I swallowed, considering my response carefully before speaking. “That is very strange. But between you and me, the gods have talked to me before once or twice too.” I pictured the blistering heat of Agni and my own dream of Sarasvati. But even that dream had not been like this, for she had not actually appeared to me nor given me any token. Still, I added, “I do not think it is cause to worry.”
“It was not just her,” Sita said. “Last night I dreamed again, this time of Parvati. She told me Rama would go nowhere without my assistance. In return, she said my heirs would rule the kingdom for generations. I woke up holding a lotus in perfect bloom. But I don’t understand why they are coming to me and saying these things.”
“Did you ask them?” I did not mean to seem rude, but I too was curious.
“Yes. I asked Parvati, and she said that the mortal world held many temptations. She said… she said that Rama was divine, and I needed to help him restore order to the world.”
So now she knew. “And what did you make of that?” I asked quietly.
“Rama already told me himself, once. I didn’t believe him then. I laughed at him, in fact. But now I…” She buried her face in her hands, clearly shaken.
I gently placed my hand on her shoulder. “Rama is a god, it is true. He was sent to this world to do something great.”
“To restore order?” Sita interrupted looking up. “What does that mean?”
“I do not know,” I said. “I do not think we are meant to know. But they have come to you so that you know the truth. So that you may help him on his journey.”
“They never cared about me before.” Sita sounded bitter, and I sympathized with her resentment. The gods spoke to us as it suited them. We were important enough to be part of their plans and yet completely abandoned otherwise.
“I know. And you do not have to listen to them now. You are gods-touched, remember? They cannot force you to do anything you do not wish to do.”
At that, Sita’s tired eyes filled with steel. “I am devoted to him, but I do not want to be subservient. And Rama might be more traditional, but he has not asked it of me either.”
“Then I would put it from your mind,” I said. “And get some rest.”
But as she left, her chin set and step steady, I felt less certain. The goddesses had come to her for a reason—because they were trying to influence Rama’s path. It seemed they were worried. And I wondered if that meant I should worry too.
The next evening, Dasharath and I looked over the map of Kosala as we discussed plans.
“The south, beyond the Riksha Mountains, had a good harvest,” he said. “That is a relief.”
“And the northern reaches, near the Indra Mountains, have never used much grain in their diet. So they can do with a bit less.”
Dasharath rested his chin on my shoulder. “Do you remember, when we were first married—that territory was not ours.”
“Believe me, I could not forget,” I said, and he laughed out loud.
“You have done a fine job with making arrangements for the rest of the kingdom. Even if we must pay a higher price to Videha, or Kekaya, this is what is best.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling content, as I always did when we had executed an idea well. “The root of our troubles is not just poor weather. We have received less grain in trade than is usual.”
“It is,” he agreed. “I have been meaning to speak with you about this. I have heard concerning rumors from our traders who go past Southern Kosala to Janasthana. All of them returned empty-handed this year, despite fertile fields in that region. And there have been other happenings too. The raja of Janasthana recently died in a fire.”
This struck me, for I had heard a strange tale from a female trader at a Council meeting. She spoke of a frightening presence emerging from the woods and threatening violence upon her for daring to venture far from home. It had been only one story, and I had thought it more likely a bad dream, for she had returned safe and whole. Now, though, with these other omens, I could see that perhaps I had missed a vital sign. “I have heard of a beast or presence in the forest that blocked the passage of some traders. But I have not heard about this fire. It is altogether very odd.”
Dasharath’s eyes widened. “One of my messengers claimed that a hostile force near Janasthana has plans to attack Ayodhya.”
The idea was preposterous. In order to reach Ayodhya’s gates, enemies from Janasthana would have to travel through a deep wilderness, and then the entire region of Southern Kosala. Such an enemy would have to have an army strong enough to sustain that grueling march and defeat Kosala’s armies at the border before they could even approach Ayodhya.