She had failed.

Savitri knew from the victorious, yellow gleam in Dharmaraj's eyes that she had failed. Her eyes widened and her lips parted, as if to speak again, to fix her mistake while she still was swept up in the same breath, but no words came out. All she could do was stare silently, eyes wider than the dark earrings that dangled from Dharmaraj's gray ears as his lips broke out into a wide grin. Two white fangs were displayed to Savitri, and a blue tongue.

The tongue that devoured the souls.

"I'm sorry, Savitri." Dharmaraj's voice was so deep that it made the ground under her knees rumble. Savitri stood with haste, but kept her hands flat together, still praying to the heavyset God.

"No, I made a mistake," she said calmly, hiding her fear underneath her tongue and hoping that it would soak back into her skin and not into her words. "For my last wish, I wish for Satyavan to return to life."

As if he heard her, the lifeless, glimmering blue silhouette of Satyavan's body convulsed on Dharmaraj's shoulder. Savitri's hopes lept, but Dharmaraj didn't seem unpeturbed. He lifted his shoulder, bouncing Satyavan's body. Immediately, the convulsions stopped, and Satyavan returned to being lifeless.

"You used your last wish incorrectly, Savitri," Dharmaraj said. He gazed at the dead body in Savitri's lap, but he felt no emotion as he watched the doe-eyed girl stroke her husband's curly locks. He had done his job. "You were told of Satyavan's curse. Perhaps if you had listened to the words of Narada Muni, you wouldn't be in the position that you are in today."

At the mention of the sage, Savitri's spine straightened. Her lips pressed in a thin line and she gazed firmly back into Dharmaraj's golden eyes.

"I have never cared about Satyavan's curse," she said calmly. "I was born into royalty, Lord Dharmaraj. My father taught me to lead a simplistic lifestyle, and I have no issues with doing so. Marrying Satyavan changed nothing about my life apart from the clothes I wore and the house I lived in."

"And yet, you spent the last three days without food," Dharmaraj noted in an equally calm voice. "You knew that your husband's days were numbered, and yet instead of spending any time with him, you chose to fast and meditate?"

"I was praying for his life," Savitri defended. "Satyavan understood that."

"Maybe he did," Dharmaraj agreed. "But were you really praying for his life?"

"What do you mean?"

But Dharmaraj only laughed. He put a hand on his stomach and laughed, his head tossed back. The trees swayed around them, as if laughing with him, and the grass blades sifted against each other and made gentle clapping sounds.

"You are young, Savitri, and you have much to learn," he said instead. Once again, he gazed at Satyavan's lifeless body, then with the mace in his right hand, he touched the exiled prince's soul. Savitri could only watch in horror as her husband's soul disappeared in a crackle of bright white light.

"You are a very devoted and pious woman, Savitri, I will give that to you," he continued. "But your husband must come with me now. It is his time, and you must accept that."

"No, I will not accept it." Savitri felt fury brimming over her eyes in the guise of hot, salty droplets. Her bangles jingled as she wiped them away. "Satyavan is my husband, Lord Dharmaraj. He is not your property. You cannot just take him away from me when our life has hardly started!"

"You were warned," Dharmaraj repeated as he turned. "By your father and by Narada Muni. I cannot blame you for who you fell in love with, however, you made your choice. And now you must pay the price for that choice."

"Wait!"

But Dharmaraj didn't wait for her, unlike before. He slammed his mace on the ground and a fissure cracked from the ground. Savitri watched, paralyzed by horror, as steps rose from the earth. She tried to move, but something seemed to be holding her back. It was as if the air had wrapped itself around her, trapping her in its chilly hold.

With every step that Dharmaraj took, each step before him disappeared, and once his head had disappeared from view, the fissure slammed shut, leaving only a scar on the scalp of the earth. Birds resumed their singing. The leaves and grass continued their dance. Everything went on as normal.

But for Savitri, her world was far from normal.

Speaking to a God was not something new to her. Her father had been blessed with her from the Sun God, Savitr. But he had been given a life, not had one taken away.

Savitri didn't know how long it took, but when she was finally able to move once again, the first thing she did was rush to the spot where Dharmaraj had been standing. Desperation racked her body like a disease, jerking her limbs like a man gone mental. She knelt on the ground and tried to pry the crack open, but even as soon as she had touched the damp, soft dirt, she knew that it would be useless. There was no way she'd be able to open the earth. Satyavan had left with Dharmaraj, and on earth, his body was soulless - dead.

Calm, Savitri, calm, she told herself, effectively pushing away the tears that threatened to consume her. Her heart thumped waveringly in her chest, as if gravitating between stilling or racing.

The part of the forest that they were in was new to Savitri. She'd have to retrace Satyavan's steps to be able to go home to her in-laws, but nothing in her body moved in the right direction. Wherever she stepped, she was one inch closer to Satyavan's graying body.

A strong urge to cradle her dead husband washed over her like a calming tide, but Savitri felt it was cruel to feel calm. Nevertheless, she ignored the log piles that she and Satyavan were supposed to be receiving and sat beside his body. She pulled his head back into her lap and stroked his cold forehead, pushing away strands of hair from his face that were coated with a damp sweat from when he was alive, breathing but just barely moving.

"Oh, Satyavan..." She didn't know what to say or how to start. So many things wanted to come out of her mouth, but when she parted her lips to speak, nothing but a small wail came out - a siren warning of the tears that were coming again.

"No, I will not cry." She brushed her eyes and tucked away the strands of wavy locks that spilled over her eyes. Gazing at Satyavan, a bubbling mixture of determination and fury spilled out of the cup that her heart had made and into her bloodstream, fueling her spirit. "I promise, Satyavan, you'll come back. We'll be together again."

Satyavan remained quiet, but Savitri had already made up her mind, whether he approved of it or not. She stood up and dragged Satyavan to a small, shaded area underneath a large tree and collected the logs that they had cut down together. Peering one last time at him, she made a resolve in her head that the next time she saw her husband, she'd see him alive, and with that in mind she turned her head away and prepared for the journey back to her in-laws home.

~***~

To say that Satyavan's parents were upset was an understatement.

Born into royalty but cast away after a plot to capture the kingdom succeeded, Satyavan lived solely with his father, King Dyumatsena and his mother, Saibya, but it didn't matter because to her they were 'Ma" and "Papa".

Satyavan was a blessing to the small family - named after a Brahmin and destined to live up to his foreseen piousness. But bad luck fell upon the family that led to their exile, and Dyumatsena's subsequent blindness. The king saw nothing but the world that people dreamt of when they slept and yet seemed to see everything at the same time.

They knew something was wrong the moment that they saw their daughter-in-law returning home without their son. Satyavan was an accomplished fighter and wouldn't let his wife wander on her own, especially in the woods where anything could harm her.

When she finally reached the steps of the small mud hut that they lived in, Savitri placed the logs on the ground and touched her in-laws' feet, both out of respect and to give herself enough time to warn her mind not to cry.

"Ashivadh," both Saibya and Dyumatsena said, raising their hands in blessing. "Did you find any good wood, beti? Did you drink water?"

Savitri stood up and shook her head. "No, Ma," she responded quietly. "I have not taken anything yet."

Savtri's mother-in-law made a small tsk sound in the back of her throat. "Beti, please eat," she pleaded. "Your fast is over now, so please, nourish yourself."

"Yes, Ma," Savitri said. She glanced at Dyumatsena, who sat quietly with sparkling stars in his glassy eyes. He stared at the sky, and his mouth fell a little. Savitri's heart nearly stopped when he looked at her, and an understanding passed through their gaze - a message that Dyumatsena deciphered almost immediately.

"My Satyavan..." he rasped. "He's a star, my child. A happy, bright star."

"Dyumatsena!" Saibya exclaimed, shocked at what her husband was referring to. "Satyavan is not a star, my lord. He is still in the woods."

"Look, he's sparkling." Dyumatsena ignored her as tears trickled down his cheeks and spilled onto his worn orange pants, soiling the rough fabric. "Sparkling...a bright, big star..."

"Savitri," Saibya's big, welled up eyes shot through her, pleading with her to make up a lie, but duty forced Savitri to remain where she was, silently, no matter how uncomfortable she felt.

"Mere bacha..." the older woman began to weep at Savitri's silence. "My Satyavan..."

"Ma," Savitri began, then stopped herself. She had no words of sympathy for the devastated ex-queen, and could only watch as she cried on her husband's shoulder while periodically bringing her dainty fingers up to wipe her eyes.

"He was a brave boy...a fine yuvraj," Dyumatsena rumbled. He turned his head, meeting Savitri's eyes with surprising accuracy. "You would have been an excellent maharani, my child."

"Forgive me, Papa," Savitri murmured. "But I cannot just sit here without my husband. He was taken away unfairly when he belonged here with us. I am not going to sit around while my husband is taken to Dharmaraj, at least, not without me."

Saibya stopped crying suddenly, and Dyumatsena straightened at the implication of her words. His wide pearly eyes firmed their gaze on her.

"Savitri, you are an admirable woman," he began gently. "A true wife, a brave princess, and a dutiful daughter. But Satyavan has completed his path in life. He is with Indra, in the sky. He is happy, my child, and in time, you will be happy to."

"Pardon my bluntness, Papa, but I don't believe that," Savitri said quietly. "Satyavan had so much to live for - we had so much left of our lives together. Fate has been cruel, and with your blessings, I would like to go and retrieve Satyavan from Dharmaraj."

"Hush, child!" Saibya snapped suddenly. "Do not speak of the Lord of Death here!"

"Rest easy, my love," Dyumatsena placated her. "Savitri, what you plan to do is dangerous."

"And insane!" Saibya added sharply. "Savitri, beti, we would do anything to get our son back, but risking you, his wife and queen, will not be an option."

"You are absolutely correct, Ma," Savitri said, earning wide eyes from both Dyumatsena and Saibya. "I am Satyavan's wife and queen. It is my duty as a wife to support my husband and be by his side, wherever he may be." Her chest ached. "I shall return with him, or die trying."

"Savitri, what you speak of is unacceptable!" The rage and despair of losing her only child fueled Saibya's desperate words. Hot tears rushed down her cheeks and she stood with a stumble.

"Ma -!" Savitri rushed to help her, but Saibya raised her hand, immediately making the younger girl stop obediently.

"You are young, Savitri," Saibya said, her tone calm but laced with anguish. Her gray eyes begged with her daughter-in-law to listen to reason. "It is a shame that the Lord has taken our kingdom away, but he has done it for a reason. It is a shame that He has taken our son, but He has done it for a reason. Everything that the Lord does, he does for a reason, Savitri."

"I agree, Ma," Savitri nodded. "The Lord has his ways. But he does not control our fate. We do, Ma. It is only ourselves who have the power to control our actions. The Lord has played his hand, now I shall play mine."

"Savitri-!"

"Enough." Dyumatsena silenced both the bickering women. "Saibya..." he brought his wife back down with him on the steps. "We cannot interfere with Savitri's choice. She has made her decision, and in doing so only further proves my point that she is an incredible woman. Let her go."

"But, Dyumatsena-!"

"Let her go," he said again, his tone sterner than it was before. Saibya quieted immediately, and his eyes seemed to thaw. "She is determined to be with her husband, Saibya. Who are we to interfere?"

Savitri's spirits soared, but Saibya still didn't seem convinced.

"Yes, but to Dharmaraj?" She hissed, practically whispering the God's name. "That is like asking for death."

Perhaps I am, Savitri thought, but she didn't say it out loud.

"Saibya." Dyumatsena grunted as he turned to her. The elderly king looked pained. His body was lithe but his age was evident from the fatigue in his eyes, the rasp of his voice, and the pearly color of his beard that matched his wavy hair, eyes, and teeth. "Savitri has made her decision. We must respect that." He smiled. "She is strong, my dear, and she will learn."

"I am hopeful that she will," Saibya reluctantly agreed.

"Learn what?" Savitri questioned, but neither Dyumatsena nor Saibya answered. They both stared at each other for a few silent seconds, then nodded.

"Be victorious, beti," Saibya finally said, her voice choking as she blessed the girl that she considered her own daughter.

Savitri bowed to Saibya and touched her feet, folding her hands as she moved to Dyumatsena.

He looked around, as if unsure as to where she was standing, then raised his hand in blessing.

"You will do well, my child," he said. "But listen and learn as well as fight bravely, like a true kshatriya and you will succeed."

Savitri nodded her head and rose to her full height, determination sparkling in her bright hazel eyes. "I won't fail you," she said softly.

Dyumatsena laughed - a crackled, booming laugh. "I do not doubt that," he said. Then his laughter subsided. "But Savitri, I want you to understand that you cannot fight death. It will be fatal for you to even try."

"I am not afraid of death, sir," she said. "Not after what he has done."

"Yes, but-!" Dyumatsena was interrupted by the ferocious howl that shook the trees. Birds screamed and animals dashed out of the forest, rushing for refuge inside the hut.

"It's getting dark," Savitri noted. "The demons will be waking up soon. It will be best for me to search for shelter close to my destination." She bowed and touched her in-laws' feet again. "Dhanyavad. I will return soon, I promise you that."

"Be safe, beti," Saibya called.

Savitri nodded, just catching the small, mischievous smile that Dyumatsena gave her before she turned and began her path into the forest.

Do not worry, Satyavan. I'm coming to save you.

🏹🏹🏹

Hey guys!

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! What do you think so far? I think there's a spelling error in Savitri's name somewhere, but like I said in the note, this is a first draft, so it will be cleared in the edits!

- Sunny