Page 16

“,”

I woke up when someone patted my hands.

“We've reached,”

Suman filled me in with the information and offered her hand to help me out of the palanquin.

The sound of my anklets jingled as I stepped out.

I had my face completely covered with the veil.

But through the transparent fabric of my dupatta, I could see the magnificent edifice, highly fortified with thick red sandstone and marble walls.

I was stunned by the sheer size and opulence compared to my empire.

Stepping forward, I gazed at the massive wooden doors of the palace entrance as they slowly opened.

I stood beside him as he awaited me at the front door.

When the doors opened, I gasped; my heart pulsated in pure terror, and my feet and palms turned cold.

Turning away from the sight, I closed my eyes.

What was that?!

My wrist was held from behind, and I turned around to the sight of blood.

Red everywhere.

Tears rolled down my face as I raked my eyes through the colonnade, blood splattered on the pillars, pooled around the wounded, writhing soldiers on the floor.

They were weeping in pain, some lying lifeless on the ground, some helping the others.

He walked ahead, while I had my feet nailed to the ground, because my eyes had never witnessed something as barbarous as that.

He did all of that?!

The thought made me want to run away, someplace far, because I couldn't bear to look at hundreds of people bleeding to death.

While I stood traumatised at the place, he picked me up in his arms, catching me off guard.

I shook my head.

To say I was scared would be an understatement.

I was beyond petrified.

When did he become so callous and cold-blooded? Words hung in my throat as I didn't know such a side of him existed.

He put me down when the massacre place was away from our range of vision.

“How dare you?”

Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang through the empty corridors, and I turned to see an old lady approaching us, accompanied by a group of attendants.

“Rudra,”

she yelled at him, and a frightening shiver ran down my spine when she delivered a stinging slap right on his cheek.

“How dare you?”

She wrenched his kurta in anger, and I saw him standing still in front of her with his eyes set down to the floor.

“I told you not to do this.

I warned you about the destruction it would cause: people will go against you.

Thousands of soldiers are now wounded because of you.

How could you be so heartless? You put your life in danger along with thousands of others, just for the throne,”

she slapped him again and held his face to make him look at her.

“What were you thinking?”

Her voice cracked, and she coughed because of all the crying.

Her footsteps faltered, and he immediately stretched his hand to hold her.

“Badi Maa,”

He called her, but she stopped him from stepping closer.

“Don't touch me.

You are a king now; I don't think someone like me belongs here.”

His face fell at her comment.

“Please don't say that, Badi Maa,”

He said, and she knelt on the floor, holding her head.

“You have made so many people stand against you now.

I told you to wait—wait until he died.

You were the only hereditary successor.

So why did you do all this?”

she complained in a weak voice.

I looked at him kneeling before her, holding her, as he voiced his concern.

“You need to see the physician,”

she fainted, and he immediately lifted her in his arms and walked away in a hurry.

“Someone, call the vaidya,”

He screamed and took her inside, while I just stood there not understanding anything.

I was just trying to comprehend things when someone called me from behind.

“Please come with me, Ranisa35, I will take you to your chamber.”

I looked at a girl standing with her head bowed down, accompanied by two more girls, as she politely offered help, and I nodded.

They guided me through the corridors adjoining the palace’s main building, accompanied by the others.

The entire palace was divided into seven sections, each with its own entry gate and courtyard, connecting to another in a circle.

We passed through all the galleries and finally reached a serene and uncrowded area of the palace.

It was entirely different from other buildings, nestled in a vast, beautiful, and well-kept garden, resembling a small palace, yet it was immensely large and spacious.

“Up here, Ranisa.”

The attendees guided me as I climbed the stairs.

The cool breeze coursed through the open courtyard at the chamber entrance, and I felt relaxed as the freshness of the air calmed my insides.

“This is your chamber, Ranisa,”

the attendee assisting me said, and I lifted my veil to look around.

The chamber’s foyer resembled a dome, rising high on robust white sandstone pillars, adorned with an intricate motif design carved into the stone roof.

It exuded a divine and positive atmosphere.

Massive wooden doors opened, and I stepped inside through the entryway.

A grand, circular hall sat in the chamber’s heart, with doors opening to the other adjoining parts.

Unlike the outer architect, the interior was crafted from marble, with the overhead ceiling and pillars intricately sculpted and vibrantly painted in shades of gold, red, and blue.

This detailing accentuated the floral patterns in the stone, giving the entire chamber an exquisite appearance.

A grand chandelier hung at the center, adorned with crystals and glass carvings, designed to hold lanterns.

It seemed to be the main guest chamber, with numerous couches arranged, plush carpets to walk on, and tables in the center.

More ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, smaller than the one in the middle, with curved arms to hold candles that would illuminate the entire room.

Candlesticks were placed on an altar-like design in every corner of the chamber.

To my left, the hallways guided me to an enormous door that opened onto a library with couches and tables arranged for sitting and reading.

It was packed.

Wouldn’t it be too hot, with no windows and only the door for open space?! Lamps and candles had to be lit even during the day.

I noticed thousands of books neatly arranged on the wooden shelves.

A couple of book titles caught my eye, and I smiled at finding a few familiar ones. It was serene.

Ambling further in the same direction, I entered another part, in the middle of which I saw a small pavilion-like structure, and the space at its center was empty for the idol to be placed.

It seemed like a prayer room, filled with sunlight streaming in from the latticed windows.

I found it truly seraphic.

When I moved to the next room, I saw it was lined with large trunks arranged on both sides, probably filled with clothes and spare items to be used in the chamber.

Rolled rugs and carpets were hoarded in the corner of the room.

Perhaps it was a storage room, because it seemed seldom visited.

The room adjacent to it was a place where all kinds of weapons were marshalled, for practising and working out, I figured.

It had a sand sack fastened to the room’s roof in the middle, and the surface differed from the whole chamber.

What caught my eye was another door, which opened to the back side of the vast garden.

Turning back, I exited the room and made my way to the next part.

An open courtyard adjoined the garden, featuring velvety carpets on the floor, where the rising sun brightened the entire space.

It looked so peaceful and relaxing, like a place where one could spend time in nature.

Basking in the sun’s warmth, hearing birds chirping, and enjoying games in the morning, feeling the cool night breeze and celestial view of the moon and stars with books at night—a perfect idea of unwinding the day.

I went back inside and reached the next room.

A sleeping chamber, finally!!! I heaved out.

A giant bed stood in the center of the room, flanked by candlesticks on either side of the table.

Three layers of curtains enveloped the bed, providing privacy for rest and blocking out any noise or disturbance.

It felt magical.

The silk bed sheets and quilt invited me to slip into a peaceful slumber.

On the far right side of the bed, ornate windows showcased a panoramic view of the sprawling garden in all its glory.

“This way, Ranisa,”

the lady showed me the way towards the attached door in the chamber.

Attendants guiding me opened the door, and in front of me was a passageway that led me to a room divided into two sections across from each other.

To my left was a door that opened to a dressing room, where I spotted almirahs and smaller trunks perfectly aligned on one side.

A colossal wooden dressing table stood in the center, accompanied by its settee, while sun rays intruded through the ceiling-high windows, radiating light throughout the room on the other side.

Across the dressing room was the bathing room.

These chamber sections provided a private space to retreat to after bathing.

I walked out of the bedroom and scanned the entire place while standing in a corner.

It resembled a blooming flower with nine petals, which connected the guest chamber to the other rooms through the hallways in a circular pattern.

Only the practice area and the courtyard had access to the garden at the back, along with the foyer at the entrance.

My eyes fell on the ninth part, which was…. locked?!

“What is this room?”

I asked, looking at the attendants.

“We don't know.

Only the old king can access this part,”

she informed me, and I nodded.

“So, you do not know what's inside?”

She shook her head, and I scrutinised my gaze at the locked doors.

What could it be?

“You should rest, Ranisa,”

suddenly an attendee suggested.

We walked back to the bedroom, and I sat on the bed.

“You must be hungry, Ranisa.

Should I bring something for you to eat?”

one of them asked, and I smiled, looking at her.

She was so hospitable and polite.

I shook my head and asked, keeping my voice soft.

“I want to have a word with Ranaji.

Can you please convey this message to him?”

She remained quiet for a moment but then nodded, “Yes.”

She left, and I looked at Suman, who was looking at me.

“I think there is some issue with the Badi Maa here,”

I inhaled a sharp breath and nodded.

“There are so many things I have yet to discover,”

she nodded.

“But first things first, I need to meet Chandramukhi, the viper.”

She frowned at me and asked, “Who's that?”

I got up from the bed, giving her a thin smile, and walked towards the mirror to look at myself, adjusting my nose ring.

“She is the reason why all of this—”

“PRIVACY,”

I was startled by the sudden intrusion.

Goosebumps rose on my skin upon hearing his authoritative tone, and I turned around to find him standing in the doorway of the room.

All the attendants left the chamber at his order, and I walked towards him, gulping in fear, looking at his clothes stained with blood, his whole body injured.

Visuals of the wounded soldiers crossed my mind as I looked at his wounds.

Standing in front of him, I tried to hold his bleeding hand, but he pulled away.

My heart panged at his cold behaviour.

“It would've been better if you had kidnapped me rather than this,”

I spoke in a low tone, trying to hold his hand again, but he pulled it away once more.

“You’re bleeding, Rudra,”

I sobbed under my breath, and he looked back at me.

“You made me do this.”

A lone tear escaped my eyes as he blankly exclaimed, and I shook my head.

“No, your thirst for revenge made you do that,”

he chuckled at my remark.

“You know what, I hate you,”

he gritted.

My steps faltered back as he trudged closer to me, fury flaming in his eyes.

“You people only care about yourselves.

I thought you were different, but you….

You turned out even worse.

What were you saying? That you love me? No…. You never did, never. You're all the same, playing with people, like they’re a pawn in your game.”

Hearing his words weakened me; tears pooled in my eyes, my courage slowly slipped away, but I remained persistent and questioned him, “So, why did you marry me?”

He took a deep breath.

“You were the only person I ever liked, so I used you to get the only thing I wanted.

I told you to marry someone else.

But no, you paid no heed to my words.

You kept getting on my nerves and went on sleeping with a man I wholeheartedly hate, for the sake of revenge,”

he fisted his palms, as if trying to control himself.

“If I could use the only person I liked, ‘liked’, to seek what I want.

Can you imagine what I would have done if I had wanted you? You made me burn all of this for which I patiently waited for more than twenty years of my life, just for you.

You made me ruin everything, and therefore, here’s my eighth promise to you, Ranisa,”

the way he clenched his jaw so hard while saying those things made me feel how furious he was.

“I promise you, I shall never be yours.

Never, ever.

That’s how much I hate you now.

You were so desperate to ruin me, to become the Queen of Suryagarh, you slept with a man whom I despised.

Now, you are the Queen of Suryagarh. Sleep with whoever you want. I'll never be yours. Never!”

He had my arms clasped in a tight grip.

I pushed him away with all my might and slapped him.

“You were ready to sleep with me for your revenge, that was right.

But when I slept with someone for my revenge, that was wrong.

How so, Rudra?”

Suddenly, he pulled me closer, seizing my hair in his palm.

“I didn't stop you from sleeping with anyone.

I told you to find a man you deserved.

But, clearly, that's not what you wanted.

All you wanted was to take away what was meant for me.

And, you did, you won, but you lost me, Ranisa,”

he sneered at my face, and I blinked, trying to hold back the tears.

“You are hurting me, Rudra,”

he scoffed, glowering at my eyes.

“It’s hurting? Just with this? Ever imagined what I felt my whole life, losing everyone? Your parents killed the only hope of my life, my father.

Fate took my mother away from me, my childhood, my siblings, everyone, everything.”

I wriggled in his hands, quivering.

“Years ago, my father did the same thing you did today.

My mother was tricked into a marriage alliance by your father.

So my father protected her from getting married to an old man just the way you protected me from getting married to your old uncle,”

He pulled my face closer to his and spat with extreme agitation, “I was protecting you until you stepped into his damn chamber and slept with him,”

I couldn't listen to the hatred dripping from his mouth, and so I immediately remarked, “When you can stoop so low as to sleep with me for your supposed revenge, I, too, can sleep with anybody for my revenge.

Do not forget, you started this, Rudra.”

He let me go with a jerk and silently observed my face for a few seconds.

I could tell by looking at him that my remark didn't appeal to him.

But he said nothing and retreated a few steps.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at him, leaving me alone.

I sat on the bed and wondered why he just couldn't understand.

Why is it acceptable when a man does it for revenge, but when a woman does, it's wrong?

“Ranisa,”

Suddenly, an attendee walked into the chamber, and I washed away my tears, standing up.

“Badi Ranisa has come to meet you,”

she informed me.

I furrowed my brows but nodded anyway and followed her.

She took me to the guest chamber, where Badi Ranisa was waiting for me.

I saw her seated on the couch, with the attendants standing behind her, holding large plates draped with velvety cloths.

She noticed me and stood up from her seat.

I was hesitant, but I approached her to touch her feet.

She gently touched my head to bless me.

“Pranaam Badi Ranisa,”

I greeted her, joining my palms, and she lifted the veil I pulled down on my way to meet her.

“Call me Badi Maa, Rudra calls me that.

I’m his aunt,”

I nervously nodded my head and looked down, “Ji.”

“What's your name?”

She asked, “Ji, ,”

“….

such a beautiful name.

Pardon me for my behaviour earlier.

Why don't you freshen up for the welcome prayers as the new bride of the Kingdom,”

she suggested in the softest tone, and I nodded again. “Ji,”

“Also, he didn't tell me anything about the wedding.

Why so abruptly?”

She questioned, and I blinked anxiously.

“Badi maa, I don't think it's my place to say anything right now.

Ranaji should be the one to tell you everything,”

she smiled at my response.

“You know him so well,”

I gulped, lowering my gaze.

“He is getting ready.

Come with him to the prayer hall,”

I nodded, and she turned around to leave.

Suddenly, she stopped and said, “Oh yes, these presents are for you, my dear.

The attendants will guide you on when to wear them,” I nodded.

They placed plates on the tables.

She left, and I plopped on the couch, heaving a sigh.

Everything he said kept ringing in my head like bells.

“, you should freshen up,”

Suman said, and I nodded.

I got up, and my new attendants assisted me in reaching the bathing room.

They helped me remove all my jewellery, keeping it safe on a plate, and I stripped off my dress to take a quick bath.

I changed into one of the dresses his aunt had brought me, and the attendees helped me put all my jewellery back on because I couldn't take it off until my wedding night.

Once I finished getting ready, I moved towards the guest chamber again and saw him waiting there on the couch.

Seeing me, he instantly rose to his feet and said, “Come.”

I strode behind him, pulling my veil down, and joined him in walking through the galleries and gardens to reach the main prayer hall of the palace.

I found Badi Maa and a priest waiting for us.

I greeted both of them.

“Please sit here,”

the priest said, pointing to the seats before the holy fire.

He began chanting mantras for the yagya and asked us to offer a few herbs to the sacred fire.

“Now, both of you, pray to the deity.”

We both stood before god to seek blessings.

I closed my eyes, joining my palms,

‘O dear God, nothing is possible in this world without your guidance.

Our life in this world is your blessing, and so I am all dependent on you, because I’ve faith in you.

Whatever you do, you'll do it right.’

After serving prayers, I touched the feet of Badi Maa and the priest.

I turned to his side to touch his feet, but he stopped me mid-way, holding my shoulders.

He awkwardly retreated his hands away from my shoulders, and Badi Maa pulled my veil up and looked at him.

She brought the pooja thaali, arranged with vermilion, turmeric, and rice, to him, and I turned my lashes south, feeling giddy when he applied a pinch of vermilion to my hairline.

He rubbed my nose with his little finger, probably to clean the vermilion on my nose.

“May god bless you both,”

Badi Maa said, and she looked at him.

“Your wife has not told me, but I want to know why.

Why did you do this?”

He abruptly took his steps back and said,

“It was nothing, Badi Maa,”

I looked down as she turned her gaze to me.

“Now, you should take some rest.

I'll have both of your dinners sent to your chamber,”

I walked closer to her and held her hands.

“Badi Maa, I don't like elders working for me.”

She smiled at me and gently cupped my cheek.

“I’ll let you do the work when it's time,”

I nodded, pursing my lips.

“By the way, did I tell you how beautiful you are?”

I blushed at her compliment.

“Thank you so much,”

“Now, head back to your chamber,”

She said.

We both stepped out of the prayer hall with the attendants to return to our chambers, but suddenly, he changed his direction and walked in another direction without saying a word.

The attendants, Suman and I, returned to my chamber, and I lay on the bed, staring at the delicate designs of the ceiling.

I didn't know when sleep took over me, but I woke up when Suman called me.

“, it’s evening already.

I think you should wake up.”

I nodded at her and stepped out of bed.

Walking towards the mirror, I adjusted my jewellery, hair, and dress, when an attendee brought me food.

“Your dinner is here, Ranisa,”

I turned around to her and asked her in a low tone, “Where is Ranaji?”

Well, yeah, ‘Ranaji’.

I couldn’t call him by his name unless we were alone.

We weren't allowed to call our husbands by their names.

But since I had always called him by his name, it was tricky to address him as a king.

My first step to change after marriage was to stop taking his name in front of others.

“Ranaji is busy with the wounded soldiers.

He is helping with their dressings.”

I nodded and asked her, “Has he eaten yet?”

She shook her head.

“No, Ranisa, he hasn't,”

Though my stomach was rumbling in hunger, it was my first day after the wedding, and it would be inappropriate to eat before he did, especially when he was busy taking care of the soldiers.

I remembered that he once told me how he always ate after every soldier was well-fed.

And I was sure, becoming a King wouldn’t bring any change to that.

“Please take the food back.

I will wait for him,”

I said.

She nodded, leaving, and I sat on the couch.

“Suman, sit,”

I patted the place beside me, and she asked me slowly.

“What are you thinking?”

She asked, and I gave a genuine answer.

“I want to help the soldiers, too.

They are wounded, but being a new bride, wouldn't it be too soon to interfere in the matters of the Kingdoms?”

I said.

She agreed with my point.

“Yes, you're right.

Added to that, we don't know who has what kind of intentions towards you,”

I nodded and walked towards the window.

The moon glowed and the stars glimmered in the night sky, lulling my distressed insides.

I missed my family.

There were so many people back home I could talk to.

However, I didn’t have anyone here.

Since I didn't feel hungry, I told Suman to go to bed, but when I didn't hear her reply, I turned to find her asleep on the couch.

I smiled at her; she must've been tired from all the travelling, so I let her be and covered her with the comforter.

I walked out to the courtyard of the chamber to get some fresh air.

Flambeaus and all the lamps were blown out, and no one was around.

When I reached there, I found him lying on his front on the floor.

My sight fell on the covered food platter with a bowl of medicinal paste beside it.

His upper body wasn't covered, and my heart pained seeing so many wounds all over, some minor but some really deep cuts.

I went closer and sat beside him.

Taking the bowl in my hands, I dipped my fingers in the herbal paste and very carefully applied it to his wounds, so as not to wake him up or inflict even a little pain.

I have treated injuries for many people, but my expertise didn’t help when it came to him, as my hands were trembling so much.

Yet I tried to do it right, and suddenly, a soft gasp escaped my lips when I found his eyes open.

He was staring quietly outside at the moon.

“You don't have to do this,”

He mumbled, but I kept doing my work.

“It is my duty and my right because we’re husband and wife now,”

“Bhojan kyu nahi kiya abhi tak?”

(Why haven't you eaten yet?) He asked in a low voice, and I replied, “Aapne bhi to nahi kiya,”

(You haven't either)

He took a deep breath and slowly turned onto his back.

I looked at his naked, wounded body.

In the dim light of the moon, his features stood out so prominently that I couldn't help but ogle at his fine abs and muscular arms.

Sweeping my gaze down his midriff, I observed the visible veins on his lower abdomen.

While applying the paste on a deep gash on his abdomen, I asked him in a soft tone, “Why didn't you get your wounds treated?”

He closed his eyes briefly and muttered, “I will, once all my soldiers get their wounds dressed.”

He slowly moved his hand to grasp my wrist.

The tinkling sound of bangles echoed in the quiet courtyard as he gently pulled my hands to examine my henna-stained palm more closely.

Suddenly, he yanked my hand away and was about to leave, but I immediately held his hand and pleaded feebly, “Ranaji, I can't eat before you, not at least on our first day of marriage.

Please have some food for me.”

He looked me in the eyes and sighed before sitting back on the carpet.

Taking the plate near him, he formed a morsel and extended his hand in my direction.

“You don't have to do this,”

He said, and I opened my mouth to have the food.

He kept feeding me until I finished two rotis.

He did not eat, nor did I insist.

After helping me drink water, he lay back in his place.

I applied the paste to the leftover wounds—on his abs, his chest, the side of his waist, his arms, and one on his wrist.

There was a deep cut on his neck, for which I had to move closer and lean against his shoulders.

His eyes were closed, but the moment my fingers touched his skin, he opened them.

A jolt of shiver ran down my spine when he looked into my eyes, and I blinked nervously as he whispered, “You cannot seduce me.”

“I’m not,”

I instantly breathed out.

“So why are you here? You should be in bed.”

I took a deep breath and remarked, “I should be where my husband is.”

He moved my hand away from him, and looking intensely into my eyes, he said, “I don't sleep in chambers or over the beds.”

I put the bowl aside and said, “So it's fixed then, I too will sleep here on the floor.”

He clenched his jaw, “No, you are not.

Go back and sleep in your chamber, on the bed,”

he ordered.

I shook my head and removed the dupatta from my head.

“You do not tell me what to do or what not to,”

I commented, looking at him while I removed my earrings and placed them in a corner.

He was watching my every move closely and proclaimed, “It gets colder at night.”

I moved my hand behind my neck to remove my necklace and retorted, “That’s fine, I'd love to shiver to death in the cold.”

I was trying to remove the knot of my necklace piece, but couldn't.

I kept my hands down and sighed in annoyance.

Turning my back on him, I said, “Please help me with this.

The attendants are asleep already,”

He sighed and waited for a few moments.

Then, he brought his hands near my nape and carefully removed the knot without touching me.

I took it off my neck and kept it near my earrings.

Turning back, I lay beside him and rested my head on the floor.

It was uncomfortable, especially with the heavy clothes and jewellery on.

He turned to the other side, facing the garden, and I closed my eyes.

After many months, I finally felt at peace.

I didn't know if it was right or wrong, but it was calming.

***