“Once upon a time, yet not upon any time…”
There was once an emperor and empress, aged and longing for a child, someone to love, to ease their troubles, to forget the sufferings of this life, for even back then there were still hardships. They had no child to cherish, to adorn like a royal heir, or to kiss as the one true child of a household.
All else might have passed unhindered, but the greatest sorrow was that there was no one to inherit the throne and their vast riches. The emperor possessed abundant lands and treasures, an endless wealth, but what use was it if there was no one to use it?
This grief, though heavy, still lessened over time, except for a deeper worry: their bloodline was fading away. Oh Lord! What a dire thing this was. When the poor couple remembered it, they wept like little children. How could they not? How could anyone not grieve at knowing there would be no one to sing their praise, to mourn them with true sorrow when they died, nor to honor their memory after death?
It wasn’t only they who anguished, the entire realm was filled with sorrow, watching the noble bloodline of the emperor dwindle. And what good people they were: the emperor and empress, generous as loafs of bread! There wasn’t a single person in the kingdom they hadn’t helped, neither the poor nor the sick escaped the empress’s kindness, for she sent comforts as soon as she heard of their need.
This was unprecedented for a ruler, and so mournful was the kingdom, fearing that a wicked lineage might one day overtake them, just as the current emperor had sweetened their lives.
Their hope of having a child had long faded, they were old. They placed their hope instead in God, trusting divine providence; for God does all things wisely for humanity’s good. Humans shouldn’t judge His works, He loves us all, and knows what truly benefits us.