On the appointed day, 1572 suitors turned up, dressed
in all their finery. The nobles and
Princes were richly attired in brocades, shining jewelry, metal and leather
whereas the commoners were attired in peasants’ clothes or coarse pants and
vests, a multi-purpose cravat around their necks and thick gum-boots.
The King,
the Queen, the Minister, along with the other officials of the kingdom and
other nobles watched keenly as each suitor arose from his seat, walked smartly
forward, introduced himself, saluted the King and the Queen, bowed in front of
them and the ministers and nobles and went back to his seat, back straight and
head held high. The Monarch was impressed by the poise and confidence emitted
by these eligible young men.
Then
the task was read out by a sentry in a loud and ringing voice, amplified by the
sudden stillness in the huge, vaulted hall. The suitors were all ears and
literally hanging on to each and every word that was being uttered. They didn’t
know then, that a copy was going to be handed over to them after the assembly,
for their assimilation.
Princess Sara, seated behind a veiled enclosure along with her friends
and maids, in a balcony tucked out of view of the suitors, heard the
proclamation with a sinking heart. She felt as if she was being sentenced to a
spinster’s life and would surely die a virgin! She doubted whether any one of
the suitors in that hall would even think of attempting such a fool-hardy
endeavor designed to kill! If there was indeed such a daredevil suitor, he’d be
decidedly suicidal or passionately in love with her.
She
had set her eyes on none in that kingdom. She had led a cloistered and
luxurious life in the sprawling Palace surrounded by 20 feet high walls. Only
once, when she was 10, she had daringly climbed a tall tree and looked beyond
those high walls. Apart from the gleaming dome of the shrine, she hadn’t been
able to really see anything else, as she had felt faint with vertigo and had
scrambled down the sturdy branches and solid trunk to the safety of Mother
Earth; into the waiting arms of her anxious attendants who feared the King’s
wrath. If he’d suspect their negligence, he’d have them skinned alive! When she
felt slightly better, they begged her to refrain from telling her father about
her fainting spell and vertigo. The King was shrewd enough to fathom what
could’ve possibly brought on such a dangerous bout of vertigo.
Hence
Sara wondered about how anyone could be attracted to her if he hadn’t seen her
at all. Hence the possibility of falling in love at first sight was ruled out.
Then maybe, he’d want to marry her for her riches and the honor of becoming a
King. But she wanted some one to want to marry her only for good old-fashioned,
true love. She also wanted that love to be deeper than skin-deep! A union of
the souls!
With great difficulty, she pulled
herself in to the present, where the King was enquiring about who would
volunteer for that endeavor. One by one, the chicken-hearted among the numerous
suitors started quietly saying “No, Your Majesty. I’m sorry” and beating a
hasty retreat. At last, only 25 remained.
One
of them bravely ventured to come and stand in front of the King and said loudly
and clearly, “I will agree to the endeavor, if I get to see the Princess just
now.”
Some of the remaining suitors softly chorused their
assent. The Minister immediately asked all those people who wanted to see the
Princess to stand aside in a group. The group consisted of 24 gentlemen. After
exchanging an amused glance with the inscrutable King, he curtly asked all of
them to leave forthwith. After all, they were about to test the patience of the
suitors and if these suitors didn’t even have an iota of patience, they were
evidently unsuitable!
Curiously, the Princess looked at the handsome man, attired in modest
peasant’s clothes, standing tall and quiet, before the entire audience, not
daunted by the vastness of the hall or the august company that he was in. He
stood like an ancient Greek God, with brooding good looks, a well-chiseled
profile, high cheekbones, muscular arms and legs, tanned by the sun, no doubt
(thought Sara happily as a warm glow suffused her entire being) and blonde
curls. Sara suddenly longed to run her delicate fingers through that thick mop
of hair. Was she falling in love? She’d ask her best friend Myara in private
and confirm whether it was indeed love!
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To be continued.....
The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
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