The Abstract Of Her

A kingdom was covered by dark, heavy clouds that carried a millennium’s amount of rain. Along with the loudest thunders, the strongest bolts of lightning stretched across the dim sky.

All because of a king and his heir – his only son – lying in bed, currently in a deep sleep.

The time for them to regain consciousness? Nobody could say for sure.

All the members of the court could do was to bargain with the ancient gods to spare one of them.

The queen has been running the kingdom whilst worrying about the state of her family. She knew she was close to losing sanity, but she would remind herself to hold onto it a bit longer.

‘The kingdom cannot afford to lose another appointed ruler,’ she would often tell herself. Her husband and son were already at the brink of death. She couldn’t be swept away by this diplomatic crisis.

~*~*~*~

T’was in the middle of the day – springtime, to be exact – and it has rained continuously for weeks. People lost track of time because they’ve been submerged in wet weather for the longest time. And though water continued to fall from the heavens, they went with their usual activities without complaints; something that the queen praised her people of.

She now sat beside her almost lifeless husband, holding his hand at his side. Depressed yet alert, she hoped that he would awaken today. It has been her wish since he and their son were trapped in an endless cycle of sleep. And she held onto this almost unrealistic wish, not because of his duties but because she missed her husband too much already.

He was her rock, her guide, the person who complimented everything about her. His protection and love allowed her to reveal her strengths and weaknesses without shame.

‘Is it too much?’ she thought to herself. ‘Is it too much to ask that either you or our son would wake up today? To ease my worries for just a moment?’ she continued as her tears fell.

Her daughter watched helplessly from the side as her mother wept silently. The princess walked towards the queen, her hands folded in front of her. She reached out to her mother’s shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. An assurance that she wasn’t alone.

The queen held her daughter’s hand, not letting go of her husband’s. She didn’t remove her stare from her husband. She even tried not to blink.

After a moment of silence, the king coughed. His cough persisted as he continued to gain consciousness.

The queen’s eyes widened. “Your Majesty?” she called out to him.

“Dearest,” she turned to her daughter in a panic, “Fetch for the Medicine King as quickly as possible.”