The Enemy's Daughter

Chapter Seventeen

"My lord, forgive me for the bad news," he fell at his feet, a scared look on his face. "It is a catastrophe, my lord. An epidemic has broken out in the city and nearby villages. Men, women, and children are dying of the fever."

Stunned at the piece of news, Harshvardhan held his head in despair. After a moment, curbing the feeling of consternation rising within him, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you sure?"

The man nodded vigorously, wiping the sweat pooling on his brow. "I have seen with my own eyes, my lord. Seven people have died in the village of Lakhanpur, and half a dozen in the city. Hundreds are suffering from the deadly ague."

Harshvardhan felt shaken to the core. Clearing his throat, he commanded, "Ask the doctor to meet me within the hour. The spread of the disease will have to be stopped immediately."

*****

The epidemic raged on throughout the land, taking men and women, young and old in its clutches. A pall of gloom descended on the palace with the servants no longer busy in mindless banter and walking soft-footed. Priyadarshini returned from the temple with the queen by her side. Both of them had gone to offer special prayers for the welfare of the kingdom.

"His Majesty is worried sick, my dear. I no longer know what to do," Queen Devnandini remarked, lines of a frown creasing her forehead. She looked at her daughter-in-law with a smidgen of hope in her eyes, as if seeking reassurance from the younger woman.

Priyadarshini felt her heart constrict with sympathy for the queen. She was really upset. In fact, Priyadarshini herself had not seen the Prince in more than a week. From Lalita, she had come to know that he was busy holding the meeting of the council of ministers. The king had entrusted him with the responsibility of seeing to the welfare of the people. It was enough to consume all his waking hours.

Once in her room, Priyadarshini sat down with a sigh. Her mother-in-law had been really upset. This fact weighed down on her shoulders like a boulder. She did not like this feeling of helplessness. How she wished that she could alleviate the suffering of the people!

"Tell me the latest tidings," she asked Lalita when the latter entered the door, her face crestfallen.

The maid sank down on the cool tiled floor, wringing her hands. "The situation is grim, my lady. Men, women, and children are dying every day. The royal doctor is trying but there isn't much that he can do."

*****

The grand hall was in darkness, unlike other occasions when it used to be lit up with myriad lamps. The only diffused light was from the late evening sun, filtering through the filigreed windows and making patterns on the marbled floor. The man sitting near the window and gazing out had slumped shoulders, proving that his stance was dejected, to say the least. The rest was clear from the lines of anxiety marring his features. Another man paced the hall in an agitated manner. It was obvious that he was at the end of his patience for he was berating his companion.

Priyadarshini walked in on the scene, her gaze falling first on Prithviraj, her husband's friend, and then alighting on the Prince who sat uncaring of the cup of wine which stood in front of him. Prithviraj stared in surprise at her, then bowed in respect, moving aside as she made her way to where the Prince sat deep in thought.

He looked up at last from his contemplation, a question in his eyes as they met hers. "Why are you here, Princess?" he asked when she remained standing silently, seeing how the agonizing days of the pandemic had marked his face. Gone was the look of arrogance and the 'devil may care' attitude. He appeared to have aged in the last few weeks.

She stared pointedly at his friend who was still standing in the room. "Ignore him, Princess. He has been trying his best to lure me to a house of entertainment for the last half hour, and I have ignored him all this time," his lips twisted in a mocking half smile. Prithviraj snorted in disgust and then walked out of the hall.

He patted the seat beside him and she hesitatingly sat down, taking care not to upset the goblet of wine which stood between them. After a moment, she cleared her throat. "I wish to ask you for something, my lord...." she uttered, her gaze downcast.

He raised her face with a finger under her chin. "What is it that you want, my lady? Jewels, clothes, or a pet monkey, perhaps?" he smiled, his eyes indulgent.

She shook her head vehemently. "Why would I need a monkey, for god's sake? And I have too many clothes and jewelry already. I wish for something else, my lord. I require your leave to go among the masses and serve them. I have some knowledge of medicine, as you have seen, and I could be useful in these difficult times."

He jumped up from his seat in surprise. Coming around to her side, he shook her, his glance trying to make out if she was really serious. "Why would you wish to do that? You know that my people hate you, and it is downright dangerous to go out and risk the ague."

"They are my people too, now. I know that I can do much to lessen their suffering," she argued, determined to get her way. She would not leave until he acquiesced to her offer.

He sank down again on his seat, looking ready to argue with her, but one look at her set face and unflinching gaze were enough to tell him that she was dead serious and it would not be easy to change her mind. "Think again, my lady," Harshvardhan advised earnestly.

"I have thought it out at length and I still think that I should do this," she retorted stubbornly. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"You have my permission, Princess to go out of the palace and do what you consider to be right in the circumstances." Overjoyed at his words, she ran to him and in an impulsive move, put her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, my lord," she mumbled shyly, once she realized her forwardness. He pulled her close when she tried to draw away, placing his face next to hers, while his hands caressed her back. "Let me go. I need to find the right herbs in my medicine box," she whispered, though it was clear from her stance that she was in no hurry to move away.

With a great show of reluctance, he let her go, watching the gentle sway of her hips as she slowly made her way out of the hall. How wrong he had been in judging her, he mused. She was far removed from the capricious, willful, and spoilt princess he had imagined her to be, just because she was his enemy's daughter. He had found her to be just the opposite in all the months that they had been married. He now firmly believed that she had never nursed any ill will towards Jaigarh. Nor towards her husband, for that matter. Whatever apprehensions he had had were the products of his own mind which were full of animosity towards her father. He sat down with a sigh. How would he ever redeem himself in her eyes? What could he do to make her fall in love with him, as much as he suspected he was with her?

*****

"Master, the Princess is willing to help us with the work we are doing for the people in the epidemic," the assistant to the royal doctor spoke out as Priyadarshini walked into the apothecary, a maid trailing behind her, carrying her medicine chest.

The doctor glanced up in surprise. "I hope the Prince is agreeable to the idea. I do not wish to get into trouble, my lady," he remarked, his tone acerbic. It was clear that he considered it to be the whim of a willful princess, and nothing more.

Priyadarshini bowed in respect to the old man before opening the wooden chest and taking out a vial of medicinal herbs. "I know very little about medicine, doctor, but my master used to say that this concoction works wonders in cases of fever. Shall we try it on the patients?"

The doctor read the label on the vial, his eyes widening in surprise. He looked at her with new respect in his eyes, as he took the bottle and rose to prepare the dose for the few patients waiting in the other room.