- Laith Taher 37
in the body of Reid, which made him feel secure because a
strong man like Commander Reid was loyal to him.
“I would sacrifice my own life for you, My Lord. I
would do anything to make you happy. I would even be
pleased to let you kill me if you wish so. I love you so
much because that is how much I loved your father,” said
the commander to the king once, and the young king never
forgot those words.
The king became thirteen and the council kept on ignoring
him.
Once, he asked Commander Reid to go with him to
some part of Widea to check on his population and his
kingdom. Ever since he was born, the king stayed in
palaces and rarely checked on his people. The commander
obeyed. He asked the queen’s permission to escort her son,
and then he prepared a huge group of soldiers.
The lot set off to some part of Widea led by the
king. As he toured the roads of the kingdom, people stood
up in respect and cheered his name.
“Long live King Matthew,” “Long live the king,”
were some of the phrases people repeated.
While in his cortege, the king noticed the extreme
poverty of his people. He sensed poverty in their clothes,
houses, shops, and horses. He sensed it in their faces and
voices. He noticed that they did not have the luxurious easy
life he had and was deeply upset because he felt responsible
for all of that. After all, he was the king and his job was to
make people happily rich. At the same time, he felt helpless
because there was nothing he could do under such stubborn