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“You did something that you thought was necessary. I don’t like it, but what to do? I can’t force you or anything, right?”

“Right.”

A long sigh.

“I applied for transferring to another division,” he informed her.

“I know.”

“How?”

“Kirti didi.”

“Harsh?” Samarth laughed.

“Yep.”

He checked his watch. It was two minutes to 1. Rawal must have finished court. He turned and began to stride towards the palace.

“What are you doing for your birthday?” She asked.

“I don’t know. Any ideas?”

“Whatever I say, you will still be riding horses.”

“That was exactly what was on my mind! After all the palace rituals are done, I’ll take Chickoo and ride to Van Vihar.”

“But that you can do any other day also, no?”

“Tomorrow is also any other day, Ava.”

He wasn’t like her. He did not celebrate birthday months.

The palace and his father and everybody else did.

It was a ritual owed to the prince. To do poojan, to distribute sweets and clothes in the towns, to host a feast in the palace grounds.

Samarth sat through it all with smiles and then just lived his day like any other.

“Will all your birthdays be like that all your life? I mean… will you never be excited for it, ever?”

“No,” he laughed.

“I don’t believe it. Some day you will be a little psyched about it.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then I’ll have to call you every year and keep checking.”

His heart thudded again.

“Check,” he challenged, reaching the Rawal’s office.

“Fine,” she accepted.

“I have to go now.”

“Sure. Bye.”

“Bye.”

————————————————————

“Rawal?” Samarth knocked.

“Come.”

He ventured inside, shutting the door behind him.

“How was your session?” Papa asked, shuffling his iPad away and pushing the untouched tray of his lunch to the side. Samarth eyed it but did not say anything. Bigger battles first.

“Very good, Rawal.”

“Sit.”

“My pants are dirty,” he turned to show him the muddy splotched seat of his tight whites.

“When has that stopped you from muddying up palace furniture?” Papa smirked. A real smirk. Samarth returned his smile — “I was a child then.”

“Sit. It will be cleaned.”

He gingerly lowered himself on one of the visitors’ chairs, right on the edge. Papa sat back, clasping his hands in front of his stomach. “When is your last term starting?”

“Next month.”

“And after that, you said you want to go to London?”

“To Maan bhai’s college.”

“Not to mine?”

Samarth shrugged. “They have better polo facilities. And also give sports credits.”

“Alright. But I want to make one thing very clear.”

He perked up.

“You are coming right back here after your graduation and working with me in kingdom administration. Giving up the throne does not mean you don’t serve the people of Nawanagar.”

Samarth didn’t let his shock tie his tongue.

“No, of course not, Rawal,” he smiled, relieved. “I will do whatever you need me to do. I will work wherever you want me to work for Nawanagar.”

“Good. You will have to learn everything and be ready…”

“Not to become…”

“Yes, Samarth, not to become Rawal but to teach the next Rawal if I am not around by that time.”

He sat back, not about to think about that scenario.

“Tara is expecting a child.”

“A brother or a sister?” His face split into a grin. A sibling? He had never dared imagine, let alone think about it in his life.

“We don’t know yet,” Papa shook his head, amused. “In India, we wouldn’t know until the baby’s arrival anyway.”

“Yes, I was just saying it like… I am getting a brother or a sister?”

“Either of those two for sure.”

A real sibling. A baby. A brother or a sister!

“Wow! When will it be born?”

“January or February. We are not sure of the date yet.”

“I’ll be here by then after my final exams. I’ll get time to stay here until the semester in London starts in September!”

“Yes, you would have lots of time with it. Now go and take a shower. You are sitting with me on the Bird Sanctuary meeting in one hour.”

“Yes, Rawal.”

Excited, Samarth began to retreat. What would it be like? To have one person to be friends with, to be a brother to… he had only ever known Harsh who came close to an elder brother. Now… he would be the elder one. Yes!

“Samarth?” Papa called.

“Yes, Rawal?”

“How is Avantika?”

The happy screams inside him went silent.

“I haven’t heard you speak about her. You still talk to her?”

“On and off…” he said. It was not a lie, considering he had just ended a call with her.

“Why? It’s your vacation, you can invite her to the palace with your other friends. Plan something, it’s summer.”

“She is busy with her cricket practise.” This time he lied.

“She can do that here. Nawanagar has the best cricket facility in India.”

“Yes but… she might go for a holiday with her family… and it’s anyway benching.”

“What?” Papa’s face screwed up in confusion.

“Benching… like, on it’s way to ending. We don’t talk much.”

“Did you do something?”

“It was mutual.”

“Because of what’s going on in this family?”

“No, not at all!”

Lies, lies, lies. All lies. He knew his father knew it too. But now a new life was sealed. It was coming. Slowly they would forget all about the old one and move on. All of them.

“Alright. Go now. Shower and come back.”

Samarth took three steps back, opened the door and walked out of Rawal’s office.

His new life goals were slowly falling into place.

After months and weeks of haze, everything was again becoming clearer — a baby brother or sister, then college in London, Polo, coming back to work in the Nawanagar administration, pursuing Polo professionally and…

Ava’s calls every birthday. He could live a life on those. Happily so.