The Kingdom of Veritas

This universal story is as old as time, with bits from different traditions.

In a distant land, there was a kingdom called Veritas, where the people lived by the ancient teachings of the Lightbringer. These teachings spoke of love, justice, and humility, urging all who followed them to serve one another with kindness.

But among the people, there arose a group called the Crownbearers, who claimed to have received a vision from the Lightbringer. They declared that the Lightbringer had chosen them above all others to rule the land, for they alone truly understood His will. The Crownbearers wore golden circlets and traveled the land, demanding loyalty and submission in the Lightbringer’s name.

At first, the people were awed by their claims. The Crownbearers spoke with fiery conviction, promising peace and prosperity. “The Lightbringer has anointed us!” they cried. “Follow us, and we will lead you to a golden age!”

But their promises soon gave way to commands. Believing their authority to be divine, the Crownbearers began to take what they desired—lands, wealth, and the loyalty of the people. Those who resisted were silenced, their protests labeled as defiance against the Lightbringer Himself. The Crownbearers saw no need for restraint, for in their minds, every action they took was sanctioned by the divine.

In the quiet corners of the kingdom, where the forests whispered and the hearth fires glowed, the Aviae gathered. They were old women with lined faces and calloused hands, keepers of stories and songs passed down through generations. They had lived through the terrors of war and knew too well the cost of pride and greed.

It was during the last great war, when the skies rained fire and the fields ran red, that a seed was entrusted to their care. A gift of the Lightbringer, it had been carried by their mothers and grandmothers before them, kept safe through generations of turmoil. The Aviae revered the seed, for they knew it held the essence of the Lightbringer’s true teachings: to nurture life and protect it from destruction.

The Aviae were not alone in their mission. Among the people were men of courage and conviction—the Veritores—who had long resisted the Crownbearers’ rule. These men, though weary from battles fought with words and deeds, held firm to the Lightbringer’s teachings. They had not forgotten the sacred duty to protect, not to conquer, and they longed for the day when peace would return to the land.

One day, an Avia named Amara, her back bent from years of labor but her spirit unyielding, stood before her sisters and the Veritores with the seed cradled in her hands.

“This seed is our truth,” she said, her voice steady and clear. “The Lightbringer’s gift was never meant to crown rulers, but to grow life. It thrives only when tended with love and shared freely. We must remind the people of this truth before it is lost forever.”

The Aviae and the Veritores nodded, and together, they rose. Though the Aviae’s steps were slow and the Veritores bore the scars of struggle, their hearts burned with purpose. They walked the villages and towns, carrying the seed and telling stories of the Lightbringer’s teachings—of humility, love, and service.

At first, the people hesitated, afraid of defying the Crownbearers. But the Aviae’s words and the Veritores’ steadfast presence awakened something long buried. Their stories reminded the people of a time before the golden circlets, when the Lightbringer’s gifts had been shared, not hoarded.

As the Aviae’s voices and the Veritores’ strength grew stronger, the Crownbearers’ power waned. The people stopped bowing to their demands, and the golden circlets, once symbols of divine authority, became meaningless.

The Aviae and the Veritores gathered the people in the heart of Veritas and planted the glowing seed. From it grew a great tree, its branches wide and sheltering all who came beneath it. The kingdom returned to its roots, rediscovering the Lightbringer’s true teachings.

Some of the Crownbearers laid down their circlets and joined the people in tending the tree. Others fled into the shadows, their cries of divine favor fading into the winds.

As for the Aviae and the Veritores, they sat beneath the tree, weaving new stories to pass down, their laughter and songs mingling with the rustling leaves.

“The Aviae, who had seen war and known suffering, and the Veritores, who stood firm against falsehoods, reminded the people of a simple truth: the Lightbringer’s gifts belong to all, not to rule but to nurture. And as the tree grew, so did the understanding that love, not control, is the true path to peace.”

Anonymous