in cold blood, and I have killed the sons of our enemies.”
“I have coveted the wives of our fallen heroes who lost their lives defending this kingdom. I’ve even had sex with corpses!!! Yes, I have. I’ve had sex with corpses of many women to fortify this kingdom against our enemies. My people, there is virtually no crime I haven’t committed for the sake of this kingdom. I’ve done them all, both bad, and good.”
The people got so emotional and loved the king all the more. But the drunk, as usual, objected by raising his hands and asking to speak. The king shut him out for the first time in years. When he saw that he wasn’t allowed to speak, he bared the king’s age-old secret with a loud voice, and the people were astounded for a moment.
But the king’s son jumped in and defended his dad, repeating his father’s speech where he mentioned that he’s had sex with corpses for the sake of the kingdom. The people quickly recalled that statement and challenged the drunk for accusing the king of a crime he confessed to, not to mention that he did it out of love for the kingdom and his people.
Everyone lashed out on the drunk, and the king ordered for his execution, his crime being that he’d always challenged the king’s decrees in the past and was spared, only for him to now accuse the king in an effort to tarnish his image. The drunk was executed, the king’s reign continued, and no one knew of his secret except his son who’d take it to his grave.
Long after the king died, he was still remembered as the king who did all manner of things on account of his love for the kingdom. His son took over, and it was believed he will be no different from his dad. Baring that ugly secret gave him a reputation that lasted long after he was dead and gone.
Not all secrets should be taken to the grave. Baring some can keep your name and reputation alive even after you’re dead and gone. This story is inspired by a TRUE LIFE EVENT.
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