Devika opened her eyes and looked at the roof disoriented. There was a bright yellow light in the room. The light came from the few oil lanterns hung from the roof and walls of the room. The smell of medicinal plants and powders surrounded her.
Breathing deeply, she looked around her. A few pots and pans were arranged on a shelf in the room with many herbs and medicinal plants lying neatly stacked near them. Devika slowly sat up, and held a hand to her head as it was throbbing in continuous pain. 'Is this heaven?' she thought to herself. The room itself seemed to be cut into a stone like structure. It seemed like a man-made cave. 'It looks really wierd for heaven. Is this hell?' the thought slipped into her mind.
She was sitting on a stone slab and her other hand was devoid of the ornaments and was wrapped in bandages near the wrist. She looked around and spotted an exit. Climbing down slowly, she started walking towards the opening of the cave.
A giant of a man came in through the door and spotted her. Wordlessly he lifted her up by her arms and seated her back on the stone slab. Devika felt very embarrassed, she had not been lifted like this since her childhood. She looked up indignantly and was prepared to kick the man in his stomach, when she noticed a peculiar thing.
It seemed as if the man was not a giant but she had shrunk to the size of a child. The realisation gave her a pause and she looked at her hands and her legs in wonder. The man lightly patted her head and said, "Hello, little princess. I am the doctor of the Katha village. People call me Guruji. You were very brave today, little one."
"Where am I?" Devika asked somewhat perplexed. Before her question was completed, a lady came running towards her.
"Princess... How are you feeling now?" she asked Devika holding her hands in concern.
"Rewa??" Devika questioned her eyes and her sanity. Rewa nodded her head fast and her expression became even more concerned. She was the chief maid in service of the princess of Nala kingdom. Her princess seemed disoriented and confused. She wondered if her princess' head was affected by the poison.
Devika kept looking at Rewa dumbfounded. She remembered that after her marriage with Prince Bhadra Kumar, Rewa had accompanied her to Gauda kingdom. Enroute to Gauda, some dacoits had ambushed the returning wedding procession. Although their soldiers had successfully refuted the attack, Rewa had lost her life. Devika had bore the guilt of Rewa's death forever.
Looking at Rewa now Devika understood that something unimaginable has happened and she decided to gauge the people around her before speaking anything. She schooled her expression to that of confusion and asked her, "Rewa, what happened? I am confused. I can't remember anything."
Her words caused Rewa to panic some more. She immediately started narrating the events, "Princess, we were visiting the ancient temple of Lord Kaal Bhairava. On the way to the temple, we decided to take a shortcut through the forest. When we were walking in the forest, we saw a young boy who had fallen in the ditch filled with spikes. We managed to save him, but your wrist was scratched by a spike. You lost your consciousness a short while later due to the poison. We immediately brought you to the temple and thankfully Guruji was visiting the temple with his wife today itself. He saved you Princess. But you were unconscious for so long..." unable to complete her sentence, Rewa dissolved in tears.
Brushing away Rewa's tears, Devika stood up once again. She understood that due to some peculiar reason she didn't die at hands of King Bhadra Kumar but had reverted to her younger self. She decided to make full use of the opportunity provided to her by God and this time to live her life for her and her family. This time she wouldn't sacrifice anything for an ungrateful person.
She turned to Guruji and gave him a formal bow with her hands joined in front of her. "Thank you for your help in expelling the Dhatura poison. Kind Sir, please allow us to return your kindness by accompanying us to the palace for dinner with your wife." Devika spoke formally.
The man looked at her sharply and nodded his head after considering the idea for a while. After obtaining his consent, Devika turned towards her maid and asked, "How is the health of the young boy? Has he already left or is he still here?" Thinking that if the Prince has left, she would be saved the trouble of facing him again.
Rewa immediately shook her head, "No, Princess. He is waiting for us in the main courtyard of the temple." Her words doused the hope in Devika's heart.
Devika nodded, squared her shoulders, and immediately walked out. As soon as she stepped out, bright light assailed her eyes and she blinked rapidly to allow her eyes to adjust to the light. Her other maids were lined up outside the medical cave room. They seemed happy to see her safe and sound.
The visage of the temple complex stood before her. The grandeur of the temple laid in the intricate carvings on it's walls and pillars. So many years had passed since the temple was built, however the beauty of the temple was maintained properly by the priests serving the Lord.
Resolutely, she took steps towards the main courtyard. She knew what she had to say to Prince Bhadra Kumar of Gauda. He was here in Nala kingdom under an assumed name. Her small feet were walking towards the courtyard in a fast pace. Rewa and her other maids were almost running to keep up with her. Soon the young boy came in her view. He stood with his back to her.
Devika walked towards him and said, "Excuse me." The boy turned to look at her. He was as cute and handsome as she remembered.
He raised an eyebrow and asked in insolence, "You are talking with me?"
"Yes. You are the guy whose life we saved." Devika said her voice steady. Her face and expression were still and didn't display her thoughts.
"Oh! You are here for a reward. Sorry, I forgot to give it to you earlier." saying so he extended a ring towards Devika.
Devika raised an eyebrow and hatred flashed for a quick second in her eyes before they retained their neutral look. She said haughtily, "There's no need for a reward. You can donate this ring to the temple if you so wish."
The ring Bhadra presented her had Gauda kingdom's royal family's insignia and as such was very valuable. Bhadra was incensed by the girl's behaviour. He thought that she was not able to understand the value of the ring.
"Please, take the ring, I insist." he said and thrust the ring in her hands.
Devika looked at him and this time the disgust remained in her eyes. She quickly went near the donation box of the temple and slipped the ring inside. All of this was done in front of Bhadra purposely. She wanted to show herself that he meant nothing to her anymore. The gesture was more for her own benefit than for him to see.
Turning towards him, she said, "There, now that your reward is accepted, you might be willing to answer a few questions about yourself."
"How dare you!?" Bhadra yelled at her, "Did you know how precious the ring is?"
"However precious that ring might be, my father can lay ten such rings in front of me. Also, didn't you give the ring as a reward? If the ring was that precious to you, maybe you should have kept it to yourself." her words were harsh and reprimanding.
Bhadra knew that she was right and he had no reason to yell at her. He was confused at her identity. "Who are you?" he asked calming himself.
"Whoever I might be doesn't concern you. But you, Prince Bhadra Kumar, would you like to explain for what purpose are you visiting Nala Kingdom?" she bit back at him.
"How did you know that I am Prince Bhadra Kumar?" he asked growing cautious.
"The ring bore an insignia of the royal family of Gauda Kingdom. Who would have such a ring except for the members of royal family?" she reasoned.
"So, you know how precious that ring was and yet you threw it away?" the Prince asked, simply mystified at her behaviour.
"Correction, Prince Bhadra, I donated the ring towards a better cause. Now, stop avoiding my questions. Why are you here? Why are there assassins targetting you?" Devika questioned, her tone a tad harsh.
Bhadra sighed and explained, "I was hunting with my father near the border separating Nala and Gauda kingdoms. I got separated from the hunting party and fell in a trap set by assassins. The pit was dug to kill whoever fell in it. I avoided the poisonous spikes by God's grace. Thank you for your timely rescue." He ended his explanation with the gratitude, that he should have offered in the first place.
Nodding at him, Devika turned towards her maids and said, "Rewa, send a distress signal to our guards. As soon as they reach here, ask them to escort Prince Bhadra Kumar to his palace safely."
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**
Guru means teacher and ji is added to anyone's name or title to signify respect.
Guruji literally means respected teacher.