Image: Rama's Return to Ayodhya
Author's Note: I intended for this final story to explore Sita's exile as it appears in Valmiki's Ramayana and the PDE version of the Ramayana. Some speculate that the ending is not original to Valmiki's Ramayana and was added later so many versions do not include Sita's exile after returning to Ayodhya at all. I decided that I wanted both choices to closely mirror each other and end in the same way. As with the other stories, I tried to make some parts of the story seem inevitable despite the apparent differences that result from the choices. Writing this story was different than the others in the storybook because I didn't have a concrete source for each of the routes through the story so I had to think about internal conflicts Rama might have been facing when he decided to exile Sita. To me, it seemed like he had to choose between doing the best thing for his kingdom or the best thing for his marriage and family so I decided to focus on that in my version of what happens after Rama returns. Originally, I thought I'd end up with a much happier ending than the one in the PDE version of the Ramayana but I kind of like that it didn't really turn out that way. It makes it seem like there is no right choice, just a choice and I had hoped this storybook would explore that idea all along.
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