tales of Suchita

The camp was in a tense silence as the king lay on his deathbed, bleeding, injured by the cunning of the enemy. The queen sat next to him, holding his hand and repeating, almost like a song that she loved him, she would be okay once he left and that he could let go.

But the king held on, so the queen held back her tears, as they waited for their daughter to return from the battlefield. The legend of her prowess and how her blade was wrecking the enemy’s defences had been reaching the king and the queen since early morning and he needed to bid her farewell before he breathed his last.

She finally returned in the middle of the night, after the hurly burly was done, and the battle lost and won. Bloodied, muddied but with a grim smile on her face for they had been victorious, she looked like the Goddess of Death herself, just returning after meting out divine justice.

She went to her father’s side, held tightly to his hand and whispered in his ear, “Father, I am ready.”

With that the king let go of the last thread of life he had been holding onto and died with a sigh and a smile.

As the daughter rose, clear above the ululations of the king’s passing, came the piercing cry, “Long live the queen.” She raised her hand and the camp quietened immediately. She raised her voice and sang her farewell song:

You raised me well papa
Now go to the house of your forefathers
And sing them songs of your conquests
How you wrought their dreams
As you brought peace to the seven realms.
But papa…my king…
Don’t forget to sing of
This wife you leave behind
Who soothed your hurts and brought you back to life.
Don’t forget to sing of
This daughter who no longer has
The guidance of her father
But swears upon his body
Will wreak vengeance once more
As she builds on her father’s dream
And sires future kings and queens.
Bless her sword with just cause
And invincibility.

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This is 17 of 26 Myths and Legends. To know more, click here.