Cittaja || Indian Historical Romance

4.

"But at least tell us who that donkey is." Ameya asked Shakra.

"This is all nonsense. Nothing but pure nonsense. Out of the one time I asked for a soldier to accompany me when I was visiting my friend, all these stories are coming up."

"Oh. Alright then. I'll ask Ishwar to go ahead and reach out to the girl who was speaking to him by the temple yesterday. I thought she was pretty much impressed with Ishwar but shooed him away from her because I thought you liked him. I guess I'll have to go find the girl now."

"What girl?" Medha scrunched up her nose.
The eldest brother and elder sister laughed at her. She huffed trying to retain the little bit of pride left in her.

"You're practically a child. How come you're moving into the household sphere just yet?" Ameya asked her.

"It's a natural process, Ameya. She's growing up. It's normal. Either it will fade away soon or it will take up ahead. In either case, she has every right to choose her husband. Just as much as Maharaja has the right to find a husband for her." Shakra answered.

"In any case, Anna. You need to be careful with Maharaja. You've crossed him thrice now. One with your plans to expand towards Krishneri. Two with you pulling stunts around the court by not paying attention to him and arriving late. Third time with killing Manjri. Don't push him too much. You know him." Aparajita pointed it out to him.

He sighed. "I would rather go off and spend the time joking around with the boys rather than sit in the meeting where we were discussing how they form an alliance with a Kingdom from the North by marriage. As if six weren't enough."

The celebration continued on and Shakra returned to the palace with Aparajita and Medhajita. Leaving them at the wing for all the Princesses and Queen, Shakra walked towards his own wing.

Ananda Bhavan, the royal women's wing, had sculpted arches, large gardens, carved pillars, and lavish rooms. The Bhavan was reserved for the women officially tied to the royal family by marriage or by birth.
On the way towards his own Palace, there was the temple for the Goddess Vishnujita Sri Mahalakshmi.

Shakra half-way always believed that his half-brother, though an illegitimate child of the King, would end up being a saint. Out of everyone, he was the one who was deeply attached to the Goddess. Shakra knew the number of poetries he had written in her honour.

Shakra smiled. "For all your devotion to her, why do you shy away from offering all of your palm leaves and their messages to her? She would maybe become pleased with us."

Kamaljit chuckled. "The society isn't always nice to a child born out of wedlock and that too the child of a concubine, Anna. You've been nice enough to accept me because our father and some of the ancestors ahead had killed off all the bastard children so that there is no competition to the throne. Not everyone's the same."

Shakra rolled his eyes. "They all may have committed fratricide out of political insecurity and jealousy but Amma Vishnujita doesn't have any kind of hatred or bitterness towards you for something that was a result of another man freely expressing his ability to procreate."

"Anna, that 'another man' is our father. The parent that we all share. I don't think society appreciates being rude to fathers."
Shakra sighed and put an arm around his younger brother's shoulder. He led the younger brother out of the wing before Rani Sukanya spotted the boy and it burned that wounded part of her soul again.

Kamaljit was born to Rani Sukanya's maid, Neelambari, who became the King's Concubine. Neelambari still regretted the momentary lapse of judgement on her part and betraying the newly wed bride of the King. Hence, the woman never ever left her chamber in the wing where the courtesans and concubines lived so she didn't ever come across the queen again.
Whenever Rani Sukanya saw Kamaljit, it reminded her of the stinging pain and she would often be a bit harsh at the boy. Shakra did his best to keep the younger brother away from his stepmother whose situation he could understand. That meant that Kamaljit didn't get to see temple where the Goddess lived even if he had deep devotion towards her. Hence, he never really entered the room or stood close enough look inside the room. Their father was hardly bothered about what the other sons did.

"I heard you held a celebration for Abhijit Anna." He asked.

"Yes. Surely not a celebration you would enjoy being a part of." Shakra answered with a chuckle. Kamaljit rolled his eyes.
"What is so great about being in complete lack of control of your senses?"

"You're a hermit. I don't expect you to understand." Shakra scoffed at his younger brother.

Abhinavjit was still in Gurukul at his maternal home.

Kamaljit and Vikramjit, by the nature of the relationship their mothers had with the King, didn't exactly go to the Gurukul along with the other Princes. They had a private tutor.

Although there were quite some troubles within the family, they put a great united front before the people. The people might be aware of and even criticize the King in private but they pretended otherwise in public.