Returning home via ship after a war that left them broken, defeated, and full of despair, the queen and the general share a moment of vulnerability. In the battle that lies behind them, the regent has lost her eyesight, and the warrior has lost his son.
As they hold on to one another, the queen tries to offer some solace: “My father once told me that the way of the faithful is committing to pay the price, even if the cost cannot be known — and trusting that, in the end, it will be worth it.” The general agrees that the price is sometimes dear, and that, despite everything, they must continue to walk the road that they have chosen. “And I,” he continues, “will see to it that we make the end worth the price.”
There’s that saying that “everything will be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, it’s not yet the end.” It’s noble to live under an aspiration like the queen’s, to keep the faith even when the road is dark. It is just as fair, however — and perhaps why such aspirations work in the first place — to double down on your commitment. To swear not to let the sacrifices you and others have made be in vain.
Life is a one-time rodeo. It may not feel like it every day, but the stakes are as high as they could be. Don’t let your regrets paralyze you, and make your losses worth their pain. You are walking the way of the faithful, and you know only the triumph of goodness can ever mark its end.