Week 3 Story: The capturing of Princess Amelia

Author’s note: The story begins when Rama desperately needs help and calls for his brother Lakshmana. He is in charge of protecting Sita during their timein exile; they currently are in the jungle. When he leaves Sita, the King of Demons, Ravana, sees her alone and wants to capture her. He turns himself into an old hermit and comes to her. Because she is so kind, she speaks to him and he gets close enough to abduct her and take her away. When Rama and Lakshmana return, Sita is gone and they begin a huge search to find her.

Amelia, a beautiful young woman who loved in a cottage outside of her small French village, loved to wander into the woods and collect berries for her family. Because she is the most beautiful woman in the village, the king’s son, Price Phillip, has fallen in love with her. Because she is not of royal blood, he must admire her from afar while other potential wives are being presented to him. Every morning, Price Phillip would look down from his window and watch for Amelia to come to the center of town to draw water from the well.

            One afternoon, Amelia takes her usual route through the forest in order to find the freshest berries for her pie that she plans to bake. After filling her basket, she notices a figure slumped by a tree in the distance. Timidly, she approaches the figure and notices it is an old man sitting alone.

            “Where did you come from?” Amelia asked

            “I am a traveller,” said the old man, “I am on a long journey and I have not been able to find any food in this forest and I am quite hungry.”

Amelia was very generous and kind. Even though her small cottage was small and her family was poor, she gave what she had to others. She held out her basket to the old man and he took a few berries. After eating a few, he quickly stood and spoke with a voice that was deeper and harsher than before.

            “Why, you must be Amelia. I have heard of your beauty, and the one who told me of it is the Prince himself.”

            Startled, she questioned the traveller and asked him how he knew the prince.

“My dear, he admires you so, and you are the perfect object I can use to defeat the prince and take the throne! When he finds out you have been captured, he will surely come after you and fall into my trap.”

            Suddenly, the old man magically turned into Sir Edward, the king’s most trusted advisor. He has been secretly jealous of Prince Phillip and wanted to kill him in order to be next in like for the throne. Amelia was so startled that no sound came out of her as he grabbed her and took her away.

            The next morning, the prince awoke and saw that Amelia had not gone to the well this morning like she usually does. He spent the day asking the village people where she had gone, and he soon found out that someone unknown has taken her away. Price Phillip was furious, and he immediately grabbed his sword and set out to find Amelia and bring her back home to marry her.

This image is a good depiction of my imagination when I envision Amelia and her beauty

Amelia

Bibliography: “Ravana tricks Sita” Ramayana: Public Domain Edition, Sita and Ravana