Week 7 Storytelling: The Drunken Naga

It was late at night, several hours past sundown. The sky was mottled with dark heavy clouds. Indra was still contemplating whether or not to allow a storm to commence. In the breaks between the clouds, the stars could be seen hovering above, and occasionally, when the weather parted enough the large crescent moon would shine down illuminating the night.

The crescent moon
Source

At one point, such a break occurred, brightening the street that is our setting. Set in the darker side of town, the windows of most of the buildings were boarded up, and very few of the lights were still on. However, one building stood out, the Drunken Naga. Serving as the local pub, the Drunken Naga had seen better days. Its siding was crumbling all over, and many of the windows of the two story building were either cracked or completely broken. A lone sign of a stumbling snake-like creature holding a large beverage hung by a single chain above the entrance, swinging back and forth at a steady pace.

It was at this point that a young man with long, dark hair crossed the street and entered the bar. Slightly hunched over, he wore long, dark robes, obscuring most of his features. The inside consisted of a large, dimly lit room with a set of stairs in the back. There were tables scattered across floor with a long bar to the right of the entrance. Maybe a dozen figures were sitting the different tables, a few more seated at the bar.  The figure walked across directly to the bar, took a seat, and slammed his hand down.

"Bartender, desi daru!" yelled the figure. The bartender, who had been cleaning his counter, walked over and filled a small cup with liquor from a clear bottle. Several hours and a many drinks later, the young man had become extremely intoxicated, swaying back and forth. He could barely stay in his chair. "Ooone moere!" he exclaimed, asking the bartender for another drink.

"I think you've had enough for the night, sir," replied the bartender, taking the man's cup. "Why don't you go home."

"I'll say when I've had enough!" screamed the man. "Dooo you know whoff I am?! I am Duryodhana, prince of Hastinapura! I tell you what'ss what, not the other way around!" He had clearly become quite agitated at the bartender's statement.

"Sir, please calm down," said the bartender. This only agitated the young man further as he jumped out of his chair.

"Calm down! Caaalm down! How am I supposed to calm down with the Pandavas alive! That gigantic Bhima has always been a thurn in maaah side, taking all of the limelight for himself. And Yudhishthira, uurggh!! Did you know that he was going to steal the throne right out fom under me? My birthright! But, I took care of it. They had all gone on a nice 'vacation' and been immolated in a fire. Of course, that was until yesterday. It turnss out they've been alive the whole time, and I'm sure they've been planning their revenge while they were hiding out. My life is in danger and you tell me to calm down?! I think I more than deserve of anootheer drink!"

"As you say," replied the bartender with a strained smile. He turned his head to the back of the room and gave a quick nod. Almost immediately, a large, burly man stepped out from the shadows and laid his hand on the young man's shoulder.

A few moments later, the doors to the tavern flew open as the "prince" was thrown bodily into the streets, which had become muddy from rain. Pulling his face from the mud, the man yelled, "How dare you! I'm a prince! You'll pay for this. I swear it!"

The bartender closed the door to the tavern, muffling the cries of the young man outside.

Author's Note:
This story is based off of the life of Duryodhana in the Mahabharata. It is set briefly after the reappearance of the Pandava's and their marriage to Draupadi. They had disappeared after an attempt on their life by Duryodhana, so he is worried by their return. In my story, he is worried about what may happen and sets out to a bar to drink away his worries, away from his family and the royal palace.
I tried to be more visually illustrative with this story, and I also had a little fun giving the prince some slurred speech from his drunkenness.

Bibliography:
Reading: Epified Mahabharata by Epified (2015)