The Valiant Coward
The King of Chatrapur was sorely worried. His only son, the heir apparent, Prince Manohar, was scared at the sight of blood. Only that morning, the remnants of a cavalry patrol, who had been ambushed by tribesmen, returned to the palace, bringing back their dead and wounded.
At the sight of the mutilated bodies, the young prince turned deathly pale and had run trembling into the palace. The King was about to order the prince be brought back when his chief minister spoke. “Have patience, Your Majesty,” he said. “The prince is still very young and will probably grow out of his timidity.”
But the King, who had taken part in many battles during his reign, was far from happy. “We live in turbulent times,” he thought. “There always will be wars, and if my son proves to be cowardly in battle, what hope is there for the kingdom.”
As the years passed by, Prince Manohar grew into stalwart manhood. He was tall, good-looking, and well-versed in statesmanship, but the mere talk of war and fighting sickened him, and he flatly refused to take over command of any of the royal troops.
Then came the day when the kingdom was threatened by an invasion of savage tribesmen who had come pouring down from the northern mountains, killing and plundering in an orgy of destruction.
The King ordered the mobilization of the entire army, and although he hoped that the bad news from the borders would rouse his son to lead the troops, the Prince was nowhere to be found. In the end, the old King donned his armour and at the head of his army, successfully routed the invaders after several terrible battles, in which no quarter was given by either side.
When the victorious troops returned, the King with his army commanders were met at the palace gates by Prince Manohar, who tried to tell a most unconvincing story that he was away on a tiger hunt and missed this glorious battle.
The King, without saying a word, rode silently on, and the Prince could not fail to see the look of utter contempt on the faces of the army commanders. In the following days, everyone avoided the Prince, and even the palace servants sniggered and branded the Prince a coward.
The Prince, realizing his own shortcomings and deeply hurt at the attitude of everyone surrounding him, decided to leave the kingdom and try to overcome his fear of bloodshed and violence.
With just two trusted servants, the Prince traveled from kingdom to kingdom, always seeking but never finding an answer to his problem. Eventually, he came to the Kingdom of Astagir, where he decided to rest for a few days. One morning as the Prince was riding through the city, he was seen by Princess Girija, the daughter of the King of Astagir. The Princess wondered who this handsome stranger could be, and when she learned through her servants that the stranger was Prince Manohar, she begged her father, the King, to invite the Prince to stay at the royal palace.
The Prince and Princess soon became inseparable companions, and when the King assented to their betrothal, everyone showered the happy couple with their congratulations.
Soon after their wedding, disturbing news was received that tribesmen had crossed the border and pillaged several villages. The King, anxious to bestow honors on Prince Manohar, ordered him to command a body of troops to repel the invading tribesmen.
The Princess was jubilant that her husband would be in command of the troops, but when she saw the look of anguish on his face, she was shocked and implored him to tell her what was wrong.
“I cannot fight,” he said dejectedly. “All my life I have been scared at the sight of blood. I am nothing but a coward, and I must tell the King I am not fit to command.”
“No! no!” she said sternly. “Think of the disgrace you would bring on us. I am nearly as tall as you. So I will wear your armour and lead our troops.”
Dismissing the Prince’s pleas with a shrug, the Princess donned the armour, and taking care not to speak to anyone, she strode out of the palace and, mounting her husband’s charger, quickly led the troops out of the city.
Several days passed, during which time the Prince kept himself well hidden in their chambers, tormented with thoughts of his beloved Princess being wounded or killed. Then, as he paced aimlessly up and down, he heard the joyous sound of trumpets, and from a window, he could see the troops returning with the Princess riding at their head.
Minutes later, the Princess burst into their chambers. “There is not a moment to be lost,” she said. “The King awaits you, but my younger brother suspects you were not with the army. Don this armour quickly and as I was wounded in the foot, you must also be wounded.” With that, she drew her sword and made a long, deep scratch on the Prince’s foot.
For once, the Prince didn’t seem to mind the sight of blood, but later when he entered the audience chamber to give an account of the foray to the King, he bitterly realized how much he owed to the Princess for saving his honour.
In the audience chamber, the Princess’s brothers eyed the Prince keenly, but when the younger brother, Prince Pradeep, saw the bandaged foot, he explained, “I must have been wrong. Prince Manohar did lead our troops, because I was at his side when he was wounded.”
The Princess hoped that now her husband would overcome this peculiar twist in his character, but his hatred for violence was deep-seated and trying to talk to him about it was of no avail.
All went smoothly until the morning when messengers galloped up to the palace, with the alarming news that all the tribes across the border had declared war on the kingdom and were bent on invading the capital. Everyone was in an uproar, for it sounded as though the invading force would far outnumber their own army.
The King made Prince Manohar commander of the army and ordered him to march and defeat the invaders. The Princess pleaded with the Prince to go and fight, but it all seemed in vain.
“You must go,” she said tearfully. “The kingdom is in danger and if you refuse to go, the people will lose heart, then all will be lost.”
Then the Princess had an idea. “Don your armour,” she demanded. “Lead the army, and I will meet you outside the city. Then I will take your place and fight to save our honour.”
In the end, the Prince agreed, and at the head of the army, he rode out of the city, hardly aware of the citizens who lustily cheered them on their way.
Not far from the city, the Prince gave the command to halt, for streaming across the hills to their front came the invading tribes. Before the Prince could decide what to do, the Princess rode up alongside him.
Greeting him with a smile, the Princess leaned close to him and whispered, “I know you will fight with honour.” At the same time, she struck his horse savagely with her whip. The terrified horse went off at a mad gallop, and the troops seeing their commander charging towards the enemy, rode pell-mell after him, brandishing their weapons and shouting their war cries.
The tribesmen wavered before this onslaught, and Prince Manohar and his cavalry charged straight through the enemy ranks, inflicting havoc with their swords and lances.
The Prince, gazing at his bloodied sword, realized he no longer feared violence and, rallying his men, led another charge through the enemy ranks. The tribesmen had never encountered such resolute fighters, and many discarded their weapons and endeavoured to flee from the field of battle.
The fighting raged on, though many of the tribesmen had lost the will to fight and were cut down trying to escape. Suddenly, Prince Manohar saw that the young Prince Pradeep had lost his horse and was valiantly trying to defend himself from a number of tribesmen who had surrounded him.
Prince Manohar rushed to the rescue, and although he received a wound in his side from a spear thrust, he managed to kill several of the enemy, and the remainder threw down their arms and ran.
With Prince Pradeep mounted behind him, Prince Manohar rode off the battlefield. The day had been won, and never again would the tribesmen dare to attack the kingdom.
Proclaimed a great hero, Prince Manohar had won his spurs, and in the years that followed, the Prince became renowned as a great warrior and a just ruler.
