- Laith Taher 21
only to find out the door to having children locked and he
could not find its key.
His sadness over the lack of children was justified,
just like any man without offspring. But what significantly
increased his sadness, like water held back by a dam
bringing it to the verge of collapse, was the fact that he
would never have a son to inherit his great kingdom. He
felt that his death would mark his end and be the bridge to
eternal nothingness. He would be forgotten when he died
and a foreign man would control the kingdom of Widea,
which he had spent so many years building, making
stronger, and protecting.
Princess Edith came with a young woman to her brother
King Kendrick, who was in his palace. They greeted each
other and sat together, while the young woman stood
staring shyly at the ground. The king was sixty-five years
old. He had a tanned complexion, grey hair, and trimmed
grey facial hair.
The princess had a dark complexion with a black
mole on the upper right corner of her mouth. Her grey hair
was dyed black.
She loved her family, especially the king. Her
primary concern was to make her family happy, and she
would do anything to overcome any problems they
encountered. She was very grieved by her brother’s lack of
children. She knew that behind that feared image of a great
king was a suffering man who lacked peace of mind. She
felt sorry for him whenever he confided in her and told her
about his suffering. She knew that people discussed the
matter among them, and that she was the only person the