Samsāra

Chapter Thirty

‘What do you think, Ajiona-Devi?’

What? Ajiona quickly sifted through the conversations and the snippets that had burrowed into her head. ‘If he should choose his hands or his tongue?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’

Ajiona raised her cup to her lips and took a sip to buy herself time. There was a trap in the question, she was sure of it. If she gave an unacceptable answer, she would be mocked and humiliated which was precisely what Isha wanted. Flaunting her wealth and status and discussing herself and all the memories she shared with the princes weren’t enough, now she wanted to ridicule Ajiona.

‘I don’t see why he has to choose,’ Ajiona said carefully. ‘Surely a fine will do.’

Someone gasped, Unnika, indignant by the response as though she was hurt by the reply.

Isha smiled kindly. ‘You do not understand royal and noble life, Ajiona-Devi.’ Ajiona tried not to grit her teeth at the insult. ‘We cannot let such things go by.’

‘Of course, rajkumari.  But forgive me, I do not see how a mere song hurts the royal family. It didn’t grow teeth and spears and tried to overthrow the monarchy.’

‘Ajiona-devi -’

Ajiona went on. ‘Maybe I am ignorant, but it seems to me that the punishment was excessive for one man. Unless your goal, rajkumari is to be feared by the people, then that is an excellent tactic.’

Silence befell the assembly.

Ajiona sipped her tea again, luxuriating in the faint taste of mint and persimmon. It was such a nice tea, she should ask for the recipe and maybe brew it for Bhalla. Her mind began to wander off, she snagged it back and smiled politely at Isha. ‘Did he choose, rajkumari?’ she asked demurely.

Isha bared her teeth. ‘Of course, he chose his hands.’

Ajiona tried not to hurl the contents of her cup into her face. It would be a waste of good tea and there was that delicate political intrigue hovering out of sight. ‘Good choice,’ she said and refilled her cup. ‘What did you do to the audience then?’ she asked.

Isha blinked. ‘The audience?’

‘He was a musician, correct? Surely he wasn’t singing to himself in the privacy of his home when you stumbled upon him. It must have been in the square, with people listening. They bore witness to that insult on the royal family and would most likely disperse to their homes to repeat the tale, complain. They must have been tracked down and punished with accordance to the laws of Madulalpuram in regards to the puncture of the royal pride. Otherwise it would be a gross injustice to punish one for the sins of many. They have to have the option of hands or tongue, although that might be a problem for the growth of the economy.’

A shocked silence claimed the gathering. Dark spots of color bloomed on Isha’s cheekbones and her lips were pinched tight, her eyes a point of darkness.

Ajiona dipped her head. ‘I meant no offense, rajkumari. As you said, I am neither nobility nor royalty.’ Even if she was more or less on equal standing with them, still the point stood that she was a guest of the great Sivagami, being trained to fulfil an unspecified role, and they were princesses, born and bred in power. They couldn’t attack her lest they bring the wrath of Sivagami on their heads, but they could orchestrate little accidents that couldn’t be traced back to them.

Isha’s smile would be disarming in another place, right now she had the hungry look of a lion that has been denied its prey. ‘Of course not, Ajiona-devi. We were simply having a discussion and I’m thankful for your thoughts. They were enlightening.’