24. The Prophesied Child
"Here is the child," said the king of Three Mountains. He was holding the newly born prophesied child. "What do you want to do with him?" It was an earnest question. He had heard the exchange between the Queen and the Princess.
The Queen thought at the subject very carefully. Her original plan was to kill the child and keep the power to herself. But now she realized that it was not to her advantage to do so. She needed a heir, but cannot provide her own. She realized then that the child would grow up just when she would grow old and need to step down. The timing would be perfect. And so, she decided.
"I will raise him as if he is my own child!" said the Queen. "I will bring him the best teachers, and educate him to the best of my ability. And I will raise him to be a great and brave king, so that he can rule the lands with just hands."
All the kings looked at the Queen. They did not trust her. The Queen had poor reputation. The Queen realized this, and she knew that she needed to gain their trust. Without even realizing it, already the Queen was open to ways to get what she wanted without force.
The Queen addressed the kings thus, "I will raise this child in such a way that no better education can be provided. But I realize that I cannot do this by myself. That my kingdom, no matter how big, is not all lands. Therefore, I ask you, kings of your kingdoms, to provide me with your best teachers, so that together we can raise the child to be the greatest ruler of the land."
The various kings looked at each other. "You need us to provide you with our teachers?" They couldn't believe their ears.
"You will be amply rewarded," assured the Queen. "Yes, I need you. Although this child is to be my heir, he is indeed the child of the lands. To rule all kingdoms throughout the lands, not one kingdom must be allowed to dominate over another. Therefore, only by sending me your representative will we be able to raise the child properly."
And everybody agreed that it is in the best interest of all, to give their best representative as teacher to the child, who will be raised and educated in the biggest kingdom of the land.
Thus, the Princess's wish came true. Peace spread throughout the lands.
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