Letter to a Little Princess
Dear Princess,
Maybe you dream of living in a tall tower room in a castle. But why are castles built, anyway? They are built for protection from the enemy. For you see, life in a kingdom isn’t just flowers and crowns….
When Princess Precious had lived in the village of Sin (she was Wretched then) she had heard of the Evil Knights. They attacked the helpless and hated the King. In the dark village streets she had been afraid of them. But here in King Jesus’ castle everything had seemed so safe—until the day she heard from the Rumor Raven.
“Evil Knights will soon attack and these castle walls will crack!” the black bird screamed from a tall pine outside her tower window. Precious couldn’t see anything down below, but the Knights were always invisible in the daytime. That night she could hardly sleep.
“Precious dear, you look tired,” Mother Matron said the next morning.
“I kept hearing noises,” Precious said. “Do you think the Evil Knights will come?”
“The Evil Knights? They might try to attack sometime,” Mother Matron said calmly. “But I’m not worried. Inside our castle we are very safe.”
“You mean, there might be a battle?” Prince Valiant asked, coming up.
“There often are, for King Jesus has many enemies,” Mother Matron replied.
“If the Evil Knights come, I am going to be on the walls with the archers!” Valiant said excitedly. Precious shivered. What if the walls did crack? What if those evil black-robed men got inside the palace and carried her back into the forest? The idea frightened her terribly. Where could she be safe?
When Precious went for her morning visit with the King, He seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. “Precious, come for a tour of the castle walls,” King Jesus said. “There are reports that our enemies plan to attack.” He smiled down at her and led her into the outer court.
The stone walls that surrounded the castle rose up before them, connected by a tall watchtower in each corner. They were very high, but the Evil Knights had battering rams that could smash down walls. “What if the walls fall down?” Precious asked, nervously.
King Jesus smiled and took her hand. “These walls are solid and thick enough to keep out all enemies. Would you like to see their foundation?” He asked, pointing to a hole at the base of the wall. Precious stepped closer and looked down.
Steep steps disappeared into the darkness. “Where do they go?” she asked.
“Come and see,” the King said, taking a bright torch and leading the way. Precious took hold of His sleeve and followed carefully. Down, down, down they went. It was cold and damp all around them, but when she put her hand against the wall she felt smooth stone. Then the steps stopped and they were standing on a hard rock floor in an underground room.
“Is this a secret hideout?” she asked.
King Jesus smiled. “We are standing on the foundation of the wall, which was dug deep into the ground. It was laid upon the rock so it could stand firm in the worst attacks. There is no way to get under it or through it.”
Precious touched the great strong stone in front of her. “Who dug down here to make it?” she asked.
The King pointed to a carving that said:
“What do you think?” King Jesus asked. “Will the Evil Knights be able to hurt you if you stay inside these walls?” Precious smiled and shook her head.
May you also, dear princess, be kept safe inside those walls.
With much love,
Aunt Faith
