THE KINGDOM OF APPEARANCE OF THE NORTH
- Oliver Selau
- há 5 dias
- 6 min de leitura
Not long ago, in a place so very close, in a kingdom called Appearance of the North—a well-known place famous for being a land of love and peace, where the most important thing was world peace—lived a beautiful princess named Malice. Malice was always a very introspective girl, having grown up mostly alone, as her father, King Selfish, thought only of himself all the time. King Selfish was so preoccupied with himself that he never even noticed Malice growing up, despite being very close to her all the time. Malice’s mother was Queen Presumed Kindness. To the queen, everyone was good, and the world was a place of love and peace. It was the queen herself who taught the people to call the land of Appearance a place of love and peace, as she saw only kindness, peace, and love in everything and everyone, all the time.
The queen mother was so loving and kind that she never even noticed that her husband, King Selfish, thought only of himself. For Malice, being the daughter of Selfish, the only thing that mattered more than herself was the land of Appearance. Malice always put into practice everything she learned from her father, and for that reason, she became a princess loved by all her subjects, since, deep down, everyone thought she was an excellent person—at least, that’s what it seemed, and appearance was all that mattered. She gave food to the poor, attended the church’s Christmas event, and even sent food from her table to the kingdom’s orphanage. Whenever she could, Malice helped others, always putting appearance first—or rather, second, as she herself came first, for she deserved it. The future Queen Malice seemed good, and that was more than enough for everyone in the land of Appearance of the North.
At fifteen years old, Malice’s life would change forever. Her father, King Selfish, took his own life because he could no longer bear to see in the mirror the face of the old man he was becoming. He was too beautiful to watch himself waste away, or rather, age in that way. He thought his daughter didn’t deserve to have such an ugly father, and his wife would be happier without a wrinkled man by her side. As for the land of Appearance, it would be more beautiful without the presence of the unattractive king he was becoming. The best option he found was to die while still as beautiful as ever, hoping, of course, that everyone would remember all he did to maintain his lovely Appearance. As Malice’s mother, Queen Presumed Kindness, was too shaken by the death of her wonderful, just, and honest husband—at least, that’s what she thought—Malice had to assume the throne. In her very first act of governance, Queen Malice learned a lesson she would carry for life. While growing up, Malice had witnessed an episode in which her father, then King Selfish, diverted the course of a river just to water the palace’s natural water pools. However, he ignored that a third of the kingdom relied on that river’s water, which caused great unrest. No one spoke openly for fear of Reprisal. Reprisal was Selfish’s best friend and advisor on special matters of the throne. Moreover, King Selfish was known for being cruel to anyone who contradicted or criticized him. Still, everyone knew part of the population was very dissatisfied with what had happened. After all, they had been left without water for no reason. At the time, young Malice was furious about the rumors. No one had the right to say anything about her father, for Selfish always seemed perfect in Malice’s eyes.
To honor the memory of her, apparently, beloved father, on her first day on the throne, Queen Malice ordered the dam to be reopened and the river restored to its natural course. The celebration was so grand that a very distant cousin of Malice, Joy, danced throughout the kingdom to celebrate. While everyone was celebrating, the Queen ordered General Sly to divert the course of another river to water the palace’s flowers and fill its pools. This time, however, Malice told the people that more water was needed for agriculture, that it was vital for food and everyone’s health, and that all should sacrifice for the good of the Kingdom of Appearance, just as she had sacrificed by restoring the original river’s course. Joy was so at ease that no one even questioned it, as now, apparently, they had a queen who cared about her people’s well-being. A small rumor spread that Malice had lied, but it was ignored by all. Queen Malice seemed to be a good person, and good people don’t lie to their people like that. This event changed the way Malice viewed life and the kingdom. That day, Malice realized there was no problem in caring only about herself, as her father did, as long as she made it seem like it was for a good cause. After all, in the Kingdom of Appearance of the North, seeming was the most important thing.
By the side of Queen Malice’s throne sat the royal advisors. On her left was the seat of Lord Omission, while on her right sat Lord Fear, advisors renowned and admired by all the great known kingdoms. According to their reputation, Fear and Omission were essential for Malice’s government to thrive in the Kingdom of Appearance. Under the almost inaudible advice of Omission and Fear, Malice’s kingdom grew. Meanwhile, the queen mother, Presumed Kindness, never tired of praising her daughter for inheriting the beauty, kindness, and sweet personality of her father, King Selfish.
However, as Time is the best friend of Truth, The Time brought Truth to visit the Kingdom of Appearance. Little by little, Truth visited every home, making each resident realize that everything Malice did was short-lived and had a selfish intention behind it. This was obvious, as Malice was the daughter of selfishness personified. With Time’s help, Truth made everyone see that, in the North, everything was about Appearance. When Queen Malice heard about what was happening, she went straight to seek the royal council’s opinion. After all, they were close friends of her, apparently, kind father and had always been loyal to the Kingdom of Appearance. The council’s opinion was unanimous: do nothing. Lord Omission did not want to get involved in conflicts, while Lord Fear was very afraid that a war might break out because of Truth. According to the royal council, a confrontation with Truth would not favor the maintenance of Malice’s kingdom. It was better to do nothing.
The queen mother, Presumed Kindness, was extremely upset with the ingratitude of those people. How dare they question Malice’s actions when she was, apparently, so good to everyone? Presumed Kindness even added how kind her daughter seemed for allowing all the residents of the Kingdom of Appearance to live. Presumed Kindness could not see a single problem in Malice’s reign; for her, everything was always fine as it was, and everything would adjust itself if any change was needed. However, against everyone’s opinion, Malice decided to act. She called all the palace employees and ordered them to go to their homes with one condition: they were to spread throughout the Kingdom of Appearance that Truth would bring no benefit to the people. Truth would only bring war, misery, and death through armed conflict. Moreover, Truth didn’t even live in the Kingdom of Appearance. When Truth was no longer there, Malice would hold everyone accountable, and Malice knew very well how to be cruel.
Out of fear of losing their jobs and the benefits of working for the government of Appearance, everyone did exactly as Malice ordered. Quickly, Truth stopped being welcomed, and people began to ignore it. Wherever Truth entered or was mentioned, silence was absolute. Everyone feared the war that Truth would bring; people preferred to keep living in peace in the kingdom of Appearance, without even thinking about how much they were paying for that apparent peace.
It is said that, to this day, in the Kingdom of Appearance: Malice rules with an iron fist; Lord Omission prefers not to get involved in anything; Lord Fear remains paralyzed, preferring not to act; the people prefer to pretend nothing is happening to live in peace; Truth is forbidden from being spoken to avoid conflicts; and Presumed Kindness still cannot see any problem in Malice’s government. Thus, Malice firmly follows in Selfish’s footsteps, and time no longer serves any purpose, as everyone has chosen to pretend everything is fine in the Kingdom of Appearance of the North.
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