“I’m not sure I understand you, Sir.”

“Devi Chandrika. How am I to keep you happy? You are difficult woman to keep happy. But I have my vows to stand by. I have been thinking about it since the moment I saw you walking towards the mandap.”

The silence was excruciating for her. What was he on to? What should she say?

He spoke after a pause, “I know that this wedding has been against your wishes…”

“His Highness! I apologize for interrupting you. But the circumstances are nothing new for women in my position. I respect the holy bond of matrimony.”

“I don’t doubt that, Devi.”

“I can see that there is something on your mind, Sir. You can ask whatever you want to.”

“That jungle…. It was quite far from the palace. How did you used to go?”

“On horseback,” she replied.

“With whom?”

She took a deep breath to swallow what she thought was an implied insult. She wasn’t escorted by a man. She didn’t go to meet a secret lover. “With one of my friends, Sir.”

“It would be the same young woman who was with you here when I came?”

“My friends are under my protection, Sir. I know you are gracious enough to not ask me to betray them. Whatever complaints you have are against me. Whatever punishments you have to give, it should be meted out to me. I would only request that it be done in a way that the word doesn’t reach my parents. Else the hard-earned peace would be violated forever for the sake of royal egos.”

“You are acting guilty? I am surprised. I thought you were more spirited than that.”

“Before my God, and before my conscience, I am not guilty, Sir. I am not acting guilty. If I were a common woman, I would have fought for my choices. But in my position, how my conduct is perceived has implications beyond my personal life. I can’t just stop caring. I don’t want to fight with you, Your Majesty. I don’t want to invite your wrath. If you can trust my words, I was not accompanied by a man; I didn’t go to meet a secret lover. None of that. But if I can’t convince you, and you must act to save your honor, your action, your wrath must be directed solely towards me. It would be a great disservice to the subjects of Chandranagar and Raigarh, if your grudges against me should result in a war.”

Bhumimitra smiled, “Rest assured, Devi Chandrika. I don’t have any grudges against you. It is difficult to not trust someone as straightforward as you. That is a rare quality in women – the princesses and queens especially. If that is what has kept you restless and standing all this while, would you please relax and sit down?”

Even with all her forced grace and composure, Chandrika could not help letting out a sigh. She sat down on the bed without waiting for her husband to do that. But he followed the suit. He didn’t sit close to her though, almost at the other edge.

“I know that you respect the holy bond of matrimony,” the king spoke again after they were seated, “But I also know that your self-respect is hurt with the situation it leaves you in. If I had known earlier, I’d have made a different peace offer. I could have asked your hand for someone else in the court, who would have fulfilled the criteria that is most important to you…”

“My father is too proud to have accepted that. He took three weeks even to accept even your hand for me.”

“True,” he nodded in agreement, “Was he against my proposal because he knew about your wishes?”

“Ah!” she smiled bitterly, “I wish! No Sir. He had no such tender reasons. It was his kshatriya blood boiling. He thought he could defeat you in a war and he didn’t have to bow down to you. It took him three weeks of counsel from every eminent person in the court to accept otherwise.”

Bhumimitra was impressed. She was a keen and accurate observer of politics, despite her complaints with it.

“I am a man of world too, Devi. And a kshatriya. It won’t be possible for me to liberate you or to give you another man of your choice.”

“Please don’t talk like that,” she said in a small voice.

“I am only discussing politics with you, which you are fully capable of understanding. Please don’t feel otherwise about it.”

She nodded. Then he continued, “I can’t do anything like that. For the sake of my honour. For the sake of peace, and welfare of my subjects. But what I can promise you is that I won’t impose myself upon you.”

Chandrike shot a surprised glance at him. This statement could be interpreted in several ways. Was it supposed to be relief for her? A punishment? Was he angry? Hurt? Insulted? Or could his words be taken on face value? His expressions were amiable. Chandrika relaxed.

“It is such an extra ordinary thing you said, Sir, that I don’t know how to react to it.”

“Be happy. That’s all I am trying to achieve. I would still come here about one in four nights. We don’t need the world gossiping. And Devi. This kingdom sports a vast jungle as well. If you want to continue your jungle sojourns and explore the fruits, animals and flowers, as the queen of Raigarh, nobody will stop you.”

She went agape at that. Was she dreaming? Her reaction made the king laugh out loud. This had been so beyond anything she expected that she had forgotten all her grooming and grace. There was something incredibly amusing and cute about that.

She realized that soon enough and looked away from him.

“That is very kind of you, His Highness. However, I am prone to taking it seriously. If you jest, you must tell me now, before I make a blunder.”

“I don’t jest, Devi. But what I need to be sure of is your safety. Would you mind taking…”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can ride and you carry the dagger, but…”

“Also the sword and the bow and arrow. I can use them. But I need a soldier’s dress for carrying them. Mrinalini is also trained.”

“Would that be enough?”

“If you’d allow, I can train more women.”

“Fair enough. I am trusting your judgment.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“In the morning, I will show you a way from the back gate of the antahpur to a very fascinating jungle. Right now, I am tired and I must lie down here. Hope you don’t mind.”

She shook her head.

“Great! As a queen you may not know what goes on in the bedrooms of your servants. But they would observe everything in yours as soon as the doors open in the morning. You’d do well to take off your jewelry, undo your hair and sleep in the bed! The sheets should be crumpled in the morning. Have a good night.”

“Good night, Sir.”

She did all he had suggested, while fighting the whirlwinds in her head. What on earth was happening to her? It couldn’t be real, could it?

—

But it was. It was real. The king kept his word. He showed her the back gate and the way to the jungle. He instructed the security to never obstruct her way. He arranged for commoners’ dresses and soldier’s uniforms for her that she could use when she felt like.

She also started training women in sword-fighting. Bhumimitra walked into the open quadrilateral one day when the training was going on. Chandrika was having a mock fight with one of the women and pretty soon she defeated her. Then she explained to everyone what the technical mistakes were that the woman made.

“Excellent!” exclaimed the king startling the women. They all bowed to the king. Chandrika nodded at them and they stepped out to leave them alone. Then Chandrika also bowed with folded hands to greet the king. He reciprocated her greetings.

“Shall we have a round of practice?”

“We?” her eyes went wide with surprise. Was he going to indulge her to that extent?

“Why? Are you scared?” he teased her.

“No. Just that… I don’t have your kind of practice. Or the stamina.”

“You have the right technique. Who taught you?”

“I pestered my brothers.”

“They taught you well. So? Shall we?”

“On one condition.”

“What is it?”

“You won’t treat me with kid’s gloves. You won’t let me win just to humor me.”

“That’s an admirable condition. I promise, I won’t.”

And the duel started. Despite his promise, he did fight in a relaxed manner in the beginning. But soon realized that Chandrika was quite aggressive.  He still let the fight go on for a while, before going whole-hog and finally ridding her of her weapon. She accepted her defeat with a graceful smile.

“You want more practice?”

“I do.”

“You can join me in the mornings.”

She chuckled. “That can’t be a good news for our kingdom. If you practiced with me, you will soon be over-confident. One needs to practice with equals or superiors to improve.”

“Wisdom speaking as always. Evenings then? For half-an-hour after the court is over.”

“It’d be an honour, Sir,” Chadrika replied sincerely. He was indulging her a lot!

There was no way to avoid rumors. But the rumors were not what she would have feared. That they had not consummated their marriage. They were all about how the fourth queen was king’s favorite. Mrinalini teased her endlessly. But for the first time in her life, she didn’t share much with her friend. What was happening to her was so extra-ordinary that she didn’t know what to make of it. What was she to tell her friend about her husband’s indulgences?

And the rumors gained strength, when one day, the king summoned her in the middle of the day. This was the time when court broke for lunch for a few hours and the king took lunch and rested in his own quarters near the courthouse.

It was such an unusual request for a queen to be summoned there during the daytime that she and all the women with her stared at each other in stunned silence when it was announced. As the queen, the responsibility of acting unfazed again fell on Chandrika.

—

To be continued