Jaylin
by Adele Nickerson
Jaylin sat, staring at the man. He wasn’t serious, was he? Jaylin looked around and shifted uncomfortably. “I appreciate you coming to speak with me. But I have a country to lead and no time for fantasies.” The man only smiled.
“I understand your reluctance to believe. But Jesus is a ruler as well. Who better to look at as an example of royalty than a perfect man?”
Jaylin rolled her eyes and didn’t answer.
The priest stood and bowed. “I thank you for your time, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave now. But just know the story of Christ is not a fantasy. And he awaits you with open arms.” With that, the priest took his leave.
Jaylin sighed. This was the fifth priest to come speak to her about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks. It was beginning to annoy her greatly.
Jaylin stood from her chair and glided toward the door, her lush purple skirts billowing around her ankles. She opened the door to her waiting attendant. “I want no more visits from priests. If a priest requests an audience with me, turn them away.” She didn’t even wait for a response before closing the door and turning away.
It wasn’t that the queen didn’t believe in God. She did believe in him like everyone else in the kingdom. She just didn’t believe as strongly as some others. There were points in his story that she didn’t trust. She especially despised how all these priests were trying to tell her she was believing wrong.
The door suddenly flew open and Sallom came sauntering in. Jaylin sighed. Sallom was her most trusted advisor. At times he could be conceited and entitled, but he’d been working for the queen for years and she trusted his advice.
“What is it now Sallom?”
“It is a matter of great importance, Your Majesty.” He bowed low to the floor and Jaylin rolled her eyes when he wasn’t looking.
“Yes, it always is Sallom. Get to it would you?”
Before Sallom could answer, the door opened again. Lyoness walked in slowly with a tray of tea.
“Forgive me for interrupting my lady. Would you prefer your afternoon tea at a different time?”
Jaylin smiled and motioned him in. “Of course not Lyoness. Will you join me?” Lyoness smiled and made his way over to the table. Sallom watched him walk past with a look of disdain. Jaylin knew of Sallom’s jealousy of Lyoness. She trusted Lyoness almost as much as Sallom if not more. Lyoness may have been a servant, but he had been a father figure to Jaylin since she was a babe.
The two sat down to tea and Jaylin motioned for Sallom to continue. He shot a look at Lyoness, his mind turning behind his eyes before speaking again. “We have caught a traitor, Your Majesty. We will apprehend him soon and then he will await your judgment.”
Jaylin set down her tea. “A traitor? What do you make of this, Lyoness?”
Lyoness appeared thoughtful. “I have heard no tale of a traitor, Your Majesty. But if it be true, I believe he should be treated the same way Christ treats us every time we betray him.”
Jaylin considered his words. Lyoness was an avid follower of Christ. He took every opportunity to mention it. Jaylin was skeptical. She trusted Lyoness’ opinion more than her own most days, but some days were harder than others. Especially on the days she felt like God was ever so far away. A day like today.
Sallom scowled at Lyoness before bowing once more to Jaylin. “Until then, Your Majesty.” He strode out of the room and Jaylin watched him go with an odd feeling of apprehension.
***
“You must make a decision! He is a traitor, Your Majesty, he must be punished!” Sallom’s voice echoed throughout the chamber. Jaylin resisted flinching. She turned her eyes onto Lyoness. His eyes were wide and pleading, his weathered body shaking with fear. Lyoness had been serving in her household since before her father was king. Jaylin just couldn’t believe he’d commit treason.
But Sallom was adamant that he had. He even claimed to have caught him in the act. Jaylin was uncertain. Sallom had been her advisor for years and he’d never lead her astray. But she’d known Lyoness her whole life. Jaylin shifted uncomfortably.
“Your Majesty. As your advisor, I suggest he be treated as any other traitor. Banish him into the Leosaltus.”
Her stomach churned. The Leosaltus was a lion-infested forest. No one had ever made it out alive. She looked at Sallom and then turned to gaze at Lyoness. He was accused of treason. She had to follow the law.
Jaylin stood and stared at a fixed point above Lyoness’ head. She couldn’t look at him as she pronounced his sentence. “You have been charged with treason. Therefore I banish you into the Leosaltus.”
Tradition dictates that the queen escort the traitor to the forest. The walk there was quiet. At least it was for the queen. She barely registered when Lyoness had been freed of his shackles and forced deeper into the forest. As he ran away Jaylin saw a yellow streak bounding after him. And in that brief moment, Jaylin regretted everything. Lyoness would never commit treason. Sallom was wrong. And she would tell him so when she returned.
The guards turned to their queen, awaiting further orders. “Leave me.” They looked at each other uncertainly. “Go back to the castle. I will be along shortly.” When the guards had left Jaylin collapsed to the forest floor and sobbed. What have I done? She turned her face to the sky. “How could you?! Where have you been? What God are you who lets innocents suffer? It should never have gotten this far.” Jaylin continued to pour out her wrath to the sky, her anger and hurt feeling like they would suffocate her if she didn’t get it out now.
Her tears began to choke out her words and she pressed her face to the ground as she mourned the loss of her closest friend. She blamed God for the situation. If he was all-powerful, he should have stopped this from happening. He should have saved Lyoness.
“My child, why do you despise me so?”
Jaylin started at the sound of a voice. A deep voice that instilled fear as much as it did comfort. Her tears stopped momentarily as she turned to face the great lion. She knew not how to respond to a beast so fearsome. Especially one who should not have the ability to speak. But as she looked into his eyes, she knew who she was speaking to and the tears ran fresh.
“Because … because you have left me. You were not there to stop this.”
The lion tilted his head at her. “I have never left you, my child. I have been here watching over you all the time.”
“Then why didn’t you do anything? Why did you let this happen?”
“Your choices are not my doing, child. You fear I left you, but it was you who left me dear one.”
Jaylin fell at his feet and sobbed. She poured out every emotion, every feeling of hurt, betrayal, and abandonment, these she expressed through her tears. She bared her soul for him, and he gently wrapped her in an embrace, understanding everything she conveyed to him without words.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I have failed you. I had stopped believing. I felt so alone. I listened to those I shouldn’t. I’m sorry Lord I am so sorry. I failed.”
“And why should that mean I don’t love you?” His words reached the very bottom of her heart, into the darkest depths where she harbored her worst thoughts and feelings and cleaned them out until only the light was left.
Peace settled over her and her tears ran dry. “I am sorry,” was all she could say.
“I know. dear one.”
“And what of Lyoness? Will he live?”
“That is not for you to know, my child. Just know that I am with him as I am with you.”
Jaylin found comfort in his words.
“I truly am sorry my lord. I never wanted this.”
The lion stepped forward and touched his forehead to hers. When he stepped back Jaylin could feel the love emanating from him and she reveled in it.
“You are forgiven, my child.”
Jaylin threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his mane as new sobs wracked her body. “I do not deserve your forgiveness.”
“And yet, you have it. But do not squander it, my child. Return to your kingdom. Remind them of my love and never forget it yourself. Remember this day and teach its lessons to others. For that is why I have made you queen. I love you, my dear Jaylin. And I rejoice at your homecoming. I will never be far from you dear one. Just call and I will answer.”
And just like that the great lion turned away and disappeared back into the forest. And Queen Jaylin never did forget that day. And she carried the love of Jesus in her heart and expressed it to her kingdom and anyone who would listen for the rest of her days.
2 Corinthians 7:9: “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance.” (NKJV)
About the Author
Adele Nickerson’s favorite things to do are read, write, and spend time with her large family. She has been writing practically her whole life and it’s a big part of who she is. Adele’s biggest dream is to make others happy and glorify God with her work.
Next (Story: Alive) >
< Previous (Story: Inundated Heart)
Image is an AI-generated image. Public domain.
