Amarendra Devasena - The story untold

A Story to tell

"It's of no use now. I have made peace. I have a family, I have my friends and people who love me. That is far enough. When we could not save our subjects, when there is no one to live in that haunted place, then there is no use talking about it, thinking about it."

Shailendra said giving respect to his motherland, his parents who gave birth to him and his foster family.

"Don't say that. You were born there. Your parents.."

Vismaya tried to console the boy but he again cut her.

"But there is nothing more left of it. The way Maharaja, I mean, Bhallaladeva, destroyed the place.. Well, it's not like Kunthalam which had the river to save it from burning down to ashes. Ravinagaram got destroyed completely"

"Did you visit?"

Amarendra asked, understanding the pain in his voice. SHailendra sighed.

"Once."

"How come no one could escape?"

Devasena asked. Kattappa shook his head.

"Bhallaladeva's men made sure that no one escape. They did not know that he escaped with the people who were there to care for Yuvarani post delivery. And since they were mostly in or around woods, they could escape as soon as they could smell that something bad was about to happen and managed to save the Prince."

Kattappa explained.

"Please, Kattappa varu, I am as much a prince as you are a slave now. So don't address me as such. Now I am just a tribal boy, raised by a tribal family in a tribal community. All I know is woods, plants, medicines, animals and my people who were with me as I grew up."

Devasena and Amarendra frowned. Mahendra growled.

"You are my Vathina's nephew. My nephew."

"Exactly. How can you say that you are just a..?"

"Please Maharani. Let me be this way. After all these years, when you visited your motherland, that was flooded and left to fate, how did you feel? Devastated right? But you at least have a consolation that you saved it before the fire could destroy it to mere nothings. But Ravinagaram, is nothing but wasteland right now. All it has is the hauntings of the people who died there just because their Princess married a tyrant and had the guts to raise voice against his tyranny. When I visited that place, all I could hear was crying, agony and pain. Nothing else. So I just don't want to relive that again. Just let it go."

Vismaya was so surprised at this boy.. No.. Man, who has gone through so much but still did not say anything and now he is still not accepting his royal lineage.

"It would be better if I am just Shailendra. Not Sitanga."

He said and looked at everyone. Seeing that this is going nowhere, Devasena sighed. Mahendra frowned.

"I did not know about my family or anything. You knew and kept quiet? If only you had opened your mouth earlier.."

"What would have happened? What could you have done?"

"Who knows, I would have arrived a little sooner to save my Amma. You know how much I tried climbing that Mountain just because I felt like someone was calling me."

"Shiva! That was just your instinct. And remember I only knew about Bhallaladeva and his reign of terror over Ravinagaram. Even I did not know that he held MAharani as a captive for so many years. And Like I said, I wanted nothing to do with my past, or my royal family."