*** Vaishnavi ***
"Your highness, the king is arriving," one of the maids rushed into the library to inform me.
"BAHHH" Pallu shouted and was about to run out of the backdoor. "Pallu keep this book in the last shelf," I said and sneaked a book into her hands before she could run.
Soon enough Adi stepped in and everyone stood up.
"Out," he commanded and within no time the library got completely empty except for me. He started walking towards me and I took a few steps forward to meet him halfway.
The first thing he did was to gently pick up my right hand and turned it to notice the ink marks on my palm.
"Enlighten me Vaishu," he asked calmly still focussed on the ink marks, although the anger is clearly evident, "How long is writing a letter supossed to take?"
I was expecting this. It is almost sunset and I still did not finish my letter. A letter that I promised to send him in the morning!
"I could not find the right words," I said hesitantly.
"Could not find the right words?" he repeated now looking at me, "In eight hours?"
I remained silent.
What am I supossed to say? I really could not find the right words.
I think my silence only frustrated him further.
"Step aside," he said and walked past me to my desk.
"Adi wait..." I said as he picked up the letter I was writing but he picked it up anyway and started reading.
After what felt like an eternity, he looked at me bewildered.
"Vaishu, this...this cannot be healthy," he said genuinely concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked placing his palm on my forehead to check the temperature.
"I am," I said gently pulling his hand down, "And this is healthy Adi....it is...normal."
"No it is not," Adi oppossed, "I read medical sciences, I would know."
I signed.
There has never been any documentation or information regarding the menstrual cycle. I know it because the first thing I did today is to look for books on that topic. This is a shush topic that no man would ever know unless his wife tells him, not even the king who is well versed in medical sciences!
"Give me a moment," I said and went to the back of the library to get the book that I intended to hide, the book I wrote, and gave it to him.
"Blood, tears, and birth," he read the title out loud. "What is it about?" he asked looking at me.
"Read it," I said. "I will wait for you in my private chambers," I added not wanting to stay while he reads it.
Surprisingly he did not try to stop me or ask any further questions and instead just turned to the first page of the book.
*********
It has been 3 hours and Adi has not showed up yet. Sruthi, Naina, and Pallu who are also with me in the common room of my chambers look equally concerned.
"Your highness, how long do you estimate would take to read that book?" Sruthi asked innocently.
"For Adi, 30 minutes," I answered.
Sruthi nodded and looked at tiny sand clock on the table.
"Perhaps...you should have lied, your highness," Naina hesitantly added, "Men do not respond well to this information."
"Yes," Pallu confirmed, "When my cousin told her husband, he stayed away from her for 2 whole months."
"My...friend's husband thought she is witch," Sruthi added.
I remained silent but I would be lying if I say part of me did not regret my decisions. Life was easier when Meihu or my sister made the decisions for me.
My negative thoughts were interrupted when I heard footsteps. I could tell it was the king based on the sounds of the soldiers quickly making way for him. My heart started to beat faster and I could tell the other three were equally nervous.
We all stood up the moment the door opened. Pallu who usually jumps out of the window, also stayed, perhaps for moral support or out of mere curiosity.
"Everyone except for my wife, leave please," Adi said surprising everyone.
Normally he would just say 'everyone out' or 'leave' or 'get out' but the 'please' at the end is new!
Nevertheless everyone immediately left and Adi walked towards me.
"Why did you do this, Vaishu?" he asked.
"Do...what?" I asked genuinely confused.
Did he not like the book?
"The book. The letter," he answered. "You do not like conflict, you do not like unpredictability....then....why did you give me that book....why did you get yourself into a situation where you have to go through the torture of having to anxiously await my reaction?"
"Because you are the king," I said looking down to avoid eye contact, "40% of your population are women and they go through a phenomenon every month that affects them both physically and mentally. Ideally you should do something to make their life easier during that time but at the very least, you should know what it is. It is not acceptable for a king to be ignorant. "
There was a moment of absolute silence in the room.
Usually in times like this, my mind will start to overthink but experience taught me that his silence is usually followed by calmness, not anger.
"Vaishu, look at me when you talk," Adi said gently and I slowly looked up to meet his eyes which were filled with love and admiration.
"It is commendable that you chose to put yourself through pain for the welfare of others," he said looking straight into my eyes, "I am proud of you, Vaishu. You have my respect for life."
I involuntarily smiled.
The genuiness in his eyes as he said those statements made me feel proud of myself too.
"But that book is incomplete," he immediately added.
"In what way?" I asked confused.
"You never mentioned how men are supossed to act during that time," he answered, "I speak for all men when I say, if our wives are going through something so intense, we would like to know what we can do to support." "Should we stay away...stand by your side....is there any food that will help maybe....anything we could get...anything we could do....You need to tell us, Vaishu, we are clueless. We will not know."
I smiled.
"It differs from women to women," I said, "I will talk to the women who work under me and find out what we all have in common. I think there are around 12 women so....."
"63, Vaishu," Adi corrected with a smile, "63." "And together they are called the queen's cabinet," he added.
Wow, I never knew that! My anxiety has limited my interaction to the very few women with whom I am required to talk to for my daily needs and it is only now that I realized how bad it it.
"That is alright," Adi said as if he read my mind, "It is never too late to talk to people."
"Okay then," I smiled, "I will speak to the queen's cabinet and complete the book."
"But the Queen can speak for herself, I assume," he said, "What can I do to make you feel better?"
"Just spend as much time with me as you normally would," I said with a light smile, "but let us not battle. Let us do something less strenous." "If you are comfortable...of course..." I added to make sure I am not forcing him.
Adi chuckled.
"It is the queen's command," he said, "There will not be any excuses."