Gauri opened her eyes.
She felt like somebody had just ripped her entire system and pushed it back in.
"Looks like she's up." she could hear a female voice. She turned her head on her side quickly with wide eyes since she didn't recognize the voice.
"Are you okay? Do you remember what happened to you?" the woman knelt besides her while changing the wet cloth on her forehead.
One thing about Gauri was that, her natural reaction wasn't fight or flight but rather freeze. She could never question or talk back in such situations or when she needed to. It was a bad habit of hers, she could see the outcome of something and no matter how good or how bad it would be she would rather stay silent and watch rather than speaking up.
And that was exactly what she was doing, remaining silent. She stayed silent as she took deep breaths in, she had lots to speak, lots to shout but no words escaped her lips. She looked back up facing the high ceiling. After a while she looked around and noticed that she was in a temple.
"Putri?" the woman called once again and Gauri's eyes turned towards the woman. She didn't know if her silence could be considered a good trait or a bad trait especially at this moment.
She didn't move a limb, she remained silent and didn't show any sign of panic. But her eyes spoke clear, they were weary of the woman and studied the woman, her dressing and how she moved.
There was nothing out of the ordinary of the woman, the woman seemed to be somewhere in her 40s. She wore a plain orange saree, her hairline with sindur and her long hair tied up in a bun.
"Where am I?" Gauri's voice came out as a whisper. "You are in the Taleju mandir right now. My husband is the priest here. We found you here during the morning pooja infront of Taleju bhavani." the woman said.
"Are you okay? How did you end up here?" the woman continued her questions. "Is she up Bhavya?" a man's voice could be heard. "Yes swami. She's up but it looks like she is still weak." the woman stood up and went towards her husband.
Gauri made no effort to search for the man or to stand up since she felt like if she even lifted her head a little her body would explode into tiny pieces.
"Who is she? Did she tell you?" she could still hear the man and his wife conversing though. "No. She didn't." the woman said. "By her features she does not look Aryan. Rather her features match up with the description of the Rishika people." she heard the man say. She recognize that they were talking in Sanskrit but it was mixed with the local Nepali dialect.
"But she is wearing a red saree and bangles as well. Rishika people don't wear that." the woman said.
"Gauri...." Gauri spoke gaining their attention. "My name is Gauri." Gauri spoke weakly, her throat hurting as she spoke. She had been taught sanskrit as a child and she knew what they were talking about. She knew they were talking about her facial features which didn't look like typical Aryan features but rather leaning more to Mongolian. She didn't want them to confuse her with a whole different race.
"Putri Gauri..... Tell me how did you get inside the temple even before this opened?" the pandit spoke coming straight to the point. "I assume you do speak our language."
"Swami! Let her rest at least! the poor child can barely speak a little more than a whisper." Bhavya said.
"What did I get into myself?" Gauri thought as her eyes closed and she drifted to sleep.
.
..
...
Gauri was a quiet person. No matter what the situation was she preferred to keep things to herself. Even during her school years when teachers used to ask a question to the class, she would remain quiet even if she knew the correct answer.
Gauri rarely broke that persona of her and mostly always end up regretting it. This was one of those times where she regretted being so brave and speaking.
She had been brought to the court of the King where she was asked multiple questions. She answered every of them truthfully, about her full name being Gauri Syami, being from a newar family, her parents, her everything.
"You are a Kalyugi!" the King suddenly spoke, his voice echoing in his durbar which had gotten real silent after hearing her answers.
"Gods..... I never knew it was possible...... I should've known that what the old and wise left behind was the truth." the King held his head tensed.
"What truth.... maharaja?" Gauri asked, once again regretting that she spoke since all eyes were on her. She sometimes spoke first then thought, this was one of those times.
"All of you leave except for the girl, pradhan mantri and the pandit." the maharaja spoke and all of his ministers quickly left on his command. As they all exited they looked at Gauri examining and studying her with their eyes, many held confusion and many held suspicions and doubts. Gauri didn't enjoy any of single one of those glances as she felt like she was an art in a museum on display for people to watch and criticize.
"Do you swear that everything you spoke just now are the truth, devi?" the King questioned. Gauri nodded her head in reply.
Right now Gauri could be considered abnormally calm for being transported into a whole different timeline out of nowhere. But this just how Gauri was, she wouldn't show much of her real thoughts but later overthink at night and continue overthink for the rest of her life. She would rather rot and suffer from the inside than show it to the whole world.
"I do swear it, maharaja. If anything I said was a lie even by the slightest then the earth shall swallow me alive right at this moment. Whatever I said was the truth." Gauri said.
"Hmm..... still. You will have one test." the maharaja said and took a scroll that his pradhan mantri presented to him. "Raj Vidushi, make sure all of these criteria are fulfilled. Not one must be missing." the maharaja said handing the scroll to the raj pandit's wife who took it.
"Come with me devi." Bavya; the Vidushi said leading Gauri to a room. "Please undress, devi." Vanya said.
"...... Are you going to check for the 32 attributes of perfection, vidushi?" Gauri said. Despite being only 3 years of age when chosen to be the kumari, Gauri had remembered the wife of the raj pandit undressing her and the other girls to choose the ones who had or were the closest to the 32 attributes of perfection.
"It's the order of the maharaja, devi. please understand." Bhavya said. Gauri did feel awkward undressing infront of the vidushi now that she was a grown woman but did it any ways. She took off her saree to let the vidushi confirm that she was capable and suitable for being the vessel to the Goddess Taleju.
The next morning, the word of 'The Avatar of Maa Taleju', 'The embodiment of Taleju Bhavani' spread like wild fire all over Muktisopan.
But Gauri was yet to know what the Maharaja's old and wise ancestors had left behind for the Maharaja to react in such a way and to quickly accept her words unlike any other sane person who would label her a lunatic and banish her away.
