A Maiden So Fair

In an Asian land there once lived a maiden so fair that even the fiercest of the creatures of the forest would bow in her presence and acquiesce to her beauty and kindness. Her name was Shan-devi and she was no common maiden, but a little rani. Her father, the great Raja and his wife, the beloved Rani loved their daughter with all their hearts, as she was their only child. In time, the little rani became a young woman and the valiant and brave young men of the land took notice. When her coming-out season had finally arrived her father arranged for a series of contests of strength and endurance for those who would vie for her hand. Day after day Shan-devi would watch from her seat in the arena as one victor after another would raise his head toward her, hoping for the sign that she would become his. Now the sign was this: The winner was to raise his eyes toward hers and if her eyes met his they would become one. But the young rani would not give the sign to any man, no, whether he was strong and tall or had the face of an angel. For you see, she was already in love.

It was three summers ago. She had been permitted by her father to travel abroad to a land where people were quite different than she was. The hair of their heads was lighter and their skin paler. How she delighted in such diversity. Each day was an adventure as she sought out new experiences, new foods and aromas. One day when her amah was making a purchase from a street vendor she escaped! Just this once she wanted to experience what it would be like to be normal, to be free from protocol and luxury. She finally arrived at a beautiful beach with the ocean before her as blue as the sky above. She walked the beach, her toes in the warm sand, savoring each step as she wondered what else might be in store for her on this day. As she raised her eyes toward the west the hypnotic sunset over the vast ocean made her pause in awe. It was at that precise moment that she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and to her surprise there was a young man standing beside her. He was tall and strong with eyes that reminded her of the sea. He introduced himself by the name Ravi. Before long they were running along the beach, laughing and enjoying one another's company without restraint. He bought chocolates for them both and as they ate he thrilled her with dark tales of the north. As they sat along the shoreline admiring the symphony of the starry heavens she revealed to him who she really was. His eyes got as big as the very moon they had been viewing. To her surprise, he revealed that he too was a raj of his father's house. As they moved closer she felt his gentle arm on her shoulder reaching across her back. Instinctively she responded by placing her delicate hand in his and with the moon as a witness he gently pressed his lips to hers. It was a kiss she would never forget. It was then that she could hear the frantic cry of her amah in the background. The dream was over, at least for now.

And so it was that no matter how much her father and mother pleaded with her to accept some fine young man from the kingdom she daily refused. Then, one beautiful Spring morning Shan-devi took her seat in the arena as she had done so many times before. A joust had been arranged and she began to watch with her usual boredom. But there was something that seemed a bit different this time, a bit unusual. Was it a sound, a voice? She couldn't be sure. There it was again. This time she was sure that the grunts and yells of the one challenger rang familiar. Finally, the match was over and as the victor removed his helmet to raise his head toward hers, why, it was none other than her beloved Ravi! He had heard of the plight of his little rani from the east, and had traveled far to compete for her hand. Her father looked at her, her mother the same. In fact, everyone in the arena stared at Rani Shan-devi to see how she might respond. Slowly, she raised her head toward him. Then her beautiful brown eyes met his and there they locked, only for a moment, yet that moment felt like forever. Then she got up and hurried herself to meet her lover where he stood. The embrace and kiss of passion that resulted brought the whole crowd to tears, then cheers. From that day on rani Shan-devi and raj Ravi were inseparable, their love, eternal.

Now you know the full story of the great Raj Ravi,
how he won the heart of his Rani Shan-devi.

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