IS IT FAREWELL MY KING?

I “Arezzzaaa!” Queen Aradia screamed when she saw an arrow zoom speedily and pierce into the bosom of her only daughter, Princess Areza. Princess Areza looked at her mother as she slowly fell to the ground. Her breathing was ragged and she could feel that darkness started to envelop her whole being. The same Persian soldier who hit the Princess with his arrow ran swinging his sword with such eagerness to cut the Princess's head, but the Queen's warrior was too swift to swing her own sword, cutting off the soldier’s hand, holding the sword. Another fast swinging of her sword and the soldier’s head was seen flying into the air and landing on the ground together with his lifeless body. “Areza, my princess, hold on, hold on to your dear life; I will take you to the castle.” The Queen almost stumbled as she carried her daughter and ran while shouting to her own troops of women warriors. “Cover us!” One of the Queen’s soldiers readied the carriage as she jumped to the front seat where she could control the reign of the horses that would carry the carriage of the Queen and the Princess. However, it was too late, the Princess held her last breath while they were travelling back to the castle. “No!!! Princess Areza, my daughter, don’t give up, breath! Breath!” the scream of the warrior Queen scattered all over the land of Carkas, making even those birds resting on trees fly in fear. Even the horses galloped as they listened to the most pitiful sobbing of Queen Aradia, the Carkas Queen. The lady Carkas warrior controlling the horses alighted from the carriage and came near the Queen, whom she saw embracing the Princess tightly on her bosom as she grieved for the loss of her only daughter. Her cries could melt in pity even the hardest heart of the most tyrant man in the land. Tears fell from the eyes of the Lady Carkas Warrior. Their Princess Areza was the kindest woman she had ever met in her life. She could not bear seeing such a pretty soul just flying so suddenly into the world of the dead. “My Queen, before the Princess’ soul enters into the world of the dead, it will pass through the Chinvat Bridge where the Angel Rashnu is waiting. It would be the decision of the Angel Rashnu whether to accept her spirit or where her spirit will be thrown; into the house of lies or Duzakh (hell) or in the glorious house of songs called Pairidaeza (Paradise).” The Lady Carkas warrior wanted to suggest something to their Queen. “Malada, were you suggesting to me finding a way to hinder my daughter’s soul from crossing the Chinvat Bridge?” Queen Aradia asked with a newfound light of hope in her eyes. Warrior Malada nodded, smiling, ‘though with tears still in her eyes. “You have the pendant that will connect you to the other world, my Queen. Let us do it now while the Princess’ spirit is still lingering inside her corpse.” The Queen of Carkas suddenly remembered their belief that after a person died, the soul lingered in its corpse for three days while the gods considered its ultimate fate and tallied up the good and bad deeds of the dead person. On the fourth day, the soul will travel to the Chinvat Bridge where it will be met by the Holy Maiden Daena, who will comfort it. The soul would then cross the bridge – which became broad and easy for the good ones or justified but narrow and difficult for the bad or condemned souls. While the soul is crossing the bridge, it will be threatened by demons Asto Vidatu and Aesma Daeva but the angel Suroosh will be there to protect the soul. At the end of the bridge, the Angel Rashnu will judge the soul based on its deeds in life and assign it a fitting home in the afterlife, either the House of Song called Pairidaeza (Paradise) or the House of Lies or Duzakh (hell). With that, the Queen’s mind whirled like a wind that soared, when she thought of having found the possible answer to bring back the life of her daughter. “Malada, bring us to a place near the Chinvat Bridge where it is easy for me to be heard by the Angel Rashnu,” All of a sudden the Queen exclaimed with a bright shade of joy spreading unto her once grieving face. The warrior Malada jumped once again onto the front carriage seat and pulled its rein for the horses to run. II “Hoo, hooo,” Warrior Malada pulled the rein to stop the horses when they reached that mountainside connecting to the Chinvat Bridge. They cannot set foot on the bridge unless they lose their lives and set their spirits free to run onto the bridge. “Queen Aradia, we are here already,” Warrior Malada stated as she alighted from the carriage. The Carkass Queen jumped down from the carriage and stood bravely a few steps away from the Chinvat Bridge. “My beloved Angel Rashnu, hear me for my cause please!” She held her pendant up while loudly calling on the name of Angel Rashnu. As Queen Aradia called Rashnu, the Angel was said to be the righteous judge of the dead who stood on the Chinvat Bridge or that way between the world of the living and the dead; her voice was shaking and truly sounded to be in its grieving tone. The pendant shone and a ray of light scattered around it; then the wind blew as if carrying the pendant’s light and the voice of Queen Aradia went straight to the entrance of the Chinvat’s Bridge where the Holy Maiden Daena stood. The wind, together with the light and the Queen’s voice, traveled far until it reached a magnificent Angel known as Rashnu, who stood at the end of the bridge, holding a big book, called the Book of Life. In front of the Angel Rashnu were a few numbers of spirits, lined up, waiting for their turn to be given their verdicts, either to be thrown into the Duzakh (hell) or in Pairidaeza (Paradise). Suddenly, Angel Rashnu stopped, as a voice, a very sad voice, entered her ears, calling her name.