The Gift of a Curse
The Gift of a Curse
It was a musky crisp night around the banks of the river of the Amacron, and everything was quiet. There was no movement, no sounds, no ripples in the water. Moments later, thunderous footsteps were approaching from the distance. They moved closer and closer and it turned out to be King Dasharatha. He was a feared ruler with one flaw: he could have no children.
There was an ancient legend about a ten-headed monster who lived in the waters of the Amacron, but nobody had ever seen him with their own eyes...or at least made it out alive after seeing him. But this was what brought King Dasharatha to the Amacron, because according to the legend, if you survived a bite from the ten-headed monster, it would drastically change your life. But nobody has made it out alive from the bite in thousands of years. This legend remained unproven, as nobody had survived a bite in this era.
There was a myth about the kingdom up north, Pappayaa. Legend had it that its leader at the time, King Snow, took over the throne after being bit by the ten-headed monster. This beast was supposed to turn your life for the better, but only if you survive. This was the only surviver according to the ancient legend, but that was thousands of years ago. No living man had seen the monster in this lifetime. King Dasharatha had other plans. He wanted his family name to continue through his children, and this is why he was seeking the monster.
King Dasharatha brought his top soldiers with him to the river, just in case things took a turn for the worse. There was a total of ten men, searching by the banks and jabbing spears into the water. After continuous days of searching, there was no monster to be found. Doubt began to spread among the group of men, contemplating whether they should go back home to their families, but King Dasharatha had no family.
As they began to walk away from King Dasharatha's orders, a head the size of a boulder slashed out of the water and took a man underneath. Another head followed viciously, and then simultaneously seven more, taking out all nine of King Dasharatha's men. He stood there alone, quivering at the sight of the ten-headed monster emerging from the water. The monster roared, "YOU HAVE DEFIED ME BY BRINGING YOUR MEN...YOU SHALL NOW BE A CURSED KING." The monster bit off King Dasharatha's arm, and declared that he would now have twins, a boy and a girl. The King was thinking to himself that this was rather a gift than a curse. The monster then screeched, "THEY WILL SERVE ONE PURPOSE IN THEIR LIFE, TO BUILD AN ARMY OF THEIR OWN AND OVERTHROW YOU AND YOUR KINGDOM." The King began to beg for mercy and wept on his knees. The monster didn't respond to these requests, grabbed him by the hair and flung him back to his kingdom.
As the King landed in the courtyard of his castle, he had to explain to his men to prepare for the greatest war they had ever heard of.
The End.
Author's note:
I read Narayan's Ramayana this week, and it discussed the King and the ten-headed monster. King Dasharatha went hunting by the river and accidentally killed a boy which made him cursed. This is where my idea sparked. It developed off of the fact that the king couldn't have children so I made it a priority to incorporate a fascinating way of how he gets his children into my story. Children play a big role in royal families, and with no child, the King's reign will end when he dies. So I thought it would be cool for this feared king to go seek the feared ten-headed monster, even though the legend says only one man has survived. The ten-headed monster was a really cool character and I wanted to make him a dominant and feared character who serves a main role in my story. A granted wish would be too obvious as the ending, and I thought giving it a dark twist would be more enjoyable to read. I hope the reader was thinking all is well when he grants the King his children, but then curses them to overthrow the King and his kingdom. I may develop off of this story and go into depth about how they go about killing him, but it is also entertaining to leave it up for debate and keep the reader thinking. King Dasharatha and the ten-headed monster played well off each other for this story. This is why I brought Dasharatha into contact with the ten-headed monster, but in the Ramayana, Ravana and Dasharatha never meet.
Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana (Link)
There was an ancient legend about a ten-headed monster who lived in the waters of the Amacron, but nobody had ever seen him with their own eyes...or at least made it out alive after seeing him. But this was what brought King Dasharatha to the Amacron, because according to the legend, if you survived a bite from the ten-headed monster, it would drastically change your life. But nobody has made it out alive from the bite in thousands of years. This legend remained unproven, as nobody had survived a bite in this era.
There was a myth about the kingdom up north, Pappayaa. Legend had it that its leader at the time, King Snow, took over the throne after being bit by the ten-headed monster. This beast was supposed to turn your life for the better, but only if you survive. This was the only surviver according to the ancient legend, but that was thousands of years ago. No living man had seen the monster in this lifetime. King Dasharatha had other plans. He wanted his family name to continue through his children, and this is why he was seeking the monster.
King Dasharatha brought his top soldiers with him to the river, just in case things took a turn for the worse. There was a total of ten men, searching by the banks and jabbing spears into the water. After continuous days of searching, there was no monster to be found. Doubt began to spread among the group of men, contemplating whether they should go back home to their families, but King Dasharatha had no family.
As they began to walk away from King Dasharatha's orders, a head the size of a boulder slashed out of the water and took a man underneath. Another head followed viciously, and then simultaneously seven more, taking out all nine of King Dasharatha's men. He stood there alone, quivering at the sight of the ten-headed monster emerging from the water. The monster roared, "YOU HAVE DEFIED ME BY BRINGING YOUR MEN...YOU SHALL NOW BE A CURSED KING." The monster bit off King Dasharatha's arm, and declared that he would now have twins, a boy and a girl. The King was thinking to himself that this was rather a gift than a curse. The monster then screeched, "THEY WILL SERVE ONE PURPOSE IN THEIR LIFE, TO BUILD AN ARMY OF THEIR OWN AND OVERTHROW YOU AND YOUR KINGDOM." The King began to beg for mercy and wept on his knees. The monster didn't respond to these requests, grabbed him by the hair and flung him back to his kingdom.
As the King landed in the courtyard of his castle, he had to explain to his men to prepare for the greatest war they had ever heard of.
The End.
Amacron River: (Wikipedia)
Author's note:
I read Narayan's Ramayana this week, and it discussed the King and the ten-headed monster. King Dasharatha went hunting by the river and accidentally killed a boy which made him cursed. This is where my idea sparked. It developed off of the fact that the king couldn't have children so I made it a priority to incorporate a fascinating way of how he gets his children into my story. Children play a big role in royal families, and with no child, the King's reign will end when he dies. So I thought it would be cool for this feared king to go seek the feared ten-headed monster, even though the legend says only one man has survived. The ten-headed monster was a really cool character and I wanted to make him a dominant and feared character who serves a main role in my story. A granted wish would be too obvious as the ending, and I thought giving it a dark twist would be more enjoyable to read. I hope the reader was thinking all is well when he grants the King his children, but then curses them to overthrow the King and his kingdom. I may develop off of this story and go into depth about how they go about killing him, but it is also entertaining to leave it up for debate and keep the reader thinking. King Dasharatha and the ten-headed monster played well off each other for this story. This is why I brought Dasharatha into contact with the ten-headed monster, but in the Ramayana, Ravana and Dasharatha never meet.
Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana (Link)
