" it would only be appropriate of us to first approach him directly and try to sort things out. We can always resort to warfare if that fails. " .....aksh said, seated on the tea table with agastya.
It was early morning, early enough that majority of the palace remained sound asleep while the duo carried out modifications to their plan.
The first rays of the sun bathed the empty cups kept at the side of the table.
" Get some more tea." .....both the men said in unison as they looked at each other instantly.
An attendee came running, who was awakened so early in the morning and had been making tea ever since.
" But lords, this is your seventh cup-" .....she tried to say.
" Neela. Don't you think we can count? Both of us are pretty good with numbers actually. " ......aksh said as he looked at her curtly.
She looked down and nodded, wondering why she ever thought this was a good job to do.
The two came back when the sun was a few hours from rising in the horizon, and decided not to sleep but flood themselves with tea and discuss 'important plans'.
Neela on the other hand, suffered the consequences accurately.
" I get it that you're trying to have a civilized discussion, but I'm afraid that will be harder than warfare." ....agastya said as he took the last sip out of his cup before slouching on the couch.
Aksh slouched back on his own couch, sleepy and tired beyond measure. He yawned, putting a hand over his mouth in the process.
" What do you mean ?" ...aksh said lazily as he saw the attendee bring the eighth tray of tea.
Neela placed the tray on the table for the eighth time, bowing slightly before going back, wishing with all her might for this to be the last time.
" What would I present as my reason to meet him ? Above all, setting up an appointment would be such a hazard. The rajvanshi's don't even have any good relations with us. " .......agastya said,straightening up again, compelling aksh to reciprocate as he was irritated.
" Right. It will be easy to attack them, their security planning isn't up to the mark. I mean....i could sneak in there, sit for a good while and sneak back out. I hardly saw guards patrolling the backside or yards."
Aksh spoke again, trying to suppress a yawn this time, but failing miserably.
"Stop yawning aksh! That's like the tenth time today." ....agastya said, suddenly turning irritated, and losing his cool which he had been maintaining till now.
" Well it's not my fault I had to follow you and bear with your ass the whole night so i couldn't get sleep. " .....aksh snapped back.
" Well whose fault is it then ? What are you suggesting ?" .....agastya said as his eyes turned dark, provoking aksh.
Aksh cursed himself under his breath as he realised what frustration had made him do.
" The situation, your majesty. It's surely the fault of the situation." ....he quickly gathered.
Agastya rolled his eyes looking towards the pansies in full bloom on his attached garden.
Inevitably, he was reminded of the pansies in her chamber and something clicked in his brain. He shuffled through his back pocket and felt his fingers touching the soft petals. He smiled, remembering her.
Aksh on the other hand, took a sip of his tea looking at the heir of the great Malik's being an idiot in love. He cleared his throat, gaining agastya's attention, though not fully undivided.
" Developing friendly relations with other empires in the area is a venture you should set forth in, as a new king of the empire. Rajvanshi's can be one of them.".......aksh said this time, after giving it a good thought.
" Okay, and the rajvanshi's will continue to maintain good relations with me even when they see me take away their next queen. " ......agastya said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Aksh closed his eyes, not being able to deal with the man infront of him.
" You haven't even met aadhrit yet. He might just turn out to be a good man after all." .....aksh said without thinking.
Agastya's brow raised, as he scrutinized aksh under his unwavering gaze.
" And who might aadhrit be to you ? Your uncle's son ? "
Aksh looked at him before realising that he had spoken of the impossible.
" Okay okay alright. Can we do this a little later ? I can't even get my sleep now until at night. I believe I'll have fresh ideas tomorrow." ....aksh finally let out.
Agastya chuckled mockingly.
" And they say you're supposed to be my chief advisor and first in command." .....rolling his eyes, he got up and went towards his own chamber.
The court proceedings would still take an hour or so to begin. This could be enough time for him to steal a nap.
***************†*********************************
Ruh came out throught the main door of the royal cottage. Mala stood facing the other side on the garden.
Mala turned around as she heard ruh's footsteps approaching.
" How'd it go ?" ....she asked, slowly.
"Good." ...ruh breathed, nodding her head briefly. Somehow, her cheeks had reddened a bit.
Mala decided not to inquire further.
They reached ruh's chamber soon enough, owing to the fast pacing of ruh as she practically ran towards her own chamber.
" Umm.....i want to rest for a while. Can I meet you later ?" ....ruh said to mala as soon as they were in front of the chamber.
Mala nodded, definitely sensing something wrong. However, she couldn't find it in herself to muster up the courage and inquire.
Ruh went inside and closed the door within a second of getting inside. Something was definitely wrong.
***************************
She recalled his words as a few tears left her eyes.
He was inching closer every second as ruh felt herself squeezing between the wall and him. This was not the kind of closeness which brought security. Rather, it bought awful feelings. A sense of disgust and threats.
" I don't know what you expect of me, but since you'd have the place of my wife soon enough I would like you to know your place. That's just beside me. However, you have no rights on me. Not now, not ever. Have this settled in that pea sized brain."
....
"But-" ...she had somehow mustered up the courage to protest but was interrupted.
" This is one of the etiquettes you need to be taught. Don't interrupt your husband. And..,ofcourse, never dare to question your husband. Just obey and you'll be fine. Try to protest, And I know ways to make you suffer. Speak, but only when you're spoken to." .....he had cleared out.
That was just a fragment of the conversation. A part of it, a serious one infact. However, there was more to it. Something that made the tears threatening to come out.
She suppressed the sounds, but was unsuccessful in doing so with her tears. This was definitely not what she'd ever expected for her wedding to be.
She had always looked upto being loved, cherished. Ofcourse, respect would make it to the top of the least. However, respect was the last thing her fiance had offered or even promised to offer.
She let herself fall down on the bed. She hid her face in the pillow, not wanting to face anything at this point. The reality of her fate was too much to be taken in.
She thought about her father. He had loved her all his life before his untimely fate fell upon him, changing their family forever.
She thought about it. Would her father ever want any such thing for her? Was he sure that she would be loved here ? Did he even know the kind of person he had offered his loved daughter to?
She was sure that her father would have never wanted anything like this for her. However, the agreement was signed and the deal was closed. Nothing could be done now.
"I'm just on my own from now, forever." ....she whispered to herself.
She would spend the rest of the day inside this very room, and request for her meals to be served here too. She needed time.
Her biggest fear was now at the doorstep, knocking on it and she was compelled to open it owing to an agreement signed by her father sealing her fate.
She rolled over to the other side of the bed, sniffing in the tears. A smell invaded her senses. The very particular smell comforted her at the moment.
His words of assurance, gestures of love, and attempts at sensibility came to her mind. He was a true gentleman, not meant for her. The reality of which, she couldn't quite digest now.
" Ruh.... daughter, would you open the door ?" .....the sweet voice of the queen echoed the walls.
She quickly got up, wiping off the tears and fixing her attire. She looked at herself in the mirror ensuring she didn't look like the mess she so absolutely was.
She opened the door to the cheerful face of the queen.
"Mom, come inside please." .....she said as she moved to the side making way for the queen to come in. A dozen of other helpers also came in with her, each having beautifully carved boxes in their hand.
" Yes, keep it here. That's perfect." ......she said as she signalled the helpers to leave the room after the boxes were placed perfectly on the tables.
Ruh looked at the woman in the room in utter confusion, following which, the presence herself offered to clear the confusion which had seemingly shadowed ruh's face.
" These are the presents. This box right here, it contains our family heirlooms. They are the symbols of our legacy. I was offered these by the late queen mother when i married into the family and now, it's my turn as well as duty to pass these down to you. Further, i expect you to be kinder and pass these down to the next generation in your turn. " ........an air of seriousness surrounded the room.
Ruh picked up the importance of the conversation soon. However, the sudden load of the duty bestowed upon her right after she has confronted the reality of having a messy marriage was overwhelming.
She nodded nevertheless.
" Okay. Was i too serious ? I had to be, the heirlooms are of great importance to the empire. Showcasing both it's legacy and reminding everyone of the royal heritage when they see it adorning the queen of the kingdom. But I feel like you know the importance of it already, so c'mon have a look at it. " .....she smiled warmly, slicing through the tension she had herself created.
Ruh smiled as her eyes teared up. However, she was quick to take control over her emotions as she proceeded to open the box which had been addressed to be the most important one amongst the pile.
It was rightfully addressed, as she looked at the carvings. The carvings on wood were the true testament of the timeless beauty and excellent craftsmanship that displayed the history of the kingdom. The crowned tiger sat in the middle, the symbol of the rajvanshi's.
Intricate details of the architecture indigenous to the rajvansh, and mini peacocks on the four corners inevitably dragged the undivided attention of anyone who took a glance at it. It was adorned by rubies, emeralds, opals and other precious gems at every spot the fingers could touch.
The top of the box held at it's middle, the ultimate symbol of their power. The sword belonging solely to the monarchs of the crown. The same sword that the king held, which held the crowned tiger at the base of the blade, made of pure gold with a Ruby at the centre of the crown.
She opened it as her hands shivered with the weight of it. She realised her mistake of thinking that the box was extravagant, for what lay inside broke every limit of extravagance their could possibly be.
Shimmering as it reflected the light, radiant beyond measure. That was only the neckpiece. One could only imagine how heavy it was, with a framework of gold and a total of twenty-two wine-coloured rubies forming just the basal part. As it ascended into the roughly triangular shape, the details turned more intricate, housing mini diamonds within their gaps which shone like a cluster of million stars in the darkest of nights.
The dazzling shine was enough to leave anyone baffled as the tip of the roughly triangular shape zeroed in on the single most expensive gemstone known to mankind- the rare blue diamond.
She had heard rumours of the possession of the blue diamonds only with the Malik's, the rajvanshi's, and the suryavanshi's in the far East.
Seeing it with her own eyes, would mark a milestone of her life that very few people could achieve. She had to look away for a brief while, on account of the jewels projecting sharp concentrations of light into her eyes.
The headpiece, a thousand times more brilliant was made of just diamonds, with a stammering total of two thousand- seven hundred, fifty one diamonds of unnoticeable diameter but left the viewer baffled as they formed the entirety of the crown. The four tips, projecting upwards, held four emeralds, and this was just the queen's.
She could only imagine what the king's crown could be. The other boxes held earpieces, rings, waistbands, and other mini jewels which could adorn a whole body and leave no space for the skin to breathe if worn all at once. Every piece was a competition to the one before and each of them proved the audience wrong when they thought they couldn't see anything better.
The actual responsibility of being a queen now dawned upon her. The possesion of these jewels were a minor part of it, however they were enough to instill the actual meaning of the huge responsibility that the owner of those jewels had to take on.
The duty of a huge empire, upholding it's legacy, upholding it's sovereignty and everything that came with the crown was a thousand times larger.
Ofcourse, the kings had the major part of the duty with upholding all the above-mentioned. However, the women of the kingdom were the sign of it's status, position and welfare.
The status of the royal women equaled the status of the kingdom as a whole. As such, the queen stood as the symbol for the status of the kingdom, it's position among all other state and the epitome for it's internal affairs.
The king's would go on to win kingdoms, expanding provinces, and defending them. However, it were the queens who would look after the intricate internal affairs of the state, ensure it's stability and welfare.
The royal household, not to mention was solely dependent upon her highness to look after and address.
It was all too much. Royals are born into the atmosphere, getting used to it from their earlier years, eventually learning to balance the huge responsibilities on their backs.
As a commoner however, it seemed like a moutain suddenly huddling on her back, pushing her down into the unending depths of liabilities.
" I know how you feel. It's like a sudden weight which you feel like you can't handle. I felt it too. It isn't easy to overcome those and dispose off duties without stammering on how significant they could be to the empire's future. But we believe in the divine shaping of events by the almighty and we trust the timings. If you were destined and chosen to reign beside the 50th king, you must also possess the potential to do so. Believe in yourself, because we did the same. " ......the soft voice behind her said, as she felt a palm on her shoulders.
" इस पूरे राज्य को तुम पर भरोसा है, और ठीक इसी वजह से, तुम्हारा खुद पर भरोसा करना हमारे लिए एबंग इस राज्य के भविष्य के लिए काफ़ी महत्वपूर्ण हैं बेटा. " ....she concluded.
" जी, ...... मां. " .....she said, struggling to form words.
" अभी के लिए मुझे जाने की अनुमति दो. लेकिन याद रखना, मैंने इन दैतवो का सदियों से पालन किया है, और अब मैं उन्हें तुम्हे यह समझकर सौंप रही हु की तुम मेरा और मेरे इस फैसले का मान रखोगी. " ......the door close behind her shortly, as the world collapsed down on the presence inside the room.
The boxes lined up one after the other, symbolised the responsibilities even when they weren't meant to.
She stared blankly at those boxes as a brief knock interrupted her empty chain of thoughts.
She voiced out a low " come in" before she saw mala entering the room carefully.
" The queen mother asked me to collect all the boxes and get them stored in the safe after you're done having a look at them. So,....should i get them locked away ?"
" Yes, please." .....she muttered as her eyes stared into an Abyss of unending miseries that her life had of so sudden broken upon her.
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Happiest new year guys !!! Here's the gift from my side 🌚💖
Hey folks, how was it ?
Took a decision to use actual Hindi instead of "hinglish" as I think it really helps the setting and background of the story.
Should I translate the sentences in English too? If you want me to, then please let me know.
Also, vote if you liked it. Thanks for giving this a chance!