Eklavya had taken to meeting her at their collective lunch breaks.
That did not mean Mihira had to like his presence.
"But listen!" He insisted,"Kshitija was the one to challenge me. I could not have backed down! Have you seen the way she holds her bow? Amateur!"
Mihira swallowed the morsel she was eating before eyeing him warily. "You accepted it. It's your fault that you have more workload and I am not doing any paperwork for you, know that."
"Please, sweet thing, please? I have to train for the competition."
She opened her mouth but settled for a glare as she looked around at the people miling about around them. She hissed,"You need to prepare? Do not jest, terrible boy. You are one of the best archers I have seen, so do not dare argue that you need time."
It did not matter, she told herself, it did not matter that no one remembered him apart from his maiming. That he had just become a fable, a tale unbelieved, a lore stretched. It did not matter that he was only remembered as the horrid act of a man who he'd name god.
Eklavya shook his head, playing with his food,"Listen to me, Mihira, I will tell you something of utmost importance." He face turned serious dramatically and he leant forward,"Even the masters practice before challenges appear. I do need to practice."
"Eat your food, Eklavya." Mihira chided softly,"And, fine, but I do not know how to fill your paperwork. Also, you will owe me something for this."
Specifically, he would owe her enough to let her meet Rukmini when she went for a pooja in the Gauri temple and he had the duty of her security detail. Desperate measure, but Mihira needed to talk to Rukmini and she did not care what means she used. Working in the Royal palace for weeks had its own advantages but seeing someone Mihira desperately needed to see wasn't one of those advantages.
She was convinced it was Rukmini's doing. Nothing happened without her say so.
Eklavya nodded eagerly, eating as Mihira continued to glare at him. He promised,"Anything." He contemplated his word before back tracking,"Anything that I can legally provide."
Mihira chuckled, raising an eyebrow at his rectification,"I am glad that you know me enough by now to amend your word."
Eklavya rolled his eyes,"Yes, yes. I do not make the same mistake twice, girl."
"And yet, you continue to call me girl. I do wonder—" Mihira trailed off purposefully as she stood up to dispose her now empty banana leaf in a hole used to make fertilizer. She wondered who had come up with such wonderful ideas to preserve the state as well as the land but had not found the knowledge yet. She resolved to ask Maitri about it, perhaps the old woman would know.
Eklavya disposed his banana leaf as well and quickened his pace to walk beside her, back into the hallway of the palace.
He looked at her seriously,"Mihira, you have not yet wished me luck to win."
She grinned at him simply,"You are Eklavya. You continued to be a master Archer even after losing a thumb, you will survive this match. My blessings are upon you, even though you are elder but do not act in such a way."
He huffed disdainfully but he was smiling as well until a fork formed in their paths and their ways were to be parted.
"I will teach you my paperwork this evening. Do not run off to the Housing Affairs board." Eklavya ordered, turning to leave.
Mihira quietly reached up and squeezed the back of his neck quickly, strategically placing her fingers so he could not turn his jaw to look at her. "Be careful there, sweet boy, ordering me never worked well for anyone."
He audibly grit his teeth as he replied,"That hurts, terrible thing. Unhand me at once."
Mihira chuckled again,"You do make the same mistake twice, stubborn boy. Do not call me girl again, yes? May Mahadev be with you."
"May Mahadev be with you,"he replied grumpily when Mihira took off her hand. Eklavya glared at her petulantly,"Do try not to act like my mother, rude thing, it is unbecoming on you."
Mihira did not reply as she turned to leave.
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When Mihira reached her housing building, it was later than what would be acceptable, too near to dinner time. She thanked Narayan that she did not have cooking duty for night on Wednesdays.
After dinner, however, she sought out Maitri, knowing well that the woman would be cleaning up in the kitchen. Mihira had swaped her next day's breakfast duty with another guest in order to take over the dish washing duty so she could talk to Maitri undisturbed.
Mihira had always played the innocent and charming young woman with elderly people unless their presence required another type of behaviour. Maitri was kind and she fit enough into the stereotype that Mihira did not need to change her predefined behaviour much when interacting with the woman.
She'd known survival too well, she could not unlearn what had been quite literally beaten into her. It helped her live in this era as well, but these people would never experience the cruelty Mihira had been born with. She envied them, everyday.
The elderly woman looked surprised to see Mihira there, who announced her presence with a simple greeting. "Hello, beta," Maitri said with an embarrassed smile,"you will have to forgive me if I do not hear you well. Old age works in embarrassing manners."
Mihira laughed shallowly,"It is okay, Kaki. How are you today?"
"As well as I have always been." Maitri replied, wiping off some water from near the stove. "How are you, dear? Are you adjusting well to Kundinapuri?"
Quickly rinsing the utensils, Mihira started to wash them with mud. "I am adjusting well, thank you. Everything is new and fascinating here, things I had never seen. It is surreal, even in daily life."
Maitri leant over to grab a cloth that was across Mihira. "Be careful, Mihira," she said,"there is probably a knife there. I usually make the cook wash those after using them, but this one was new, he must have forgotten."
Mihira hummed, dark amusement taking circles through her. A knife was perhaps the least dangerous weapon in the room. Mihira had done worse damage to those who chased her than any knife could to any unaware person.
However, the woman's kindness admirable as well. She could clearly see at least two scars on Mihira's arms—cold steel slashing through her, chains holding her back like a chained dog— and Bhaya's mark on her ankle (dark, damning) and yet she cared enough to warn Mihira of a knife.
She nodded,"Yes, I will be careful, thank you. You are startlingly kind, Kaki, I do not think anyone else would have cared."
Maitri seemed appalled,"Dear Ram, what kind of people did you know, dear? Of course, people care about your hurt!"
Mihira resisted the urge to smile in achievement and instead looked back at the utensils in her muddied hands, making sure to do her best. She shook her head casually,"Oh, I am from Chedi. So everything is new, especially kindness from strangers."
She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Chedi couldn't do to her what her own trusted ones had.
Maitri cleared out the last of coals from the stove and sat down beside Mihira. She gently caressed Mihira's clothed shoulder in a motherly manner that reminded Mihira of her own mother and Lakshita.
"Well, don't worry now, beta. Kundinapuri is way better than that Chedi. Honestly, if the Crown Prince had not gone to Gurukul with Chedi King, I have no doubt that we would have a war on our hands. The amount of times we had to stage an intervention, I tell you." Maitri sighed as if personally slighted and troubled by Shishupal's actions.
She continued,"Did you know that they stole our moat plan, Mihira?"
Mihira raised her eyebrows and shook her head, absent mindedly washing out the previously mentioned knife.
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When Mihira finally extracted her favour, it was already one week old.
She sat in the Gauri temple, almost half an hour before Rukmini was scheduled to come there. The temple was far away from the palace and it was highly inconvenient to arrange someone to take her shift for that precious half day. It cost Mihira hear overtime of two days, now supposed to be used to write an analysis of financial statements of the city.
The temple was made of red stone, carved images of Mata Parvati and Mahadev's marriage circled all the walls of the temple. The idol was unlike any that Mihira had seen in her time, made of metals rather than stone, eyes glinting. She wore a red saree, bangles shining in a peculiar way since there was no light coming there. She even had wrinkles around Her eyes, just the shadow of them, indicating how many times She had smiled. A trishul rested in her hand calmly while the other was open in an ashirwad that Mihira desperately wished to have.
Anklets announced Rukmini's presence and Mihira turned to look at her. Standing between two goddesses, Mihira felt as if she was tainting the temple with her presence and was being gifted a new life in the same breath.
The feeling where one could hike a mountain, utterly alone and vulnerable and when they reached the peak and there would be the Sun who would greet them, give them encouragement. Soft cold air of high altitude would kiss their body and the sunrays would gently embrace them.
Standing in front of two goddesses felt like Mihira had reached Shambala once again.
Rukmini smiled at her as she reached the idol,"You are quite stubborn, are you not?" Her hair was pulled in an intricate braid lined with gold strands and flowers. She was wearing a pink saree, her golden peacock feather armbands almost seeming like artworks, matching with her golden hued skin. Truly, like a Lotus flower in a creek. Padmaja.
Mihira took two steps back and kneeled, realising that she had angeled her body in a way that her back was turned to anyone but the goddesses in front of her. Mihira did not mind it, she would gladly turn her back on everyone of them.
She replied,"That must be a virtue if I get to meet you, Mata."
Rukmini laughed, a sound intoxicating and far melodious than anything any Gandharva could produce. She shook her head as she began her prayer,"I am not so old, Mihira. In fact, I believe we are the same age, give or take few months."
"You are still Jagatmata." Retorted Mihira,"I exist and die because of your sheer will."
Rukmini did not say anything, starting with her pooja. Mihira stayed quiet, letting peace finally make way in her life as she breathed, without thinking, without an agenda.
After what seemed like hours, Mihira was broken from her trance by Rukmini turning her attention on her. "You wanted to say something, did not, Mihira?"
Mihira nodded seriously. "Your husband left me muddled and in Chedi of all places without any idea of Dwapar. You know I cannot lie, don't you?"
"Not my husband." Rukmini sang, wind caressing her hair and letting the smell of sandalwood waft over in the temple, carrying an undertone of lotus and amusingly, basil.
Mihira grinned at her,"Yet."
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And that's IT. Mihira meets Rukmini Mata
Mihira: your husband just disappeared!! Smh
Mata: I disown him—
Also Mata: wears peacock feather armbands because she's subtle lmao
The Maitri and Mihira sequence isn't a progess of plot but character so it was important to add. However, i didn't want to delay Mihira and Mata's meeting so here, an extraaaaa long chapter for everyone!!!