As Karna - Out of my depth

six

The entire area was filled with silence after my impassioned speech, and I was feeling restless when nobody spoke. It was after several minutes of silence, the king spoke with an air of calmness that surprised me to the core, " O Radheya, dear child, even though you are just a child, you haven spoken true. Yes, it is indeed work that decides Varna, but many of us have forgotten the fact. Today, Little one, you have stopped a grave sin here and have done as a favor. You have convinced us that your brother should not be punished and I am proclaiming him free of the accused charges.

Still there is the matter of deciding appropriate reward for coming forward to defend your brother and stop what you felt was wrong, even when threatened with dire consequences. So, O Adhiratha nandhana, choose your reward well and it will be granted."

I felt like pinching my self, cause this felt completely unreal. Today has been chaotic, one extreme to the other, first the joy at winning the race, then the terror that I may loose my brother and now again the joy that my brother is free. The king even asked me choose a boon. What the hell is this world, first I encountered blood thirsty priests and now the calmly speaking monarch accepting the mistake unlike the mud slinging politicians and patient priests I saw in my last life.

Still, one can never be sure when speaking with rulers, better to appear humble and not be seen as grasping, " O Wise King! I thank you for your benevolence, your mercy on my brother itself is a great reward. But if you insist, O just king! Let this situation never arise, please provide a chance to all the children that they may learn what they desire. "

The King pondered over my words and spoke at last with loud bellied laughter, " Ha ha ha! What a precocious child you are, I asked you to choose a reward and here you go creating more work for me. At this rate, I may have to sleep on the throne it self. "

" So be it then", the king said, " Let there be a proclamation that no child is discriminated for basic education. Henceforth every child in this kingdom will receive the basic education and no child below the age of 11 will be held responsible for any crime. If a child has committed a crime, then it is not their fault, but the environment which enabled them. So, people of my kingdom, let us move towards a future where our society protects children and prevent them from walking the path filled with mistakes."

The roaring applause and chanting of King's name reverberated the sky. It was no wonder that my voice was one of the loudest, because the king, who I thought was spineless and was puppet king, appeared to me as the wisest and most charismatic person in the court. This is the another wake up call I needed, not to underestimate any one, as the stories we learned have been passed down from centuries and have accrued many biases in the retellings.