That changed when he trapped me in a cavern with the largest and most fearsome rakshasa after Ravana himself. Sugriva had left me to die! He filled the cavern entrance with a mountain to trap me with that monster. It took me months to escape that prison. When I finally dug myself free, Sugriva sat upon my throne! He had claimed my Tara as his future wife. My rage controlled me that day. I challenged Sugriva to battle, crushing his weapon, his body, and his will. My weak younger brother never truly stood a chance. Upon reclaiming my throne, I exiled the traitor.
Yet, here he comes yet again. His desire for Tara and my throne somehow managed to stay intact when I had broken everything else he possessed. I lay awake, Tara beside me, unable to return to sleep. It was not fear that kept me awake. It was the excitement- Sugriva's pitiful attempts to claim what was mine would soon come to an end.
Vali pierced by an arrow, bleeding.
Lying in a pool of my own blood, I no longer possessed that same confidence I'd had the previous night. I should have known that Sugriva would only return with some sort of trick. We both knew that he could never best me in battle. He was conniving and cowardly enough to act on that knowledge. Not even my boon, my ability to steal strength from my opponents, could protect me from an opponent I did not know I was fighting.
When Sugriva had met me at the gates of Kishkindha with his weapon in hand, I had hardly expected him to back towards the woods before taking off at a full sprint. My honor challenged, I had no choice but to chase the coward. Bit by bit I had gained ground on him. I lunged at Sugriva, knocking him to the ground. He leapt to his feet, spear in hand. One swing from my axe splintered his spear in half. I raised my axe to deliver Sugriva's final blow. He knocked my legs out from under me and kicked my axe away. Sugriva leapt on me in an attempt to overpower me. He stood no chance. I maneuvered myself free of his grasp and wrestled him to the ground. We writhed among the mud and leaves, struggling for dominance until I heard a brief whistling noise. I felt a sudden piercing pain in my chest. I released my grip on Sugriva and fell onto my back. This pain was like nothing I had felt before. Grasping for my chest, I saw an arrow had pierced through my body and was sticking through my breast. I could do nothing to prevent the stabbing pain or the flowing blood.
A muscular man radiating power and godliness entered my field of vision. He peered over me. With that short glimpse, I knew who had fired that arrow through my chest. Rama. Rama had shot me like a coward. Sugriva had deceived me like a coward. Yet, honor hardly mattered as Sugriva peered over me before everything faded to black.
Author's Note:
This story is a first-person, and somewhat fabricated, account of the death of Vali. Rama shoots Vali with an arrow from behind as he battles Sugriva. Sugriva then leaves exile and becomes the king of Kishkindha! The story is based very much on the story of Vali's death from the Ramayana,
Bibliography:
"Vali's Death" by Romesh Dutt- Online Source
Hey Caleb,
ReplyDeleteI liked your idea of telling the story from a first person point of view. It allows for some embellishment from the eyes of the beholder, as opposed to the bard-like 3rd person story telling that are often prevalent in cultural epics.
I assume this is what you were going for when you say in your author's note that it is somewhat fabricated, can you expand on what that means?
Even though it was in first-person and it may not have been as natural to add a lot of back and forth dialogue, I think some dialogue could have helped breakup the walls of text and help the flow.
Hi Caleb,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you took the story but then included the first person point of view to give it a new twist. This story is so sad though, I wonder how it could be different than the old tale if you rewrote the ending or an event that could change the whole plot. Overall, it was good but could use some more details.
Hi Caleb!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a good idea to tell this story from Vali's point of view. I think you did a great job adding his emotions to the story. I also really liked how your story ended with Vali recognizing Rama as a coward and then fading to black. In some versions, Rama basically convinces Vali he didn't do anything wrong by killing him but I like that Vali dies before that can even happen here.
Hey Caleb!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your retelling of the death of Vali. The idea of using a first-person perspective to convey these ideas is something I haven't seen a lot of people do. It's certainly refreshing to read and really helps you get a feel for how the character is reacting to certain events, which is something I've felt most of the epics we've read have been missing. It was well done and enjoyable to read, keep up the good work!