The King sat up in his lofty tower, surrounded by his fancy gold curtains, designer robes, sumptuous meals, and succession of beautiful women. He traveled by private carriage (also gold-plated) to visit his lavish land and casinos, with little concern for the men and women on whose backs his Empire was built. In fact, those people made him uncomfortable, and he wished to send them away. Calling them awful names and accusing them of horrible crimes, he hoped others would do the dirty work for him.

His followers bought into the vision of a downtrodden Empire and his promise to make them and the Kingdom great again. Playing on their fears and insecurities, he convinced them of problems and dangers not based on truth.  His solutions to complex problems were quick and simple. “I will fix things and get rid of those bad, bad apples,” he boasted in easy-to-digest sound bites. Half the Kingdom liked this message because they weren’t doing all that well, so someone had to be at fault. And it certainly could not be the King or his court of nobles and lords, even if they did control all the Empire’s wealth. No, the King would solve all their problems.

The Empire had some foreign enemies, but the King admired them because they ruled with iron fists. He wanted to be like them. Knowing this, an assortment of swindlers surrounded and abetted the King. They encouraged his puffed-up image and urged him to expand his Empire. The problem was that the land the King hoped to acquire belonged to what heretofore had been friendly crowns. Still, he stewed and sputtered about artificial borders and threatened to take what he thought should be his.

Once recovered from the shock, these neighborly sovereigns gave inspiring speeches to their countrymen, making them more popular than ever at home. Their nations boycotted any goods produced by the Kingdom and booed the King’s countrymen at jousting events, making the King even more determined to claim their territories.

Meanwhile, a clever court Jester saw an opportunity to add to his personal wealth and power. He would funnel money from the pesky governing bodies into his pockets. After flattering and stroking the King into an oblivious state, the Jester played Jenga with the Empire’s long-established governing tower. Little by little, he removed blocks from the tower, laughing when it became wobbly and hoping he could blame its occupants when it fell.

When some of the Empire’s loyal subjects were negatively affected by the Jester’s game, the King stepped out on the castle balcony in an invisible robe made from the swindler’s looms. He tried to convince them it was all for the greater good.” It’s going to be beautiful,” he promised. “Really beautiful.”

“But he hasn’t got anything on,” said a small boy standing below. “The King is stark naked,” said the signs of some women marching towards the castle. Soon, half the town was crying, “The King has no clothes; there is nothing of substance up there.” When a few hapless farmers complained that they were having trouble making ends meet because of the boycotts, the King got annoyed and had his guards escort them all away. He didn’t like all the negativity. His people were supposed to bow down and applaud him.

The King’s feeble ministers feared losing their jobs or being shut out if they didn’t pretend to see the fabric covering the King’s bloated body. So, despite their misgivings, they claimed he looked handsome and was doing a great job. They even gave him their limited powers because they feared his temper tantrums. Half of the Kingdom was fooled by the King’s parade of alternative facts and grand gestures that gave the illusion he was taking decisive action for the good of the country. Who were they to disagree?

Alas, it was only a matter of time before everyone would be poorly affected.   But for now, the King and his court had put his believers under an evil spell, preventing them from seeing his blatant naked ambition and cruel aspirations. It can only be hoped that their eyes will be opened before the King does his faithful subjects serious wrong and puts the entire Empire in grave danger.