Dear Diary,
To be a princess, I feel like
love should be a part of my life. I sit
alone and wonder if I'll ever find true love. I know it's out
there.
I hear about love all around me. My friends tell me stories
they've
heard about love. I just can't seem to find it for myself.
One of
these days, hopefully, I will find my true soul mate. I'll
experience
love then.
With love,
Damayanti
Dear Diary,
Today, I was out with some
friends playing in the garden. The most
beautiful swans in the world came flying in around us. We all
hurried
in a frenzy to chase them. I chose to follow one. After
following it
for a moment, I realized I had wandered away from my friends.
When we
were alone, the swan began to speak to me. I had told the swan
that it
was a beautiful swan. The swan then told me that I was beautiful
as
well. The swan spoke of beauty. He said that there was a
mate out
there that held the same beauty he did. He said that only that
mate is
the perfect one for him. He had my attention at that point.
So, I
asked if in his travels, had he seen a perfect match for me? He
told
me that he had, indeed, found a match. He spoke of a King, named
Nala. The swan continued to describe why we were perfect for each
other. I knew there was a soul mate out there for me. I let
the swan
go. After the swan left; I could only think of Nala. He had
been
described as my match. How could I go on knowing he was out
there, but
he was not with me?
With love,
Damayanti
Dear Diary,
I'm writing now, but I am
lovesick. I can only think of Nala. The
love I've been waiting to experience could actually be a reality.
Yet,
I have never met Nala. I only know that he is the perfect one for
me.
I thought I was obsessed with love before, but now I can only think of
Nala. I'm literally lovesick.
With love,
Damayanti
Dear Diary,
My father has seen that I am
not well. He knows that it is time for me
to have a swayamvara to find a suitable husband. The invitations
are
out. Every king is invited to my swayamvara.
With love,
Damayanti
Dear Diary,
When I was getting ready today,
a man came in my room. I was puzzled.
I quickly asked the man what he was doing in my room. The man
introduced himself as Nala. He said that he had come sending a
message
from Indra. Indra had apparently told him to fill me in on some
details. He said that four gods would be at my swayamvara.
I could
chose any of them as my husband if I chose to do so. Nala then
left my
room. Nala? Was it the Nala the swan told me about.
He was a
handsome man, even the servants thought so. How could I chose a
god
over Nala? It had to be him. The way my heart skipped as he
stood in
my room was evidence enough. My decision was made.
With love,
Damayanti
Dear Diary,
Today is my swayamvara.
I'm very nervous. I already have in mind the
man I will chose as my husband. It will be Nala. I felt it
when he
came in my room. Plus, the swan's advice pointed him out.
My only
worry is that Nala will not be at the swayamvara.
With love,
Damayanti
Dear Diary,
Today I chose Nala as my
husband. The ceremony was a bit tricky
though. The gods Nala had told me about were at the
swayamvara. As
soon as I was directed to pick my husband, I went to were Nala
sat. I
had the flower garland in my hand. However, there were five
Nala's
sitting in front of me. They were all identical. I told
Nala to stand
up, but then all five men stood up. This was not a trick to me
though. I knew who the real Nala was standing before me. I
went over
to him and put the garland on him. The other kings congratulated
him.
Nala was the perfect pick for me. How wonderful it is to finally
be in
love.
With love,
Damayanti
Author's
Note:
In my final story of my
storybook, I chose to write about Nala and
Damayanti. I think it fits into my love story theme nicely.
It's a
mushy love story. I think it finishes off my storybook
well. I've
taken you through a one-sided love story, a meant to be love story, a
suspenseful love story, and now this love story. The story of
Nala and
Damayanti is one of my favorites. It doesn't stop right after the
swayamvara. Nala actually gets into trouble playing dice.
He loses
everything, but Damayanti. They leave his kingdom with nothing,
but
each other. Nala finally strays from Damayanti. Damayanti
searches
for him until they finally become reunited. After they are
reunited,
Nala wins back his kingdom and everything he lost. Their initial
love
story is a classic one. The swan is a great addition to the story
as
well. The swan actually encountered Nala first. Nala let
the swan
loose because the swan promised to reach Damayanti and tell her Nala
was her perfect match. I used details from the Mahabharata by
Buck to
tell the story from Damayanti's point of view. I stopped the
story
after Damayanti chose Nala as her husband. I did this so that it
would
complete my storybook on a happy note. Damayanti finally found
the
love she had envisioned. It's a perfect ending to a storybook
dedicated to women in love.
Bibliography Information:
Buck, William.
(1973) Mahabharata.
Image Information: Swan. Source: Photobucket.
