SIKVA, CAPITAL CITY OF KAVISH
The dark sky should be regarded as a reward of a day long effort, to enjoy the calmness and dive into a world where dreams are made more beautiful.
An extract from Nakshathra's grandmother's stories stuck out in her head for a reason and it did not make her any calmer. The longer she stared at the palace from the bell tower the more anxious she grew. Nakshathra was nothing as how she was in the morning.
"What do I do?" She groaned, shaking her legs anxiously. The thought had run through her head for countless time since she got up the bell tower with Nathan and she found no answer. She had long disengaged fantasizing her future and as the day turned dark, reality begin to set in for her. The foreboding reality waited at the palace—a prospect groom chosen by the king, a door to a loveless and hatred filled future. If only she allowed it to happen.
"You know what, Achi, nights aren't for beautiful dreams alone. Nightmares rule equally under the cloak of the dark sky. And you were wrong, not everyone can enjoy the calmness when they are pushed into a whirlwind," she ranted in annoyance all on her own as she watched the lights in the palace lit brighter than usual.
Nakshathra gazed the dark sky, clouded with heavy clouds; thunders rumbled at a distance announcing its due arrival. Streaks of bold light flashed here and there, came lightning threatening for a heavy pour. Down in the street, some people who had camped outside the palace started to pack their stuffs and head back to their houses. On normal days, she would have loved to sit under the sky and bask in the nature but people in the palace might be searching for her and she wouldn't want them to get worried.
The guards assigned for her came into view as soon as she descended the bell tower, she nodded at them, signalling to return and continued in a lumber, taking the longest route to the palace. She had decline to get a cover for the rain and let the guards have it instead. The stroll along the empty residential sector helped her ease her overworked mind. At least this part of the city did not remind her of what waited for her back in the palace. Nevertheless, under soft drizzle, conversations she heard people had with their family pulled away the serenity she got some time ago. In the streets where one could hear soft murmurs of people talking in their houses, Nakshathra had the unfortunate privilege to hear her name amongst the many topics they spoke.
Some of the talks were on the kinds of benefits the people would get when the two kingdoms were bonded once again in a formidable alliance. During prince Parthiban and Princess Ahalya's wedding, the subjects of Kavish were gifted with silk sarees and silk dhotis straight from the heart of silk producers, the Pareen. They also provided free rations for needy families, alms for the poor and gifts for the holy men for a week to mark the new beginning between the kingdoms. A joyous moment for the people.
With pinched lips, Nakshathra nodded to her guard who request her to disregard what she heard. "They are just looking for a way to ease their difficulties. Don't think they are being selfish," one of them said.
"I know, Janardan. Fortune like that often a dream to many poor families and I don't blame them. I understand. How can I expect them to know what I know about him?" She whispered to the guard next to her and marched past him.
Out of many people in her life, her guards know most of the things and often act as her friend and guide when needed. They don't always poke their noses in her matter but the arrival of prince Abhimanyu had them all agitated likewise, looking to find a way out for their princess. Janardan quickened his pace and walked in line with Nakshathra, "Do you need any help, Devi?" he asked.
"For what, Janardan?"
"Apologise for talking on this matter, Your Highness. We are, worried... you might be stuck in a bad marriage if it's to prince Abhimanyu, you are going to get married. So, we thought..." Janardan briefly glanced at the other three guards and continued. "Either we get rid of him or help you out of here. That way we can delay the proceedings and eventually stop the alliance," He suggested and let Nakshathra to have a thought on it as they stood in the middle of the street. Droplets of water from the drizzle dripped from the tips of their hair.
"Janardan," she called, "despite both the ideas sounds good... If we ever execute any of these, Kavish's name will be tainted nevertheless. We cannot let that happen...." Nakshathra's voice quivered as she glanced away for a second. "But thank you for having me in your thoughts."
"But Your Highness, we..."
Nakshathra politely stopped Janardan from continuing further with a smile and gave a light tap on his hand. "That's alright. Let's go."
Her guards know more about Abhimanyu and Nakshathra then anyone else in the family. The dispute between them years ago had been like a clash of two lions; one defending their activity as a choice of pleasure while the other stood like a shield protecting the one who ran from the former. Janardan recalled the incident happened a few years ago during prince Parthiban's wedding along their way back to the palace.
They had bumped onto a young girl on one of the nights when Nakshathra had insisted to go for a walk in the garden in the palace of Pareen. She found the girl in an absolute dishevel state with the help of the faint light from the lantern. The girl's hair and clothes were a mess as she cried relentlessly clutching Nakshathra's hand in a tight grip. The girl shared nothing to her when asked until the man who was responsible for her state reached them. It didn't take them long to put two and two together to understood what could have transpired between the two of them.
"Oh, there you are!" He called the girl out, sounding less remorseful to have treated her the way he did. "Come on! Let's get it finished. You have got me running behind you, darling. Come on!" Abhimanyu had completely ignored the presences of his sister's wedding guests and cajoled the girl to come forward. He was visibly under the influence of intoxicant but it does not justify his actions.
"No. Please, no." The girl whimpered.
The faint light from the lanterns allowed them to observe the prince of Pareen. Although he spoke like a drunken man, his eyes were off the booze. Janardan noted the lecherous gaze of the prince not on the girl hidden behind Nakshathra but on the princess herself. His hand instantly reached for his sword ready to protect his master as he watched Abhimanyu minced his way closer to them, the guards closed their distance between Nakshathra and them.
"Come on, girl. Don't make me wait." Abhimanyu reached out to grab the girl's hand except he took Nakshathra's which cost him a big chunk of his pride broken in the presences of the guards and a common girl.
Her soft hand landed on his face with a force. She did not let it go with just a slap, Nakshathra lunged at him and caught his neck with her hand, choking him with all her might. "Cut if off you scumbag. Are you trying to act smart? Your father might believe your petty drunken act but not me." Nakshathra used all her strength to push him back. "How dare you touch me? How dare you force yourself on her? Don't you understand that she doesn't want to do anything with you?" Nakshathra seethed as he struggled to steady himself.
Janardan and his guards rushed to stop Nakshathra and pulled her away from the suffocating prince. "Please, Devi, stop. Stop, please," they begged.
"How dare you? I'll put you behind the bars for trying to kill me!" Abhimanyu boiled in embarrassment Nakshathra had caused him in front of the guards and servants.
"Do it, you fool. I'll have more charges to put on you!" She countered.
"I swear, Rajakumari Nakshathra Heramba. I'll make sure to do this feud, fair in our next meeting. I'll get to you." He wriggled his finger at her, cautioning for a counterattack.
"I'll look forward for it, debauchee," taunted Nakshathra, adding more fuel to the burning embarrassment.
Abhimanyu smirked, conceit of himself. "I like feisty girls like you too," he whispered to her and stormed back into the palace stroking his neck to ease the pain. And the girl, was brought back to Nakshathra's chamber for the night.
*-*-*-*-*-*
Laid flat on her stomach, half-awake, Nakshathra watched as the curtain of the dark sky drawn back to give way for the day to begin. Birds chirped from the tree, ready to take flight to venture out for the day. The sleepy princess smiled at the incoming sun as she turned to face her messy room. Muffled conversation slipped into her chamber before a little storm let itself into the room ready to whip her with questions.
"Where have you been all day? When did you come back? What were you doing outside for so long? Why didn't you send someone to let us know you will be late? Do you know how worried I was?" The little storm, Arunya, shot questions as Nakshathra stirred on her bed to get a better look of her friend in a rather nonchalant gaze as oppose to Arunya's.
Nakshathra's silence added to the young girl's displeasure, Arunya huffed at the blithe princess and placed the tray she brought on the table nearby with a clank. She headed to put things back on its places with a bang and closed the open cupboard with a thud showing her disappointment. "You are not going to answer me, are you?" scowled Arunya.
The smell of the hot rotis and potato gravy teased Nakshathra's nostril, tempting her to fill her growling stomach. She sat upright putting her head at work to construct a plausible answer, perhaps she could skip the guest quarters scene but it was the highlight in the entire day for her. If she did without a control over the content, Arunya would sprint to her brothers to share the event and they wouldn't just sit and listen. They would do what needed to be done—call off the alliance, but Nakshathra had collected her own arrows and intend to do it on her own.
Arunya cleared her throat, she stood at the end of the bed with her hands on her hips. "Not going to share?" She asked once again for a confirmation, her tone insinuated doubts of trivial for herself from Nakshathra.
"I rather not share the details with you for now... I have my reasons. I'll share with you when the time comes," answered Nakshathra as subtle as possible, not to hurt her soft-hearted friend.
The retirement for the night before ended with concerns pouring on her for the current development in the palace. Janardan and the guards were persuading her to agree to them, take their help to stop the Kavish-Pareen alliance. She disregarded their request although part of her was decisive over the probability of her plan to turn successful.
Had she wanted, they could have barged into prince Abhimanyu's chamber and caught him red handed when they saw him taking a girl into his room that night. She could have done it and end her problem but they would be the talk of the town.
"Did I do something wrong? Are you going to avoid me from now on?" Arunya burst into tears. "You are not sharing anything these days. Ever since we got back from the merchant market, you are keeping me in distance. I did not do anything wrong."
Nakshathra crawled to the edge of the bed, "Silly girl, it was only two days ago. I am not avoiding you, Arunya. I have important things to take care off," she said and pulled Arunya to sit next to her.
"You are not ignoring me?"
"No, I'm not," Nakshathra shook her head in respond. Just cautious to avoid eruption.
Not long after she had pacified Arunya and sent her to continue her work, Nakshathra received her mother in her chamber. A surprise visit amidst of the preparation Umayal was involved in, Nakshathra somehow guessed the purpose of her mother's visit but pretended otherwise. Umayal came in with wide smile straight to her daughter. "Nakshathra!" She cupped her daughter's face in her hands and pulled her for a kiss on the forehead.
"Ma! What brought you here, ma? You need anything?" The princess cut of the formalities and flatteries to get her mother drop the bomb she had been waiting.
"Should I send notice ahead to see my precious daughter?" Umayal flashed her controlled grin that stretched Umayal's smooth features. The grin reminded Naksahthra of her childhood when she often received similar reaction for asking too many questions.
"Of course not, ma. Come," she responded in a singsong voice and pulled her mother to sit in her work space.
Umayal held her daughter's hand and clasped them in hers, and gazed into her big eyes waiting to be spill the news. She averted her eyes and remained silent, observing the section of the chamber filled with tiny pots of herbs here and there, liquids in vials arranged according to colours, displayed on the shelves and scripts scattered on the floor. Umayal's pointy nose scrunched. "The last time I came to your room, it was just as messy as it is now. Doesn't Arunya tidy this part of your chamber?" she pointed out as she kept scanning Nakshathra's workplace.
"I forbid her to clean this place. Forget about this mess and tell me what brought you here. Do you need my help for the 'special' preparation you are working on?" she asked and pulled her mother to face her instead of the piled scripts.
"I... I came to see how you are doing and yes, I think I do need you to be there." Umayal hesitated, her fingers drumming on Nakshathra's hand. "Actually, the event is for you."
"For me? What's the event?" Nakshathra's dead tone and gaze shook Umayal a little more.
"It's... Well... it's your engagement... Your father and I have... selected a groom for you, prince Abhimanyu. Ahalya's brother... We believe this union will bring more strength to our kingdom." Umayal struggled to keep her part of the conversation smooth. She hitched and paused after every two words in fear of her daughter's reaction.
"My engagement? A union in exchange for the kingdom's strength? Like a trade, is it?" Nakshathra surmised as she bit in the inside of her mouth, controlling herself not to raise her voice. She slowly took her hand off her mother's grip and moved away from her.
"No, no, my darling. It is not a trade. We would not do such a thing," Umayal teared bringing her hands to her chest. She looked around hoping someone would come in to control the heating situation.
"Then what is it, ma? Tell me one thing, are the kingdoms in Navarajya going to invade each other? Aren't we the peaceful central region? What is this? Trading sons and daughters in exchange for armies?" Nakshathra was shattered to think she was a mere trade for her parents to use her as a trade to safe their kingdom from the unforeseen danger. She was simple a payment to up their advantages.
Umayal sat closed-mouth with her gaze stuck to the floor, tears pooled in her eyes.
"Never mind, I wouldn't get any answer for it but tell me this, ma. Why am I the last person to know about this and why are you the last person to tell me about it, ma? Am I not entitled to be informed sooner? Did something similar took place for your engagement too, ma?" Her voice cracked.
The conversation had her distressed, fearing for the words and accusations forming in her head would shake their relationship. A lot of supressed thoughts resurfaced, forcing Nakshathra to spit them all out but she knew things would go sour if she did.
"Nakshathra... We ..." she heard her mother sigh, "We were afraid you would create ruckus to stop the wedding—"
"Ruckus? Are you even hearing yourself, ma?" She huffed, throwing her hands in the air.
"I know it's not the right word to use... Your father has given his word to King Ayod, if you decline it would tarnish his name and the kingdom's, Nakshathra. Please don't get us wrong." Umayal begged holding her at arm's length.
"Don't get you wrong? If the king can foresee my reaction, then why didn't he foresee the future before giving his word to his friend, King Ayod?"
"This shouldn't have happened..." Umayal's shoulder sagged as she dropped her hands off Nakshathra.
The pain of negligence from her parents cascaded down her cheeks in the form of tears. Why on the king's right mind would he give his word to king of Pareen? She suppressed her cries so much she thought her ribs would break but she can not pander in sadness for long or she would be her doom. Nakshathra paced across her room end to end, allowing her mind to find peace within. She had done it before and she can do it, again.
When Nakshathra came out from behind the curtain, Umayal stood up, wet streaks marked her face. "Nakshathra, ..." She began.
"That's alright. You don't need to explain, ma. I know you are loyal to your husband. You love and obey him and that makes you not go against his words." Nakshathra spoke a lot calmer than before. She felt lighter than ever, her anger had vanished and was only left with emptiness for the moment. "I understand you, ma but I just wish if you had at least tried to understand your children too... Anyway, when is the supposed engagement?" Nakshathra helped her mother wipe the tears off her face and brushed her hair back.
"Tomorrow." Umayal had lost her voice and courage to look into her daughter's eyes. She kept interlacing her fingers nervously.
"Where?"
"In the durbar, your father wants to make an official announcement and conduct the engagement ceremony in front of the public," she murmured, barely audible to Nakshathra standing across her.
"Can you do me a favour, ma? Please tell the king to have the event in a closed hall. Make it private."
Umayal nodded in respond and turned to leave in a rather embarrassed stated.
"Ma. Chin up, ma. Once you are out of this chamber, you are a queen." Nakshathra watched as Umayal nod to her advice, inhaled, straighten her posture and waltzed out of the room like a queen.
Although the conversation between the mother and daughter did not go well, Nakshathra was pleased to have had conveyed a fraction of her thought to Umayal. It did shake her mother a little and it hurt her to see Umayal broke down in front of her but she had to say what she said. Out of many people out there, Nakshathra wished her mother shared the news with her instead of knowing bits and pieces from others.
As she relived the conversation with her mother, Nakshathra picked up her sword from its stand.
"It's time to put a show."
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