Devasena - Bride of the War God

EPILOGUE

"Tell me more" whispered Devasena, while they lay entangled under a starry sky, in the Kadamba grove.

Skanda dismissed training for the day and the couple enjoyed complete privacy with every soldier out of the grove.

"About what?" Skanda asked, his lips moving softly on her forehead.

"About your childhood, what was it like?" she asked, resting her face on his chest, gazing up at him while inhaling the fresh sandalwood fragrance from his body.

"Well, I was very naughty as a kid" laughed Skanda.

"I find that hard to believe" gasped Devasena, recollecting her first meeting with Skanda. That shy boy cannot have been naughty as a kid.

Skanda shrugged, "I became shy as I entered boyhood but before that, I was a little brat"

Devasena giggled and prodded him, "And...?"

"When I lost the competition against my brother and he got the golden mango instead of me, I was so angry that I went to the Palani Hill and I refused to move from there. My parents came to me and they consoled me by telling me that the mango was simply a test and that I was the mango of their eyes"

Devasena burst into laughter, "That convinced you?"

"Yes, now, it sounds so cliche but back then, I was over the moon from joy." Grinned Skanda.

Devasena nestled in his arms, "The other day, Lord Brahma was joking that you made him question his own credibility as a Guru when you went to his Gurukula"

"Ah, that" chuckled Skanda, "The infamous Gurukula Incident. My father ensured that I joined under one of the best Gurus for my education and who is better than Brahma himself? On the first day of the first class, I asked him what was the meaning of Aum. While Lord Brahma was familiar with various letters and languages, he did not know the meaning of Aum. I told him to his face that he was not qualified to teach me because he did not know the meaning of Aum and I went back from the Gurukula to study under the Adiguru, my father himself. Lord Brahma was so offended that he followed me home to complain to my father. My father wanted to do damage control for the embarrassment faced by Brahma, he pretended not to know the meaning of Aum himself"

"So, you explained the meaning of Aum to him, didn't you?" Devasena asked, glowing with pride.

"Yes" nodded Skanda, "Back in the day, it seemed like I could be a scholar just as my father desired but destiny had other plans. I began to lose interest in scholarly pursuits once I reached boyhood"

"I am proud of you, who you are and what you have achieved" Devasena whispered, kissing Skanda on the cheek, "You know that, don't you? I will repeat it as many times as it takes to convince you"

"I am already convinced, my dear" smiled Skanda. 

"Tell me about that time that you went to assist a Chinese goddess shortly after you became the War God" Devasena prompted.

"We were apart for five years and you still remember that" said Skanda, astounded.

"I was angry with you at that time for rejecting me but that does not mean that I could forget you. You haunted me day and night that I needed to keep knowing the latest news about you to stay happy"

"Before I met Valli in Sri Lanka..." began Skanda.

"They call your mortal form as Katagrama in Lanka, don't they?" Devasena asked.

"Yes" nodded Skanda, "Prior to meeting Valli, I was on a mission in my mortal form in China to assist Lady Guan Yin. She was reincarnated on earth as Princess Miao Shan. I and General Sangharama were tasked with protecting her. She used to call me 'Wei Tuo.' Her father was a cruel man and I aided her in escaping her golden cage. Later, I assisted her in building a kingdom of her own but despite our best efforts, she was killed at the hands of her terrible father"

"By Amaravati!" exclaimed Devasena, "Miao Shan's father made mine look like a saint in comparison"

Skanda burst into raucous laughter, "Fair enough" he sighed.

Suddenly, the gong began to sound from a distance. Skanda and Devasena leapt to their feet and headed to Indra's court immediately.

"What is the matter?" Skanda asked, tensely, "What has happened?"

"I am holding court to let you know that we are going to have a Deva - Asura Peace Summit tonight" replied Indra, "Mallika, daughter of Brihaspati will welcome the delegates alongside you, Devasena"

"Yes, Father" I nodded.

"Skanda, please welcome Rudhirasara, the Asura Crown Prince with warmth and engage him in conversations.

"Duly noted" responded Skanda with a quick nod.

"This Summit is extremely important" emphasized Indra, "After our recent wars with the Asuras, we cannot afford to let anything go wrong if we truly wish to arrive at a peaceful solution"

"Don't worry, Indra" reassured Skanda, "We will take care of it"

"No, you won't" came Sachi's voice from the side, she briskly added, "I am sending you both on another honeymoon trip. You will only be here until the delegation is welcomed into Amaravati. After that, I don't want you two anywhere near any kind of unromantic spots"

Indra spluttered in surprised indignation but Sachi ignored him, "I have asked Tritha to scour for the best honeymoon locations and he has given me a list. I am not allowing either of you back in Amaravati until you have completed every sightseeing spot in that list"

"Okay, Maa" agreed Devasena with a smile, "We will, don't worry"

"I and Indra will look after our grandchildren in the meantime" promised Sachi with a wink.

Devasena hugged her mother tightly, "Thank you"

Few Days Later:
"Shall we start our journey?" Devasena asked.

"Yes, dearest" he responded, they were going on a tour and they were planning to cover the tourist spots and cities of Yaskhas, Nagas, Kinnaras, Gandharvas and many such mythical races.

"Are you ready for another adventure, Skanda" smiled Devasena, recollecting their eventful meetings till date. The war with Taaraka, Surapadhman, Simhamukha and others such as Bhanukopan and the Tripura Asura brothers. Their life had been nothing short of an adventure.

Skanda summoned his pet peacock and they flew into the sky together, "For you? Always, Devasena - bride of the war god!" Skanda replied, while they flew above the clouds of Amaravati, bathed in the silvery sheen of the moon.