Young King Amar Dev was ambushed and
imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could
have killed him but was moved by Amar Dev's youth and ideals. So, the
monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very
difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer
and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question?....What do women really
want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and
to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better
than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by
year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to
poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the
court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a
satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch,
for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high; as the
witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she
charged.
The last day of the year arrived and
Amar Dev had no choice but to talk to the witch She agreed to answer the
question, but he would have to agree to her price first. The old witch
wanted to marry Sundaranga, the most noble of the Knights of the Round
Table and Amar Dev's closest friend! Young Amar Dev was horrified. She
was hunchbacked and hideous, had only
one tooth, smelled like sewage, made
obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature
in all his life.
He refused to force his friend to marry
her and endure such a terrible burden; but Sundaranga, learning of the
proposal, spoke with Amar Dev. He said nothing was too big of a
sacrifice compared to Amar Dev's life and the preservation of the Round
Table.
Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the
witch answered Amar Dev's question thus: What a woman really wants, she
answered....is To BE IN CHARGE OF HER OWN LIFE ! Everyone in the kingdom
instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Amar
Dev's life would be spared. And so it was, the neighboring monarch
granted Amar Dev his freedom and Sundaranga and the witch had a
wonderful wedding.
The honeymoon hour approached and
Sundaranga , steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the
bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had
ever seen lay before him on the bed.
The astounded Sundaranga asked what had
happened ? The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when
she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed
self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half. Which
would he prefer? Beautiful during the day...or night?
Sundaranga pondered the predicament.
During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at
night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer
having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman
for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?
Noble Sundaranga said that he would
allow HER to make the choice herself. Upon hearing this, she announced
that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her
enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
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