The King wanted only the best for his loyal subjects, but even He knew He could not keep them safe all the time. The Dark Prince had another agenda - to destroy, humiliate, and ulimately get people to leave the Kingdom so they would be under his power.
'Look at this Loyal Subject' he said to the King 'Why wouldn't he worship you and call you Lord? You protect him, show favour to him and his family, and despite his cancer, continue to bless him.
Give me free reign with him for a while, then we will see how strong his faith is, and how loyal he stays to you'.
Beacuse the Dark Prince still had power and ruled a large kingdom he kept enslaved for his own purposes, the King reluctantly agreed. But He knew His presence would always be with the loyal subject.
The Dark Prince didnt waste any time. He knew the after effects of the chemo the loyal subject had been suffering from were meant to lessen over time, but he ensured they didnt. In fact, he made sure they got more pronounced and more annoying with every passing day.
He was frustrated that the loyal subject was still taking his supplements and sticking to a relatively healthy diet. I was so much easier if people abused themselves with unhealty eating. He had to work on this.
Ah, whats this? The loyal subject had his portocath removed! That means he thinks he needs no more intravenous chemotherapy, or is prepared to use alternative cures if the need arose. Great! Lets enlarge the tumors in the lungs, not much, but enough to put doubt into his mind. Beautifully ironic, smiled the Dark Prince, considering the loyal subject had never smoked in his life~!
That pain in his side - he thinks its only muscular, caused by too much time on the rowing machine, but it could be so much more. Maybe the cancer can apread to the bone, and cause further distress. Oh, this is so much fun, particularlty as the King has chosen not to interfere! That will call for a bone scan, another inconvenience, another hospital visit, another few weeks of waiting and wondering.
Now for really sensitive part - those warts and growths in the groin. The radiation he had last year has meant they can't easily be operated on - theres not enough 'good skin' down there and skin transplants will be needed. Unless, of course he decides to go for the 'ointment' option, and we all know how long that takes, and how painful it is when it reacts to the other tender skin. Great, chuckled the Dark Prince - every guys worst nightmare!
The Dark Prince sensed the loyal subject no longer had the Kings favour - he was getting more depressed, more stressed, more concerned for his and his families well-being. Lets see, hes always prided himself on his fitness, although that is something of a joke, considering what he's been through the last 2 years. Ah, I know - a poison knee! A really painful one, one that calls for yet another hospital visit, massive does of IV antibiotics and painkillers, and causes the leg to swell and look gross. One that makes exercise impossible for weeks, maybe months. And so it came to pass.
Now that his immune system is severly compromised, thought the Dark Prince, its only fitting he gets a painful - and visual - reminder of what can happen when disease takes its toll. I'll give him a nasty case of shingles, all down one side of his body, and just for good measure, cause the same virus to spread to his mouth, with a case of full-blown mouth ulcers.
He left the loyal subject in a state of despair and bewilderment, and visited the King. When he told the King what he had done, the King told him he already knew, as the loyal subject had been in touch with him every day, letting him know what happened, and pleading with the King not to leave him, crying out for his healing.
The Dark Prince was not happy! 'Why would he continue to ask for your mercy when he knows you gave me free reign to do whatever I wanted with him, save taking his life?'
'Because' said the King 'He knows your power is limited to what I allow, and he knows that ultimately I want the best for him, whereas you only want his destruction. You may destroy his body, but his spirtit is always mine, and always will be,'
The King, with tears in his eyes, approached the loyal subject, and reached out his hand. The loyal subject, beaten, despairing and broken reached out his hand, not understanding, but believing. The King had not left him after all. And never will.
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