A Kingdom Far Away

Once I heard a story of a kingdom far, far away. It was immensely rich. The streets were lined with puchka houses, the granaries were full of grains and the bazars were filled with silks. The palace had huge domes, vast hallways and innumerable decorations of precious stones. The citizens were peace loving, hardworking people who loved and revered their king. 

The king himself was a just, considerate ruler, a brave warrior and was fiercely protective of his people. A kind and generous man, he took part in his people's celebrations and shared their troubles. In all, he was the best ruler any kingdom could want. But as they say, nothing is perfect. Our king had just one drawback, he would sleepwalk. 

This was a secret no one knew, not even his personal staff. Only one living being knew, his queen. At bedtime, she would bar all doors and windows, lock herself and the king in their bedchambers, with strict orders to the staff and soldiers not disturb them till daybreak. This way, she kept him from wandering away in his sleep, and ensured the secret remained a secret.

One night, as per routine, the royal couple went to bed. As was practice, they were woken up at sunrise. But the door reminded shut. The staff waited, but when there was no response even after an hour, they got alarmed. They checked on the windows and found one wide open. It was strange as they knew the queen to be very particular about closing the windows. When they checked in, they found the queen dead and the king missing.

The council of ministers was informed and search parties were sent in all directions. They looked in every possible place, but couldn't find the king. The day turned to night, still there was no news of the king. The queen's death was a mystery. The king's disappearance was a bigger mystery. Days passed without any clue of his whereabouts.

Meanwhile, the kingdom fell prey to hungry wolves. With no heir to the throne, it was left without a ruler. There were many claimants to the crown, each eyeing it's riches. Brick by brick, the kingdom began to fall apart. Unemployment rose, granaries got empty, bazars got deserted, the palace lost its sheen, treasures went missing, people stopped celebrating, fights broke out and migration peaked. The kingdom began to disintegrate. Finally, to save what was left, the rule was handed over to a council of ministers and advisors.

They tried to keep the kingdom together, and one way of doing this was to change the rule. The monarchy couldn't be continued with, as the king was absent and had left no heirs. So they decided to abolish the monarchy all together. Instead they thought of placing the power in the hands of one person who would lead them. Now to be fair, this person would be chosen by the citizens themselves and would have a fixed tenure. A set of laws were laid out and democracy was born. 

With time, a stable rule was established. It set the tone for a change in society. The kingdom was now called a country and the rulers were called the government. There are no kingdoms anymore, but the charm, appeal and romance of them remain.