35
No!
Do not do it!
Do not do it!
The king is going to torment you for the rest of your life....or maybe even in the after life.
I kept repeating to myself as I tried to utilize all of my willpower, everything in my control, to not be bothered by the single strand of hair across her face as I held this unconsious, yet graceful being.
I clearly remember my conversation with the king during one of our battles.
We have the titles of Karna and Arjuna of the Kaliyug.
No one, absolutely no one other than each other can make their swords touch the ground is what people say about us.
A statement that makes us incredibly proud.
I remember the king saying in the middle of one of our battle that he thinks the Queen is capable of defeating him.
"Not in battle perhaps, but maybe her presence itself could be so mermerizing that I loose control of everything, including the weapon in my hand. We need to careful around the women we love, Nandu bhaiyya " were his exact words.
I remember laughing out loud. I told him he is blinded by love and here I am contemplating on whether I should drop the sword in my other hand just to push back the hair across her face.
Was that necessary? No!
Would it benefit anyone? No!
Would it ruin my life? Yes!
Am I going to do it?
In retrospect, unconsious Sruthi is actually more attractive. Perhaps due to the fact that she cannot speak or do anything stupid.
"BAHHHHHHHH" I shouted as I felt the droplets of water sprinkled on my face.
Old habits die hard
"For Godsake, Gati," I heard the general yell.
I blankly stared at him.
Ohh, he did not kill me?
"Here," he said giving me a glass of water.
"What is this?" he asked grabbing my hand as he noticed the cut on my finger when I reached out for the glass.
"I cut myself while cooking for you yesterday," I informed and noticed a slight guilt in his eyes which was masked off within seconds.
"What did you do about it?" he asked gently.
"I angrily slammed the knife onto the floor," I replied.
The general rolled his eyes.
Why? Isn't that what we are supossed to do?
"I apologize for asking," he said and walked towards the entrance and said something to one the soldiers standing guard.
Meanwhile, I tried to smell the water to make sure it is not poisoned.
"Trust me, Gati, I would not waste valuable poison on you," he commented upon noticing.
I looked at him angrily but part of me knew he wasn't lying, so I just drank the water. After a while he came back with a small bowl that the soldier gave him.
He sat down beside me and extended his hand.
I gave the empty glass back to him.
The general slammed his forehead, kept the glass on the table and grabbed my hand. He started applying the paste from the bowl on my cut.
"Ouch," I exclaimed.
"Shut up, drama queen. I did not even touch the wound yet," he said non-chalantly and continued applying. I thought it would hurt, but it actually had a very soothing affect.
"Here," he said giving me the rest of the paste, "twice a day for the next three days."
"Thank you," Gati said taking the bowl.
I nodded and turned to leave but paused infront of the study table as another useless idea struck my mind. I took a sheet and a quill and wrote a message for Gati.
"What is written here?" Gati asked as I gave the sheet to her.
"It says Be careful, you idiot," I lied.
"I hope I did not disturb you, beta," the panditji asked to make sure.
"Not at all panditji," I said, "Meeting you is always a pleasure."
"Is there any specific purpose behind your visit," Adi asked politely.
"Well your high-"
"Shiva," Adi and I simultaneously corrected.
"Shiva beta," the panditji smiled, "I wanted to ask you for a favor."
"Sure, what is it?" Adi asked.
"We have Vijayadasami coming up in a couple of days," the panditji said, "And the temple is going to be filled with people from all over the country. A lot of people have already volunteered to help with crowd control and security but I am not sure if it would be enough. So...I was hoping if..."
"Well, of course panditji," Adi immediatly answered even before the preist could finish his sentence, "The crown will take complete responsibility of security and crowd control."
"No beta, all we need is......"
"It is our duty, panditji," Adi interrupted, "not a favor." "Save your volunteers for devotional work," he added, "Leave the rest to the state."
The preist smiled.
"Thank you beta," he said.
"Our pleasure," Adi smiled back. "Continue the conversation," he said turning to me, "I will go speak with the general about the temple security."
"Can I make a confession Vaishu," the preist asked as I watched Adi leave.
"Yes, Panditji," I said turning back to him.
"When I got you married to the king, I was extremely skeptical," the pandit said, "I spent sleepless night wondering if I have accidentally put an innocent, broken girl in the hands of a man so dutiful that he cares about nothing but his battles and his kingdom.
" "And then I see him," he continued, "Breaking protocols for you, smiling every second he is around you and calling confinement a blessing.
" "Then there is you," he said lovingly placing his hand on my head, "Finally having the happiness that you rightfully deserve.
Guess the Godess always makes the right decision. "
"She does, panditji," I smiled, "she does!"
The king laughed out loud before repeating the dreaded statement, "Say it again."
"Your highness," I said respectfully, "I am concerned you are abusing your authority as a king."
"We had a bet Nandu bhaiyya," the king emphasized to highlight that he is speaking as Adi and not as the king, "Repeat!"
"I lost, accepted defeat and let go of my weapon," I stated.
"And..." the king prompted.
I hate this man!
"And all it took was a single strand of Sruthi's hair," I completed.
"Perfect," the king smiled, "Once more!"
"One would assume that having heard it for 7 times now would have satisfied your ego," I said.
"One assumed wrong," the king simply defended.
"Say. It. Again." he commanded.
I signed.
"I lost, accepted...." I was interrupted when the Queen opened the door.
Thank god, my savior is here.
"Did I interrupt something?" she asked innocently.
"Not at all, Vaishu," the king smiled.
What a chameloeon!
"I need to make arrangements regarding the temple security, your highness," I said to make use of this golden chance, "If I may take your leave...."
The king paused and looked at me....contemplating on whether he should chose to enjoy spending time with his wife or enjoy torturing his friend...and as expected, he chose the former and gave a nod of approval.
"General," the Queen stopped me and offered the prasadh as I walked past her.
"From today, your highness," I said taking one of the ladoos, "every moment of my life, I shall pray for your victory over the king."
"I shall pray for your victory over the king," the general said before leaving.
"What did you do?" I immediately asked Adi.
"It is rude to assume that I am the reason for everyone's sorrows, Vaishu," Adi stated.
"I am not assuming, I know it as a fact," I said as I walked towards him and offered the prasadh.
Adi did not take the laddoo and instead opened his mouth like a child.
"King of the Nine kingdoms, acting like a 9 year old," I said as stuffed the prasadh in his mouth. Adi smiled as he took a bite of the laddoo and held the rest in his hand.
"You did not answer my question," I reminded.
"He lost a bet and is bitter about it, that's all," Adi answered. "Do not concern yourself with the sadness of a bitter man," he added, "Focus on the big day."
"What big day?" I asked confused.
"Really?You remember everything, yet forgot the most important thing," Adi said a little frustrated, "Vijayadasami, Vaishu. The day you will be introduced to the court house."
My heart stopped beating for a second.
How did time fly by so fast!
"Adi...." I tried to convince.
"Do not even try Vaishu," Adi interrupted before I could even start.
"But...."
"The king never steps back on his promise, love," Adi said shutting me off.
I might need help from Meihu!