The Black Rider

Many, many years ago, King Sasunk ruled the mighty Kingdom of Magadha. He was himself a great warrior, but to safeguard his kingdom from invasion, he set up a number of feudal states on the borders. Each of these states was governed by a noble, who, with the small army under his command, was under an oath of allegiance to the king.

This arrangement worked well, and for many years, the Kingdom was at peace. But then, some of these nobles became obsessed with power and tyrannized the people in their domains with heavy taxes and ruthless punishment for minor offenses. The people were scared to complain to the king, lest they and their relatives come to an untimely end.

There was one, Sahadev, a captain in the king’s army, who came to know of what was happening in these border states and decided to wage a lone war on these despots.

Sahadev was not only brave, but he was extremely clever. Time and time again, this lone warrior would waylay tax collectors and relieve them of their ill-gotten gains. On two occasions, he overpowered the guards and broke into the nobles’ treasuries. All the plunder he gained, he shared with the poor people, who felt that this man, dressed all in black, must be a saint in disguise.

Sahadev’s bold enterprise soon came to the ears of the King, who, still thinking that all his nobles were loyal, branded Sahadev as an outlaw with a price on his head.

One night, the King had a strange dream. He dreamt that the radiant figure of a goddess appeared before him and commanded him to become a robber. The following morning, the King tried to dismiss this vivid dream from his mind, convinced it was a nightmare caused by overeating.

That night, the King was awakened by a brilliant light in his chamber, and when he sat up, there, in front of him, stood the goddess. In a commanding voice, she said, “It is the will of the almighty God that you, King Sasunk, go out into your kingdom and rob. Otherwise, you will not only lose your kingdom but your life as well.”

Before the King could utter a word, the goddess vanished from sight. The King sat in bewilderment, wondering what this message from the god foretold. It could not be ignored, and he decided to slip out of the palace that very night and become, of all things, a robber.

The King rode silently from his palace, his face masked to hide his identity, and his mind full of conflicting thoughts. The command given by the goddess had to be obeyed, but then, how did one become a robber?

Riding across the countryside, the King was still pondering how he was going to rob anyone when suddenly, he found his path barred by a horseman garbed from head to foot in black.

“Who are you?” demanded the King. “If you have ideas of robbing me, you will feel the keen edge of my sword.”

“Bravely spoken,” replied the man in black, dismounting from his horse. “But first, let us see how good you are with a sword.”

The King, who was recognized as the finest swordsman in the kingdom, quickly dismounted and, drawing his sword, was soon engaged in a fight to the death.

At first, they seemed evenly matched, but then the King’s skill soon had his opponent on the defensive, and he began to give ground. The King forced home his attack, and the black rider, trying to defend himself, stumbled. Before he could recover, his blade was sent spinning in the air, and he found himself on the ground, with the King’s sword at his throat.

“Now, my friend,” said the King sternly, “you had better explain who you are.”

“My name is Sahadev,” replied the black rider. “And if you must know, I am an outlaw with a price on my head.”

“Then you are just the person I am looking for,” said the King. “For I am a robber. So, we must join forces and maybe rob the king’s treasury.”

“Not the king’s treasury,” said the black rider, shaking his head. “I am loyal to my king. The person we should rob is Surasen, that villain who governs this province.”

This shook the King, because Surasen was not only one of his most trusted nobles but, in recent years, had married the King’s sister.

“What proof have you that Surasen is a villain?” asked the King.

The black rider stared at the King. “Everyone knows that Surasen is a rogue. Let us visit his treasury, and you will be amazed at the extent he has robbed this kingdom.”

“Come then, let’s go,” the King said as he mounted his horse. Soon, the two would-be robbers were galloping hard in order to reach Surasen’s palace before daybreak.

Tying their horses in a wooded glen close to Surasen’s palace, the two men, keeping to the shadows, stealthily crept past the guards to the treasury.

Sahadev was obviously adept at picking locks because they were soon inside the building, and the King was truly astonished when he saw the fabulous wealth that Surasen had accumulated.

“Whilst you collect the most valuable of the jewels, I am going into the palace to see what else I can find,” whispered the black rider, and like a shadow, he disappeared.

Sahadev was surprised to hear voices coming from one of the rooms. Quietly, opening the door slightly, Sahadev could see inside the room, and there was Surasen pacing angrily up and down, while four other nobles sat around a table.

“We are all agreed, then,” Surasen was saying. “Tomorrow, we shall each travel separately to the King’s court. At the assembly, you four will see that there is no interference, and I will assassinate His Noble Majesty. Then the entire kingdom will be ours.”

“But your wife is the King’s sister,” said one of the men.

“Bah!” Surasen shouted angrily. “Once my precious brother-in-law is out of the way, I will soon rid myself of that cursed woman.”

Sahadev didn’t wait to hear any more. He quietly slipped away and joined the King in the treasury, who had gleefully filled two bags with precious stones.

At dawn the next day, the two antagonists faced each other in the palace courtyard. Sahadev leaped at his opponent, his sword flashing fire in the morning sun. Surasen soon realized he was no match for this human tiger. He wildly thought of casting aside his sword and begging for mercy. But that was his last thought in life, for Sahadev, with a terrific lunge, ran him through the heart.

After the death of Surasen, there was peace and contentment throughout the kingdom, and Sahadev was given command of the King’s bodyguard.