The sun shone, the birds sang, and the gentle breeze swept through her hair.
Everything should have been perfect, and yet, there was nothing that was.
Queen Kausalya sighed as she started walking again. She would have loved to take the time to enjoy the paradise that was Shangri-La, the fabled land of peace, yet she knew that she did not have the time to wait. For, her son was waiting for her. Or rather, she hoped he was. Thus the fact that nothing was perfect.
Kausalya reflected that, at the very least, the sadness of her situation allowed her to finally glimpse this beautiful land. Just in the few hours since she, Bharata, and the villagers crossed the border into Shangri-La, she had seen beautiful butterflies, ducks, leopards, and even kangaroos, all living in harmony. Never before had she seen predator and prey living together like that. But, her son was here, and so she could not allow herself to marvel at the impossibility of it all.
"Queen Kausalya! We are taking a rest break for the children!" Bharata yelled to her. It was just as well, as her feet were beginning to grow sore. Kausalya sat down on a smooth rock by the burbling brook they had been following, sighing when the pressure was relieved from her aching feet. She sat for a few minutes enjoying the sunshine, until all of a sudden water was splashed onto her leg.
Kausalya leapt up, startled. "What was that?" she wondered. Looking into the water, she was surprised to find a pod of the most breathtaking seahorses swimming through the water. She smiled, for she knew that the magic of Shangri-La was the only reason she was able to see these marvelous creatures.
Once everyone had been given time to rest, the group continued on. No one wanted to wait for long, Kausalya knew, for everyone was eager to get to their destination. After all, it was for love of their true king, Rama, that they all left on this long journey. No one, however, was as ready for Rama to return with them than Kausalya was. And, she also knew that she was not the only one who also journeyed to bring back Rama's dear wife, Sita.
As the group walked on, the sun in the magical land of Shangri-La set. Just before it finished its arc across the sky, the group came upon a great hill. At the top of this hill stood a small cabin, whose three occupants stood just outside it.
Kausalya's heart leaped as she spotted her son. "Rama! My son, we have come to take you home. Your father, the king, has died, and your brother Bharata wishes for you to take your rightful place on the throne. Come with us, you three, and return to those who love you."
Kausalya squinted in the dim light, as she waited for their reply. She smiled, as she knew they would not refuse, and would join them in the morning for the journey home. "Oh, how nice it will be to be with Rama, Sita, and Lakshman again!" she thought to herself. Her early celebrations did not last long, however.
"I am sorry, Mother," Rama called down from the hill. "I have sworn an oath to fulfill my fourteen years in exile, as have Sita and Lakshman alongside me. It is sad news indeed to hear of my father's passing, but it is my brother Bharata, who must take the throne. I cannot be a good king if I break my word so easily."
"No!" Kausalya thought, as she collapsed in anguish. "He was supposed to say yes!"
"Brother, I cannot take the throne! You know Father wanted it for you. Please, do not make me take your rightful spot!" Bharata answered.
"I am sorry, Bharata. But we cannot go with you," Rama sorrowfully replied.
"Then, I will hold the throne in your absence. But I refuse to hold it a minute longer than the end of your exile. Lend me a pair of your sandals, so that they may rest on your throne as a reminder to all of the true king," was Bharata's response.
And so, the journey that began in happiness for Kausalya and the others ended in Kausalya's devastation as she was forced to leave her son behind in paradise. As they headed back to Ayodhya the next day, suddenly all that was shining and bright was dull and dark to her eyes. And she knew that that is how she would see the world until her son came back again.
Author's Note:
Hello, and thanks for reading! If you read my reading notes over Part A of The Divine Archer, then it is likely no mystery for you what I based Devastation in Shangri-La on. But, I am assuming you probably didn't read my reading notes (I don't think anyone reads others reading notes?) so I will now explain the basis for my story! When I read Part A of Archer, I loved the description of the giant hill that Rama, Sita, and Lakshman lived on with many different kinds of animals, and I wondered what the people of Ayodhya thought of this harmonious place. More than that, however, the mention of so many animals living together in harmony reminded me of the tale of Shangri-La, a fictional place where animals and people live together in peace. I thought it might be interesting to expand on that and tell a story where Queen Kausalya (because I love writing in a female character's point of view) was journeying to bring her son home, and instead of just one giant hill being peaceful, I decided to have them go into the magical world of Shangri-La. I actually based my version of Shangri-La on the version that is present in Colleen Houck's Tiger's Quest, the second book in the Tiger's Curse Saga that I have talked about on my blog before. The last piece was the title, and I really liked the juxtaposition with the word "devastation" and the connotations Shangri-La gives off, of peace and harmony. And that all together is how I came up with this story!
Bibliography:
The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould in 1911. Link: Internet Archive
"Shangri-La". Link: Wikipedia
Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck on 5-7-2013. Link: Amazon
