The Steward – Part 5

"In the country of the blind..."

Jedediah and his companions were engaged in an important business. They were bringing into the open that which others would prefer to keep hidden. But how they went about it was not at all po-faced or sombre. You could say their approach was even festive!

They would arrive in a village or at a busy cross-roads and put on a ‘show’ for the local people – a bit like a ‘travelling circus’. Often thousands came out to see them, mainly families with their kids in tow. Jed didn’t mind if it were thousands or just a handful who turned up. Whatever the circumstances the word was starting to spread across the land. Already in some parts Jed and his small band were being fêted like touring celebrities!

The atmosphere at these gatherings might have been light and jolly, but anxiety was never far below the surface. The people in Solomon’s world were preoccupied with staying healthy. Everyone believed themselves to be vulnerable to some disease or other. Death was commonplace. If a person got sick and survived the illness, they were still not in the clear. The chronically ill were often duped by chancers and hucksters peddling remedies that did not work. Or they might be shunned by friends and neighbours who feared they could ‘catch’ the same disease if they did not keep away. If a sick man was left with some life-changing condition, like paralysis or blindness, he found it impossible to earn a living and would probably have to beg for food.

Jed explained to anyone who would listen why none of this was necessary. He, or sometimes one or two of his companions, demonstrated that suffering and death are not inevitable consequences of life. Life is for living! It is not a precursor to death, but a gift to be cherished and enjoyed for its own sake. Jed and his friends showed the people that, if they cast off their fears and immersed themselves in the wonders of life, they would be transformed.

There was a problem though. If this message became widely known, the true kingdom would be revealed to its inhabitants - and Solomon would be exposed as a liar. That would not do at all.

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The old king was sitting in his study. It was a warm autumnal evening and the sun was already dipping below the horizon. A gentle breeze carried the scent from the garden through the open windows. It was just lovely, and the king inhaled deeply as he waited. Presently he heard the soft ‘flip-flap’ of bare feet on the corridor outside. Urielle was coming to see him and, as usual, she was not wearing shoes or slippers.

Urielle was a large woman, standing six feet tall. She was neither fat nor thin, just well-built. She had long black curly hair. When she pinned it up, thick strands were soon spilling out around her shoulders and down her neck. Between her size and her hair she looked a bit wild and fearsome, but she was really a sweetie. As she entered, she walked over to kiss the king gently on the forehead before settling into the chair opposite his.

Urielle spoke first.

“You have been thinking about all that happened since Jed arrived in the kingdom.”

The king smiled at his visitor.

“Yes, I wanted to talk to you about it. What have you heard about my son?”

Urielle stretched out her long legs and clasped her hands in front of her.

“Only that he was arrested for conspiracy to overthrow the steward’s regime. He was tried in a public forum before an assembly of the people’s representatives. At the end of the trial the assembly found Jedediah guilty and he was sentenced to death. However, before the sentence could be carried out, Jed escaped and cannot be found by the authorities.”

“They are the bare bones. I can go into more detail if you like.”

The king was listening carefully.

“Yes, please continue.”

Urielle resumed her narrative.

“The trial was managed meticulously - on the surface at least. There were lawyers and witnesses aplenty and the legal authorities went to great lengths to make sure the procedures were all proper and correct. So, in theory anyway, Jedediah could have been cleared. But as we know, he wasn’t.”

“A verdict of ‘not guilty’ would have been disastrous for Solomon. If that had been the outcome, the resulting publicity would have sent Jed’s message flying through the kingdom much faster than before. What might have taken years of painstaking communication would have been accomplished in a matter of days or weeks.

“But the odds were stacked against Jedediah. His own attorneys did not stand by him, and the evidence given by some so-called defence witnesses was crucial. Two in particular did most of the damage.”

The king leaned forward.

“These were among Jedediah’s closest companions I understand.”

Urielle nodded.

“Yes. They were two brothers named Nicholas and Andrew. They often heard Jed speak about the kingdom, before and after Solomon took over. In their separate testimonies to the court, they said that Jedediah wanted to get rid of Solomon and put you back on the throne. The implication was that Jed was motivated by a desire to become king himself one day.

“Nicholas and Andrew also revealed the names of others in Jed’s circle who really were plotting against the steward’s regime. Their evidence created a picture of Jedediah as a dangerous firebrand who was itching to start a bloody revolution. Other witnesses told the same story, but it looks like the evidence of the two brothers was decisive in the end.”

The king sat back in his chair.

“That indeed is what it looks like. But what those witnesses said was correct. Jedediah did want to restore me as king. And a few of those who followed him were part of a revolutionary group. But if the two brothers had been probed about Jedediah’s true feelings towards Solomon, there might have been a different outcome. Everyone would have heard that Jedediah never advocated rebellion. He said time and time again that change would come only when the people wanted it. The people’s choice was and is paramount.”

Urielle nodded again before continuing.

“Solomon himself did not attend the trial and played no official role in the proceedings. He stayed out of it, not because he trusted an ‘impartial’ judicial process, but to make sure that his hands were seen to be ‘clean’. Despite his efforts to distance himself, his influence was felt everywhere throughout the trial. He, or more likely one of his minions, made sure that the witnesses and the lawyers were either bribed or threatened to say (or forget to say) whatever was necessary to bring in that ‘guilty’ verdict.”

The king sighed and gazed out at the darkening sky. He had a faraway look in his eyes and no longer seemed to be aware of Urielle’s presence. He was in another place entirely.

“Oh Solomon, Solomon… when will you return to me? If you were to come back, I would embrace you and hold you and love you…!”

He trailed off and started to speak softly in a strange language. He seemed to be talking to someone else not in the room, as if the other person was actually right beside him. This lasted only a couple of minutes and then tears began to fall from the king’s eyes. Urielle reached over to comfort him.

“My sweet king. All will be well in the end. Solomon has to arrive at the edge of his own abyss before he realises there is nowhere else to go. Then he will return. (I hope so!) Surely he sees you with your hands outstretched to welcome him? Surely he will not remain defiant?”

The king came back to himself. He looked at Urielle and resumed his conversation with her.

“If Solomon were to change, everything would be… heavenly. However his ‘victory’ over Jedediah has made him more entrenched than ever. He realises he cannot turn the kingdom around, but he does not care about that anymore. Now Solomon has only one aim left: to hold on to the kingdom at all costs - to the end if necessary. His pride is too great to allow him to admit failure. The people are suffering under his yoke. They want to be free but they don’t know how to achieve that.

“Solomon has turned my kingdom into a ‘country of the blind’.¹ Jedediah has disappeared and his companions have been scattered. Who can now finish what they started?”

Just then there was a noise outside the door. Someone was there. Had they been listening? Slowly the old king rose from his chair and, with a passive expression on his face, walked over to the doorway.

More in Part 6

1. The full quotation reads: “In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king.” (See Erasmus, Desiderius., Barker, William Watson (ed.), The adages of Erasmus (Toronto, 2001), p, 276-7).