In the kingdom of Us, two heroes live: one was raised a
prince and the other was raised a peasant. When the prince turned one, the king
and the queen finally decided to invite the whole village of I to welcome the
future king. No one ever questioned what took them three hundred and sixty-five
moons to prepare this great event. Instead, they wondered what kind of heavenly
foods they would serve in the banquet, how many pounds of gold could have cost
the dress of the queen and how many cups of wine they would clink in honor of
the baby. In the end, none of these things really mattered, as the infinite
happiness and warmth of everyone united was vast enough to dismiss from the
mind any unkind thought.
When the queen held the prince in the air, everyone’s heart
stopped for a second and stood in awe before the precious boy. They were
mesmerized by his fairness; dewy rosy cheeks, gold-weaved locks and hypnotizing
royal blue eyes. Even if he was only a mere child, Usnians already felt safe in
his arms and wholeheartedly gave him their trust. From that day, Us knew their
future king would be successful. Their guts did not fail.
The prince grew into the love of his people and even today
he is acclaimed and applauded for his grand deeds. He willingly stands up for his
kingdom and never will he dare to take no for an answer. He is not afraid of
using his sword and shield to fight against evil-minded spirits. Bravery, as we
all know him, always thirsts for new adventures and accepts them with
overflowing enthusiasm.
Now let’s go back to the beginning.
Why then, did the king and the queen take so long to welcome
precious Bravery?
When the queen gave birth, not only Bravery was born. For
everyone’s surprise, two identical babies were born. And such was their resemblance
that no one could discern the difference between the two. It took many sunrises and sleep-deprived nights for the queen
and the king to decide on their names. Names that would carry glory, move
mountains and leave the earth stained until infinity. Bravery’s twin brother
was named Courage.
The kings of Us felt complete. Not even heaven or the cosmic
currents of the universe could take away their joy. But one cloudless night,
where silence and peace appeared to encompass the whole earth, the crescent
moon and the seven seas, something terrible happened.
Us is haunted by a millenary demon that goes by the name of
Fear. It terrorizes every street and corner of every artery and vein. It
swallows the souls of those who believe they are weak and remain in the
shadows, to avoid discomfort and shame. Even before the birth of the twins,
Fear knew that Courage would be his undoing. It was written in the stars and
near the salty waters, in every grain of sand.
That cloudless night, the evil demon crept into the room
where the twins were peacefully sleeping. The air felt heavy and intoxicating,
as if a plague had infested the whole kingdom. Fear took away Courage in his
skinless arms and vanished in the darkness, the way clouds and fog collide at
dawn.
The morning was quiet and grey; not the birds dared to sing,
not the sun had the strength to shine. Only the soft and cold cry from the
clouds could be heard. The queen joined the clouds with gentle sobs and pouring
tears and let herself fall to the ground so delicately, like a feather. The
night swept the kingdom and Morpheus whispered to the queen “Be strong”. And so
the queen fell asleep with an aching heart, yet a hopeful soul.
Courage grew under the wings of Fear, cuffed in the chains
of terror and confined to live in endless nights. He knew nothing, but darkness
and despair. Fear deprived him from his identity, his family, his throne and
the kingdom of Us, the most powerful and puissant kingdom of them all. But,
little did Fear know about the power of love. Courage’s mother planted in him a
seed of hope, a seed that would grow strong until the flowers of freedom
bloomed in ecstasy.
Even if Courage feared Fear with all his life, that little
seed of hope armed him with valor to finally confront his greatest enemy. He
broke himself from the chains with the unbelievable strength of Goliath, injured
Fear with a single touch and made his great escape from the dungeon of
darkness.
Courage never knew about his family.
Bravery never knew he had a twin brother.
The mother never lost hope of her boy being alive.
In the kingdom of Us, two heroes live. One is Bravery: the
valiant, the adventurous and the never-afraid. The one that everyone acclaims
and never takes no for an answer. The other one is Courage, the silent hero that only appears when the moon shines. The hopeful and sometimes scared soul that fights with no rest to
vanquish Fear.
And so the question arises, who is your favorite hero?
