Mish' Fiction

“Maharaj!” she was startled when he suddenly appeared before her. Then quickly bowed to him with folded hands in greeting.

“That wasn’t what you had called me the last time we met,” he said with a crooked smile.

She flushed and mumbled, “I was as good as intoxicated.”

“I should plan to keep you intoxicated all the time then. It will be worth it. And it will also keep you from infuriating me all the time.”

“What did I do now?” she asked, alarmed.

“Why did you refuse to see me?”

“I… I hadn’t refused… I had only requested…”

“That’s not what I was told.”

“Madhu must have played a prank on you,” her eyes darted around to avoid looking him in the eyes.

“You shouldn’t try to lie. I had caught your lie even when you had told me that your sister didn’t know about your jungle sojourns.”

“I didn’t want her to suffer for my waywardness.”

“Sure. But you yourself must suffer for infuriating me by refusing to meet me, right?”

“I… I don’t understand.”

“I will make you understand. When we meet in private, the way you address me, and the way you greet me, neither are acceptable.”

She looked at him quizzically.

“You must address me as if you are intoxicated,” he said, “And as for greeting…” He left the sentence unfinished and instead demonstrated it by pressing his lips against hers.

Before leaving her, he asked, “Why hadn’t you consented all this while?”

A cloud passed over her face, but she managed to smile, “It doesn’t matter now, does it?”

Sensing her reluctance to talk, he didn’t prod her further.

—

Madhumita cautioned her before her wedding night. “Chanda. He is head over heels in love with you. If you ask for anything, he will give it. So, don’t ask him for anything unreasonable, Chanda. No promises of not marrying again or anything like that, okay?”

She also spoke to Bhumimitra. “She is eccentric, and immature. You know that. Please don’t get offended by any of her mistakes or unreasonable demands.” Ordinarily, he would have taken offence at being coached about how to behave with his wife. But in this case, he knew that it was the worried sister talking to him, and not his other wife. So, he did not say anything, just nodded.

She was standing near the window, looking out. She turned on hearing his footsteps and smiled shyly. After catching her in the garden once, he had respected her wish of not meeting until the wedding. During the rituals, he hadn’t been able to to have a good look at her. So, it was after two months that he was seeing her face properly. There was such surge of emotion and passion in him that he felt both of them would drown in it. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Then he approached her and held her close. She trembled at his touch and closed her eyes. He kissed her eyelids and it gave her goosebumps that he could feel.

“I had thought,” he whispered to her, “That I will make you pay for all the tortures you have inflicted on me by making me wait. But right now, I am too impatient. Punishing you would be a punishment for myself. So, you will be spared.”

She did not open her eyes at all as he led her to the bed and settled her on it. “Look at me, Chandrika,” he said. She opened her eyes. They were moist and tears started flowing down her cheeks. “Why these tears? Are you unhappy?”

“Don’t be fooled by my tears, Swami. I love you.”

He kissed away her tears, “Then let go. There is nothing for you to worry about. Put your trust in me.”

Her breath had quickened with just his words. She could not imagine what would happen once he started working his magic on her body. But soon she was in the middle on it. Her intricately tied dupatta and carefully selected jewelry had been discarded in no time and he was kissing her all over. Overwhelming as it was to her, she realized that he was trying really hard to go slow. He gently massaged her ankles, relaxing her legs, but over-stimulating the rest of her body. He started kissing and moved upwards. By the time he reached her stomach, she was moaning aloud. Then as if to silence her, he suddenly attacked her lips and what she experienced after that was so intense that she could not have described it in words even for the life of hers. When he finally collapsed on top of her, she felt as spent as he was.

—

To be continued

Before she could touch the little pouch, there was a customary knock on the door and Madhumita burst in along with the midwife, nurse and her baby. The door was open? Oh! He must have left after she slept off and could only shut it from outside. “Oh Chanda. I have been dying to show him to you. Maharaj has already seen him and he is delighted. You must see him now before anyone else does.”

Oh Lord! What was she doing? She had forgotten all about her sister and the big day. How could she think of committing suicide on this day, which was so important to Madhu? And to him because he had gotten an heir? How could she have brought gloom on the family on such an auspicious day? Her penitence must wait for a few days, at least.

She thanked her stars that fate had intervened in just the right time. Tears formed in her eyes and she extended her arms to hold her nephew. The nurse obliged her. She planted several kisses on baby’s face. So much that it started crying. Everyone laughed at that. “Aunt is far too happy. She will smother him,” the midwife teased her. Embarrassed, Chandrika returned the baby to the nurse who tried to soothe it down. Chandrika turned to her sister to congratulate her and found her gaze fixed on the armchair on which she had been sitting. Chandrika was tongue-tied. Madhumita silently lifted her sister’s hands to check for rings and her suspicion was confirmed.  Without any hint of panic or anger in her voice, she told the nurse to take the baby to the nursery, where she would join them in a while. “You can start preparation for bathing him,” she said and dismissed both the nurse and midwife.

Under her sister’s penetrating gaze, Chandrika could not hide anything. “Maharaj was here last night, Madhu. I don’t know what to say in my defense…” she sobbed.

“Chanda. The first thing you must understand,” Madhu said as she fitted the stone back in the ring, “Is that this ring is for embracing a graceful death. If you die now, it won’t be graceful. It would be a death of shame.” She put the ring back on her finger.

“There can no longer be anything graceful about either my life, or my death now, Madhu. I have betrayed my own sister.”

“Oh sweetheart. I don’t deny that sometimes life may pose impossible questions before us. But this is as solvable a problem as there ever was. He will marry you, and everything will be all right.”

“No!!” she sobbed even harder.

“If he came here at night, Chanda, it was because he loves you. And don’t try to deny that you have feelings for him as well. Tell me, did he force you?”

“I wish I could say that, Madhu. But I am myself to blame…”

“Then stop blaming and start preparing for your wedding. I am going to talk to him right away.”

“Madhu…”

“My sister. I know what you are worried about. That you will become my rival. But listen to me very carefully.  I cannot avoid a rival all my life. I may give him ten heirs, but that will not guarantee me his unwavering affection. And if he has to have this affection for someone else, am I not better off when it is for my own sister, who is so devoted to me, rather than for some unknown woman who might actually wish me and my children evil?”

The logic was not satisfactory for Chandrika. But what did make an impression on her was the question of disgrace that her sister had brought up. If she didn’t marry him, she will live and die in disgrace. That cannot be acceptable for anyone. She had to resign to what Madhu wanted.

—

“Swami,” Madhumita addressed her husband when he came to her room, “The conversation I am about to have might seem inappropriate, but I hope you will excuse me. Given that it involves my sister, whom I have brought up like a daughter, I had to know.”

Bhumimitra stopped in her tracks and looked at her quizzically.

“I am given to understand that the reason for your delight today is not just your son, but also conquering your love,” she added.

He wondered if she was being sarcastic and searched her face for signs. But there was only good-natured smile on it. He nodded slightly in response.

“You must marry her at the earliest.”

“You don’t have to coerce me to do that, Madhu. I only need her consent, which I have been unable to get till now.”

“You have it now.”

“Really?”

“You can thank me for it.”

A barely perceptible smile formed on his lips.

“If I have your permission, I’d call the astrologer to fix the dates and inform my father.”

He just nodded and made to leave. He turned at the door and asked her, “Are you angry with me?”

“No. I am very happy for my sister. Nothing better could have happened to her.”

—

Bhumimitra didn’t find her in the courtyard at the appointed time of their sword-fighting practice.

“I will check for her,” Madhumita said and went to her room herself, instead of sending a maid. She came back grinning after a while. “She wouldn’t see you until the wedding.”

“What? Why?” he was annoyed.

“Well… Maharaj. Most brides don’t see their grooms until the wedding. You too have to grant her that privacy.”

He groaned and went back to his room looking surly. This woman just knew how to drive him mad. But he would also accept the challenge. He would meet her come what may.

He ignored bulk of court work over next two days to keep an eye on her routine. Finally he caught her in the garden in the afternoon.

—

To be continued

What could she have told him? She knew her heart very well. If there were any doubts at all, those had vanished when he had invited her to ride in the jungle. She was in love with this man. But how could she have told him that she did not want to marry him because she did not want to be a rival to her sister. Her own sister did not understand her sentiment, thinking it was her naiveté. How could he be expected to understand it? And she didn’t mind being made fun of by her sister. But she wouldn’t be able to tolerate being ridiculed by him. What was she to do?

For now, she had to obey him. She let the maids dress her and joined her sister for lunch. She also waited for him in the courtyard and took sword-fighting lessons from him. Despite initial awkwardness, she started enjoying the lessons and practice. And she did not hide her pleasure from him. It became part of their routine. Every alternate day, he practiced with her.

—

Madhumita had delivered a baby boy that morning. There had been some scare in the beginning as the midwife had declared both mother and son to be in danger. But Vaidyaraj had brought the situation under control. The mother and the baby were still in the delivery room under observation. The announcement would be made only the next morning. The night was hot and stuffy and Bhumimitra was unable to sleep. He was keen on seeing his son, but Vaidyaraj had not allowed it yet. Feeling restless, he went to the garden and paced there. Faint light of a lamp filtering through a window caught his attention after a while. Who could be awake at this time? He walked towards the light and found himself standing at the window of Chandrika’s room. Unable to hold back his curiosity, he glanced through the window. She was painting. What was she painting? He squinted his eyes to focus. What he saw took his breath away. He would have to confront her. Right away.

He went inside the antahpur, straight to her room. Her maids were asleep. He tried the door. It was not bolted. He didn’t give a damn about the proprieties of knocking or informing about his arrival at that time. He flung the door open and found himself face to face with her. Her surprise was so great that she stood still like a statue for a while. He bolted the door from inside meanwhile. When she came to herself, her first thought was not to greet him, but to find something to cover her canvas.

“Let it be,” his deep voice boomed in the stillness of night, “I have seen it already.” She had been painting his portrait.

She gasped and the brush fell from her hands. He went closer and held her by shoulders.

“You shouldn’t be here, Maharaj, at this hour,” she objected in a trembling voice.

“This is my palace and I can be anywhere I want, Chandrika,” he drew her even closer and could feel her breath growing uneven, “I have always known that your heart has no objection. Stop me today if you have any.” He engulfed her body in a tight, passionate embrace. Her heart pounded so hard and her breathing was so labored that she felt giddy. She had to hold him to support herself. And once she did that, she lost all her ability to think.  She could feel though, and feel a little too much. She could feel where his hands were roaming over her body, and how she was feeling the heat of burning coal and chill of frozen ice at the same time at those places. She was unusually aware of her breath and her heartbeats. And of the electric current running through her spine. Spine? Who had ever been aware of spine? But she was, at that moment. She tried to open her eyes. Everything was blurry. She was on her bed for sure, but her body was alien to her. It was feeling and doing things she had never known before. This could not be real. Yes – it wasn’t real. She was either intoxicated. Or she was sleeping and dreaming of him. It had happened so often recently. It was just a more powerful dream. Nothing untoward will happen with anything she did. And so, as she had often done in her sleep, she addressed him like she did only in her dreams. “Priya!” Beloved. That made things even better. His nails dig deeper into her skin, and his kissed grew more urgent , more demanding. She was tempted. She could die to live this high. “Priya!” she called again. And the result did not disappoint her.

—

She stretched languorously on waking up. She had woken up earlier than usual, but still felt well-rested. She sat up and quickly did her morning prayer. Her eyes fell on her canvas as she made to get down from the bed. And with that the memories of last night came crashing over her. She slumped back on the bed as she remembered every bit of what had happened. Then she got up with mad urgency. She covered the canvas and hid it in one corner of the room. She wondered if there would be enough water in the bathroom for her to clean herself up without summoning the maid. She checked and managed with whatever was available. She rubbed her hands and face mercilessly. She smoothened the bedsheet and then suddenly her frenzy died. What was she trying to achieve? Removing the signs won’t undo the deed. She had destroyed it all. She had destroyed herself and betrayed her sister. And how would she ever face him again after this?

She moved from the bed to a rocking armchair. She sat there immobile for more than an hour. Then she looked at her hands. The ring on one of them had the solution to her dilemma. One ring that had a pinch of potent poison in it. Royal women always wore one such ring. To protect their dignity when it came to the worst, they would use this poison to kill themselves. The time had come for her. She took off  the ring and carefully pulled out the stone from it.

—

To be continued

She thought about everything that had transpired since the evening. She had seen her sister practicing, her husband coming there, practicing with her and losing to her in distraction. She had noticed how his invitation for jungle ride had been extended and how Chandrika had been uncomfortable about it. Tactful as Madhumita was, she had made friends with even her husband’s mistresses who stayed in antahpur. Because of these friendships, she knew more about his preferences than wives usually do. And knowing them, she was not surprised that he had fallen hard for her eccentric, wild and unfeminine, but beautiful and lively sister. And marrying him would be the best thing to happen to Chandrika. She would not be expected to change herself. The duties of antahpur and that of a queen would be discharged by Madhumita. The sisters would stay close and Madhu would be able to continue to protect her against the worldly intrigues that Chandrika had no ability to understand or take interest in.

It would be good for her too. Unlike her baby sister, Madhumita knew better than to expect that she could keep her husband’s affections all to herself. Sooner or later a rival would arrive. Instead of it being a mistress, or a princess from some other state, it would be better if it was her devoted sister. She wouldn’t plot against her or her children and would love them as her own.

Besides, Madhu knew that even Chandrika had a soft corner for Bhumimitra in her heart. The mortification she had felt today was not just because she had been scolded. But because she had been scolded by him! She was ashamed of not having lived up to his expectations.

Everything would be perfect, except that her silly sister would not accept the situation. She had gotten this notion in her head that she would not be a rival to her sister. And making her accept anything against her understanding was close to impossible. What was Madhu to do?

—

It had been two days and Chandrika had still not come out of her room. They could find nothing wrong with her, but she complained of weakness. Bhumimitra could not hold back any longer. He reached her room unannounced and indicated to her attendants to leave them alone.

She greeted him silently by folding her hands and made to get out of the bed, but he motioned her not to. So, she remained seated, resting her back against the headboard. He paced anxiously near her and then asked suddenly. “Why? Why are you doing this? What has happened?”

“I am just ill, Maharaj. I will fine in few days.”

But he seemed not to have heard her at all, “I scolded you. I agree that I was rude. Too rude, probably. But must you take it to heart like this? I didn’t scold as a king, or even as your guardian. Don’t you understand why I scolded you?”

“Because I had been irresponsible towards…”

“Hell no! You are not such a dimwit, Chandrika. I didn’t scold you because of your friends. I was perfectly capable of taking care of them. I was angry because… Oh God! Because I was worried about you. Don’t you understand that?”

“I’m a tiresome ward for you, Maharaj. You should send me away.”

“Send you away? That is your solution? Send you away? You simpleton… But why am I doing this? No. I must come to the point. Otherwise you will keep pretending to not understand. I am not going to send you away, Chandrika. What I am going to do is to marry you and keep you with me. Forever.”

“That is not possible,” her voice quivered.

“Why not?”

“Maharaj. It isn’t right.”

He hesitated this time. When he spoke again, his voice was somber and calm, not agitated and urgent like earlier. “Have I overlooked something? Are you betrothed to someone? Or would like to be?”

For a moment, she almost felt like saying ‘yes’ to that. That would make him back off. But where would she bring a lover from when he would want to meet him? So, she shook her head honestly.

“Are you afraid that your sister will object?” He was now trying to cool-headedly think of all the possibilities behind her objection? But she shook her head again.

“What is it then? Something tells me that the objection is not your heart. But if it is, you will have to tell me. If it is somewhere else, then also you will have to tell me.”

“You will not understand, Maharaj. You must let me go.”

“Let you go? You are not the prisoner, Chadrika. I am. Of my desires and passion and love for you. I will wait until you think me capable enough to understand.”

“You can’t wait forever,” she said querulously.

“Why not?”

“Will you marry me forcefully? Without my consent?”

“Never.”

“But I must get married. Once I do, I will belong to another man. You can’t keep desiring me then.”

“Who will you get married to?”

“I don’t know. As the head of the family, it is your responsibility to get me married.”

“Chandrika!” Her insolence infuriated him. She trembled visibly. Seeing her condition, his anger vanished almost as quickly as it had arisen. He laughed out loud. “Oh! You ridiculous woman. If I as much as lift my eyebrows, you start trembling like a dry leaf. And yet, you wouldn’t let a single chance of infuriating me slip by. What am I to do with you?”

“That wasn’t my intention, Sir. I am sorry,” she said in a small voice.

“I know. You don’t intend to do it. It is just in your nature to make me lose my mind,” he said, looking amused, “And I am pathological enough to love it. So, here is the deal, Chandrika. Either you will surrender to me, or you will take me into confidence and share the reason for your objection. Until then, don’t expect me to do my duty of getting your married. I will shirk it all my life if needed. I don’t care what people say.”

He paused to see he she would say something. But she just sat there with bowed head.

“And for God’s sake, get out of this sick bed. I am going to send your maids back to help you dress up. I expect you to join your sister for lunch as you always do. And I will come to the courtyard in the evening. We will practice sword-fighting. I can teach you to do better.”

He didn’t bother with the formalities of greetings and walked out. Only then did she lift her eyes and look at his receding form longingly.

—

To be continued

Chandrika was stupefied. The situation was uncomfortable enough as it was. Now this invitation. What was she to do? Refusing him would be rude and he might find it insulting. But she didn’t want to be alone with him. Madhumita accompanying them would have been the best. But she was not much of a horse-rider and it was definitely not safe in her current situation. Oh Lord! Just before she had resigned to her fate, an idea struck her.

“I will ask my friends to get ready.”

“Do they ride?” he raised his eyebrows.

“Many of them do.” With her own entourage, she could be comfortable.

She had wanted to meet Madhumita before leaving, but was informed that she had gone for a walk in the garden. He couldn’t make Bhumimitra wait until Madhu could be called back. So, reluctantly, she left with him.

But once inside the jungle, she lost all sense of caution and propriety. She was in the open wilderness after long. She rode so carelessly and so fast that nobody other than Bhumimitra was able to keep pace with her. Finally fearing that everyone would get lost, he asked her friends to wait at a marked place. While doing that, he also lost track of her for a while. But he re-located her soon.

“Chandrika!” he shouted after her, “Stop and get down. Right at this moment. Now!”

Him addressing her angrily by her first name sent tremors down her body. Scared to the core, she stopped and got down as he had ordered. He caught up with her and continued in the same tone. “What do you think you are doing? Where are you going without a care in the world? How would you have come back?”

“I… I was… marking the trees. I… would know… how to come back,” she stuttered her response.

He frowned, “Marking the trees? You mean like the jungle-dwellers do?”

She nodded. She had those skills too! If he had not been so angry, he would really have been impressed. But right now his mood didn’t allow him to be indulgent.

“You had come with your friends, right? What about them? Do they also know this voodoo of marking the trees? Who was responsible for them?”

This complain was genuine. She was ashamed and stood with bowed head. She had completely disregarded others in savoring her delight of the jungle.

“Come back with me now,” he ordered and she followed him meekly.

—

“Madhu!” she ran to her sister and put her head in her lap. Then she started crying.

“What… What happened, Chanda? You were with Maharaj, right? Riding?”

“Keep me away from him, Madhu. Send me back to Chandranagar. Or lock me up in a room.”

“Don’t scare me like this, my sister. Tell me. What has happened? Why are you crying?”

Through her tears and hiccups, she somehow managed to tell Madhu about how Bhumimitra knew about her jungle sojourns in Chandranagar. And also what happened during the ride that day.

Before Madhu could react or assure her, Bhumimitra was announced. Chandrika jumped out of the bed and made to leave as she always did when he came to her sister’s room. But before she could leave, he had already come in. He looked relieved on finding her there and stopped her. “Please do not leave, Princess.”

Chandrika froze right where she was. She kept her eyes downcast. Madhumita could not bear to see her sister like that. She did have motherly instincts for her.

“It’s all right, Chanda. You made a mistake. Everybody does. Just apologize. He will forgive you, won’t you Maharaj?”

“She has apologized already. She doesn’t need to,” Bhumimitra lied. She had been too stunned with his angry reproof to open her mouth even to apologize and had ridden back in silence beside him. He repented being so stern on seeing how miserable she was, “It was I who wanted to apologize. I was very rude to you, Princess. I had no business scolding you like that. I am sorry.”

Chandrika stood still, neither uttering a word, nor showing any change in her countenance.

Madhumita was flustered at her reaction, or the lack of it. She should have been quick to say that he needn’t apologize and as the head of the family it was his right to reprimand her if she made a mistake. But she was just standing there like a statue.

“Chanda. That’s so rude. Say something,” she prodded her sister.

“Let her be, Rani Madhumita. You can go, Princess.” As soon as the permission was uttered, she ran away from there.

“I apologize on her behalf, Swami,” she addressed him not as Maharaj but as her husband in private, “She isn’t the most tactful woman you would see. She has grown up motherless and is…”

“It’s all right, Madhu, it really is. It wasn’t her fault. I also know what she is like. I should have been more careful in chaperoning her. Don’t badger her about it. I hate to see her distressed. And you too. Don’t stress yourself in your current situation. Had Vaidyaraj come to see you today?”

“Yes. He had,” she replied and looked gratefully at her husband. He was a kind and generous man. It was possible to fall in love with him. Not just out of duty, but because of his persona.

“I am going to see Maharani Padmaja,” he said, “Will you please check up on Princess and assure her that she need not be distressed.”

“I will do that, Swami. Don’t worry about her.”

—

Chandrika’s maid informed Madhu that she had already gone to the bed.

“So early?” This was another peculiarity of Chandrika. She was a night owl. She often painted or read till late into the night.

“She said she wasn’t feeling well.”

“Is she unwell? What happened?”

“I checked her forehead and pulse. There were no signs of fever. I think she might be tired after the jungle excursion. She rode too fast. Maharaj had to go after her to bring her back.”

“Hmm…” Madhumita went in to check for herself.  There were indeed no signs of fever. But she probably wanted to sleep her moroseness out. So, Madhumita decided not to wake her up and came back to her room.

—

To be continued

Bhumimitra had been an effective administrator since he was very young. It hadn’t been so for no reason.  He knew people. He could detect a lie in shrewdest of the people, in the most conniving of women. Princess Chandrika was far too simple. He could see that she was being truthful when she said that her father didn’t know. But not so in case of her sister. But he wasn’t going to give her grief about that. What had impressed him was how much she cared for her sister. Coming forward to talk about this could not have been an easy decision. She could have stayed away, pretending to not know him. But she didn’t do that. It showed such simplicity, and so much sensitivity. She was not of this world!

“I understand,” he replied in as reassuring a tone as he could manage.

“I am really grateful for that, Maharaj. And I assure you that you will not have to trouble yourself on my account in future. I will have the plan changed so that I do not accompany Madhu to Raigarh…”

“You must not do anything like that, Princess. I’m sorry if my assurance was not emphatic enough. I have taken no offence at all. In fact, your presence there was godsend for me. Else I would have eaten that fruit and would have fallen sick on such an important day.”

She sighed on hearing that. She had forgotten about the fruit altogether.

“Besides, I would hate to disappoint your sister, who would be looking forward to your company in her new home,” he added.

Their eyes met for a moment. And for some reason, Chandrika felt that he wasn’t really thinking about Madhumita when he said that. She averted her eyes immediately.

“I will get going,” she said and got up, “My sister will be here shortly.” It was their wedding night and Madhumita was already getting ready.

He nodded and sat up to see her off. She stopped abruptly at the door, turned back and started speaking on an impulse, “I didn’t want to scare you then. But the effects of that fruit are more dreadful than just an upset stomach. If it is not treated in time, and often it is not, because people think of the symptom as regular stomach upset, it can be fatal. That fruit can be processed to make a very potent, quick-acting poison. So, yes – despite the embarrassments it caused, even I am happy that I was there.” And she left.

—

When Chandrika left, a stupefied Bhummimitra immediately sent for the doctor who was traveling with him. He had brought the fruit back with him from the jungle. He showed it to the doctor and asked about the edibility of the fruit. The doctor corroborated the effects that Chandrika had mentioned including potential fatality.

“Who gave it to you, Maharaj?” the doctor asked with concern. Was there some danger? Was someone trying to kill him?

“Nobody gave it to me, Vaidyaraj. Someone stopped me from eating it. Someone saved my life.”

Soon after the doctor left, a shy and nervous Madhumita was pushed into his room by her giggling friends. As they greeted each other and walked to the bed, he noticed that that she was beautiful. Not wild like Chandrika, but gracefully beautiful. The sisters did share a lot of facial features though.

The short conversation he had with Madhumita convinced him that she had all the tact and understanding to make a good queen. Ever since his first wife had lost the hope of conceiving, she had been disinterested in her family and royal duties. She spent most of her time in her temple. The antahpur, being managed by servants and relatives, was not in a great shape. Bhumimitra was worried about the politics going on there. So, he was relieved when he felt that antahpur could be entrusted to Madhumita.

And yet, as he took her to bed, he could not help fantasizing about Chandrika. It didn’t help that they had similar looks. While his wife would make him a great queen, it was her sister who excited a lover’s passion in him. How messed up things could be!

—

“Bravo!” his voice startled everyone in the courtyard. Chandrika was practicing sword-fighting with her friends. Her opponent had just lost her sword and Chandrika had her at her mercy.

Everyone stood up startled and bowed to him, including Chandrika. Then her friends looked at her to see if she wanted them to do anything specific. Since that was not the case, they left, leaving them alone. Chandrika knew, though, that they were not alone. Madhumita, pregnant with her first child, had been watching from the balcony upstairs while they practiced. There was no reason that she would have left now. But Bhumimitra was not aware of her presence.

“I had no idea that you are not just an expert in jungle’s flora and fauna, but sword-fighting too.”

“I am no expert, Sir. I do not get to practice with professionals, just my friends, who are worse than I am.”

“Would you like to practice with me?”

“You Sir?” she smiled dismissively, “You are very indulgent. But I’m sure there are more important demands on your time.”

“Don’t worry about that. Humor me.”

“Now?”

“Why not? Are you tired?”

“No. Not in the least.”

As Chandrika knew very well, she was no match for Bhumimitra. He fought seriously and put her on defensive from the very beginning. She was sweating profusely soon enough. It was then that his eyes fell on a bead of sweat falling from her temples and running down her cheek. He was distracted. And in an aggressive move that surprised Chandrika herself, she was able to break his sword.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed and then started laughing, “A man has to fight much more than bodily strength and skills with swords.”

She flushed knowing fully well what he was referring to, and also with the realization that her sister was watching all this and she would have understood as well.

“Anyway Princess. I had come to you with a different request. I am afraid you would be getting rather bored in the antahpur. I was thinking of taking a ride in the jungle. There is one that starts barely five miles from here. Would you like to accompany me?”

—

To be continued

Bhumimitra keenly observed as his bride walked to the mandap. She had her veil on and walked with bowed head as modesty demanded. So, he could not make out her face. He tried to focus on her height and gait. Could it really be she? No. She was of shorter height and heavier built than the girl in the jungle. A prank it was then. He was about to slip into his usual disinterestedness in the proceedings, when he felt someone’s looking at him. Not liked other curious guests, but… He looked in that direction and found himself staring into a pair of shocked and terrified eyes. But they still and there was no mistaking them. She had obviously recognized him and was anxious about the consequences. Who was she? She was walking with the bride. Some companion playing the prank in the name of her mistress, he thought at first. But then he noticed her dress and jewelry. Those were next to only bride in their splendor. And then it struck him. It was no prank. She was Maharaj Chandravarna’s daughter, all right. But not the one he was getting married too. The younger one. He tried to think what her name was, but could not remember. He hadn’t been paying attention when he was getting those details. The only reason he remembered his bride’s name was because he had seen the invitations being sent out.

Even though he could marry her if he wanted, but today he was marrying Madhumita. And fantasizing about her sister on their wedding day just didn’t seem right. He averted his eyes and tried to focus on the ongoing rituals.

—

Chandrika felt her world coming tumbling down the moment she laid her eyes on King Bhumimitra. She had tugged at her dupatta to cover her face before he could see her. But it was her sister’s wedding at her father’s place. She hadn’t planned on being in purdah and her dupatta was not arranged to allow it. Before she could think of an alternative, he had already seen her. If her presence weren’t required for several of the rituals, she would have fled the scene. But as the luck would have it, she was obliged to sit next to her sister throughout the wedding, and in consequence, to be in close proximity with him. He did not give any signs of remembering the jungle-meeting all this while, but she knew better.

Chandrika lingered around the room in antahpur where Bhumimitra was staying after the wedding. She had to meet him and clear the air somehow. He was supposed to be resting; so just barging in won’t do. She was cursing herself for her recklessness. Of all the things, why had she introduced herself to him? If she hadn’t declared who she was, she could now have pretended that she had nothing to with the jungle and he must be confusing her with someone else. She didn’t usually go about revealing her identity when she rode around. But it was her last time there. Once she went to Raigarh with her sister, she knew that she would be confined to the antahpur. She couldn’t take these liberties there. That’s why the heedlessness had taken hold on her. Announcing who she was had felt empowering. Nobody was going to see her in those jungles again. And if some soldier did claim to have met the princess of Chandranagar there, who would believe him? If only she had known what potential calamity she was bringing upon herself, and more disastrously, on her sister in that one rash moment…

She saw a maid going in with a glass of juice and some refreshments. “Is Maharaj Bhumimitra awake?” Chandrika intercepted her and asked.

“Yes Princess. And he has asked for these…”

“Let me take it…”

“You Princess?” the maid was appalled at the idea of her mistress doing this, “Am I doing something wrong? There hasn’t been a royal wedding in years here. But we are trying our best…”

“Nothing is wrong, Champa. But nothing is wrong in me carrying it either. He is our guest, isn’t he? And the son-in-law of the royal family. Don’t worry. Give it to me. And stay around in case he wants something else.”

“As you say, Princess,” the maid reluctantly handed over the tray to her.

Bhumimitra and his aide were also startled when they saw who had come with the tray. Bhumimitra stood up. The orderly did not need to wait for his master’s signal. He hurriedly took the tray from her and set it on the table. Bhumimitra and Chandrika exchanged greetings silently by folding their hands to each other. Then he motioned his orderly to leave.

“Princess Chandrika. You need not have troubled yourself,” Bhumimitra spoke as soon as they were alone. He had found out her name by then.

“You are the most important guest this palace has ever seen, Maharaj. There can be nothing wrong in my being of service to you.”

“Please do have a seat,” he waited for her to sit down and took a seat himself before continuing, “You are too humble, Princess. I appreciate it. But you must not do this again. Servants will do just fine for me. Your people here are well-behaved and well-trained. They have not given me any reasons to complain till now.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Sir. And I am sorry that my actions repeatedly offend your sensibilities. I will try to stay out of your way from now on. But for the sake of my family and my sister’s honor, I must explain one of them.”

Bhumimitra knew where this was going, but he waited for her to complete.

“Firstly I must apologize. My address to your in our earlier meeting was crude. I did not recognize you…”

“You weren’t supposed to. That was the whole point of disguise.”

“My presence there itself was offence enough. But I assure you, Sir, that I had no dishonorable motives in my jungle trip. I just love being there for myself. But it doesn’t reflect in anyway on my father or my sister. Despite my childish boast, my father knows nothing about my sojourns there. He wouldn’t have allowed it. Nor would my sister.”

—

To be continued

“Oh Madhu!” Chandrika put her arms around her elder sister, who was painstakingly getting ready for her wedding. “Aren’t you scared? Not even a little bit?”

“What should I be scared of, Chanda?” Between the sisters, they didn’t speak Sanskrit. They spoke the commoner’s language which they used with their friends and servants too.  That’s how her pet name did not sound out of place in their conversation.

“He is married already.”

Madhumita chuckled, “Oh my baby sister. For how long will you remain a baby? Since when has it become news that kings have multiple wives? And in this case, it is hardly a concern. I am the one who will have his heir.”

“But his affection? Who will have that?”

“None of his wives, in all likelihood. It is probably a mistress who already has all his affection. Why worry about all that?”

“It’s not like they stop when they have an heir. When they have mistresses to fulfill other needs, for providing variety and for doing all their biddings, why do they still keep marrying?”

“It’s politics, Chanda. Why do you think this wedding is happening? Any princess could have given him an heir. But only this alliance could have given him Chandranagar.”

“But our father never remarried. Even after mother passed away…”

“May be he made a mistake, Chanda. May be he should have married. Then we would have had more well-wishers and friends.”

This brought tears to both their eyes. With their father’s failing health, things hadn’t been easy on them. Their mother had died when Chandrika was little. They had no brother and their father never remarried. Now all sorts of relatives had their eyes on the riches of the family and kingdom. They were going to depend on Bhumimitra now to keep them at bay.

“What are you sisters crying for?” Mrinalini, one of their friends and companions, came in just then. “Princess Chandrika, you are also going with Princess Madhumita. What are those tears for, then? It is not like you are going to be separated.”

The sisters forced a smile on their lips. They couldn’t have discussed their troubles, especially the political ones, with their companions.  Younger sister accompanying the elder sister marrying a king was a common tradition in their age. This kept them from being lonely. The younger sister could also be married to the king later, if he so wished. Else she would be found a suitable groom in the royal family. In this case, however, there was a very practical reason for Chandrika going with Madhumita. The political intrigues of the court were always reflected in the dynamics of antahpur too. The same enemies who were a danger to King Chandravarna, also had their shadows in the antahpur. Chandrika was not worldly-wise like her sister. She wouldn’t have been able to protect herself against the intrigues once Madhumita went away. She had to go with her for her safety. But all this could not be told to Mrinalini.

“Why Mrinalini? You aren’t sparing a thought about us leaving our father behind. Don’t you think we will miss him?” Madhumita came up with an alibi for their tears.

“Ah! You princess, once you are in your husband’s arm, would not have a thought to spare for your father. I can grant that princess Chandrika would indeed miss him.”

“Why? If it is only about finding a husband and she would be comfortable away from her father’s home, then we will find her one quickly,” grinned Madhumita, “Probably Maharaj himself…”

“Madhu!”

“Well.. My kid sister wants Shri Rama for a husband, who would promise to be faithful only to her…”

“God forbid anyone should have Shri Rama for a husband who would throw her out at the slightest pretext! Madhu…” she had started off bitterly at the mention of Shri Rama, but grew emotional as she came to her point, “You are not just a sister to me, Madhu. You are my mother. You have brought me up like one. You have protected me like one. How can I ever be a rival to you? No. You must not say such things. Otherwise I will not go with you. Let me perish, if that’s what must happen.”

“Oh Chanda. My baby,” Madhumita hugged her sister tight, not only to comfort her, but also to stop her from speaking too much while Mrinalini was still there. “Mrinalini. She is worried about nothing except her jungle sojourns coming to an end,” Madhumita continued jocularly, “And that, I am afraid, you must give up, Chanda. Else it would create an unprecedented commotion at Raigarh palace.”

Chandrika smiled understanding that her sister was trying to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry,” she assured her sister.

“By the way, if anyone is interested,” Mrinalini said excitedly, “I have some reports of what Maharaj of Raigarh looks like.”

Chandrika noticed that despite the cold practicality with which her sister regarded royal marriages, her eyes shone at the mention of her groom’s name. But she wouldn’t say anything out of modesty. So, Chandrika decided to come to her rescue and asked, “Out with it, Mrinalini. What does he look like?”

“Like Lord Krishna…”

“He is dark-skinned?” Chandrika made a face to tease her sister, whose face fell.

“Oh no, Princess. How you twist my words. What I meant is that he had those looks which would make any woman swoon. He could have women eating out of his hands like Lord Krishna. And fair as marble if you must know. You know what they say? That he has led thirty-six wars and won all of them. But nothing in his countenance looks like he is a war-torn soldier, so perfectly groomed he is. He is war-toughened, I would say.”

Chandrika winked at her sister. But her thoughts, at that description, went back to the soldier she had met in the jungle yesterday. Fair as marble. That he was! And didn’t look war-torn at all. Was he even a soldier? “You are tempting my sister, Mrinalini,” she said outwardly.

“Are you tempted too, Princess Chandrika?”

“Shut up, Mrinalini. Else I swear I will have your skin ripped off.”

Mrinalini grinned insolently and then went away on some errand.

—

To be continued

“Oh Soldier! You cannot be a native.”

The voice had been startling enough, and he turned to meet a sight no less astonishing. A young woman, dressed in a curious mix of men’s and women’s clothes, was riding a horse skilfully. She came to stop near him.

“Why would you think so?” he asked cautiously, though still disconcerted by the absurdity of the situation. There was nothing in the soldier’s attire to give away that he did not belong to the place. She couldn’t have divined it from his speech, because she hadn’t heard him speak till then. And what on earth was a woman doing in a jungle, dressed like that, riding a horse? Did they have female dacoits in this area?

“If you were, you would have known better than to pluck that fruit to eat. You won’t have any control over your stomach from the moment you as much as smell it.”

“Is that so?”

“You can try. But don’t tell me I didn’t warn.”

“It seems like a divine warning. I won’t dare.”

“Divine?” she frowned.

“Well – it isn’t every day that I see women riding horses and cautioning soldiers. Either you are a dacoit, or an incarnation of Devi Durga. And you look too kind, despite your severe clothing, to be the former.”

She laughed. He had never heard a woman laugh like that. It was a hearty laughter. A laughter with no pretense, not agenda, no hidden motive, nothing except the expression of amusement she felt. He found himself mesmerized by it and had to exert some efforts to come to himself.

“I am sorry to disappoint,” said the woman with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “That I am neither a dacoit, nor an incarnation of someone divine. I am a mortal woman.”

“Am I to understand then that citizens of Chandranagar are used to sights such as these?” he referred to her attire and horse-riding.

“Not at all.”

“How am I, an outsider, so fortunate then?”

“Because you have had the fortune of meeting King Chandravarna’s daughter,” she said haughtily, “Nobody can stop me from doing what I want.” With she turned her horse back, and before he could recover from the shock her declaration had caused, she was out of his sight.

—

King Bhumimitra returned to his quarters in Chandranagar’s royal guest house. His impending wedding to Chandranagar’s pricess Madhumita was arranged with the view of making the two states allies. King Chandravarna had no son of his own. It was decided that Madhumita’s eldest son would succeed him to the throne of Chandranagar, apart from the Bhanumitra’s own kingdom of Raigarh. What was also implied, but not said, was that given King Chandravarna’s age and falling health, Bhumimitra would be the practical ruler of Chandranagar too, until the son was born and was of age to hold the reins of the kingdom.

His sojourn in the jungle was a preparation for the responsibility of managing Chandranagar that was to fall on him with the wedding. If he had to rule the state, he needed to know the terrain, the people and everything about the kingdom. He wasn’t the kind of depend on his assistants for ground-work. It was a recipe of disaster for the ruler to lose touch with the ground realities, his father used to say. He had built his kingdom in Raigarh from scratch. Bhumimitra’s own experience had never given him the reason to doubt this wisdom.

Until now this wedding had been nothing but a necessary chore to him. He was disinterested in the preparations and had mechanically done what people around him had asked him to do. Once they had reached Chandranagar, most of his time had gone into information gathering and planning for the political and military tasks that lay ahead of him. He had never had a moment to spare for the thought of his  would-be wife. His second wife to be exact. He hadn’t been particularly interested in his first marriage either. He was much younger then. And was much more interested in his sports and hunting than in acquiring a wife. Although neither then, nor now, was he unacquainted with the pleasures of female company. But princes and kings didn’t marry for those pleasures. Pleasure was available more readily and in better form elsewhere. They married for duty.  With his second marriage, he would expand his military influence. Besides he needed to beget a son. His first wife, beautiful and graceful as she was, had failed to give him any children.

But now he was restless and for the first time thought about his bride. Was that her he had met? That woman wandering in jungles on horseback wearing that strange dress? Just a day before her wedding? Could she really be the princess of Chandranagar? After changing into comfortable resting clothes with the help of his aide, Bhumimitra tried to think carefully. He recalled the horse. No doubt it was good enough to be the star of even a royal stable. What about the woman herself? She hadn’t conversed with him in Sanskrit, but in the local tongue of commoners.  She couldn’t be the princess… But she had taken him to be a common soldier. That could explain her choice of language. How did she look? There was obviously no attempt at a purdah, and yet he couldn’t recall a lot about her face. The features were soft and kindly for sure. But most of her face was obscured by a scarf and a bandanna she was wearing. He hadn’t had a glimpse of her hair either. He couldn’t recall any other feature of hers vividly, except her eyes. They had glown with amusement, laughter and mischief alternately. And yet, were there signs of the grooming of a princess? Probably…

But what was he to make of the situation? If that woman was indeed going to be his wife, what did it mean for him?

His thought about his preferences. He had always liked women who challenged him. He didn’t expect to find it in his first wife. She surrendered out of duty. And he didn’t expect anything different from his second wife either.  His mistresses and professionals were different. Because they were adept at sensing their client’s preferences and were ever ready to play to his tastes. He knew it was a pretense, but it was best that could be had. But now… A smile formed on his lips. If she was indeed the princess, how he would love to tame her wildness in the bed. And otherwise, if necessary.

But it could all be a prank. It could be some common girl living out her fantasy of being a princess with such announcements. That horse though… In any case, he would not get too excited.

It was the eve of his wedding. He would relax and take a break from planning the future of Chandranagar’s administration. He deserved a break once in a while. His well-wishers often accused him of overworking himself. Even if he agreed with them, he couldn’t be otherwise. Apart from the kingdom of Raigarh, he had also inherited workaholism from his father.

—

To be continued

“And where did you learn to be doctor?” he asked as she put a soothing paste on his injuries in the camp at night. Their progress in the battle over last two days had been great. The next morning was going to be decisive and they were sure of winning. She wore a soldier’s uniform and hovered around him like a bodyguard the entire day. More than once she had noticed a distant arrow coming his way and had countered it saving him from some major potential injuries. But she had one strict order from him, which she wouldn’t violate. She was to do everything from a chariot and it was a well protected chariot. “Save me when you can, but don’t put yourself in harm’s way. Not even once. I’d be very angry if that happened,” he had said. She hadn’t argued. Apart from everything else, it was a question of his reputation. If something happened to her in the battlefield, he’d have to answer the society all his life.

“Partly from overhearing our Raj-vaidya’s lessons to his son in Chandranagar palace. And partly from my friends in jungle,” she replied.

“So, when you weren’t roaming in the jungles, you went around overhearing people? Your father in the court, Raj-vaidya while teaching his son. What else?” he gave her an amused smile.

“Don’t make fun of me. Else I will leave you to the care of bitter medicines from our Raj-vaidya,” she pouted. She made to get away from him. But he held her hands and did not let her move.

“Chandrika. These medicines are not what are curing me really. It’s you, your presence.  With them I have tasted the elixir of life. Don’t take it away from me.” He sounded like a young, inexperienced man in first love, spouting cheesy lines. He was not that man, but it was his first love.

He may or may not be experienced in love, but she definitely wasn’t. It was enough to melt her heart. She stayed back and let him draw her closer to himself. He kissed her; she was giving in, when she remembered something and stepped back. “I am sorry, Priya. Not today.”

“Why not?” his voice was hoarse.

“According to the calculations, tonight, in fact for next five nights… it can lead to pregnancy.”

“And how on earth do you know that?”

“Overheard… Raj-vaidya,” she replied sheepishly.

“It can be calculated?”

“Yes. That’s how they tell you the shubha muhurta… Especially for niyoga… Or when one faces difficulty in conceiving.”

Bhumimitra guffawed, “I have to learn your overhearing skills, Queen Ma’am. You are a kshatriya, a Brahmin, a vaidya and God knows what else rolled into one. And all thanks to overhearing!”

She blushed and did not say anything.

“But don’t you want to get pregnant?” he asked somberly after a pause. You could never be sure with her. She might have a difficult-to-argue-against logic for that too.

“I do,” she assured him hastily, “But not until the battle is over. Not in this environment of violence.”

“Fair enough,” he conceded as usual, then added after a pause, “Devi. There is one thing I promise you today. No. Two things.”

“What are those?” she asked looking puzzled. Why promises all of the sudden?

“While it is too late to say that I will marry no one other than you. Because I already have. But I promise that I will not marry again in future….”

“Hold on, Sir. Think before promising such a thing. There might be political reasons.”

“I have thought it through, Devi. And I have realized that where there is a will, there is a way.”

Chandrika looked stunned. Did he really promise her that?

“Don’t look so incredulous Devi Chandrika. If Shri Rama Chandra could do it…”

“Please. Don’t compare yourself to him.”

“I won’t dare. He was Maryada Purushottam…”

“He didn’t trust his wife, even after knowing her for years. You trusted me from the beginning. I won’t want some Shri Rama Chandra as a husband. Comparing you to him is an injustice.”

It was Bhumimitra’s turn to look stunned. Then he smiled and shook his head. She won’t stop surprising him.

“I’m sorry,” she said timidly as she felt that she might have said too much, “I know he is supposed to be the epitome of manhood or whatever. I just think differently, you know…”

“Yes. You think differently and charmingly.”

“And God is kind to me. I have not been punished for it.”

“Why should you be?”

“Very early on in my life, Sir, as I roamed around in those jungles and dreamt of a life that was different from those around me, I had known that my dreams would never become reality. Because I wasn’t willing to rebel. I always felt that people apart from me would get affected. When I wasn’t willing to risk breaking the mold, how could I expect anyone else to do it for me? So, I lived with my dreams. And then one day, I learned that I was going to get married. I felt that I had lost my dreams as well. But you not only restored that dream for me, you broke all the molds to make them a reality. I might be irreverent Sir, but I am not selfish and ungrateful. You have my loyalty for life. You don’t need to do anything, make any promises to me.”

“What if I did something that broke your dream again?” he asked with a knowing smile.

“I’d know that there must a good reason for you to do that.”

“I don’t need to, but I still have another promise to make to you.”

“I am all ears.”

He held her hands before saying it, “Your son will be the crown prince of my kingdom.”

If the earlier promise had stunned her, this one shocked her. “How Sir? The eldest is supposed to…”

“As the king I am the right to select the crown prince based on merit. Pandu was declared the king even though he was not the eldest.” She had already debunked Ramayana. He waited and wondered if Mahabharata will meet the safe fate at her hands.

But her questions were in a different direction, “My son isn’t even born yet. How do you know if he would have the merit?”

“If you bring him up, he will have it.”

“Queens don’t get to bring up their children. There are nurses and maids…”

“You can. And you will. You are the queen. Nobody can question what a queen decides to do in the antahpur. And decisiveness is not something you lack.”

She grew emotional. She leaned towards him and rested her head on his chest. He put his arms around her gently.

“You have always been indulgent. Can I extract a third promise out of you tonight?”

“What do you want?”

“You won’t marry my daughters off without their consent.”

He smiled as if expecting it. “I promise!”

—

With the first attack of the day, the enemy troops camped at Raigarh were crushed for good. Then small groups were sent to the other nearby cities and kingdoms after extracting information from the prisoners of enemy camps. By afternoon, the news of victory came from everywhere the enemy was stationed.

“Where are you going?” Chandrika saw Bhumimitra changing and getting ready to go out.

“There are some prisoners that need my attention,” he replied. His tone was bitter. She realized he was talking about the two queens trapped in the now abandoned enemy camps.

“What punishment are you going to give to them?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“What punishment do you think they deserve?”

“Not death. Not homelessness.”

“Do you know who I am talking about?” he sounded annoyed.

“Queens Devamati and Shripriya.”

“Don’t call them queens. It’s an insult. And since when did you start condoning their conduct?”

“I am not condoning it. I just don’t condone violence either. If enemy tries to capture your home, it is unavoidable. But otherwise… I agree that they betrayed you. They were weak. You don’t need to accept them back. But they were also prisoners of the circumstances. In presence of Queen Padmaja, they could not accept their weakness and leave the palace. Should one be killed for being weak? Many weak men are allowed to live just fine. Why not women?”

“You are an exasperating woman, Chandrika.” The king looked perplexed. Why did she always have the right arguments ready?

“I… I am sorry. I didn’t mean to annoy you. It is your decision, Sir.”

“Will you come with me?” he asked.

“I shouldn’t… Having you to myself might be an impossible dream come true. But I had never wished such fate on any of the queens. Whether it was Maharani Padmaja, or the other two. My presence would look like I am taunting them. But if you want me to…”

“No. That’s fine. Stay here. I will deal with it. And after I come back, we will enter the city. There would be great fanfare, of course. You might want to have someone fetch your dresses and jewelry from the palace.”

“Yes Sir,” she would have liked to enter in a soldier’s uniform, but she decided not to argue. He was already annoyed.

—

The two queens fell on king’s feet when he went to them and begged to be forgiven. He spared their lives, but they were not to enter the city or the palace again. They would be given a place to stay far from the city. Until that was arranged they were to stay back in the camp.

Chandrika entered the city with Bhumimitra as the Maharani of Raigarh. The stories of her exploits, and how she was with the king at every step had already spread around. The cheers from the subjects refused to die.

After the celebrations, he asked Chandrika about their friends in jungle. “We should do something for them Devi Chandrika. And I need your guidance on what to do?”

“For most part, those people like to be left alone by the city dwellers,” she smiled, “But I will arrange for some suitable gift and go to them myself.”

“I will accompany you. Anything else?”

“Some of the youngsters, Sir, who helped us as messengers…”

“Yes?”

“They are fascinated with the idea of city life. Would you be willing to offer them some work?”

“Why not? They have already proved that they can be a useful part of the army. As messengers, and if they want to be trained, even as soldiers.”

“I will convey it to them.”

The next day, they performed the last rites of Queen Padmaja. The king looked sad. Theirs was the longest association. He was very affectionate towards her. “She wasn’t being forced,” he wondered aloud, “Why did she do that?”

“I didn’t understand it either. But feeling the way I do for you now,” replied Chandrika, “I won’t be surprised if I also embraced death in case something happened to you. But I would like to do it differently. In the battlefield beside you. Not without fighting back.”

That put a smile on his lips. “Can I extract a promise from you?”

“Anything, Sir.”

“If something does happen to me, and we are not in the battlefield for you to die while fighting, you won’t do this. You will live on.”

She thought for a moment; then nodded. “I promise!”

– The End –