A curse is sweeping the kingdom.
No one knows where it came from; only that one day it had manifested through pus-dripping boils.
With hundreds getting sick, the kingdom turned into a wasteland of dying livestock and people. All that remained strong was the impenetrable wall surrounding the castle.
Desperate for a solution, the king sent his guards. They went out, questioning and accusing citizens of casting the curse. In the end, they returned only with tenfolds adding into the body count.
Next, the king turned to his knights. His knights roamed, stopping the curse the only way they knew.
Each time someone spoke ill of the king, they were thrown in the dungeons. Eventually, the number of prisoners grew. Thus, the curse spread among them and to the guards.
Exhausted, the king declared his weariness and desire for abdication. He had but a last resort. From the remaining commonfolk, he selected a champion.
This champion was cautious. He had heard of Ambrosia; food of the gods. He traveled East to find it.
Soon, he came back announcing that should the Eastern kingdom discover Ambrosia, they were willing to share.
But the hero cannot wait – his people were dying. Once again, he embarked on a quest to find Ambrosia.
The king was overjoyed. Finally, they had a solution.
He waited.
Centuries later, history spoke of a fallen kingdom and a champion who had gone insane. One student would further ask, “Why didn’t they ask a healer what to do?” F MARIA PAMELA S. REYES
