Vishnu
One of three supreme Hindu deities
"Protector of the Universe"
Also known as
Vikram
Their expectations were always high.
Naming him after a supreme deity of Hindu religion made that quite clear.
From life's first cry, they held him in high esteem. But of course, that was only natural. He was a Kabra. Vikram Kabra, in fact. Born to be victorious. His name implied it not only once, but twice. Twice fold victorious. This was to be his destiny.
And certainly nothing could keep him from fulfilling it.
Emperor Vikramaditya, first Hindu king among the ten great kings
"One of valour equal to the Sun"
He was born shining like the sun.
A prince, the sole heir to his father's Lucian kingdom, one in which all their hopes and dreams rested upon.
And he was determined not to disappoint.
Never was he like other children. No, he was far better than that. The finest of education, clothing, and every sort of splendor ever imagined was all at his disposal upon his every whim. This was how his parents would ensure that he would be fit to rule their glorious empire, one they had spent their entire lives expanding and fortifying. It was their duty to make certain that their successor would continue down this same path when they were gone.
The burden was a heavy one.
But it never bothered Vikram. In fact, their dreams for him were perhaps too small. The older he became, the more he realized that possession as head of the Lucians was a simple ambition, one he was sure to receive, but unworthy of his undivided attention.
World domination was his true aspiration.
And the older he became, the more he began to understand how much he was capable of – and of how little his parents were. He came to see them for what they really were – weaklings, unable to bring the Lucians the victory they truly deserved. They were certainly capable of enforcing the Lucian image of maliciousness and cruelty, but world domination? Certainly not.
His father, a man renowned for his hotheadedness and disregard for human life, was brilliant, yet stupid. The man could formulate an elaborate plan faster than anyone Vikram knew, but his ambitions would always outweigh his common sense. His eyes were firmly placed on the victory ahead, but all too often, he would manage to disregard the obstacles beforehand altogether. A sorry excuse for a Lucian, indeed.
And his mother? Not a drop of Lucian blood in her veins. A spoiled princess, daughter of a Brahmin priest, who cared nothing about the Cahills, unless of course, it directly affected her monthly allowance. As long as she was rich, powerful, young and beautiful, with a mirror placed securely in front of her face, she was satisfied. The only reason she so desperately desired Vikram to one day fill his father's shoes was so that she could remain in her highly-envied position.
And it sickened him.
Because, as he came to realize, they were holding him back. What he longed for, what he needed, was to rekindle the glory days of the Lucian Golden Age. His greatest hero, the King of Serpents, not even a Lucian, but still the greatest one history had ever known, had made the snake an animal truly worth fearing.
And Vikram longed to do it again.
Just as with so many other great rulers of history – Alexander the Great, Nebuchadnezzar, Napoleon– their empires would fade away once they were replaced. This time, however, he was determined that this would change.
For good.
At last, the history books would have someone to commemorate for building the greatest dynasty this planet had ever seen, one that would never, ever, ever end.
It would be an empire built to last.
Vikram
From Sanskrit
Vi: of the verb vish- meaning "to work"
Kram: a step, stride, or path
"A worker's stride" or "Vishnu's stride"
He had big shoes to fill.
If he was truly to do what no man before him ever could, then he needed to rid himself of any weaknesses. Absolutely anything that could qualify as being FLO – for losers only – had to go. After all, it was the only way he could ever live up to his namesake, Vishnu, who had supposedly conquered three worlds with three small steps.
If only his stride was that strong.
But of course, he was human, limited to this minute dimension as it were. And even with his great skills – wisdom, bravery, strength – such a great conquest would be work, a task like none he had ever attempted to endeavor before.
He needed help.
This knowledge disgusting him. It was like his most hated quote predicted: No man is an island. If he wanted power to such a great extent, he would need allies. As a teenager, he had ignored such a prospect, too blinded by his disillusions of greatness while looking down on his parents to notice what had been right in front of him the entire time. But now, at Oxford, the opportunity to woo the world was entirely at his disposal. He would find someone who could share his dream - one conquest at a time.
His charms won him many friends, and his looks, innumerable more. His parents, who had been overwhelmed by his rebellious teenage ways and condescending attitude towards them, were relieved to see him finally coming to his senses. (Because secretly, his father was afraid that Vikram might manage to overpower him and gain control over the Lucian branch.)
Now a young man, he could more clearly see the route to his to success unfolding before him. His path was obvious, his stride to reach the end even more so. And each person he used was a steppingstone.
Except for one.
She was his mirror reflection, just as beautiful as he and every bit as determined. Her name was Isabel, although he wouldn't have been in any way shocked if she had said "Lakshmi," especially with that lotus flower perched high in her hair. She was the one person (or maybe the second, besides that blonde with the accent) who seemed to appreciate his dreams, his quest for something more.
They were a match made in heaven.
And from there, everything fell into place. His parents adored the girl (but really, who didn't?), as did the rest of the Lucian branch. Together, they were the perfect couple, and not a soul could deny their capability. And so, when his father peacefully passed away (or so they said), there was no competition for the position of Lucian leadership.
At last, the prince had taken his throne.
He was now king, Isabel his queen, and with two heirs of his own, everything was falling perfectly into place.
He trained his children in everything that they could possibly need to know in order to continue down the path he had set out for them, constantly reminding them never to associate with those who were FLO, forcing them to remember that they were specialdifferentdestined for something greater, just as he was.
As he groomed them for the positions they would someday inherit, he allowed them to step forward and test their wings, giving them important responsibilities that he had once only entrusted to himself. Many began to believe that he was going soft, finally ceasing to chase after his childhood fantasies, and only deigning himself with Cahill matters to write his children blank checks as needed.
But it was all part of the plan.
He had taken his throne, but this was not the end. In fact, it was nowhere near it. This was only the beginning. There were still many lands left to conquer. His kingdom's borders were only beginning to expand.
Of course, however, like any good strategist, he had to constrain himself, perfect the art of patience. Otherwise, he would end up as much of a fool as his father. He would have to wait until just the right moment before he could strike. And until then, he would let the world believe he had gone into hibernation, that his fangs were no longer dripping with venom. But then, when they least expected it, he would strike with a force that no one could hope to overpower. All he needed was one opportunity, one that presented itself in the death of his most bitter enemy.
For generations, their two families had been ensnared in a deadly battle, pit against each other (their multiple tombstone markers said it all). But at last, he could see the end clearly in sight.
It was finally time to strike.
He sent his children into the midst of the chaos, just as planned, while he and Isabel waited silently in the shadows. Knowing the rest of the Cahills, it wouldn't take much to surmount them. Minor obstacles, perhaps, but his children were prepared to deal with such impediments.
And so, he waited, patiently, ever-so patiently, for that glorious moment when what he so rightly deserved, what he had longed for since infancy, would be his at last. It was so near he could almost taste it, yet still far enough away that he couldn't bear to take his eyes off it for a mere second without the fear that it would disappear into the distance once again. It was his, but it wasn't. He was so close, yet so far, which left him with only one option. He must continue on as he always had before.
Keeping his stride steady and one foot placed firmly in front the other.
Vikram
most commonly known as
Valorous
~wise, brave, strong~
and
Victorious
Things did not go as planned.
Bested, humiliated, betrayed – his own family has abandoned him and left him to the wolves. His own flesh and blood. The children that he raised have turned their backs on him, ignoring every simple lesson he ever went to such great pains to teach them. And even his wife, the only person he ever trusted, decided that only she deserved to live out his dream. (Apparently, they think too much alike. Her masterplan was no different than his.)
Forced into hiding, desperate to evade those blasted bobbies, everything that once seemed so sure has faded to grey.
Everything about this is so wrong. It was not meant to happen this way. He is Vikram Kabra – charming, wise, and brave, with great stride and the valor of the sun. It is impossible that he could be defeated so easily.
It really is.
Because if they think, even for a moment, that he has gone down without a fight, if they truly believe that this son of a snake has permanently buried himself underground in his little pit of vipers, then they are even more the fools than he thought. His wife is in jail, true, (it's much better than what he had planned, anyway), his children are traitors (obviously they weren't worthy of passing on his legacy in the first place), but Vikram Kabra remains undefeated. His little scheme may be thwarted, but he is, after all, a Lucian. He can always concoct another.
And he will.
They think he's gone. They believe he'll never come back. But it is obvious that they never knew the real Vikram. Because Vikram Kabra will not be defeated. And as always, he will live up to his name.
He will emerge victorious.
XxXxX
A/N: My first Vikram fic. Strange, seeing as how I write with the Kabras so often.
In any case, I feel like this might need a smidge of explanation. You see, along with being a total history geek, I also have an odd obsession with names and their meanings. And when I first read the books, I assumed that Vikram was just another odd, albeit rarely used, English name, like Alistair. Then, when randomly surfing the net, I discovered it was Sanskrit. [Ha. More undeniable proof that the Kabras are Indian]
And from there, I decided it would be interesting to create a story surrounding the origin of his name. Because, in almost all cultures outside of North America, names given to children have a certain significance. In his case, it can mean several different things, and I tried to incorporate all the major meanings. And whether or not the authors intended for such similarities between Vikram's name and his character, I don't know, but I think it worked out well. :P
Anyway, some of you may have caught a reference to my other story regarding the Kabra's ancestor, but of course, I made up a few "facts" about Vikram's parents. We really don't know anything about them, but I just created a scenario that was plausible and worked for me.
As for his character, well, I've always wondered why they don't use him more. But in any case, I don't think he'd give up without a fight. Just my opinion. And the last section (which I intentionally switched to present tense) was meant to show that Vikram will be back. With vengeance.
[And for all those wondering, I'm not actually Hindu myself, even if I seem to know a lot, nor do I encourage anyone to be as egotistical or evil as I portrayed Vikram to be xD]
... Sorry for the long author's note. Yeah. Fail on my part. /facepalm/