Amarendra looked at Kattappa and then Devasena.
"Vismaya, please proceed."
Devasena said.
Vismaya walked to the perpetrators and went around them once.
"Let us first see their crimes."
She said as she turned to the court.
"Conspiring against the king, occupying the throne by sly when the King was undefeated. As per rules of Maahishmati, when the King is yet to be defeated, another person doesn't have the right to the throne. Yes?"
She asked looking at everyone. Mainly Devasena who was the responsible for the Home ministry and law.
Devasena nodded her head.
"And if I am right, Raja Ranadeva Bhoopati, the person to be the king before Raja Vikramadeva also possessed the throne by sly only, right?"
Amarendra nodded his head again.
"If that is the case, then the original undefeated King was, Raja Rudraksha?"
Gautama Shastry looked at Vismaya in question.
"Where are you going with this Mahamantri Vismaya?"
"Just following the rules Panditulu. So in that case, Rajamata Sivagami Devi was the true princess right?"
"Yes."
Amarendra could not agree more. Vismaya just smiled at Amarendra and Devasena.
"You are smart. We heard right about you."
Devasena said.
"And I understood what you are trying to say. You just spoke the words that we and Maharaja decided upon."
"I just found out a way for you to get it done right."
Vismaya said proudly.
"Now, coming to Priest and Pedanana Bijjaladeva?"
Amarendra asked.
"What they did was purely Rajadroham. Your peddanana being from the royal family, betrayed everyone and mainly you both on a personal level. Once when you were alleged for the same, I heard Rajamata punished you."
Amarendra closed his eyes as he still remembered the day when his mother refused to listen to him and sent him on exile. Devasena held his hand and slightly pressed it. Amarendra sighed at the strength his wife provided him with.
"Maharaja, Maharani! All I am doing is just presenting the facts. Ultimate power of punishment is with you both."
Vismaya rested the case and took her seat.
"Rei Anna, she is one smart woman."
Mahendra said to Aslam from behind his seat.
"You are right."
Aslam said and frowned at Mahendra standing behind him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Just reminding you that Amma and Nana are yet to give you their word on your marriage."
Mahendra smirked trying to pull Aslam's leg showing in Arzoo's direction. Aslam glared and growled at Mahendra and shooed him away to his place stating the importance of the discussion going on in the court.
Amarendra took a deep breath.
"Since all the facts are now clean and clear in front of everyone, I would like everyone's concern to announce our final verdict."
Amarendra said. Everyone gave their concern.
"We are taking Mahamantri Vismaya's points into account. So first, the priest."
The priest who was behind every idea of Bijjaladeva looked around shivering.
"He is like a drop of poison in a gallon of milk. HE is dangerous to society like a snake wound around your ankle. So its better if we send him far away from society. This very moment, he is to be sent to a thick jungle where he will come in contact with no human. The moment he tries to talk to anyone, he will be put in the dark cell of Maahishmati without any freedom."
The soldiers who were waiting for orders, immediately caught the priest on Devasena's signal and were ready to take him outside when Devasena stopped them.
"You need to wait. We are yet to give the complete verdict."
"Peddanana being patriarch of our family refused to accept the reality and kept wandering in self pity which led to such catastrophic events. But he is a product of the wrong lessons of his father. But still what he did was betrayal."
Amarendra's voice faltered as the man standing in front of him was the husband of the woman whom he considered above god.
"Bijjaladeva's betrayal should become a lesson to anyone who tries to betray anyone around them. So he will live in royal grounds but he will have to earn his food. Anyone here is prohibited from giving him food unless he has earned it, and is advised against talking to him apart from the necessary. He will be in Royal Exile."
Devasena continued for Amarendra. Devasena knew her husband well. She could see his hesitation the moment his hold on her hand tightened.
Taking a deep breath, Amarendra looked at Kattappa who smiled thinking about the punishment he was about to get from his Baahu.
"Karikala Kattappa is more of Maharani Devasena's offender. Because I considered him only as my guru, a father figure. But Maharani Devasena considered him her father when she gave him the position of being Grandfather to my son and when he promised to safeguard her and her family. But he let her be.."
Amarendra could not even come to say about Devasena's condition for the past quarter of the century. Taking a deep breath, Amarendra turned to his wife.
"So its your right to punish him."
Devasena looked at her husband and whatever she saw in his eyes made her turn to the man who was smiling at the couple with tears in his eyes. He had no words for them. His Dharma, his ethics were beyond their understanding. Devasena sighed.
"Kattappa is nothing more than an arrow that pierced us from behind, while the bow and the person behind the bow were someone else. Like Mahamantri pointed out, when Maharaja Rudraksha was undefeated King, his daughter Rajamata Sivagami Devi was the rightful heir, as their Slave, Kattappa was bound to serve them. He is a prisoner of his own twisted loyalty. So the right punishment for him would be free him of such slavery that makes him bound to be loyal and carry out such dirty work for the throne that is a mere position."
Devasena said, earning everyone's surprise and shock.
"Maharani Devasena?"
"His slavery was the only reason for all his actions. So liberating him is the only way to punish him Maharaja."
She said loudly.
"Mahamantri?"
Devasena turned to Vismaya who just smiled.
"Let the punishments be implemented."
She said.
"Anything else?"
Devasena asked.
"Yuvaraja announcement and his crowning?"
Gautama Shastry asked.
"Like I said, the younger generation needs to learn a lot of things. First education. Then we can discuss this."
Amarendra said and pointedly looked at Mahendra who was trying to trouble Avantika. The moment he felt his father's eyes on him, he steadied himself making Avantika giggle.
"But there is one thing we need to announce."
Amarendra said and smiled at Devasena.
"Our son, Aslam Khan took a very brave decision and came to us for permission."
Aslam Khan's ears turned red.
"So we give him permission. He can marry Arzoo. Any elders from Khan's side can help us arrange for their wedding, which will take place soon."
Aslam looked at Arzoo who smiled.
"Another important note, Ministers are to take their time to observe things regarding their ministries so that any changes required can be proposed and discussed. We will be making new laws for Maahishmati soon based on those observations. Mahamantri Vismaya and Maharani Devasena will be responsible for these laws. Dismissed."
Amarendra dismissed the court and everyone gathered around him and Devasena to congratulate them.
"Long live King and Queen."
Vismaya said bowing to them.
Amarendra smiled at her as she bowed at their feet.
"Have a happy long life"
They blessed her.
Devasena looked at her with sorrow filled eyes.
"I deprived you of your mother."
She stated. Vismaya smiled with tears in her eyes.
"No Maharani. My mother used to visit me once in a while before she used to bring you change of saree and everytime she prepared me to lose her. She kept saying that her first duty is to the motherland. My father also brought me up the same way. This motherland is my mother."
Devasena touched the young woman's head and caressed her hair, smiling at her maturity and acceptance.
"Your mother was bravest. She did not flinch when they killed her right in front of my eyes."
"I hope I will make her proud."
"She is already proud of you Vismaya. You need to go to your father."
Vismaya nodded her head and rushed to her father. The villagers all expressed their happiness at them getting what they deserved at last.
At last they went back to their chamber calling it a day. Amarendra looked at the guard near his chamber entrance.
"Bhumanyu, This is your shift till second Jamam right?"
"Yes Maharaja!"
"You remember the signal I taught you?"
The guard frowned and nodded his head.
"Check if the next guard also knows this, if not teach him. In case of an emergency, while we are in our private space, That is the signal you will use to alert us."
The guard nodded again and smiled looking down. After all, he understood the privacy they needed. The king and queen were human too.
"STop grinning and do your job."
Devasena said frowning, making the guard look up and stand in attention.
Amarendra as soon as they moved to a distance where they couldn't be overheard, chuckled.
"You had to scare that poor fellow."
"Well, he had ideas. So I had to, you know?"
Amarendra just shook his head and pulled her along with him all the while looking around if they were being noticed. Seeing no one, he took her to the grove in the backside of the fortress where he had arranged for a very private place amidst the thick trees for them.
Devasena seeing this remembered the first night she spent with him in Maahishmati. She turned to him.
"Our old one, got destroyed. So secretly I have been building this. This is our private cove. That is why I taught the signal to our guards and our kids."
Devasena shook her head as she went into his arms readily. She placed her head on his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest, just above his heart and curled her fingers there around his Vastram.
Amarendra smiled. HE just loved this about her. He took her to the bed like set up, he had arranged and sat with her.
"Deva.."
"Hmm?"
"I need a clarification."
She looked up frowning.
"Why didn't you punish Mama? Instead you gave him freedom."
Devasena sighed.
"He has been through a lot already thinking he killed you. I know how he lived the past two decades. He still tried to free me and every time got condemned when Bhallaladeva or his son found out. They treated him very badly. All because he was a slave. He was ordered to kill oyu, because of the same slavery. He has been living his life that way. I thought, Freedom is the only way he can accept himself"
Devasena said.
"Soon the slavery would vanish completely from Maahishmati."
Devasena pledged.
"Now I understand why Amma praised you and why Mama thought of you more then me."
"Huh?"
"Amma thought you were the welcome change this place needed. She has been trying to change certain systems here and tried to do that using my father. But he.."
Amarendra sighed and continued.
"Then she thought I would do them, but then again.."
Devasena held his shoulders in support.
"But the way you influenced everyone without having to spell things out, impressed Amma and she had much praise for you. And Mama, more than thinking me of a son, you were his darling daughter. The moment you said that he would be the first one to take Mahendra in his arms, he had nothing but tears."
Amarendra smiled at the memories. The smile reflected on her face too. Seeing that glow, he couldn't resist. He bent down towards the face that was looking up at him.
The moon shined brightly seeing the two birds back in their nest.a