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SUMMARY: Dedicated to my Mom (1/1942 to 3/2006) and my Fathers Love

The sun shone cold on the bleak remains of a once shining kingdom while dry powdery snow drifted aimlessly over the broken earth. Small mounds formed where the tortured land grasped desperately for anything and, as if even the world could not bare the pain of the destruction it beheld, the bitter winter dragged on longer than normal. Harsh winds blew over the cracked and brittle earth. Huddled in the little shelter that remained of his castle, the king shivered. He could not tell if he shook from the cold drafts that plagued him or from the dreams that haunted him.
Memories of the beautiful spring day, which became a nightmare, caused the king to twitch in his sleep. The glint of sun off steel blades filled his vision. Screams of his people, being crushed beneath a vast unstoppable foe, flooded his ears. The enemy had come out of thin air attacking so viciously that no defense could be made and when they were finished, the sky itself darkened as if to blot the kingdom from the earth. As evening fell, a vicious storm continued the destruction begun by the enemy. Heavy rains flooded the valleys and washed away the remains of his people. Lightning gave the king brief glimpses of his shattered land while thunder rocked his body down to his soul.
Struggling to survive the elements, the ruler clung to the love of his queen who had survived the onslaught. He often stared at her and remembered the beauty that was hidden under the dirty exterior as they huddled together in their shelter. Another shiver shook his weakened frame. Steel clanging on steel echoed down the halls of his soul until he reached for her memory. Her golden splendor had enchanted him from the moment he first saw her swaying gently in the fresh spring air. Her body was drawn in rapture to the music of the winds and he was enthralled by the exquisite lissome figure being played like a harp. Now his love sustained him through the horrible aftermath of the destruction of their kingdom.
They had not been rulers when they met. Their kingdom started as love and the land that surrounded them. The ground, though fertile, was untamed. Soon earth, sky, and water shared the harmony of their ardor, giving bountiful blessings to the lovers while gaining strength from their union.
Again blades flashed across the king's vision causing him to tremble in fear. The sun had been so warm and comforting that day and the dreariness of winter had been only a memory. His people had come out to revel in the glory of the new season. Then the ground shook. In only a few minutes a nameless and merciless enemy had wiped out his people leaving only a torn, muddy landscape. Shocked disbelief stole the breath from him. The king could scarcely comprehend the magnitude of the disaster for which he beheld.
When they thought nothing worse could happen, the king and queen watched helplessly as the slaves of their enemy were brought in to plunder what riches were left in the kingdom. All summer long the tall, slim enemy dug deeply into the earth and grew strong while they sucked the lifeblood out of the land.