Chapter 7 : The Raising of Princesses
In a perfect world (according to one king we know), each daughter of Buthraman Satti would have bound herself to a fierce mountain cat and grown into a warrior like her father, ready to conquer the world and spread the fame of the Beast King.
Succeed as he might in the battlefield, prosper as he might in trade, reign as he did in absolute monarchy, Satti had little control over his young daughters. Each was as different as the north to the south, each the same as the west to the east. Being a ruler of men Satti developed strict rules as to how the children were to be raised, what they were to eat, what lessons they would learn at what pace, and he especially decreed that each would be strong in at least three aspects of fighting and that when they turned 5 they would spend a week in the wilderness with their cats, for that would make them strong.
The queens would have nothing of it.
“My daughter is full of grace, you will not make her wild,” said the first queen.
“My daughter is small and lovely, you will subject her to no harm,” said the second queen.
“My daughter has the strength she needs, and she will be raised by no man, Buthraman Satti!” cried the third queen.
Besides, said the first queen to the king, the princesses would outlive the cats. This valid fact struck Satti like an arrow and he decreed that before the princesses were 8 years old they would have a cub of their own, they would raise it, and it would be their most loyal servant and fierce protector. To this, the queens did not object; although the folly of putting a child in with a wild beast was not lost to them, they did not imagine Satti would find what he wanted.
And for a while, they were right.
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