BORN TO RULE

CHAPTER EIGHT

Writing

Chapter Eight: Born to Rule

Many years had passed since Damilare had first worn the crown of Aderin. The young prince who had once doubted himself had become an experienced and respected king.

Under his leadership, the kingdom had changed greatly.

New schools had been built in villages. Farmers had better access to water and equipment. Roads connected distant communities, and trade with neighbouring kingdoms had increased. Most importantly, the people had learned that their king was willing to listen to them.

Damilare never forgot the lessons his father had taught him.

One morning, the king decided to visit the marketplace without the large royal procession that usually followed him. He wanted to see how the people were living.

As he walked through the busy market, he noticed an elderly woman selling vegetables.

Something about her face looked familiar.

“Good morning, Mother,” Damilare greeted her.

“Good morning, sir,” the woman replied.

The king studied her carefully.

Suddenly, he remembered.

“You sold vegetables here many years ago.”

The woman looked at him closely.

Then her eyes widened.

“Are you... King Damilare?”

The king smiled.

“Yes.”

The old woman laughed with joy.

“I remember you! You were a little boy when you came here with your father.”

Damilare laughed.

“I remember asking why you were not selling enough vegetables.”

“And your father told you to learn how to solve problems.”

The king nodded.

“That lesson changed my life.”

The woman looked at him proudly.

“You became a good king.”

Damilare shook his head.

“I only tried to become the man my father believed I could be.”

They continued talking for some time. Before leaving, Damilare bought some vegetables from her.

“I should be the one giving you something,” the woman said.

“No,” Damilare replied. “Today I am your customer.”

The woman smiled.

That evening, Damilare returned to the palace.

He walked slowly through the gardens where he had played as a child. Memories came back to him—his father's lessons, his friendship with Tunde, the betrayal of Lord Kadir, the war with Zamora, and the day the crown had been placed upon his head.

He realized how much his life had changed.

Later that night, Damilare called Princess Adanna and Prince Femi.

They were now adults and had become trusted leaders in the kingdom.

“My children,” the king said, “there will come a time when I am no longer here.”

Femi looked worried.

“Father, do not speak like that.”

Damilare smiled.

“Every ruler must understand that his time will eventually end.”

He turned to Adanna.

“Never believe that the throne belongs to you because of your family.”

Then he looked at Femi.

“Never use power to make people fear you.”

Both children listened carefully.

“The crown belongs to the people,” Damilare continued. “A ruler is only its caretaker.”

Adanna nodded.

“We understand.”

“Do you?” Damilare asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “To rule is to serve.”

The king smiled.

“You have learned well.”

Several years later, Damilare's health began to weaken.

The people were worried, but the king remained peaceful.

One evening, he sat in the throne room for the final time.

He looked around the palace and remembered his father.

He remembered the words that had guided him throughout his life.

A crown sits on the head, but leadership lives in the heart.

Damilare smiled.

He knew that he had made mistakes. He had faced betrayal, fear, war, drought, and difficult decisions.

But he had never allowed those challenges to destroy his character.

That night, he called his family close.

“My children, remember one thing.”

They moved closer.

“You may inherit a throne, but you must earn the trust of the people.”

The next morning, King Damilare died peacefully.

Aderin entered a period of mourning.

Farmers came from distant villages. Teachers brought their students. Soldiers stood in honour. Traders closed their shops.

Everyone had a story about the king.

Some remembered how he had helped them during the drought.

Others remembered how he had protected the kingdom from war.

Many remembered that he had treated ordinary people with respect.

Years later, Princess Adanna became queen.

During her coronation, the chief elder asked:

“Do you accept the responsibility of ruling Aderin?”

Adanna looked at the people.

She remembered her father's final lesson.

“I accept,” she said, “not because I was born to sit on a throne, but because I was born with the responsibility to serve.”

The people cheered.

As the crown was placed upon her head, the bells of Aderin rang throughout the kingdom.

From that day forward, the story of King Damilare was told to every new generation.

He had been born a prince.

He had become a king.

But most importantly, he had become a true leader.

The people remembered him not simply because he wore a crown, but because he understood what the crown meant.

He learned that leadership was not about controlling others. It was about serving them, protecting them, listening to them, and making difficult decisions for their good.

That was the true meaning of being born to rule.

For a person may be born into royalty, but greatness is not inherited.

It is earned through courage, wisdom, humility, kindness, and service.

And that was the legacy Damilare left behind.

A kingdom could lose its wealth.

A palace could eventually fall.

A crown could pass from one generation to another.

But the lessons of a good ruler could live forever.