विक्रम संवत 435 | श्रावण माह | कृष्ण पक्ष | दशमी
(25 July 375 CE)

The Risk of a Throne

Maharajadhiraj Ramagupta stood in his palace in Mathura watching the evening sun set across the gentle hills in the horizon. Alongside was his beautiful wife Dhruvadevi. The twilight shone on her skin, complimented by the red which was pouring over from the west, and King of Kings, Ramagupta stood very still against the cooler gentler breeze of the dusk.

The Shaka kingdom was arming up for a conquest, making preparations and fortifications somewhere to the west of Mathura. This intelligence was very reliable, as some of the older Guptacharas from Gandhar had seconded this.

Ramagupta was prepared. He had been coronated recently by the blessings and long known wishes of his father, The Great Samudragupta, who had brought unity to the all the lands right upto the great waters of the Sundarbans. Ramagupta knew the Shaka army had the Parthian Horse Archers, along with heavy infantry. In his eyes, the Shakas were raiders, coming from their deserted rocky regions, and had an ominous affinity towards the region east of the river Sindhu. Despite having plenty of heavily armoured elephants at his disposal, Ramagupta knew he might not even have to bring them to war.

Three mornings earlier, with a single rider breaking away from the dust on the horizon, came a message from the Shakas. They had come, astonishingly, to make an honourable offering, to meet with Maharajadhiraj and arrange for the wedding of his daughter and the Shaka prince. Maharajadhiraj, despite his judgements of the Shaka culture, had accepted this offering in an honourable way after many pleadings of Dhruvadevi, in order to avoid a costly war. Right then, a minister informed him that his convoy was prepared. Maharajadhjiraj turned to his Queen, who applied a ceremonial Tilak on his forehead. He then broke the tranquil of his palace balcony, turned around and marched downstairs firmly. That evening, he was going out to meet with a delegation from the Shakas, in the desert hills towards the west.

The Shaka King welcomed Ramagupta, his horses and elephants were accommodated for in this temporary royal camp in the rocky dessert, and the Kings embraced like honourable men. A campfire was set out and special layers of landscaping had been done among the dunes, to make Maharajadhiraj feel comfortable among the cold winds. Here, cautious discussions continued for hours.

Some of the royal guards were letting their attention lower, drinks and meat was being served as the royal marriage was being discussed. The clinking of silver knives were barely audible above the excited whispers, and the nearly silent desert landscape.

In a late and drowsy hour, the Shaka king, like a snake without a shred of shame, flicked with a blade that should never have moved at Ramagupta, leaving him to scuffle with his sudden enemy. The blade drew some blood but the Shaka King had failed his one glorious attempt at assassination. A sudden chaos ensued as some of the royal guards realised what happened, and battle broke out across the camp. Ramagupta and his royal guards fought vehemently, yet were eventually overcome by the ambushing Parthian horse archers.

"The price for peace has risen Ramagupta", the Shaka King's words were bold and clear. "You have been very proud of your Kingdom, given to you by your father. You have to listen to me this time! Either you give me your entire Kingdom from Kushansthali (Dwarka) in the west to Puri right uptill the waters in the east, or get used to spending nights without your precious Dhruvadevi by your side."

Ramagupta laughed at the Shaka King instead.
"Even if you kill me tonight, my land will never accept you. Shed as much blood as you want, your breed will never be quenched - by blood or by water."

The Shaka King rose up and replied back with fire. "Your land will not accept me, and your blood will not quench me, no. But someone else's blood will quench my thirst." Ramagupta was then stabbed multiple times in his stomach and left in the dust. The convoy made it back to the palace in Mathura by the morning, with the unconscious, barely breathing King - no trace of his guards, only the spared civilians by his side.