When Shubhasini stumbles upon a mysterious amulet, she finds herself transported in a different world, and different period to the Shivasthambh dynasty. As she navigates the unfamiliar customs and traditions of the period, she catches the eye of the...
I had never been on a horse in my life. Yet here I was sitting on a huge horse with a huge man flush against me.
This world was so much different than mine. It was in 1724 and yet no invasion happened here. I had not seen the name of the Shivasthambha Dynasty in my history book.
And here was Biswasingha. He looked nothing like any man I had ever seen. Every ounce of his body looked as if it had been carved from stone, every muscle firmly in place. Dark locks of hair around his face, and a scruff of facial hair afforded him a mysterious look any woman would appreciate.
My bare arms tingled, not in the way they should as I had no idea where I was, or more importantly, how I arrived here.
Life isn't fiction! I scolded myself. I should be thinking about where I was, or how to get back.
"I think I am here because of the amulet," I told Biswasingha.
"Why do you think that?" He asked. His voice vibrated through me.
"Because I was holding the amulet when the room shifted and I landed here. Do you believe that kinda stuff is real?"
The horse under her stuttered in his step. "I never heard of such a thing,"
He leaned back on the reins. The horse stopped.
"We are stopping here. This is Narayan Garh," he told me pointing in the direction.
After entering the palace, we headed for the guest room. The palace was smaller than Silabhadra Palace. I looked around as we went there.
“Here,” Biswasingha said, walking up behind me. I turned to look at him and he was holding a shawl. The softness of the woollen cloth drapes on my shoulder.
"You were shivering throughout the night," he told me.
The royal guards and maids were running around outside in chaos. As though the King had arrived.
"Are you really a royal administrator?" I asked. Glancing around the 'guest room' he ordered to prepare for us.
The whole ceiling of the room was decorated with paintings and Chandelier. On one side huge floor-to-ceiling books are stacked up the wall. On the other side, teak wood furniture decorated the room lavishly. Soft silk curtains and pillows worked as ornaments in the room.
"Yes," he replied.
"And yet you are helping me," I told him, clutching the shawl around me.
"What if I have just kidnapped you?" He asked sitting across from me. In this lavishly design room, and with his easy confidence, he looked like a king himself.
"No, you are not," I mumbled looking down. The centre table was seemed to made out of silver.
"No, I'm not." He confirmed.
"Your Dynasty is very helpful, Biswa ji," I told him. "At first that girl in the tent helped me and now you are helping me."
"I'm glad that your visit to Silabhadra seems good. It is my duty as-" he stopped.
"Duty as?" I looked up. He seemed to catch himself from saying something.
"As a citizen of Silabhadra, I should help a guest of our city." He said.
There was a knock on the door, however no one entered.
"Hukum, dinner is ready," a small voice said from outside.
"You may enter," Biswa stood up. Three maids walked in with dishes of food. While they were arranging, I glanced at Biswa. Standing there, with his back to me, he looked like a King.
When we were alone again he spoke up.
"You told me that you work as an accountant, If I say that's the oddest form of job I have ever heard from a woman, what are you going to say, Shubho ji?"
"Er…" I lost my ground. I couldn't really tell him how I got here, or why I worked as an accountant. "I’ve always thought of myself as something…different, but just because I am not following a more traditional path in my life doesn’t mean I'm different."
"Of course not. And pardon me, if I make you uncomfortable," Biswa turned back and smiled.
Yet, I knew he wasn't finished, far from it. My interrogation had just begun.
"However, why I raised the question is because I wanted you to understand why I am being vague on account of my job." He said.
"Then why are you trusting me, Biswa? Can't you just take it to your King and get it over with," I asked, the food remained untouched between us. "And don't bother to tell me it's because of some silly instinct."
"It is because of your speech, Shubho ji. Your choice of words in speaking and also how you faced those thieves in the forest. Woman of our society are . . . different from you." he strolled back and sat down opposite me.
"About that amulet part-" I started but he stopped me.
"I'm not someone to believe in tales. I believe in facts. Your belief in the amulet isn't valid in my eyes," he said.
"So you are helping me just to push me further into the puzzle." I stated eyes boring on him.
He scrutinized me for a moment and then sighed. "I'm not. You can trust me on that."
"Biswa, I, myself don't know why and how I landed on this . . . Place but I can assure you I mean no harm," I promised. But he wasn't looking at me. Biswa started to make two plates with the dishes.
"I know you mean no harm. However, that doesn't mean you are the source. My Dynasty needs protection and you have just trespassed,"
How could I tell him that I hadn't just trespassed a city or dynasties, I had come from a different world.
"But who exactly are you? I realize it is rude to just come right out and ask you, but I’m sure you do not wish to speak of your true nature right now."
I blinked at him, once again taken aback and unsure of how to respond, but luckily Biswa had finished his talk and gestured me to eat.
While we were returning to Silabhadra, I mulled over our talk. It was certainly the oddest thing I’ve ever lived through, I looked over at Biswa. His eyes were looking ahead and determined.
"Will you protect me if I remain true to you?" I asked.
At first, I thought he hadn't heard from the roaring of the wind outside the palace wall, but after some time Biswa spoke up.
"You are already under my protection."
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