Note: All the conversations in Dwapara yuga are in Sanskrit unless specified.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The loud boom of the rumbling thunder cut through the air subduing the drumming of rain on the asbestos sheet laid down to shelter the locomotives. However, that monsoon day four pair of little feet replaced the four wheels of the car. Standing outside the house, hiding from view the toes of four little boys bore their weight allowing them to peek through a window.
The sight of the living room was enough incentive for them to run back home with their tail between their legs but the gnawing guilt of leaving their friend alone inside to deal with the nine year old girl rooted them in their place. Shivering more due to fear than the cold, the boys watched the older girl march forward with balled fists and an expression that did justice to her soaring rage.
Stopping an inch away from her mother, the girl raised her toes mimicking the boys and glared at her mother, their noses barely touching. Her mother's stern eyes stared back at her reflecting her disappointment in her daughter. The girl, however, brushed it aside surprising every occupant of the room but she did not care. She would appease her mother later.
"Apologize to the boy right now Tusharika." boomed her mother's voice.
"I WILL NOT. He deserved what he got."
The boy in question stood a few feet away cradling his broken nose wincing as the blood seeped through the gaps of his fingers dripping to the floor. At few feet's distance away from him, stood a little girl of five with her eyes flickering constantly between her mother and sister.
"Violence is not the answer Tusha. Apologize. NOW." reverberated her mother's voice.
"Did you even listen to what he said? He eve teased Avishi that -"
"I don't care. You don't hit people. If he teased Avishi, she will handle it. You should not have stepped in."
"Maa. It's okay. I will apologize." said the little girl wishing for the argument to end.
"No Avi. No one will apologize to him." scolded her sister earning a glare from their mother.
"Maa. He told that Avishi is not my sister and that we picked her off the road where she was abandoned. He deserved what he got. Avishi is and will always be my sister. How dare he claim otherwise." Tusha's voice raised an octave at the end as she directed her glare to her victim.
"Let this be a lesson for you and your stupid little friends hanging on our window sill outside. Don't mess with me or my sister ever again. Next time it won't be just your nose that will be broken."
"That's enough. Go to your room both of you. Don't come out till you're called." her mother sighed knowing her daughter would never apologize for protecting her little sister.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey little A!" called out a voice bringing Sadaf out of her memory and making her realize that her legs took her to meet the very person she was thinking about.
"Here to pick up your sister's stuff?" continued the voice freezing her in her spot.
It was not unusual for the museum staff to find Avishi marching straight towards the staff's cabins. Every once in a while, when Tusharika went on expeditions, Avishi turned up to collect her sister's belongings and brightened the atmosphere by her gesticulated talks about the latest advancements of her adventurous life. The museum personnel adored her sheer innocence and ever lasting glee.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her brows furrowing.
"Well, your sister wished to remain a little longer at the river this morning and sent us on our way." John shrugged nodding at Tusha's closed cabin, "No sign of her yet. I assumed she took the day off."
"Why would she do that?" asked Avishi. Her sister wasn't the kind to let any personal issues effect her professional life.
"She did not seem well. She seemed.. kinda lost" replied John "Is everything okay? I've never seen her so shaken up."
A heavy weight of anxiousness set in her gut twisting it painfully as Avishi registered the new information. She tried to console herself suggesting that her sister might have retired for the day but the unsettling feeling in her gut only thwarted the consolation.
"Uh.. yeah. Everything is fine. It is just one of those days. She must be at home." Avishi offered a sympathetic smile trying to mask her anxiety "I'll collect her belongings and go. Thanks John."
"Little A!" called out John on her way out "Don't hesitate to call me in case of any emergency."
Had it been any other day, Sadaf would have shared her worry with her sister's best friend and cantered out with him to find her but that day, she wanted privacy with her sister. She wanted to confront her for not sharing her feelings with her little sister. She wanted to scold her sister for not waking her up in the morning to at least bid goodbye while going to work.
She wanted to have a heartfelt talk with her sister and drill some sense into her if she ever felt that her adoption changed anything between them. Sending a small smile in John's direction, she ventured back home hoping to find her sister at her destination.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dwapara Yuga
Tainted with red, the orange rays of the evening sun maneuvered the corridors, thwarting every attempt to halt them by the dark long shadows of the pillars and soldiers, trying to reach the tall beauty lost in her own world. Her twinkling eyes devoured the rare reflection of the mountains painted white with snow on the orange tinted waters of river Sindhu.
The shadow of her long eyelashes rested patiently on her cheekbones as her orbs flickered around trying to carve the scenery in her memories lest she leaves the place. It had been a fortnight since her arrival and there wasn't a moment when the gears in her head did not work towards getting her back home.
"Rajkumari! Maharani wishes for your presence in her chambers."
The liz eyed girl continued to trace the curves of the mountains with her gaze leading the helper to believe that the message was not heard. As the helper parted her lips to repeat the message, the girl unfolded her hands from above the railing giving a minuscule nod to her helper. She dreaded the impending encounter all during the long walk from the hallway to the queen's chamber.
The queen, who insisted on being called 'mother' by her, was a very orthodox lady and a stickler for rules and protocol. Having either lived on her own or with her little sister almost the entirety of her adult life, Tusharika was used to independence and being in control of any situation. So it wasn't a surprise to her when she was at loggerheads with the queen ten times in the fifteen days.
To preserve her own sanity, the girl decided to steer clear from the female ruler but the latter was adamant on spending time with her. She wondered what decision or protocol would be forced upon her in that particular encounter.
"Greetings Maharani! I hope you are doing well this fine evening." Tusharika greeted the queen ignoring the look thrown her way for her reference.
"Call me mata dear. I am well. I see your Sanskrit is improving fairly well. Good." came the reply.
"Yes. Kaivalya is a great teacher."
"Bhrata Kaivalya dear. You should start referring to people with their proper salutations. It is unbecoming of a royal princess to refer to people by their name. Especially the elders and males." the queen admonished with a smile.
Tusharika forced her lips into a smile despite the urge to bite back with a comment of her own. A silent observer till then, a young man similar to the age of Tusharika cleared his throat demanding the room's attention.
"Mother shall we discuss about the purpose of our meeting?" said the man in a requesting tone quite in contrast to the warning in his eyes.
The man, Kaivalya as he introduced himself, was the only person who felt real to Tusharika in the entire palace. Since the day he discovered her in the gardens, he stuck to her side easing her into the new atmosphere and protecting her against his mother's wrath.
He took it upon himself to bridge the language barrier between them and took to drawings and gestures to explain various words of the language. Tusharika was a fast learner and caught up easily initially learning the verbs then switching to the sentence formations.
"Yes. Of course. We have received an invitation from the royal family of Kuru dynasty to visit them in Hastinapur. They wish to meet our kingdom's princess and discuss a few treaties as well." revealed the queen "We will be starting in two days. Your maids will select the best of dresses for you. Kindly do not make a fuss of it." The warning in disguise was directed to Tusharika.
Hastinapur. Kurus. The very place and people that Tusharika desperately wanted to avoid. Over the last fifteen days, Tusha tolerated numerous protocols and rules thrust upon her by the queen in silence partly due to her mind still wrapping around the idea of being in Dwapar yuga and partly to avoid hostility with her hosts.
However, this decision snapped the thread of patience in Tusharika. She would not be walked over by the supercilious lady and she definitely would not walk right into the chaos that awaited her should she mingle with the Kurus. An involuntary groan escaped her mouth earning the shocked gazes of the royals.
"Are the happenings of our life so mundane that we have to seek out drama from the Kurus? We have denied visits to various kingdoms before. We can do the same now." complained Tusharika.
"MALVIKA. Watch your tongue young lady. The dynasty of Kurus is one of the esteemed, highly respected and the greatest of dynasties. It is our honor and privilege to be invited by them. I will not have you disrespecting them. You should be grateful that they considered gracing you with their presence." The queen's face reddened with pure fury as she yelled at the tall girl before her.
"I am not some doll to be displayed and they are not gods to grace me with their presence. I am not going and I'd like to see you try to force me." gritted out Tusharika before turning on her heel and marching out of the chamber.
"One more thing. My name is NOT Malvika. I am Tusharika. I am not the princess of this kingdom and you certainly are not my mother." spit out the liz eyed girl pausing at the doorway of the chamber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaivalya ran his fingers through his hair messing it up as he watched his twin angrily exit their mother's chambers. Sinking down on a cushioned stool by the bed, he threw his head in his hands barely restraining himself from shouting in frustration.
"How dare she? If she continues this behavior in Hastinapur, it is us who will be facing the repercussions. She has not a bone of responsibility in her." ranted his mother.
"Mata please stop. These arguments will lead us nowhere. She is new here. We do not know the circumstances in which she grew. We cannot force our customs on her." replied Kaivalya not raising his head.
"Force? Am I forcing her? These are basic etiquette Kaivalya. As the princess of Malva, she will be expected to be modest and respectful."
"Fine. I will talk to her and explain everything. Please don't be stressed about it mata." sighed Kaivalya raising his head blinking away the tiredness.
"While you are at it, make sure she travels to Hastinapur with us." said the queen.
"Sure mother."
Kaivalya loved spending time with his mother and his twin. He, however, detested spending time with them together. The never ending arguments between the two important ladies of life whenever they were in a room together, nearly drove him insane.
He let out a groan at the realization that convincing Tusharika was no less than a battle. For some reason, the girl detested the Kurus and she made it very clear with her disgruntled expressions at every mention of the dynasty. Deciding to get some food and sleep in him before he took on the next battle, he resigned to his room praying to god for strength and patience to deal with the havoc that he knew would be wreaked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello everyone!
How do you find the chapter?
Please vote and comment your thoughts!
Be blessed and stay happy 💖💖
Toodles!!