The city was great, perhaps the greatest in all of the lands in all of the earth. But the glory was not given to who it was due, the glory due to the great king over the city. He was the heir to the city as his ancestors before him. Kings, priests and mighty men’s blood flowed through his veins. But he was not honored for the greatness of the city, the men of the city in fact believed that the glory was due to them. The told each other that they would tolerate the king, because someone needed to rule, and the king did not ask much of them. The taxes were low and the royal palace gave freely of its riches and the kingdom ran smoothly. So the people ignored the king and went on with their joy filled lives. But the king wanted more…

The king wanted communion with his people. When he was a young boy his father would tell of the days when the people would come into the palace with great joy. There would be parties and massive gatherings of people and the king would be the center of it all. It was this king’s great-grandfather, but the people forgot the love and greatness of its kings as the kingdom prospered and grew.

Those closest to the king, his advisors and his mighty men knew who really was the one that held the kingdom together; the men who carried out his summons and were the go-men to keep the kingdom running smoothly. They were fiercely loyal and their own hearts hurt at the rejection of the king by his own people.

Korah the head minister to the king and his most loyal friend perhaps knew more than anyone. He watched as problem after problem was brought before the king and the king always answered wisely and justly.

The young man sighed as he gazed out of his window. The sight before him was indeed glorious: towering building lined with gold, colors bright as crisp clear rainbow, lush vegetation, and through his mind’s eye he could see the smiles on the people’s faces and the laughter that followed them everywhere. Yet as he looked around his own room, yes even as he walked through his palace- it felt empty.

He put his head back against the plush velvet chair head and thought back to the stories his father would tell him, of the days when the people would come into the palace with great joy. There would be parties and massive gatherings of people and the king would be the center of it all. It was this man’s great-grandfather, but the people forgot the love and greatness of its kings as the kingdom prospered and grew.

To the whole world it was known as the city of the Great King. It sat on a great mountain and faced the north. The gates were golden and the city spanned a hundred miles. The mountain sat beside the sea and the international port brought ships from all around the world to trade. It was declared that there was not anyone more honest than the traders of the Great City, nor were the goods as high as quality than the ones you would receive there.

Amongst the mountains were valleys that flowed with a great river called Hiddekel that brought great minerals to the farmlands in the valleys. Flocks of sheep and cattle by the thousands and ten-thousands grazed in the fields. The lowliest farmer to the most prestigious banker lived in paradise. It was known as the joy of the whole earth because of it greatness and the riches therein.

Sketch

“Okay girls line up.”

Elaina and her friend Rainy stood in line with all of the other dancers.

The Madam continued. “Throughout all of the practice times and performances this month we will have the honor of Frederick Elwood from the royal palace.” The girls looked over and saw a large man with a gentle face.

“He is a close associate of the king who was sent to choose a young girl to dance for the Harvest Banquet. It is sure to be a large affair for the whole kingdom has been invited.”

Madam looked over at Frederick and smiled. He nodded back and attempted a halfhearted smile.

“He will now tell you what he is going to be looking for.” With a sweep of her hand she ushered him forward.

Frederick stood and straightened his jacket. “Thank you Madam.” He turned and faced the girls. His six foot four frame seemed to tower over them.

“I am not a dancer- obviously.” He stated, a couple snickers were heard at the end of the row. “So I am not going to be determining who is chosen only by skill. There will be numerous ways that I will pick the dancer; and you will find out as the month goes on. I will be glad to meet each of you personally. I am looking for a unique dancer who has a passion for what she does.”

He paused and looked carefully at the dancers. “The one thing to remember is that you will not be dancing for the whole kingdom- you will be dancing for the king. Which is an honor few can enjoy. If the kingdom judges you one-way, the king will judge you an entirely different way. Please keep that in mind. The king himself is the one who decided to have a solo dancer for the banquet. Also the one who is chosen will be solely responsible for picking and choreographing a song. I will of course view it before the banquet, but you will be mostly in control.”

He walked down the line of dancers. “For the first two weeks please pretend I am not here. It will be after that period that I will have any interaction with you. Thank you for your time.” He gave a small bow. The girls responded with a curtsy and walked back to their positions.

Frederick thanked Madam and walked to a chair in the corner and sat down.

“Yes I am sure we can pretend that he is not here.” Rainy whispered to Elaina.

“Come on Rain that won’t be hard.” Elaina whispered back. Her friend looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

Madam clapped her hands to gain their attention, “Thank you girls, you may have a short break, but please stay in the room.” The girls looked over and noticed Madam go over to talk with Mr. Elwood.

All the dancers started talking excitingly to their friends.

Rainy came over and asked why thought it wouldn’t be hard to act like Mr. Elwood wasn’t there. With a small laugh Elaina said, “I am probably the worst dancer here and I've never done a solo. There is no way I will be picked. You might have a chance though.”

“I would love it. But why are you giving up on the idea? It's the largest festival of the year!” Rainy exclaimed with a flourish. “Wouldn’t you like to do something different for a change?” Rainy asked, wondering why her friend appeared not to care.

Elaina shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind meeting the king- I’ve never seen him before. But I am always dancing in front of a ton of people, that part is not very appealing.”

Rainy laughed, “You are the worst kind of dancer.”

“What!” Elaina turned from her position to look at her friend. Not really believing what she said.’

“I mean,” Rainy said, “You are the worst, because you don’t like performing in front of people. Who’s ever heard of a dancer who doesn’t like to perform?”

Elaina laughed. “ I suppose you are right. At least you know that I won’t be competition for you. I know how you can be when you start to compete.”

Rainy smiled but then turned serious. “I really would like to dance for the festival. It could mean a lot for my dancing career, and you know how much I need the money.”