So just take a moment to allow your eyes to close and allow yourself to begin to relax.
And as you begin to comfortably fall asleep,
I don't know whether you'll drift asleep faster to the sound of my voice or whether it'll be to the spaces between my words.
And as you comfortably fall asleep,
I'm just going to tell this bedtime story in the background.
And in this bedtime story,
The first light of dawn is spilling gently across the sky,
Stretching over the vast frosted expanse of a kingdom.
And inside a palace the ancient stone walls are bathed in the softest gold.
Each sunbeam seeming to almost trickle through windows dusted with frost.
And the air is quiet.
The world seems so still and peaceful.
And inside the great hall,
The king stands beside a crackling log fire.
He has been a wise and gentle ruler.
His years of leadership,
Praised by the community around him.
In a steady,
Calming voice,
With the room listening intently,
The king begins to speak.
On this sacred day,
When our kingdom celebrates,
I invite ten noblemen,
Lords from across the land,
To prove their worth.
They'll compete for the honour of High Castle,
A place of intense beauty and history.
And for the rarest of jewels,
A gem said to bring good luck and prosperity,
Not only to the bearer,
But to the land that they'll tend.
The king reads a parchment unfurled in his hands,
Sharing information about the talk of an adventure.
That will test the strength and wisdom and bravery,
And the grace of these lords.
The fire continuing to crackle behind him.
The ten lords set out on their journey,
Riding through the landscape,
Blanketed in the most beautiful,
Serene,
Winter wonderland.
Snow lying thick and soft on the ground,
Dulling the sounds.
Horses moving steadily through that snow,
The sounds of their hooves muffled,
With just the gentle crack of the snow underfoot.
The landscape is almost like a dreamscape,
Looking surreal,
Devoid of all colour.
And as the lords ride,
The sun rises.
The light is golden and calming.
And each lord rides at a calm and steady pace,
Following paths winding through valleys over hills,
Travelling towards High Castle.
And the sound of flowing water can be heard in the distance.
The trees become more dense,
The riding slows down,
And eventually they arrive at High Castle,
Its ancient stone walls,
Standing tall against the backdrop of the blue sky and the white of the landscape.
And the castle feels almost alive,
As if it has a presence of its own.
Watching over this kingdom and the gates of High Castle slowly creak open as the lords enter.
And inside the great hall in the castle is the warmth of a grand fireplace,
Chandeliers swaying gently overhead,
An echoing stone floor,
And the thickest,
Most comfortable rugs.
And the lords are told they need to rest in their chambers before the trials begin tomorrow.
And the next day,
As the morning dawns,
And the air is crisp,
The lords gather in the courtyard.
And before them is a series of narrow bridges,
Suspended over slow moving river,
And the water below so calm,
So relaxing.
And one by one,
The lords step forward,
And the lords prepare to leap.
And the first lord leaps onto the bridge,
And then leaps to the next bridge and the next.
The next lord leaps from one bridge to the next.
And these lords,
All ten of them,
Leap from one bridge to the next.
Seeming to find the task easy.
And once they've completed this first task,
They're told what the next task will be.
In the centre of the courtyard,
Heavy stone weights rest upon the snow-covered ground.
The lords stand at one end of the courtyard.
The challenge seems like it's going to be one of brute strength,
But it's not about speed or power,
It's about an inner stillness.
About finding that quiet strength that comes from calm and focus within.
The stones are incredibly heavy,
But it's the weight of their minds that they need to be aware of.
The task is to lift the stones and carry them across the courtyard without losing balance.
Each lord takes his place.
They bend and lift the stones.
The hands touching the cold surface of the stones.
Steadying that weight.
Almost guiding themselves into a meditative experience of focusing.
Being relaxed,
Yet tense at the same time.
Moving with an almost hypnotic,
Rhythmic movement of steps.
Not rushing,
Just taking as long as it takes.
Ensuring their balance.
Breathing slow and steady.
And as each lord reaches the far end of the courtyard and places their stone down with a soft thud,
They continue to keep their breaths steady and focused.
Standing strong and calm.
And each lord passes the task.
And the final challenge.
The lords get to head back into the warmth of High Castle.
Back into the great hall.
They gather near the fire.
And the final task,
Is a puzzle that will lead them to the jewel.
It's a riddle.
A question that requires thought and reflection and a deep understanding of the world around them and the wisdom from within.
And they're told the riddle.
And the lords sit in silence.
Listening,
Trying to reflect on the riddle's meaning.
And as they reflect,
Sitting silently,
Lost in their own thought.
The lords find themselves almost drawn into a complexity within what seems simple.
And the fire crackles and the silence takes over.
And the fire crackles and the silence takes over this hall.
While they think deeply and long and hard about this riddle.
And then the lords,
One by one,
Find the answer in their mind to the riddle.
Understanding how it relates to the jewel.
And because all of the lords have passed all of the tests.
They're given a challenge of a great leap.
Each lord has to jump a gorge.
And so one by one,
They stand before that gorge.
And they have to overcome something within themselves before making that jump.
And each lord,
One by one,
Is given the opportunity to make the jump.
But only one of them decides to go for the jump.
And successfully lands on the other side.
And none of them are told how the others did.
And so none of them know whether anyone else jumped.
And as the day comes to an end,
The lords are gathered in the great hall of High Castle.
And the king has now arrived.
And he holds the jewel in his hand.
And he says that this jewel is more than a prize.
And he says that this jewel is more than a prize.
It's something that will help you look after this land.
It'll help you to help the people you serve in this land.
He names one of the lords.
He calls them forward as the winner.
He places the jewel in the winner's hand.
The winner can feel the warmth of that jewel.
And notice the soft glowing of the jewel in their hand.
And this winner is congratulated by the other lords.
And the other lords are all given small other lands for them to look after.
And this lord is left here in High Castle to rule this land.
To rule this land.
The king tells him to be the best leader of this land he can be.
To ensure the people prosper.
And that the kingdom thrives.
Before leaving this place and heading back to his castle.
And the lord places the jewel on a shelf in sight.
On a little stand designed for it.
Under a glass dome.
And that jewel sits on that shelf,
Gently glowing and seeming to almost hum with energy.
And this lord then heads to their new bedroom.
And as they settle down to sleep.
They ponder over life,
Managing this kingdom,
Helping the kingdom thrive.
With the jewel bringing good luck and prosperity.
And the tasks they had to do and how close it was with the other lords.
Before gradually settling down and drifting and floating so peacefully,
So relaxed asleep.
Into slumberland.
