Where is he? I cannot believe he is not here yet. He promised me he would be here at 6 am. It’s 8!! I am so pissed.
Two days ago….
Hi! My name is Rukmini. I am the daughter of Bhishmaka, the king of Vidarbha. While I love my father, I am rather annoyed with him right now. Why? Because he made the worst decision of his life a few weeks ago.
My kingdom is in dire need of help financially. We used to be the economic powerhouse of the land, but a few bad decisions by the top businessmen ruined everything despite the warnings and eventual threats by my father. He was not too happy about it either. He loves his people and was livid that these few men ruined it for the people he loved so dearly. This happened about two years ago. Ever since then, my father has been trying to find a way to fix this problem.
Don’t worry. My father punished the businessmen. He forced them to walk the forests forever.
Anyway, about a month ago my father received a proposition. Shishupala, cousin of Krishna and prince of a very wealthy country, offered to pay for all of the debts of our land and bring us back to prosperity… only if I would agree to marry him. My father was delighted and agreed to his proposal. He could save his land, people and find a partner for me! Except there is a problem.
My father thinks I have not met a man who has taken my heart. He is wrong. In fact, I am in love. I am in love with Krishna. Not just a I-love-you kind of love… it’s the type of love where my heart stops beating and my breath catches when I think of him. Luckily, he feels exactly the same. It’s completely consuming and very terrifying. We have not told anyone that we plan to marry yet because we are waiting for the right time.
So, how do I tell my father that I can’t marry Shishupala because my heart belongs to Krishna? I don’t.
Krishna and I are to meet tonight to figure out how we will fix this. He has told me numerous times that he has a plan for how we fix this. He won’t tell me until we are face to face. We are meeting in our sacred spot. I am very nervous to hear what his plan is. If I have to get married to Shishupala, I am going to be so upset and I will never talk to my father ever again. I do not love him. Not even a little bit.
Back to present day…
It’s 8:30 am. The wedding to Shishupala is today. Krishna finally came to kidnap me and we planned to get eloped. He was late because he was getting gold. So much gold that my father could fix our land. In the room I was to be in until I walked down the aisle is enough gold that it will take twelve large carriages to take it to our main castle.
Now, all problems are solved.
Author's Note: This story is inspired by How Rukmini Became the Bride of Krishna by Edmund Charles Cox. I recommend everyone read the original story. The original story is about how Rukmini falls in love with Krishna but is supposed to be marrying Shishupala. The marriage is completely unwanted. Instead of Rukmini marrying Shishupala, Krishna's cousin, Krishna swoops in like a hero, kidnaps her and marries her. Rukmini is the main wife of Krishna. I was inspired by how this story is different because it's, in a way, a voluntary kidnapping. In my story, I skipped how Krishna and Rukmini met and focused on the fact they are in love and why he has to kidnap her. I didn't stray from the main factors of the story too much, but I did put my own twist on it. It can be take as modern or not. I wanted this to be a timeless story that sounds like a complicated fairytale with a really happy ending for all. The photo that I picked is how I pictured the kidnapping happened. It's more blissful than fearful. It depicts how they are both heading off to get married and be happy together forever and completes the story for you.
