1750 - Bijoygarh, Rajvanshi Dynasty
Queen Tejaswini Rajvanshi rejoiced as she heard the first cries of her sister-in-law's child. She sat cross-legged with her back ramrod straight. Her normally composed face quivered slightly with excitement. She knew not to express extreme emotion as she was the Queen of the Dynasty, and extreme emotion was out of place.
She glanced at the sage who was seated in deep concentration with his eyes closed, anticipation building up. When her first-born, Prince Aditya, had come into the world, the same sage had blessed and predicted his future. Now that her first niece or nephew was born, she intended to carry on the tradition.
The sage opened his eyes, the greys of which pierced into her eyes. "He is going to be a great warrior. Of all the fates and destinies that I have seen throughout my lifetime, his will shine the brightest of all."
Out of character for her, Tejaswini couldn't contain her happiness and tears slipped out of her eyes. The sage's next words had her heart trembling in fear for the fate of the son of her heart.
"His will be a happy life if, and only if, he is able to separate the truth from all the lies. For destiny is not simply written in stone, but is a consequence of all the choices that we make. Before he meets light, he will meet darkness. He will have to conquer that darkness before happiness is within his reach.
You will name him Suraj. The name comes from ancient Sanskrit texts and means born of the gods. His moral values and strength of character will shine through this dynasty.
I bless him with love, devotion, happiness, knowledge, bravery, spirit and the ability to find truth amidst the lies. Take care of him, and blessed be."
As the sage left after his prediction, Tejaswini closed her eyes, and opened them again with renewed determination. The whole Rajvanshi Dynasty would always be behind Prince Suraj, no matter what may come his way. She was not the Queen for naught.
She went to Princess Ranjana's bed chamber and saw the little miracle flailing his arms with the indignity of being pushed out of his mother's womb. She smiled at the scene, and placed a light kiss on the scrunched forehead. Remembering how exhausted she had been when she had given birth to Aditya, she lifted her gaze to Ranjana who smiled back wearily.
"Ranjana, he will not only be your son, but also the son of my heart. I am so happy for you that you have given birth to Suraj. Yes, the sage told us to name him Suraj. Isn't that a beautiful name?"
Ranjana smiled warmly at her son who was still flailing his little arms. "I think it's perfect. How was his prediction?"
Tejaswini hesitated. She didn't want to worry the new mother so she smiled, "The sage said that Suraj will have the brightest destiny that he has ever seen. He will be a great warrior, and be happy."
With that, Tejaswini left the bed chamber with vows to keep him safe.