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There had been talk about a "Rajakumari" travelling from city to city, helping those in need, wherever necessary. Rajakumari was quickly becoming known throughout India for slaying great beasts, but also for being extraordinarily kind to the people of India.
One day, Rajakumari arrived in Nila City and saw an old woman weeping about the death of her sons. The grieving mother explained how a pack of giants come to Nila City to take their tribute from the town. The giants would take something each week--a house, a buffalo, a villager, countless loaves of bread, and other things that served to establish their dominance. By that point in time, the giants had forcibly taken six of the woman's seven sons as tribute. The mother was apprehensive that they would take her last son away.
Rajakumari consoled the woman and reassured her that no harm would come to her remaining son.
"But how?" the old woman asked. "The giants can pick whomever they want."
"I will go to the giants' dwelling and volunteer myself," Rajakumari replied.
The next day, Rajakumari, elegantly adorned in heavy armor with a sharp sword, went to visit the nearby giant encampment. As the royal's horse approached the giants' cave, a few of the giants became alert. They questioned why the stranger had arrived in their area. Two of the giants left their cave to see who this brazen intruder was. As they approached, they saw that it was a mere woman in armor with a sword at her hip.
The giants asked, "Who dares come to this place?"
Rajakumari replied, "Raja...Kumari, the one who will kill you and any others who choose to terrorize Nila City."
They laughed to each other and decided to go closer, not believing that this was the feared "Raja Kumari."
To their surprise, with a quick slash of her sharp sword, Rajakumari sliced off an arm of one of the giants without hesitation. Terrified and taken aback, they retreated inside the cave to alert the other giants.
The ground began to tremble with their hurried footsteps, and dust from the ground rose up in their midst. When the air cleared, the giants were able to see the new visitor to their land, for it was a woman warrior
"Come forth, for I am Rajakumari, born enemy of the giants!" said Rajakumari.
Silence. Then, laughter. The giants were both confused and amused.
"You can't be Raja Kumari, young lady. Raja Kumari is a mighty soldier, known for defeating his enemies in every city he crosses! You look like the many villagers and kids I have eaten. And not to mention that you are a woman," a giant scornfully stated.
Rajakumari said nothing, but instead brandished her sword and took aim at the giant who spoke to her in such a condescending manner. With a single motion of her right arm, she pierced the giant's heart and killed him there and then.
The remaining giants now began to fear the woman, yet continued to deny the possibility that she could be "Raja Kumari."
"We have eaten so many children that look just like you! You cannot be the Raja Kumari that the giants have come to fear so much. When the real Raja comes, his sword will pierce seven girdles placed one behind the other," one of the more skeptical giants said.
Rajakumari then said, "So be it. Bring forth seven iron girdles and I shall show you my strength."
The haughty giants assembled seven iron girdles together and then mockingly stood behind them to exhibit their lack of belief in her being the mighty giant-killer. Rajakumari spun her sword above her head, and when she let go of it, it pierced all seven girdles, as well as the giants behind them.
"That is what you get when you underestimate a woman's ability," shouted Rajakumari, while picking up her bloody sword from the ground. As she wiped the thick blood from her blade, the onlooking giants fled.
They took refuge in a nearby cave, hoping that Rajakumari would not venture into its dark corners to seek them out. Correct they were, as Rajakumari decided to have a statue made in her likeness that would stand guard over its entrance.
From that point on, giants were not a problem for Nila City anymore. The troubled mother who had lost her six sons would not lose her last.
This is the story of how Rajakumari, a.k.a. "Raja Kumari," defeated the giants.
Author's Note
Author's Note
I kept most of the details from the original story, but changed it to reflect a female perspective. I wanted to play with the idea of giants thinking that Rajakumari could only be a man. In the Hindi language, Rajakumari literally translates to "king-girl," a.k.a., "princess." I decided to use this name because when you say it out loud, it could also be interpreted to mean there was a Raja (king) named Kumari, which is the reason nobody knew that Rajakumari was actually a woman. It's easy to see how this would easily fool simple-minded giants.
I left the main plot details untouched: the old woman losing her sons to giants, Raja Rasalu volunteering to take the last son's place, the giants not believing that the person in front of them will soon kill them, and Raja Rasalu having a statue made to stand guard over the cave. In the original, there was only one remaining giantess, and she died of starvation in the cave. To help continue this story in the same direction it goes, I decided to generalize that to "onlooking giants" and not just giantesses. In regards to dialogue, I enjoyed that part greatly in the original story, so I kept a chunk of that here. I sought to include more vivid imagery as to help the reader empathize with Rajakumari and see the struggle women face.
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