A TALE FROM THE PAGES OF PAST

COLD PRESENCE

They know something odd is going on between me and Maharaj. The way we never ever interact with each other outside the court. Never see each other's faces at dinners or festivels or at pujas. I had totally secluded myself after the death of royal jyotish. I rarely have contact with aristocracy. If I died it will be talk of a day or two and I will be forgotten like my mother and grandmother. That's what I thought his gaze told me. Suddenly the room grown a lot cooler and creepy. The room grown unnerved. I thought it was only me who was staring in space but it looked like entire room except Maharaj is doing same. A glass kept on Maharaj's side fallen down ringing it's presence in deadly silent meeting room.

"The meeting is adjourned." Maharaj said leaving the room in hurry. We all signed in relief. The cold receded making the room warmer as it can be in winter. Before anyone can further engage me in a conversation I got up and abandoned the meeting room. I didn't stopped till I reached my chambers but my breath hitched immediately after I thought what transpired inside yesterday night. Is I am safe inside anymore I asked myself. My hands hovered over the door handle. I took a deep breath my instincts telling me that the shadow won't come to me in morning with bright sunlight everywhere. "I thought you will never come inside Bhumi ?"

"Maharani." My back immediately straightened as I saw her sitting on the couch her legs on opposite armrest. Elegant and terrifying are the only words that can be used to explain her. She is more terrifying than the black shadow itself. Atleast that's what I thought. "I listened you found the bodies this morning." She stated in a questioning voice. "I unfortunately did Maharani." I agreed with her barely keeping up with my demeanor. "How unfortunate." She said in a blank tone. My father use to say when she first came to palace she was vibrant but years after her emotions died leaving her a emotionless shell of her past.

I can only imagine how much torture and humiliation she must have endured after not conceiving. And losing her love to another female must have hurt worest than that. I don't really blame her for her schemes and tactics. Afterall the palaces and manors are also battlefields where women fight for attention and power like man fight for wealth and land on frontier. Just here the defeats wound the hearts and on frontier the wounds inflected are physical. "You poor thing first loosing your mother and now this. It must be bad." She said in pity which is just another way of mocking me. That's the reason I never interfered with this people. It will definitely kill me before my time.

"I am fine Maharani. If you would have wanted anything you could have called me." I said bowing slightly. My father gave up on his position and station when he married my mother to escape from court drama. It was a miracle their love marriage even got accepted in first place. Now he lives away from capital in a more secluded area covered with acres and acres of paddy fields and tiny hills. He does come regularly to fort to see his old friends and visit me. He probably came to check on me after the heavy rains and went back just before emergency meeting but not without the promise that I will come home tommorow.

"Oh we are just short on a well decorated and beautiful yet secluded palace." She said with a sickening grin. "And then thought you have entire Aavesharahit Mahal to yourself yet you only cleaned and used the topmost level. The other five parts are locked and rotting away. I don't think you will have any objections if the guest princess stay here. Do you ?" She asked her hands clasped looking around the stupid grin still on her face. Another way of telling me I am inferior to her authority. I always will be. "Of course not your highness." I said as I bowed and stayed bowed till she left my chambers. Her hands still clasped together.

I signed and stood up properly and walked towards the jar kept in my room to drink a glass of water. As the cool water drenched my dry throat only after that I noticed how much cool my room had gone. The air was chilled as cold as ice. A again began to hear whispers in my ears. "Reteka." I shouted out for my maid as my legs gave under me. "Call for palanquin. I am visiting my father." I ordered her immediately. She rushed out understanding my condition. I felt as if my blood is freezing. "Killl..Killl...." The voice said again and again in my head. Then at once all became silent except the fluttering of curtains. "Caw...Caw...Caw...." The crow called out from the window. "Rajkumari the palanquin is ready." My maid said.

Without waiting any further I rushed out to the palanquin and ordered to go to my father's house. "Pita ji. Pita ji." I said as I runned from the gate to inner courtyard where he is sitting on a relax chair reading a book with rabbits and squirrels surroundings him. He looked at me in shock taking in my disheveled state. Strands of my hair came loose from the bun I tied this morning, sticking to my sweaty face which is flushed due to running. My chuni is one sided and my breath hectic. I began to breath through my mouth as I slumped against a pillar. "Bhumi what happened ?" He asked with his hand in my cheek. His brown eyes filled with concern. "Drink this." He said giving me a glass water.

I drank from it in small gulps trying to calm my breath and focus my highly uncoordinating eyes. I told him everything of what transpired yesterday night. About the shadow or ghost, about the whispers and the warning. The unexplainable chill and sudden cold presences I felt in last year. "Come with me and dress discreetly." He said as he took hold of my arm and hold me up. At present I can't even trust my legs to keep me up. "To where Pita ji." I asked. "You will see." He said looking grim. In my entire life I have seen him sad, happy, angry but not grim.

"Be careful." He said as we treaded through the forest. The sun will set over the mountains in few hours but we are walking through the half frozen tundra to somewhere. Extremely cold breeze is blowing. But it's of different kind not that cold chill I experienced in past days. The thoughts alone made me gulp nervously. The wolves howled in distance and the dry leaves crunched under my feet as I followed my father in a certain direction but not without marking each and every tree we went by. I had this gut feeling that I may need to use the way soon. Soon a very old and shabby cottage came into view. He knocked on the door. A old yet young woman opened the door with suprise.

The interior was brightened with yellow and orange earthen lamps. The feeling inside was calm yet unnerving. "I am wondering you didn't came sooner Rudra." She said as I spotted her looking in a trunk. I was surprised. As I heard her call him by his second name only a few knows about. "Never ever remove this." She said as she tied a reddish brown rudraksha around my neck woven in red thread. "The sins of father are sins of son or in this case sins of daughter. If you ever want help seek me." She murmured in my ear.  As I looked at her confused and then at my father who made no movement to cross the threshold of the house. I felt that something big is indeed gonna happen soon.