Princess Athmika

Athmika, the 23-year-old heroine of our story and youngest of King Veerenda's children, is a sword. An ornate sword worn by the gentle nobility for state occasions, but one which still is sharp and deadly when the need arises. She is a cheerful, kind girl, who is happiest when she plays with her pet hawk or snakes-and-ladders with her sister. During the year when terrible events occur due to an old curse, the innocent and playful girl transforms into a woman of fire and steel.

Ancient Vindara

 

Kingdom of Vindhara, and its capital Ninyastala. King Veerandra rules over this place.

Varsha Ritu – The Monsoon

Trumpeting elephants charge and roar,

In the darkening fields of the sky,

Their silver tusks flash and light

Both tower and hovel alike.

The crows flee to their nests,

The startled infant howls until

He can silently sip on her nipple,

The shutters rattle; the rain pours.

All work ceases except in the kitchens,

Chess is forgotten and the steaming

Bowls of rice and roasted fowl beckon,

The year’s harvest is promised too.

The lady stares through dripping windows,

Lovers are soldiers somewhere else,

The king from his lonely tower,

Waits for news and the rains to cease.

Peafowls celebrate their mating season,

Bullfrogs sing their usual song,

The serpent seeks protection within,

And careless prey that stray that way.

Amulets

 

King Veerendra

 

King Veerendra on his Sarpasana (Snake throne) .
The pencils are done by Danilo Guida and colors by Sumit Roy.
The Serpent in the shadow of the throne

Grishma Ritu – Summer

The two twine and twist like serpents

In the maternal shade of the Tamarind

On the forest of his chest drop pearls of sweat

From the twin moons of her breasts.

Unmindful of the fiery stare of the sungod

The naked boy washes his sleepy buffalo

In the dazzling sequins of the boiling river

Humming the cooling song of his cradle.

In the sultry shadows of the courtyard

Sits the plotter playing a solitary game

Of chess as is his wont; cursed to live

In doubt, and be doubted by all.

The maidens of the inner chambers cavort

In the cooling fountains of the marble pool

Palace intrigues assume no importance

Before sandalwood scents and rosewater.

The snake slips into the shadows

Vigilant eyes on her fearsome foes

The mongoose that prowls the walls

And watchful peafowls in the grass.

Poetry part of this graphic novel

Scions of the Cursed King, as mentioned earlier, is a graphic novel divided into six chapters, each for an Indian season of the year.

Ashok Rajagopalan, my partner and co-writer, felt we needed a title-page kind of break for each chapter, and not wishing to waste so much paper by having just the title and a graphic on each, Ashok offered to wax lyrical, in glory of the season covered.

The following meant for the first chapter, contains no spoilers but introduces the themes and the ambiance of the story.