The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

The Giant's Pride

"Sacrifice is like tobacco. It is an addiction. When someone sacrifices something for you, you expect them to do it again, and again, and again. Over and over. You expect people around yourself to sacrifice something, and everything, until there is nothing left of them but empty shells, and you only have left yourself to sacrifice, sitting with all the riches and happinesses in the world but one."

Ravan wasn't going easy on them, and Ram knew that the very moment the soldiers charged out of the golden gates all over again. Sure, there wasn't a champion of the battlefield this time around, but that didn't mean Ravan had run out of them, or that he had given up. If Ram knew anything about the demon king, it was that he would never give up Sita willingly. It was much too late for that now. Even Ram, who saw the best in everyone, knew that. He clenched his eyes together and walked away.

-----O-----

Somewhere in the middle of everything and the start of nothing, the loud caw of an eagle interrupted a tense meeting with the generals. Ram lifted up the cloth of the tent and stepped outside, followed by Mainda, Rishabha, and Dwivida. (Lakshman was out fighting) Sugriv also stepped out. The giant brown bird, with its large, majestic wings approached ever nearer, flying over the vast Indian Ocean, and the generals just watched.

Dwivida put his arm out, being an experienced falconer himself, but the eagle flew over him and landed on Mainda's shoulder. Something dropped form its talons, and Mainda nimbly caught it before it touched the ground. Glancing around, he slowly unraveled the scroll, his beady eyes scanning over the paper before he set it down on the table grimly. Sugriv and Ram exchanged a look as Mainda exhaled.

"My father is sick," he murmured. "They fear he is going to die. He has not arranged his finances well. We do not know what will happen to the small amount of family money that we do have stored." The monkey rubbed his eyes as Aniya too walked out, having spotted the scroll from inside the hut, where she often told jokes and stories to keep the injured and Healers (and Jal) upbeat. She grabbed the scroll, and quickly read it.

"If it is such a terrible situation, Mainda, perhaps you should head back as soon as possible," Sugriv murmured reluctantly, but he nonetheless put a hand on the general's shoulder. "Your family needs you. Family is the most important thing. Perhaps we can still hold it up from this side of the camp." A loud screech, pained and tired sounding, interrupted Sugriv's words, and everyone except Ram, Mainda, Rishabha, and the eagle jumped.

So only Dwivida and Aniya then, which was weird, but that's okay. "Bad timing!" Sugriv roared, before turning back to his general. "Anyways, as I was saying, if your family needs you, Mainda, I shall grant you leave. It is your family finances after all. That is, if Prabhu Shri Ram is alright with it-" Sugriv turned around, and Ram nodded, his eyes empathetic.

Mainda stared at Sugriv as if all his hopes and dreams were crushed (which they probably were, but whatever). Aniya glanced at the scroll again, before looking up. "What if I go?" she asked. Everyone turned towards her, and she stood taller in the face of attention. "I know enough about finances to help dada. I'm also not contributing as much to the war effort as papa. Perhaps I should go instead. Papa wants to fight. What is the duty of a daughter but to fulfill her father's wishes?"

Mainda stared at Aniya as if all of his newly crushed dreams had been revived. (Aniya-the Dream Doctor. Call 1-800-DREAM-DOCTOR today for a quote! Only 100000 rupees!). Sugriv glanced between the two of them, before sighing. "If you have taken it up, Aniya beti, then sure." he paused. "Angad!" he called out, and Angad, in mere moments, had rushed in from the battlefield and stood by Sugriv's side. "Help Aniya with her packing, would you? She is returning to the mainland soon."