tales of Suchita

In a forest east of the kingdom was a school meant for exceptional children. Though children only from the nobility were considered exceptional, allowances were made for “the others.” And though the others were treated with bare-minimum respect, they made up for the less than ideal circumstances by bullying the nobility thus restoring balance.

Now there was a legend in the school and in the kingdom of the one true arrow. It was said that the Goddess of War had personally hidden this arrow and only the most skilled, whose aim was true and heart pure could find it.

Annually, a competition was held in the kingdom to find the one true arrow. No one could say definitively when the tale and thus the competition began but it was a ritual, followed as strictly as any other.

Now our tale takes place, unsurprisingly, when two students, from the opposing sides, were chosen to beat the other. Anand and Parth were the chosen warriors, chosen for their skill as much as cunning, to bring glory and honour to their school, name and family. The king, since he hadn’t done anything, was not to share this glory.

At daybreak, after the two had been anointed, given directions and instructions from those that had achieved little in terms of daring feats, the two boys left, together, in search of the arrow.

There was a forest opposite the school’s main gate and the boys climbed the hill and disappeared into the trees.

“Is your plan to follow me, you mindless cur?”

Immune to such jousting, Parth’s face remained impassive. “Do you have a plan?”

Now usually Anand did not deign to speak to “the others” but it was well-known just how much in love he was with himself. He simply could not let go of an opportunity to boast. “Of course I do.”

“Does that involve going to the shallow garden?”

Now the shallow garden had been as much a myth as the one true arrow but it had been accidentally discovered by a shepherd while he had been shepherding his cows, in search of greener pastures. He had not known what a holy place he had found until his cows started to change colours from their normal white. One-third became brown, one-third a beautiful pink and one-third a patchwork of red, green and yellow. The milk they had then started producing reflected their coat colour and while the brown and pink were sweetly delicious, the red, green and yellow rendered such fantastical pictures in the mind of the drinker, the shepherd became the richest man in a matter of days!

Anand had absolutely no idea just what Parth was planning, so self-absorbed was the young man. “Don’t be silly. I know the location of the one true arrow.”

“And I am the King,” said Parth with a laugh.

“You don’t believe me?”

Parth raised his eyebrow by way of an answer. Incensed, Anand declared that he would prove himself right and Parth wrong. Delighted, Parth followed Anand through the forest, past the shallow garden, wading through lakes and climbing atop rocks piled haphazardly, as if by human hand.

Anand led, feeling more important by every step he took, and Parth, feeling more gleeful as they came closer to their destination.

“It’s just around this corner,” whispered Anand. They had been walking for the entire day, night was almost upon them and he looked anything but tired. In fact he looked ready for a fight.

“Whatever you say.”

Anand rounded the corner and to his utter horror found himself facing the Goddess herself. She looked so provocative in her barely-there clothes and painted lips, Anand fainted with fright.

Parth laughed, removed his knife and sharpened it using the sword the Goddess was holding. He then slit Anand’s hand to take some of his blood. He anointed the Goddess with the blood and slit his throat.

As Parth lay at the foot of the Goddess, gurgling his last few breaths, Anand awoke. He tried to save his competitor but his body was already cooling.

Anointed with his fallen competitor’s blood, he returned to the school, empty-handed. Parth’s death caused a rift between the nobility and “the others” and the Goddess had her war. Nobody knew that Parth’s death was the one true arrow. And it had done what it had intended to do.

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This is 1 of 26 Myths and Legends. To know more, click here.