"Amma! To have revenge, there are many ways! But tarnishing the image of a woman? Is he even a Man with functioning maleness?"
"Sivudu"
Sanga called in, trying to control her son's rolling tongue. But looking at Devasena, she stopped. Devasena looked down at her son. Though he looked like her husband, did she find many qualities of herself in him?
"Nanna Mahendra! This is called going behind our backs. Everything he did was always to our backs. In front of our face he always stood with this smile, that revealed nothing behind it."
"How come Nana let him go for this?"
Mahendra was by now erupting like a volcano. But Devasena smiled, confusing him.
"He did not"
"Huh?"
"He did not spare the person, Mahendra."
A shadow crossed her eyes, that Mahendra did not like at all. He looked at Naayaka, who also had the same expression on his face. Not wanting to go into the bitter memories for now.. Mahendra asked a question, that could lighten up his mother.
"Amma! You managed to defeat that man Wahab Khan in front of Nana. Didn't Nana feel that he was supposed to take charge?"
Devasena who remembered, the knowing smile her husband wore that day, chuckled.
"He knows me too well to do that Mahendra. I am not the normal demure type queen and he still married me. So he should live with the consequences, right?"
Naayaka and Kattappa chuckled.
"You did make him live the consequences Thalli!"
Kattappa said shaking his head. Mahendra smiled at his mother. With each passing moment, he was experiencing the depth of their life and how they filled it with love, even when they were surrounded by conspiracies.
"So he just let you?"
"Well.. he had a condition!"
"Condition?"
"He wanted me to let him have a girl in his arms!"
Mahendra's eyes went wide. She imagined her own reaction to Amarendra's wish and laughed. With every passing moment, her son was proving to be more like her.
She went back in time to live the moment, when her husband had made that demand.
Wahab khan was happily presenting all the dishes he had tasted from different places he travelled, along with the stories behind them.
"Lo behen.. Dost.. Khao! Enjoy the food. Specially ordered vegetarian food as you wished"
Devasena, who by then was as hungry as a Feral Cat, a very hungry cat at that, attacked whatever was in her plate with gusto. Amarendra went on watching with amusement. He had never seen a woman enjoy food like this, apart from his Amma. His Amma used to say,
"A human, who knows to respect the food, will know to respect every thing on the face of earth for the worth of it"
However, he has seen women always being given rules, when it comes to eating. As a result of which, women were very conscious of their eating habits and he had never liked that. But Devasena was a fresh change. This was one of many qualities that attracted him to her.
"Dost! You are not eating?"
Wahab frowned. Amarendra shook his head and started having his food, when Aslam from out of no where came and sat on Devasena's lap. Wahab looked scandalized. But Amarendra just looked, with a smile adorning his lips.
"Beta Aslam. You are not supposed to disturb while they are eating. Come here. I will give you your food"
But Aslam was not in a mood to listen to his abbu. He shook his head.
"Abbu. Ammi Khana!"
He said and opened his mouth, turning to Devasena. She chuckled and fed him little by little. Wahab was awed by his son dutifully eating his food, while his daily routine was to run from the same. He even forgot to correct Aslam's Ammi to Chachi. He turned his awed gaze to Amarendra, who was looking at Devasena in equal awe. But his eyes were seeing a complete different image.
But soon Devasena, who was not so used to this sitting on lap and feeding a toddler, felt her legs go cold. And, came her husband to her rescue.
"Chote Khaan saab. Come here. Sit on my lap and let Ammi feed you the food."
He said taking Aslam into his lap. Now Wahab was literally crying. He understood what his son was missing and what he had missed in his son's life. But he saw that in between feeding his son, they were not eating their food.
"Arey Behen! Dost! Eat your food too. This boy..!"
"Ahan Khan saab. Don't say anything to the child. He is just hungry. Let him eat."
Devasena said, not stopping the feeding for even one moment.
"Dost.."
"Don't worry about me, Khan saab. Deva will feed me too. Enti Deva?"
Mischief lit his eyes. Devasena narrowed her eyes at him, but could not stop the red hue spreading on her cheeks and necks along with the warmth.
"Shh! Enti idi? Siggu leka pothe sare. YOu are shameless. But you want to make it public and make me look shameless too?"
She sneered at him, which made both men laugh out loud. Wahab, who was feeling embarrassed by his son's doings, forgot it and enjoyed their banter.
"What? What is wrong in feeding food to your own husband? Indulo siggu enti?"
"Behen.. He is right you know."
"Khan saab!"
Devasena was at the peak of her frustration. She gave both men admonishing glance. But someone was getting impatient.
"Ammi!"
Devasena saw Aslam who was ready for next morsel of food and chuckled.
"Leave those men Nana.. Here you eat. This man is always hell bent on troubling me"
She said and fed Aslam twisting her nose and lips to Amarendra, who only laughed more.
"Seriously? Chote Khan saab. I am hungry. Ask your ammi to give me food too!"
He called Aslam for his support. Aslam turned to Amarendra once.. then again to Devasena and then again to Amarendra.
"Ammi give me food.. Because I am small! You are not small"
And Devasena lost her battle. She laughed hard that tears started falling from her eyes.
"Khan saab! Your son is way too smart. Teach him your skills in trading. He will do wonders. I meant, only trading skills Khan saab"
She said warningly. Wahab chuckled.
"I had that coming. And see I call you behen! So you get to call me Bhaijaan. Kyu dost?"
He asked Amarendra. But Amarendra was busy. He took the food in Devasena's hand into his mouth that she was about to give to Aslam. Devasena's eyes went wide. SO did her mouth! Aslam laughed. But also glared at the culprit.
"Mera Khana"
Amarendra gave his best lost in fair look to the kid.
"I am hungry too, Chote Khan saab"
And the kid gave it a thought, with his finger beneath his chin.
"Sare! Ammi.. Chachu"
He signalled to Amarendra and Devasena sighed. Now she had to feed him.
"Arey Behen! Cut the man a little slack! Go on! He does look hungry"
"No Bhaijaan! He is very good at schooling his expression! Don't judge him by his innocent face"
Though she said, she did feed him the food. Wahab just chuckled and shook his head. He ordered Kasim to bring another of the course and this time he made sure Amarendra made Devasena eat. Wahab looked on smiling. They made a beautiful couple.
After the food, Aslam again refused to leave these both and settled on Devasena's lap, as she sat on a chair next to Amarendra, who took Taamboolam or paan. As both sat close to each other, Aslam played with Amarendra's moustache and Devasena's Mangalasootram and slept off holding it in his hand. Just on her own, Devasena caressed the boy's head and made him sit comfortably so that he can sleep.
"Behen! At least now put him on the bed. You will go numb"
Wahab tried to take Aslam from her hands. But Aslam's hold was strong. Wahab sighed.
"This is miracle Behen! This boy never gets along with my wife. But you have wrapped him around your little finger"
Amarendra chuckled and shook his head.
"She has that aura around her dost. But I don't think that is the case here!"
Wahab frowned. Amarendra signalled him to watch Devasena, who was so into the little kid sleeping with his head on her chest with so much trust.
"Ahh!"
"Exactly dost! Aahh!"
Both men chuckled.
"So why don't you.."
"Ahan! Don't! You will get me murdered in her hands, if you touch the topic in public!"
"A wife fearing Husband you are dost"
"Chi chi! I am wife respecting husband"
And both laughed. Devasena glared at both.
"Amara! You are nowadays talking too much!"
"Ah! Deva.. You see.."
"I don't want to see!"
"Okay! But we have to leave. It's getting dark. Baadshah and Veera are alone."
"Baadshah and Veera?"
"Our horses Dost"
"oh! Well behen.. DOst is right. you should leave"
Devasena tried getting up. Amarendra took Aslam in his arms and placed him on the bed and covered him. The boy slept peacefully. Devasena's disappointment was so clear on her face. They came to the tent entrance.
"Toh dost! We will take your leave"
"Actually I should be the one to take your leave. We are leaving to our homeland by dawn. But I would like you to visit Ghaziya anytime and I will always be there to lend my help dost. Is dost ko bhulna mat"
"Arey dost. How can I forget? Even if I did, I don't think your behen here is going to let that happen"
They said their farewell laughing. Amarendra and Devasena started walking to their tent.
"Amma!"
Devasena looked at her son, who was looking at her with a scowl. She turned to Naayaka, who was scowling too.
"Enti Naayaka?"
"Wahab Khan toh sneham?"
Devasena chuckled.
"He was not a bad man after all Naayaka. He had such a cute little son you know? Who just got so attached to me!"
Mahendra's scowl deepened and Devasena laughed.
"Mahendra? You are jealous?"
She asked. When he was scowling.. he did look exactly like her Amarendra.
"What do you expect amma?"
"Just the same (chuckling) Me nana lage! But it was one incident that introduced me to a side of myself, that I never knew I had in me"
"Rani Devasena! You are forgetting our Kunthala people! You were mother, queen teacher, everything for us"
"May be! But I never knew it or I just did not realize. Somethings, some emotions needed to be brought out Naayaka and that chote Khan saab did that for me"
"But.. Amma.. Me?"
He asked with wide eyes. She could see that he was imagining her with a kid, who was not him. She eyed Avantika to move and patted the space beside her to Mahendra. Frowning, he sat next to her. But this time she tapped her lap. With a tear drop flowing down his eyes, he let his head fall on her lap. Devasena's eyes filled too. But this time with a satisfaction, happiness. She let her hand caress his hair. In front of her flashed a moment, when she took him into her arms for the first time as a baby. After that she is seeing him as a 25 years of complete grown man! Fate sometimes played dirty and was cruel.
Mahendra reveled in the feeling of laying on his mother's lap and letting her hands in his hair. Sanga understood that she could have loved him like his own mother. But loving like and being his own mother had a lot of difference. More than the grief of losing her son, she was only happy to see a mother and son unite. Every pair of eyes present there were brimming with emotions.
Suddenly Mahendra turned to look at her.
"Amma! how come such a news about you leaked in Royal palace and no one knew about it? No one got a wind of it? Enti Thatha?
Kattappa sighed.
"Kaadu nayna! Someone did get the wind of it."
Mahendra sat up waiting for him to continue.
In Maahishmati..!
"Bhalla!"
Bijjaladeva strode to his son, with pride screaming in his every step. Bhalla looked up and smirked.
"You are a Mastermind! What a planning My son!"
"Learning from Master after all Nana"
"You have mastered diplomacy! Rajathantram lo baga thelavu Bhalla!"
He just smiled.
"Very cleverly you let a news leak, leading to a gossip of that Devasena being adulterer."
"Shh Nana! Never discuss secrets even in a closed room when you are alone, they say. We are in an open study. Walls have ears nana"
"True my boy! But I cannot contain my happiness and pride. You are the rightful person to ascend the Throne of Maahishmati"
"I am"
There was so much conviction in that one phrase but it was said in such a buttery tone, that anyone would not even know that he was such an evil man.
But Just like Bhalla said, Walls have ears and most of the time, such secrets said in between such walls reach ears, that should never hear of it. And it did reach a pair of ears! But it did miss our Bhalla's eyes. He smirked.
Kattappa sighed knowing the fate of the person. Mahendra waited. But Devasena was in another world all together.
Amarendra and Devasena walked hand in hand, through the Mela lanes to their tent in silence. A very comfortable and lovely silence. They reached their tents, still hand in hand. They went straight to Baadshah and Veera. Both their pets were tired from the journey. After seeing to their comfort, both went inside the tent. The silence expanded, as they sat opposite to each other looking at each other. But the silence was getting too much.
"Enti Deva? You are so silent?"
"Adi.. Amarendra.."
She stuttered, not knowing how to get on with the conversation. Amarendra moved closer and cupped her cheeks looking into her eyes.
"Remember I asked about taking another girl in my arms"
Devasena's eyes looked terrified for a moment. But looking at the amusement in his, she relaxed but threw a glare at him.
"Well if you can want to take a boy in your arms, what is wrong in me taking a girl?"
He asked and looking at the warmth spreading in her skin, he laughed as she pushed him.
"You find me amusing?"
"Can't help it you know"
Saying he wound his arm around her waist and pulled her on him and he laid down. she landed on his chest. She winced and then folding her arms on his chest, she looked at him. He smiled.
"What are you looking at?"
"How will it be, to have a son who will look like you?"
She blurted. He put his right palm on her left cheek and caressed it. He smiled into her eyes.
"How about a daughter like you?"
She frowned. She placed her face on her palm giving a perfect thinking posture, that had his chest rumble in a small laugh that vibrated through her.
"How about a son who looks like you, but actually is like me?"
Amarendra's eyes widened. Pressing her more to him he let his breath caress her face.
"Does it matter? as long as he/she is ours?"
She gave a smile that melted his inside. He pressed her more closer and he leaned in. There outside a shooting star came flying, as if granting them a wish.
"Thatha"
She came to present, hearing her son's questioning tone.
"Thatha! who was it? Who heard?"
Devasena frowned. And then remembered the person. Kattappa's face saw a shadow of grief.
"One person! Who should have never got involved in this.."
On the other side a man entered a cave with a lot of food and rushed into a place where a person was working on another.
"Enti Vaidyulu! How is he?"
The man who was sitting beside a man who was laying on a bamboo mattress looked up.
"Getting better. He is catching up on his walking. But sometimes he is too distressed which will reduce his recovery"
"I am not hearing anything except his well being. Got it?"
"He will. Don't worry. Now that he is awake, his recovery will be fasttracked from here on"
"You better!"
The man leaned on the man and saw a trace of smile and frown. The lips wanted to speak. But he was not able to. But there was a determination in his eyes that gave him the strength. He held his eyes.
"You will be all right all soon"
There was only a grunt in reply which made him chuckle.
"You know.. This time I went to a place. Let me tell you about my interesting experience.."
The man smiled willing to listen making the other two men smile.