Samsāra

Chapter Twenty-nine

Jewels it was, he decided. But how does he go about acquiring them? The thought of walking into the marketplace to purchase jewels seemed even more daunting than Kattappa's martial tasks. It might not be a terrible idea to ask for help from Bheema or Sethupathy. He'd casually observed their dalliances with court ladies for years and was sure they knew how to please their women. 

But would jewels please Ajiona? In all the time Bhalla has known her, she hardly wore jewels when they were together in the place they've crafted for themselves in the gardens. His brows furrowed as he thought of what might bring a smile to her eyes. 

Ajiona shifted in his embrace, sighing deeply. It completely distracted him from his thoughts and reminded him it was nearing sunrise. He wouldn't want to be caught in her bed when her handmaidens arrived to rouse her. Not that he would mind it but Ajiona's reputation would be ruined. Bhalla was well aware of how servants loved to gossip and in no time, the tale of him spending a night with Ajiona would spread like wildfire. With a reluctant sigh, he pulled away from the warmth of her body and stood up. 

Down the balcony, he thought as he adjusted his clothing and was about to leave when something caught his eye. It was a plain chest made from sandalwood, there was no reason it should catch his eye save for the fact that it looked out of place in the room. Had one of the other yuvarajus sent her a present? 

The question rose the heat of anger in him and he felt the peace that had enveloped him evaporate in the haze of his envious anger. Bhalla found himself moving and kneeling before the chest but he paused when he was about to lift up the lid, feeling like he was trespassing. He had no right to rifle through her things. Yet, his burning curiosity and other emotions pushed him on. He lifted the lid and the red silk covering the gifts, then froze, his mouth opened in surprise.

Nestled in the chest were two body armours and he vividly remembered Bahu whining to Ajiona about their birthday gifts and the enigmatic smile she had given in return. This was their gift! He realized, tracing the metalwork with his fingers, and he easily recognised his. The gilded steel with the stylised relief of a lion's snarling face was his and he felt something swell inside him as he beheld it. No one has ever done something like this for him. Something that was made for him only, something only him could own, something that had meaning to only him. It showed him how Ajiona saw him, the him he tried to be. A lion! 

Bhalla should have guessed this was what she was up to. He had received reports of her going to the armoury but thought nothing more of it than a task Kattappa had set her. But it wasn't, she had conceived of this and could have easily assigned it to a smith to make but she made it herself, suffering burns as she hammered this into shape. There wasn't anymore gift that could be as wonderful as this or surpass this. 

Suddenly ashamed of his earlier rage that had caused him to behold his gift earlier than intended, Bhalla flicked the cloth back in place and carefully closed the lid. His heart still swollen with his affection for her, he padded to her side and gently kissed her cheek. She shifted again, muttering something before settling. 

The door opening distracted him and he looked up to see one of her handmaiden enter bearing a pot. She gasped when she saw him and halted in her tracks, her eyes big in her face. Bhalla recognised her. She was the tiny handmaiden and has been with Ajiona from the very start. From what he knew, she was close to her mistress so he trusted she wouldn't blab about him being here. And if the rumour got out that he had been here, well, he'd know who to pay a visit to first.

Bhalla lifted his finger to his lips in a warning for silence before turning and marching out to the balcony. The coast was clear for him to leave and he did so quickly, thinking with a bit of amusement that this wasn't how Kattappa would have envisioned the yuvaraju use the training he had taught him.