The Betrayal Story - Part 45

 The story doesn’t end here. The king was distraught. He began spending lot of his time with Queen Satyavati. She was nurturing him back to normal self. She helped him out of his depression. Eventually the king got back to work.  He became more dependent on Satyavati’s wisdom. And this is what she wanted always.

When the king had bought Gayatri as his new bride to his home , she wasn’t happy. She planned for many days ways how she could get Gayatri out of the king’s life. She knew it wasn’t easy. The king was smitten by her innocence and beauty. She also knew she couldn’t retaliate. Hence she began to observe her enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. She waited patiently for the right time.

Her brother , Suryavanshi, complained to his sister for her lack of action. But she kept telling him it wasn’t the right time. “When is the right time? It will be ages then if you won’t act on time .”, he once said. “Patient, brother! Time will come when everything will be on our side.” , she said. “What if she produces heir to the throne and takes your place? ”, he asked. She smiled and replied, “That shall never happen. I have been personally taken charge of dietary needs of the king and serving him with food mixed with herbs that can deter any accidental pregnancies.”

Years had passed by when Roopali arrived. Satyavati took this as chance to realise her plan. When king came to her for counsel, she smartly  advised him to take her in. She had noticed the king’s increasing proximity towards Roopali and used it to fuelling  Gayatri’s mind. As expected Gayatri began to retaliate against king due to his closeness with his new mistresses.  The young queen’s desperate attempts to get the king back poisoned her relationship with the king. 

The final nail to the coffin was when Suryavanshi’s planned argument with the king. He used the General’s finding about Roopali and bought it to his notice by portraying that he had found it. They had watched Gayatri expressions change from lost soul to determined person. Few days after the war, she sent Suryavanshi to plant the findings to the king.

 Watching king punish Gayatri to exile , Satayavati was at peace. After so many years, she got what she wanted and now she was bearing the heir to throne.

       *****  The End *****

The Betrayal Story - Part 44

 Gayatri's heart was beating faster. The whispers around her were getting louder. Everyone wanted to know the name of the traitor while she wished the truth never got out. “ I never planned to do this . I only wanted attention and love from my husband. Is it sin to desire husband’s love ?”, she said aloud.

It took her few minutes to realise what blunder she had done. The people exclaimed in shock. “No, my Queen! But if you had shared your insecurities with me, I could have helped.”, Amar spoke. Gayatri laughed sarcastically. “Would you have left your mistress if I had asked you?”, she asked.

The king stayed silent. “Your silence answered my question, your highness . Why would you leave her for me? You had lost interest in me just like you had lost interest in Queen Satyavati when you bought me to this kingdom as your bride.”, she continued. 

Satyavati listened intently. She didn’t interfere. She let her speak out her emotions. “I tried several ways to get your attention. I failed. I even tried to accept the fact that I have to share you with her. But I couldn’t . I am not like Queen Satyavati.”, Gayatri spoke.

As she poured out her emotions , tears welled up in her eyes. Her eyes were red , filled with pain and love. “I had to take the wrong route. I ordered my spies to spy on Roopali. As soon as I found out her true identity, I bought it in front of you. I assumed you would exile her or sentence her to death. But you didn’t do anything. Instead you put her into prison.” , she spoke.

“Then I watched you suffer and to get you back , I manipulated her to escape from prison by blaming her for your suffering. It was true. You suffered due to her betrayal. I told her to go as far as you can and never show your face again.", she said without any remorse. "She betrayed out of compulsion not by choice. What about you? You had choice. No one tried to force you to betray me.", Amar said. "You still think she is right.", she snorted. "No one is right ! She was wrong and so were you. Do you know what consequences your action bought? Do you have bit of guilt for what you did? You killed not only our beautiful relationship. You killed an unborn child as well the mother for your selfish need.", he growled. She opened her mouth to say something but he signaled her to stop and ordered the guards to take her from his sight. She was exiled to a palace faraway from the kingdom and given all the luxuries. Her punishment was that she would no longer meet the king. She spent her entire life pining for him. But  the story didn't end here. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 43

 Amar Singh Rawal was shocked. He had almost lost his balance. He didn’t understand why would Gayatri would stoop so low to get him. He wished she had come to him to discuss her insecurities. 

“Your highness, are you fine?”, Suryavanshi asked. “How do you expect me to react? Obviously I am hurt and angry.”, he muttered. Suryavanshi stayed quiet. He didn’t want to lose his head by putting into an angry lion’s mouth. He remembered the last incident when he was insulted by the king in front of everyone.

The king called one of his guards to send message everyone to assemble at the court. He had made his decision and he had to inform the public about it. The ministers and royal members  assembled at the court. They were confused as to what news king wanted to share.

The king arrived and everyone arose from their seats to greet him. They were happy to see him back in action. They sat after the king sat on his throne. He looked at his people and thought of how he was going to break the news. But he had to as he couldn’t keep the criminal free in his kingdom.

“I am sorry for not doing my duty since war towards you properly. This war has broken me and I had to heal. I had to clear my mind to get back to serving my people. Now I am better.”, he said. Everyone were happy especially Gayatri. “At last my king is back to his old self”, she thought.

“Before I can fully takeover my duties, I want to clean the dirt from this kingdom. I cannot do my duties  peacefully , knowing that my kingdom is tainted with such dirty mindsets.”, he said , surprising everyone at the court. “Suryavanshi bought me some news that he and his spies were investigating. It’s about that culprit who had manipulated Roopali to escape.”, he said. Gayatri’s heart pounded faster at thought of king knowing the truth. “I made my decision”, he said . Gayatri’s face turned pale. She wanted to die before she could face the wrath of the king.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 42

Amar Singh Rawal was mourning the death of his beloved. He had withdrawn himself from all the duties and spent his day in guilt. One fine day , he was distracted from his thoughts towards the loud voices coming from outside. The voices were of someone arguing with his guards.

He walked outside to see what was the commotion about. He wasn’t surprised to see Suryavanshi arguing with one of guards. “Whose orders are you following? Do you know who I am?”,Suryavanshi asked. The guard didn’t argue . He stood silent with  his gaze bent downward.

“He is following my orders. I had asked him to not to let anyone inside my chamber.”, the king spoke. Everyone stayed quiet including Suryavanshi who was now embarrassed. 

“What is it you want ?”, Amar asked. “Your highness, I have some news for you. It’s about Roopali.”, his brother in law replied. “I don’t want to hear. I can’t bear to hear anything negative news about her. Please leave me alone.”, he snapped as he turned to leave.

“I found out who helped her to escape from the prison.”, Suryavanshi spoke immediately to gain the king’s attention. Amar turned back. He called him inside as he wanted to get the first hand information and didn’t want others to spread rumours on what they heard.

“My spies provide valuable source of information. They have never wronged me. It’s Queen Gayatri who helped her escape. My sources tell me that the few  prisoners and guards have seen her speaking to Roopali . She was enticing her to escape from prison.”, he said. Amar was shocked. He was betrayed by that person whose innocence attracted him. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 41

 Rasheed’s blood spluttered on Amar’s face. His lifeless body lay on the war ground next to his fallen head. Confusion and fear spread among Rasheed’s soldier. Their leader was dead. Some of them ran in fear of surrendering to the enemy. Few fought back while others accepted the defeat. 

Ratan and his army attacked Abdul and other soldiers. Abdul was killed with his army. The rest of enemy’s army were bought as prisoner of war. No one celebrated the victory before giving proper burials to dead bodies of Rasheed and his soldiers. 

Amar was still in state of shock. He had not accepted the death of his beloved. He was stuck in those beautiful memories  he shared with Roopali. He was numb to the celebration of their triumph over Rasheed. He didn’t look at his queens who were waiting for him with the large silver plates filled with lighted oil lamps and flowers,

They noticed his withdrawal expressions. Both queens immediately understood the reason. However they reacted differently. Satyavati was calm as usual. Gayatri’s heart sank . She cursed the time when he met Roopali. Later she decided to wait for sometime for him to heal.

Days passed by. The king was still depressed. He hardly met his subjects or took interest in matters of his kingdom. He received the praises for his valour by kings from different kingdoms. But he was unaffected by them. His mind was consumed by how he could have saved Roopali.

Gayatri was annoyed. She had waited for many days to get him back. She had sent Roopali- the cause of her pain away. Now when she was gone, he was still under her spell. She wondered when she would get his interest on her back. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 40

“What love can do to people? It blinded my sight and made me believe in illusions. But now my sight is clear after I killed the source of my misery.”, Rasheed said. “You know nothing about love. Your selfish motives and evil mind took away precious lives. You used your friend and discarded him when he was of no use to you. You speak of love when you can’t keep your friendship. You were never blinded by love but by power and greed. It amuses me that you don’t know the difference between love and greed.”, Amar said.

Rasheed smirked. “You think you know more about love. Then why did you throw her out to be preyed by vultures like me?”, he said. Guilt stung Amar’s heart. His eyes were bent down in remorse. “Aren’t we similar? You threw her after getting bored of her company and I killed her because she was of no use.”, Rasheed spoke.

Amar looked up in anger. Rasheed didn’t stop. He continued,” After killing her, I learnt that she was three months pregnant. Foolish girl ! She could have been prime queen of Rawalgarh if she had told me. But do you think I would let her stay alive after learning this?” “Never  !  “, he laughed.

Amar couldn’t control his anger anymore . He rushed towards Rasheed with  vengeance. Ratan and army watched in horror as their king headed towards the enemy in anger. 

Rasheed’s soldiers who intervened were killed. He watched his enemy in fear.  For the first time, he felt scared. His great warrior couldn’t stop him. 

Amar wasn’t just any jilted lover. He was a fearless warrior. He was unstoppable. As he reached Rasheed, he didn’t wait any longer to behead him. He roared like a lion in anger. Rasheed watched his end helplessly.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 39

Amar Singh longed to meet his beloved Roopali soon. He wanted to apologise for his treatment towards her. He wanted to fulfil his promises to never let her go and give her position of his queen. He built his dreams with her in his mind , unaware that she was dead already. 

Rasheed smirked at the thought of how his enemy would react when he surprised him with memorable gift. “Amar Singh ! Now let me keep my promise.  But before that let me offer you a gift. Hope you will be happy with this token of my friendship.”, he said. 

Intrigued Amar watched carefully as Rasheed ordered one of his men to bring the gift. Amar hoped there was no hidden motive of attacking him slyly. He had known Rasheed’s war tactics of surprising his enemies by attacking them without their knowledge from his friends who had battled against him.

Rasheed’s slave arrived with a something covered in Persian woollen scarf on a silver plate. Amar Singh imagined what it was while Rasheed smirked. As his slave began to head towards Amar , he stopped him. He removed the clothing to disclose what was hidden. 

Amar Singh almost fell from his horse. But he managed to compose himself while he silently mourned at the loss of his beloved. His heart was filled with mixed emotions of pain, guilt and revenge. 

“What is this, you scoundrel beast ?”, he growled. “This was not the part of our agreement. You killed her . How dare you?”, he continued. Rasheed laughed devilishly. His laugh added more pain into his suffering. He vowed to avenge her death.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 38

 Amar Singh gathered outside with his soldiers and Vijay Singh as agreed. It had been years since he had battled the war in front of his city’s gates. The last time he had battled was when he was merely 18 years old and was protecting his city from his outcasted uncle who had killed his father to get the throne.

History was created when he won the war. His uncle died not only by stab wounds of battle but also by the shame of being defeated by his young nephew. Amar Singh was coronated as king and over the years he became a great warrior with golden heart.

He stared at his enemy and his huge army who were standing few miles away  in front of him. His enemy’s evil smile didn’t deter his confidence down. He was ready for the fight. But he wanted to make sure Roopali was fine before he could begin the war.

“Here is your friend, Vijay Singh. Now send Roopali as agreed.”, he said. Rasheed smirked as Vijay Singh walked towards Rasheed’s army. Vijay was delighted to meet his friend but he was unaware of his friend’s intentions. When he reached to hug his friend, his friend slashed his chest and stabbed him several times, shocking the onlookers.

Vijay Singh died instantly. “What is this , Rasheed Sheikh? How can you kill your loyal friend? You disgust me.” Rasheed laughed loudly. “Friend ! Vijay Singh was just pawn I used to reach you just like Mariam. Now I have no use of him.”, he said.

Amar Singh was disgusted. But it was no surprise to him  that people had only bad things to say about this invader. He pitied Vijay Singh who trusted wrong people and brought his own end. Now he focused on safety of Roopali. But he was unaware that she only existed in his minds and her life was taken away by this wicked man in front of him. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 37

 The news of Rasheed’s attack reached Amar Singh Rawal. He immediately prepared to defend his kingdom though his army was tired due to recent battles. However their motivation wasn’t down. They were always ready to sacrifice their lives for their king and people.

As he prepared for war, he received some news regarding Roopali. He was shocked. The words his trusted spy told rang in his mind-“Queen Gayatri helped her to escape.” He always knew she was insecure about his proximity with Roopali. But he didn’t know that she would go extreme lengths to separate them.

He ordered his spies to continue with the search. He hoped she was fine. He planned to speak to Gayatri after the war. The enemies were a day away from reaching their destination. Rasheed’s soldiers were tired. Unlike their counterparts in Rawalgarh, they wanted to take rest. But their king was in hurry to meet Amar Singh to offer him his precious gift - the head of his lover.

They reached their destination the following night. Ratan Singh watched them put their tents from the large patio of fort/palace. He informed his cousin (Amar Singh) about the same. Amar Singh prepped his army with motivational speech and tightened the security at the gate of his city. 

The people except the able men were shifted to safer locations of his friendly neighbors since when he had received the news of this battle. He didn’t want them to face any repercussions of the attack. He didn’t want them to be used by Rasheed against him. In case he was defeated, he didn’t want them to be prisoners of war. He had heard horror stories of Rasheed’s war prisoners. He didn’t want them to face same situation. A messenger was sent by Rasheed to Amar Singh. Amar Singh assumed it must be related to peace and let the messenger in though there was resistance from Ratan Singh. “The king has got some news for you, your highness. It is about Mariam. He said he will give the news only if you bring Vijay Singh to the battleground.”, the messenger said. 

The king wondered about the hidden agenda of Rasheed. He was sure there was something wrong. He still hoped Roopali was fine. He agreed to his conditions after discussing with Ratan and other ministers. He also placed his conditions before agreeing- he didn’t want any kind of treachery and if there was any treachery, he would kill Vijay Singh on spot.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 36

Rasheed was burning with negative emotions. His soul reeked of hate.  He wanted to throw her out from his kingdom, wrapped with humiliation and shaming. He wanted to send across a message and fear to various kingdoms under him to not to show her any mercy by taking her in. He wanted her to wander the desert aimlessly before her delicate body rots in this place.

But that wasn’t easy. There were other kings rebelling against him who would take her and use her against him. What if Amar Singh changed his mind and took her back ? If that happened, his efforts of seizing Rawalgarh would be wasted. He had to do something. He smirked when an idea struck him. But first he wanted answers to his questions- why did she betray him? 

“You took your new identity seriously, Mariam. You butchered my trust and love. But tell me , love , why did you betray me ?” , he asked . “ I didn’t betray you. It was vengeance. You took away my family, people, name and identity. I was devoid of hope and life until I met Amar Singh. He bought back my life. He bought back purpose in my life.”, she said vengefully.

“You still feel grateful for that man who choose his people over you.”, he said ruefully. “Yes, I feel proud that he chose his people over me. This shows he cares for people unlike you. You on other hand use people for your own purpose. When it’s met, you discard them.”, she said.

 “You are demon in guise of human. You think you would have welcomed me and given me some reward in form of land, name and recognition. You would kill me and I don’t feel remorse of betraying you.”, she spoke her heart out.

He was seething in anger. Instantly he took out his sword and beheaded her. Her head fell down from her body , shocking the soldiers gathered there. “What did you do ? Why would you kill her? You could have imprisoned her for life!”, his trusted aide said. “To use her death as examples to everyone who revolts me.”, he said. Later he ordered,” Let’s preserve her head to be presented to my beloved enemy.”

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 35

 Rasheed Khan got ready with his army to attack Rawalgarh. He had trained his army for months for this day. He didn't want to lose this war. It wasn't just war for conquest. It was war for avenging betrayal from his most trust aide. He should have known it was wrong trusting this woman. This woman had always been rebel since when he had bought her. A small mistake didn't cost him much. But it taught him lesson to be careful with people he trusted.

He had started his expedition with strongest infantry leading in front and robust cavalries to combat any attack. Many of his associates including  lip slave kings whom he had conquered , provided him resources and strong elephants to aide his conquest. He was well prepared until he reached the desert. During the mid journey, most of his infantry and elephants died due to hot weather. The once highly motivated army was losing their focus.

Somehow he tried to revive their spirit. Slowly, he realized that he made a careless mistake of planning the attack during this hot season. After four days of painful defeat from nature , he decided to stop for a day to regain the strength of his army on behest of Abdul's decision. 

The night was cool. The army and it's leader rested. Rasheed was resting outside of tent. He watched the twinkling stars on the clear sky. The moon shined brightly. The cool winds blew momentarily. The weather was perfect. Suddenly, one of his low rank soldier arrived with a message. "Your highness, I am sorry to disturb you. But there is urgent matter for you to look into.", the soldier said. Irked Rasheed rose up and asked, "What is it ?"

"We found our traitor Mariam wandering few miles away. What should we do?", the soldier asked. "Capture her and bring her to me.", he ordered. The soldier agreed. Mariam a.k.a Roopali was captured easily by the soldiers of Rasheed. She had no energy to fight them. Due to fatigue, she couldn't recognise his soldiers. They bought her to him. 

He smirked. He walked closer to her while she was being held by the soldiers. She was weak and barely could stand properly. "Welcome back, Mariam!", he greeted with tinge of hate. She recognized that voice. She shivered in fear. She immediately realized that her end was near. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 34

 Safeguarding people’s  interest was Amar's primary life goal. Now it was contradicting with his love for Roopali. She had betrayed him by hiding her past from him. But he wasn’t able to hate her. Within few months, he had become lost in love that he wasn’t able to decide what was right or wrong.

Roopali left Rawalgarh forever. She didn’t notify Amar of her presence. She knew he would always choose his people over her. She didn’t feel bad. Instead she felt proud of him. 

She wandered the vast desert without any idea where she wanted to go. She had no place to go. If she goes back to Rasheed Sheikh’s harem , he would behead her for her betrayal. She couldn’t go back to Rawalgarh because no one wanted her there. They would be happy if she was gone.

“Gone ! Where ?”, Amar exclaimed in shock. He had planned to visit Roopali at the prison yard. After night of deep thinking , he had decided to listen to Roopali’s story one last time and decide whether he would forgive or punish her. He wanted to know whether she felt remorse after betraying him. He also wanted answers to his question - did she love him the way he loved her?

But now she was gone, leaving with unanswered questions and shock. “Why would she leave ?”, he wondered. After few minutes of pause, he ordered his army, “She might have not escaped like that. Find out who helped her out. I am sure it must be one of our prisoners from war. Question each of them.”

The guards accepted his order and began looking out for the culprit. Gayatri became tensed when she got to know that the king was looking for the culprit who had helped Roopali escape. She hoped no one found out the truth .

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 33

Amar Singh Rawal was in dilemma. He had his lover on one side who had betrayed him and his people while his whole kingdom entrusted him with duty to give them justice. Roopali’s story seemed good to be true. His heart wanted to believe her but his mind opposed.

He stomped out of his chambers and headed towards Satyavati’s room. On his way, he found Gayatri heading towards him. She was smiling. He walked past her without even greeting her. She turned and watch him go while her heart burnt in sadness.

She had thought she would get his complete attention. She had bought that wretched girl’s truth in front of everyone. She had also  tried to persuade Roopali to leave and she had agreed. But still Gayatri couldn’t gain his attention.

Amar Singh reached Satyavati’s room. She was giving orders to her maid servants on renovating her room. She planned to replace certain furniture. When she saw the king’s fallen face, she dismissed everyone out from her room. “What is it, your highness? I see you are lost in some thoughts?”, she asked.

“I need your help. I am not able to decide what to do with current situation. If I support the girl I love, I will be disrespectful to my people. If I support my people, my love will lose.”, he poured out his heart. She wasn’t surprised. She knew her husband well. 

“Do what you think is right and choose wisely.”, she said. Amar Singh was still confused. He wondered what was right. Roopali watched them from outside. She was in disguise of maid servant. She had escaped from her prison with help of Gayatri’s trusted aides. She had come to visit the king one last time. As she searched for him, she found him discussing his thoughts with his queen. She knew he would choose his people due to his selfless  love for his people.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 32

Gayatri was escorted by the guards to the prison where Roopali was kept. She found Roopali sitting on the floors with her head down. Her hair was unkempt. "Roopali !", Gayatri called her out. She looked up. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. Her face was tear stained. It seemed like she had been crying for many hours. 

"I never knew you would stoop so low to hurt our king. He gave you  identity , house and source of livelihood. And you stabbed him on his back.", the queen taunted. Guilt stung Roopali’s heart while she held the prison bars tightly. Her eyes turned moist. She cried as she couldn't control her emotions. 

"Why are you crying?", Gayatri sneered. "You thought you could get away easily and gain his love by fearlessly attacking your own people. He trusted you more than anything else. Your false tears can never gain my sympathy. I am not like others.", she continued. Roopali didn't stop crying and the queen continued attacking her with words, "You know what ? After all this, I don't think the king would forgive you. If I were you, I would run away. It's better to run away instead of facing his wrath."

She left thinking she had done enough damage. She was sure that Roopali would escape and return to her place in fear. She had filled her heart with enough fear and guilt that she wouldn't want to stay even for a single minute. She turned back to catch one last glimpse of her and felt happy with her accomplishment. Now she could rest in peace.

Amar Singh Rawal was not in mood to meet anyone. A day had passed since the secret of his beloved was out. His dreams were shattered. He felt depressed thinking of the moments he had spent with Roopali. Everything about her seemed fake. But his heart wasn't ready to accept. There was a great battle between his heart and mind. His heart wanted to forgive her and accept her despite of her flaws while his mind wanted to shun her away from his life. 

He wanted to believe her story. But his country always came first. As he thought about her more, he thought of the pain she had endured. Suddenly he remembered about few weeks back when Roopali had tried to tell him something. It seemed like she was holding something. He had tried to coax her to speak but she never spoke about that thing. Then he remembered about the day before he had gone for a war to avenge his friend's death. She had tried to stop him from going many times. He didn't listen to her. In fact he thought she didn't want to stay apart from him. Immediately he began to feel restlessness.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 31

The prison was dark place filled with prisoners from war , law breakers and dangerous criminals. One of them was Vijay Singh who looked devastated and lost in thoughts. He had not expected this defeat. He had believed the victory would be his. He watched the guards arriving with Roopali. She was handcuffed with long and heavy handcuffed. She didn't look up even after she was sent to women's only prison.

Vijay was furious. "Traitor!", he muttered. He wasn't surprised when she had attacked his army. He knew she would cheat. He had mentioned the same to Rashid. But his friend believed in her so much that he refused to listen to him. Fortunately, he sent his messenger to Rashid before he got captured by Ratan. He hoped Rashid would act immediately after receiving the message.

Rashid slayed the messenger in anger when he received the news of betrayal from his beloved Mariam. He wasn't affected when he got to know that Vijay Singh was captured. He knew he would be captured. He had used him as pawn to know the secret routes of the palace. He was happy with information his spies bought him. But his happiness was short lived after learning  Mariam's betrayal.He had made up of his mind. He was going to kill her as soon as he captured Rawalgarh. 

Roopali a.k.a Mariam sat on hard floors of the prison. Her body ached due to strain created by sitting on those floors. She didn't mind. She was lost in despair and loneliness. She wished she could have told Amar about her painful past. But she was lost in her new identity and forgot about her past. Her despair would have ended if she had been truthful to him.

Gayatri regained her confidence back. She was euphoric with the new success she received. Now she would have the king to herself.  While she was dreaming about the time she would spend with the king in near future, Satyavati arrived. "I have never seen you this happy. What is the reason for your happiness?", she asked. 

Gayatri got back to reality. "Yes ! Truth prevailed at last .", she asked. Satyavati smiled. "Indeed truth prevailed. What if king's heart changed and he forgives her? He is very giving person. Everyone knows how much he loves her and I think he may change his mind and bring her. Her actions are not intentional. If she really wanted to betray the king, she wouldn't have stood up against her own people.", Satyavati said. Gayatri was tensed. She had not thought about this. The king was gullible to emotions. She had to do something before the king changes his mind.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 30

Amar Singh Rawal stared at the prisoner in disbelief . He wondered whether it was true. He then gazed at Roopali. Her face was pale.She seemed nervous. She looked at the floor and fidgeted  her fingers constantly. 

“I will kill you if this is proved lie, prisoner ! Roopali , tell him the truth”, he growled. Roopali shook in fear. “Your highness, it's .true!”, she stammered. The king stood up in shock. She had no courage to look at the king. Guilt and fear absorbed her mind and soul. People were whispering in background. Gayatri smirked. This is what she wanted.

“I wanted to share my past with you since many days. But I had no courage to face you, my king.", Roopali spoke with heavy heart. Tears welled up in her eyes, she continued, "My real name is Geetanjali. I was a princess of not very big kingdom. That wretched Rashid took my world. He plundered my city and killed my people. He slaughtered my father. After conquering our city, he put us in his harem. We tried to escape many times and later accepted our fate out of frustration. Our identity was changed and to the world, I became Mariam. Years passed by. I became his favorite."

Amar was disheartened. He didn't know what he should be doing. Should he imprison her for being unfaithful or should he pardon her as she suffered a lot? He was in dilemma. "I was sent here to seduce you so that he could capture Rawalgarh easily as well as send him important updates on your activities.", she said. 

Before she could share how his love transformed her , Amar Singh interrupted, “I have heard enough from you. Your sorrowful story will not melt my heart. Your betrayal broke my trust. I gave you life , identity and love. You destroyed it. I fought with my closed ones to safeguard your dignity and you broke my heart.” His eyes turned red and he ordered his guards to take her away. 

“Take her away! I don’t want to see her. I might do something. Keep her far from my sight” were his last words. As the guards were taking her away, she turned to catch a last glimpse of him. Her heart ached when she saw hatred filled in his eyes.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 29

Amar Singh Rawal came home the following day. He was victorious in his pursuit to avenge his friend’s death. He had installed the loyal minister of his friend as the new king in his kingdom. But when he came home, he was shocked. He hadn’t expected the enemies to attack his kingdom in his absence. 

He was angry for few moments.But he was overjoyed the way his cousin , Ratan , faced the enemy. He also felt happy to hear that Roopali had played important role in safeguarding his kingdom and people. To show his gratitude, he was going to announce a great news next day. Gayatri wasn’t pleased.

Next day, he promoted Ratan to highest rank. He was about to announce new army unit which would be only women recruits that would trained and recruited by Roopali. He was also going to propose Roopali. But Gayatri interrupted him.

“Your highness, before you could put your complete trust on this women. I have something to disclose about her and I have the proofs.”, she said. “Don’t start again , my queen. I have already explained everyone assembled here that I don’t want to hear anything against Roopali.”, he said politely. He was in good mood. If it was any other day, he would have butchered her with stern words.

“Your highness, please allow me to show you the proof.  If you still think I am lying after seeing all the proofs I have , I am ready to face any punishment”, she said. The king with heavy heart let her speak. Roopali was tensed. She never expected her truth would be out like this. She regretted hiding her past from him.

“Your highness, meet Rehman, the captured soldier as well as Rashid’s spy. After his capture, he had many interesting things to share.”,Gayatri said as soldiers bought the prisoner in front of the king. “Your highness, I have not been influenced by anyone assembled here. I was instead shocked to find Mariam a.k.a Roopali fighting us. She was sent by our king to trap you.”, he said. The king was taken aback. He was confused. He believed it was lie.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 28

Ratan was worried. He had promised his brother to look after the kingdom in his absence. He hadn't expected he would fail miserable in fighting the enemy. He thought about how his brother would feel if he heard the ill fated news. He had miserably managed the affairs of kingdom. 

"Ratanji , what are you thinking? We have no time.", Roopali spoke. He got back to reality. "Yes, I will send some of my men with you while I finish these miscreants attacking here. Once I am done, I will arrive there too.", he said.  He quickly ordered some of his men to accompany her towards the safe house. He watched them leave while he continued fighting with his guilt inside and enemies outside.

When they reached the safe house, few of soldiers distracted the enemies from their breaking in activity. Roopali headed towards the back door. Suddenly she turned behind to see how the soldiers were progressing with the attack. She was dumbstruck. It seemed like the enemy were winning over them. 

These sights led her to flashbacks of her past. Suddenly anger burned inside her. She ran towards the enemy while the soldiers accompanying her followed her in pursuit to stop her. Nothing could stop her. She was in fire. She grabbed a sword from dead soldier lying on the floor and slashed the enemy  fighting the soldier in front of her. 

She killed many and wounded few enemy's men in fury. The queens and few of royal members watched her from the corner. They had sneaked out of back door to check on Roopali. But they were surprised to watch her fight. They wondered how a common girl knew nuances of sword fighting. She fought like a brave princess.

Ratan arrived at the scene with his army. He declared in loud voice that the enemy have been defeated and Vijay Singh has been captured. Hearing this news, the enemy soldiers stopped fighting and ran back to save their lives. However they were captured. The war ended but the questions about Roopali's existence pondered in people's mind. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 27

One of Ratan's soldiers who was tasked with getting information about the enemy, bought new information. "Sir, Vijay Singh has united with Rashid Sheikh. Those are Rashid Sheikh's soldiers.", he said. Ratan was furious. "Traitor ! How can he stoop so low? He has united with his own country's enemy to attack us.", he growled and ordered his army to stay firm and fight the enemy with all the strength they had.

Vijay ordered his army to pace forward and attack. The infantries marched towards the city's main gate while Roopali guided the citizens of Rawalgarh containing womenfolk , children and  senior citizen towards the palace where they would safeguarded. The queens joined with her on this mission. The war began. 

The soldiers assigned at the gate, controlled the onslaught of Vijay Singh's infantry. But they couldn't sustain for long due to large number of infantry from enemy's side. The enemy broke into the city, burning houses and shops on their way. Several men died. They had almost reached the palace when rain of arrows were shot on them by archers stationed on the top of the palace.

Some of enemy soldiers tried to break into safe house where Roopali, queens ,  royal members and the citizen were located. Every time , the soldiers tried to break the door, people cried in fear. An idea struck Roopali's mind."Is there any back door ?", she asked. Perplexed Satyavati replied, "Yes ! But why are you asking?" "To notify Vijay Singh's soldiers.", Gayatri said. Roopali stared at her in shock like a thief who was caught red handed.

"Gayatri ! Not again ! If she really wanted to inform the enemy, she wouldn't have helped us or the people.", Satyavati reprimanded her. "There is a door backside." , she said while showing the door to Roopali. "Ok! I am sure Ratanji has no idea of enemy attacking us here. I will get some more people with me to attack them.", she said. "Take care, Roopali!", Satyavti said.

Roopali smiled weakly as she sneaked out of the door. She hid from enemy while she looked out for Ratan Singh. She found Ratan ordering some of soldiers.  "Ratanji", she called out. Ratan turned towards her side and looked at her in shock. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to be in the safe house.", he asked. "People need you. The enemy is trying to break in.", she said urgently. She got more tensed with passing of every minute.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 26

Vijay Singh was euphoric after being appointed to lead the war against his arch rival. He had waited for months for this opportunity. He was given ten thousand  powerful army which included great warriors and infantry. He had fool proof strategies devised after hours of discussion with the military expert. With absence of Amar Singh Rawal, the victory seemed easy.

Rashid’s most trusted aide , Abdul wasn’t happy with his decision. “You shouldn’t have given him the lead, your highness . How can you entrust him  with this responsibility? He is naive and can be easily defeated even by weakest solider of Rawalgarh. He may spoil the efforts we have put into this mission.”, he said.

Rashid smirked and said, “I know. I want to keep the Rawalgarh busy with him while my spies in disguise of soldiers take note of all the secret passages that can help us defeat them . My army will be defeated and unlike these patriotic Indian kings, most of them will come back with fresh information of everything that can help me defeat them.”

Roopali broke down when she got to know about the impending attack from Rashid’s spy whom she had bribed. She felt restlessness and paced around the house , thinking what she could do to save Rawalgarh and it’s people. She prayed for the early arrival of the king. 

It was early morning when Ratan Singh Rawal, the new commander appointed by Amar Singh was woken up by reluctant guard. “Sire, Prince Vijay Singh has arrived with his army to attack us.”, the guard said. Confused Ratan asked, “Didn’t we get the news that he was dead ?” 

He headed towards the vast balcony of the palace which stood like fort on the hilltop to get the view of Vijay Singh and his armies. He was stunned. He wondered how he could possibly get such mighty army in such short span of time. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 25

Amar Singh Rawal stood in front of his two wives while they performed aarti to safeguard his life and provide him victory in all the battles. After the little ritual, he bid goodbye as he left for the war. The prince of a neighboring kingdom had taken over his father's throne by murdering his father and now was causing havoc in his kingdom. His father was Amar's close friend - Pratap Chauhan who had helped him in all his battles.

Amar was indebted to him. When he got the news of his friend's demise, he immediately declared war against his friend's evil son. His heart was filled with vengeance. He quickly gathered his troop and devised a fool proof plan with his general to attack the evil prince within a week. He took the blessings of God and headed towards the battle.

He almost reached the gate of his city when Roopali arrived and stood in front of him and his army. "Your highness, I need to talk to you alone.", she said. The army looked surprised. He assumed that she was anxious of his safety. "Don't worry. I will be fine.", he said. "No your highness ! It's not about you. I am anxious about the kingdom. I will feel someone would use your absence as opportunity to attack your people and kingdom. It would wise if you send someone else with your troop and you stay back.", she said.

"Why do you think the city will be attacked? Even if it happens, I have kept my trusted commander and some of my able troops here to safeguard my people and kingdom. I know you are tensed but you don't have to worry.", he said. "But... your people needs you.. I need you.", she begged him to stop. "I can't. I have given my friend my word that I would seek vengeance on his death. I can't betray my dead friend's trust", he said as he left.  

The word betray stung her heart. She felt guilt emerge from her. She had betrayed him by hiding her motive and past. He had given her hope and identity while she had misused his kindness. She walked slowly towards her house , silently praying that Rashid doesn't use this opportunity to invade the kingdom.

"What a great news !", Rashid exclaimed. He threw small bag of precious gold coins to his spy. "Did you hear, Vijay? Our way is clear. You wanted to attack Rawalgarh badly to avenge your brother's death. Well! I give you the opportunity. Go and seize the kingdom.", he said. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 24

Rashid began to worry. Vijay was right. What if his most trusted aide betrayed him ? She did give him all the updates on her progress and it was impressive. “What if she hid something from me? What if Vijay is right ?”, he wondered. With every question arising from his mind, he felt restless. He   had lost many times while trying to attack Amar Singh’s city. He didn’t want to lose this time. She was his only hope. “Oh Mariam ! Hope you don’t betray me !”, he whispered.

Next day , he sent a spy as a messenger to check on Mariam. The spy travelled to Rawalgarh where Mariam was posted . When he reached, he found her holding  King’s hands. Mariam was none another than Roopali. It seemed like she was wishing him good wishes and luck for his battle. Her eyes were filled with love as well as a pain. She didn’t want the king to leave. She wished he could stay a little longer. But he was a king and had duties to perform to safeguard his kingdom and people. She hid her pain though it reflected in her eyes.

As the king left, the messenger came out of his hiding place and arrived at her doorstep. She had almost turned to leave to get back to household work when she noticed the messenger. She immediately recognised him and asked him to come in. She looked around for any suspicious activity before closing the door. “Why did your highness Rashid sent you? I have already given the updates few days back ”, she whispered.

“ The king has a message for you. He asked you to quickly finish your work. He can’t wait any longer to began his attack.”, he said. She became anxious. “Fine, I will. Tell your highness Rashid that only when I give you a signal that I finished my work, then only he can begin his battle. Ask him to be patient .”, she said.

As soon as he left, she began to think what she was going to do. She restlessly paced her living room. She had to tell the king about the past she had hid from him. The past which haunts her even today. An identity which she had discarded as soon as she stepped inside Rawalgarh. She almost accepted  she was Roopali. She had forgotten that Roopali was just a trap set by Rashid to distract Amar.

She was princess of not so big kingdom. Her father wasn’t as strong as Amar Singh. Rashid defeated him easily as he plundered their treasure and bought her sisters and her in his harem as they weren’t courageous to do Jauhar to protect their honour. She had tried many times to kill herself but she had failed. Finally she accepted her fate and became Rashid’s favourite concubine. She had given up hope  until she found hope in Amar Singh Rawal.

(To be continued )

The Betrayal Story - Part 23

Vijay Singh was frustrated. It had been months since he had planned to attack his arch rival - Amar Singh with help of Rashid. He was irritated by lukewarm approach of the crusader. He had heard stories of his aggression and evilness from people but he was surprised to see no action from him since many months. "What is he doing?", he wondered every night. 

Every morning he would wake up with sheer determination to speak his mind out to Rashid. But his courage would evaporate when he would see Rashid's terrifying face. He knew he hated people questioning his actions. Vijay kept quiet while his mind was filled with anxiety and frustration of when he would watch whole city of Rawalgarh burning in fear and grief.

One day, he mustered courage to speak to Rashid.  He walked towards Rashid's study room. He was enjoying the evening breeze at the wide balcony. His eyes were closed as he felt the breeze kiss his scarred face. It was tingling feeling. He recognized there was someone behind him from his footsteps and swiftly turned to see who it was.

"My dear friend, what brings you at this odd hour ? Probably to give me company to enjoy this relaxing evening !", Rashid spoke casually. He noticed there was some stress in his friend's eyes. "What happened ?You seem disturbed.", he asked. "Hmm... I.. I am not able to rest with thoughts of my enemy enjoying peaceful life at his home, bothering me. The soul of my dead brother taunts me every day , asking me when I will avenge his death.", Vijay Singh said , finally opening his heart out.

Rashid peeked at him for several minutes and said, "We will ! We will , my friend. One day, we will surely attack. Have patience!". He offered some rose sorbet and said, "Here, have some sorbet. It will cool your mind.". Vijay unwillingly took the glass and had a sip. "I am keeping my patience. But my mind is not able to stay stable.", he said.

"You  Indian kings always take things to your heart. You failed because of this. Be patient. My spy is working and it is still not right time to attack. When she will tie the bell on our cat, that's when we will attack. So be patient. She is the best and she has never failed.",Rashid said firmly. "What if she fails? What if she falls in love with the cat?", Vijay asked. Rashid cast an angry look on him and growled, "I will behead her."

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 22

Gayatri was shocked by king’s reaction. She had never seen him get angry at Satyavati. Satyavati was  the wise one among them. She gently rubbed her head, wondering what is so special about Roopali that has made the king blinded that he doesn’t want to listen to his wise wife - whose words he always listened to.

She knew love is blind and now she had seen the proof. She had to do something to cure her husband’s blindness. She didn’t want to be Satyavati - always sacrificing for betterment of others. She wanted her husband’s attention back on her. She was selfish for his love and wanted his undivided attention.

She watched Suryavanshi stomping out of room and Satyavati had rushed behind him to cool him down. The king was still seething in anger. She knew it wasn’t right time to speak to the king. She walked out of room too while planning her mission. She remembered what Suryavanshi had found out through his spies - Roopali isn’t whom she claims to be.

Next day, she met Suryavanshi at the army training ground where he was supervising the progress of army’s training. He greeted her though he wasn’t fond of her presence. “If you are here to speak on behalf of the king and to belittle me for my doings , then I am in no mood to listen. I have already my share of my hearing from my sister.”, he said firmly.

“No ! You are wrong. I believe your word. I always knew there was something wrong in that girl when she arrived.”, she said. He was slightly surprised. He knew Gayatri was insecure about the new girl in king’s life but he never thought she would be so open about it. “Can we speak in private? There are many king’s men snooping on our conversation.”, she said. He agreed.

They headed towards a scheduled place which wasn’t too far from the ground. He could still see the view of the ground from there. He waited for her to speak while she gathered her thoughts. “I would like to proceed with the investigation . I don’t trust this Roopali. We need enough proofs to prove her guilty.”, she said. “What do you mean by we?”, he asked. “I can’t do this alone. I would need your help.”, she replied. He smirked, “Fine! I will help you out.”

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story- Part 21

The pain was unbearable for Gayatri. She watched her husband who was once smitten by her spend his whole time with another lady. There were times when she wanted to chastise him for his actions but he was a king and no one dared to question him. He had done this to his first wife by bringing her home as his second wife after exhausting war he had fought on behalf of her father who had betrothed her to him as token of his gratitude.

She remembered the times when he had spent all of his time with her instead of his first wife. Now it was her turn to take the back seat as the king would bring his third wife soon. Just like Satyavati, she had to ignore her emotions and welcome his decision because he was king and he had the right to marry as many times he want.

Her heart became heavy as she thought about the king and his new interest. She wept silently during lonely nights. Mornings were difficult. She sometimes wished she wasn’t alive. The king’s radiant smile and reason for that smile burnt her heart. But she hid her miseries from everyone as she knew they would console with the same reason.

Days passed by. Her miseries increased. She stayed awake whole night while nursing her broken heart. Suddenly , one fine day, something struck her. She was spending lazy afternoon with Satyavati and her brother. While she stayed quiet , they spoke casually. The conversation suddenly directed to Roopali and her lineage. She wanted to get up when something Suryavanshi  spoke got her attention, “I had checked about Roopali through my spies. The village she said she is from doesn’t exist. I feel there’s something hideous about her.”

“Why would she lie about her village ?”, Satyavati asked. “I don’t know but my spies wouldn’t lie.”, he protested. “Then I will speak to king about this.”, she said. She immediately headed towards the king’s chamber with her brother and Gayatri where he was busy signing some bills to be passed. He looked up at her and smiled.“What brings you here, Satyavati? You bought your whole troupe here. There must be something serious.”, he said. She asked the guards and  ministers to leave the room. When they left, she spoke, “Your highness, there is something I need to share. My brother, Suryavanshi, has found something alarming about Roopali from his spies. He says that she had lied about her village. The village she spoke about doesn’t exist.”.

The king rose up from his seat in fury. His eyes turned red. “I didn’t expect you to do this. I had made it clear that everyone would accept her as rightful citizen of this kingdom. Who is Suryavanshi to spy on her without my authorisation.”, he growled . Suryavanshi stared angrily at the king. Satyavati signalled  him to cool down by pressing his hand.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 20

Roopali realized he shared the same feelings she had for him. His eyes revealed his true feelings for her. "Your highness, you stare at my eyes with great intent. What do you see in my eyes ?”, she whispered softly. “I see .. it is filled with immense love and affection and I wonder what did I do to get so much love. Why do you love me so much ?”, he said.

She blushed. Her cheeks became red and her gaze shifted from him to cold floors. He lifted her chin so that he could continue to stare those mesmerising eyes. Someone was staring at them while hiding behind the bushes that was few distances away. He was the same spy working for Gayatri.

He tried to get closer view by crawling over dead leaves. He forgot to keep his movement still. His silly mistake alerted the lovers. They looked around for the source of noise. But they found nothing and assumed it was an animal. The king decided to call it a night.

He kissed her forehead before leaving. Her heart skipped a beat but she hid her excitement with a smile. She felt as if she had whole world in her hand . As he left, she euphorically jumped into her house. Finally she had a good night sleep.

The spy shared his findings to Gayatri. Her heart broke into pieces when she learnt about the king’s infidelity. Her eyes were red with anger and pain. She tossed the coin bag to the spy and dismissed everyone out from her room. When she was alone, she screamed furiously and slowly fell down to the floor.

The king was swept by the wave of new found love. He was like an overexcited teenager , always waiting for day to get over soon so that he could spend the night , watching the stars with his beautiful lover. When the day ended, he would sneak out of his palace to meet his lover while Gayatri  watched him with painful heart.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 19

It was full moon's night. Roopali stared at the moon with complete admiration from the porch of her house where she comfortable sat on the cold floors. She needed peace after what had happened in afternoon. Watching the moon and feeling the cool breeze blowing under her ears gave her what she needed the most - peace.

After spending few hours doing what she liked, she got up to hit the shack. Suddenly she heard the voice of someone riding the horse behind her. She turned back to see it was king. She wondered what made the king arrive at this hour. The king stopped and got down from the horse. As he walked closer, her heart beat faster.

"Your highness, is there something you need?", she asked. "Yes, an answer !", he replied. She looked surprised. "Did someone say you are commoner and you are not supposed to stay at the palace? Is this your sole decision to move out?", he asked furiously. His eyes were red in anger.

She remained quiet. "I did my best to take care of you. Why aren't you happy? What else should I do to make you feel safe and happy?", he continued. "It' not that. You have done everything for me and I don't think I can ever pay you. It’s me.”, she said softly.

“What do you mean?”, he asked. She turned her back towards him.”I ... I have developed feelings like the lovers have for their beloved.”, she spilled her heart out. He was shocked and confused. “I know this is not right . I decided  it was better for me to stay away from you. So that’s why I moved out.”, she said.

He walked closer towards her. He held her in her arms and stared at her with love. She realised he felt the same.


(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 18

After relishing the snacks and drinks, the king got to the point of his visit, “I have a question that has been bothering me since you left.” Roopali hesitated. She understood immediately what he wanted to ask. She smiled nervously, thinking how she will hide the truth. “What made you leave our palace? Is it because you aren’t happy with our treatment or someone said something to you or did we make you uncomfortable?”

She didn’t reply. She was numb. She had to spill beans now which she didn’t want to.  The king noticed she was nervous and signalled his guards to leave. She was filled with emotions. Her gaze was bent down. “You don’t have to be scared of anything. You can tell me if anything is bothering you.”, he said. She gulped , thinking how she would hide the truth.

She turned behind to hide her emotions that were spilling out from her eyes. “No one bothered me and there is no flaw in your treatment towards me. You have been too good towards me, your highness.” , she said. “Then why did you leave the palace?”, king asked. “I am a commoner. The palace is abode for the royals. It was time for me to shift from the palace to place where commoners reside.”, she said.

The king was furious. He stomped towards her and grabbed her elbow to turn her towards him. Tears had welled up in her eyes and she began to cry. The king’s heart melted. “I am sorry for being harsh towards you.”, he said softly and loosened his grip towards her. He stood there for few minutes and left helplessly.

There was a spy watching from a window close by. He stood where no one could see him. He thought he could find something worthwhile to tell his mistress who had hired him .  There was nothing. He headed towards the palace and told the guards that he wanted to meet the queen. They took him to Gayatri who waited impatiently for him.

“What news do you have ?”, she asked. The spy narrated her everything he had seen. She gave him his reward in small bag of gold coins. The spy excitedly checked it out and saw it was half as promised. “Why do you look so surprised? You didn’t find anything that’s interesting. Find something good then I will reward you what I had promised or else I will get you killed.”, she said.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story- Part 17

The king arrived at Roopali’s house on cool morning . He saw huge queue of people gathered outside her house. The crowd was whispering to each other as they watched their king proceed inside the house .The guard was about to announce the king’s arrival. He stopped him and  stood there watching her in serious discussion with a poor farmer at her house. He was complaining how the drought in last year had left him penniless by destroying all his crops and why he needed a waiver in tax for this year.

After listening to his problem carefully, she spoke gently, “I will speak to the finance minister and get this tax waived for you. I will also discuss this issue with the minister to ensure that tax is waived for all the farmers.” “Consider it as done.”, the king spoke aloud. Roopali and the farmer rose up with folded hands to greet the king.

“We are sorry to keep you waiting. We were not aware of your arrival , your highness.”, she said with gaze bent down. “You don’t have to be sorry. I saw you busy resolving an issue and I wanted to see how you were faring in your work. Hence I didn’t let you know about my arrival.”, he said. He looked at the farmer and said, “I hereby declare that all those farmers who have suffered from the last year’s drought will have their tax waived for five consecutive years and they will receive all the help they require to sustain their livelihood and crops. I am also sorry for not looking into this matter earlier.”

The farmer was left with joy shining from his eyes. The crowd was about to disperse when he signalled them to wait and said, “You don’t have to leave . I will wait here while your supervisor listens and resolves each one of your issues. You have waited very long to be heard.”, he spoke. The crowd became happy while Roopali continued with her work.

He watched her resolve issues. Some issues were sticky and some were petty. But she resolved each one of the issues with all her capabilities. There were times when the issue was beyond her expertise and in those cases, she would tell them that she would get back later. The queue reduced gradually. It took her four hours to finish solving everyone’s issue.

Once she was done with work, she made lemonade and prepared a plate filled with snacks for the king. “Your highness, forgive me for keeping you waiting and not being able to serve you properly. My maid isn’t well and I had given her off today . I wasn’t expecting you too.”, she said embarrassed. The king smiled and said, “Please don’t be guilty. I understand that one’s first priority should be serving their city and people. Hence I let you serve the people first and not me. I don’t  mind waiting four hours to get such refreshing drink and snacks from you.”  She blushed.
(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 16

Gayatri had lost lot of weight. Her eyes had huge dark circles around them due to sleepless nights and crying. Her face was still stained with droplets of tears. Her always glowing face had lost it's glory. Her fragile body showed the self initiated sufferings. But her lost hope was instilled back when she rose up to see Amar Singh.

He walked closer to her and held her tight. She smiled as she cried. "Why are you punishing yourself for the mistake I made? You could have approached me and rectified my mistake like Satyavati did.", he said. She didn't like his comparison of her with Satyavati. But she smiled to hide her true feelings from him. He had not spoken or met her for three days when she had told him about her insecurities with Satyavati. She didn't want to lose him again.

"I thought you were mad again, your highness. I thought you didn't want to see me again. ", she wailed thinking about last few days. He brushed her back gently. "Don't think too much. I was busy nursing my emotions and didn't realize that others would get affected too with my over involvement with myself. I am sorry, I hurt you.", he consoled her. 

"My king was in grief, I didn't know. What a fool I am?", she cried again. The king understood her emotional outburst and made her sit on the edge of the bed to calm her down. As he sat next to her, he spoke, "Please forgive me, Gayatri. I can't see you crying like this. I want my charming wife back. The palace is missing your carefree spirit."

She finally smiled. After wiping her tears and taking deep breath, she spoke calmly, "Amarji, what is bothering you so much? How can I help to reduce it?" He smiled watching his wife get back to normalcy. "Oh it's nothing. Just some thoughts.", he said. "Won't you share it with me ?", she coaxed him.

"Well, I didn't like the way Roopali had left. It seemed like she wasn't happy leaving.", he said. Gayatri was in euphoric state and didn't realize what she had said. "Your highness, if you don't mind, I have an idea. Why don't you meet her and ask her what is bothering her?" , she said. However, she soon realized the mistake she had made. Amar Singh hugged her and agreed to meet her the next day. Gayatri wanted to hit herself for suggestion she had made. But she didn't do anything. She sat simply and stared at him as he left.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 15

Roopali left . She thought constantly about the king but did her duty perfectly. She didn’t let her thoughts affect her work. The king wasn’t happy. He didn’t understand what made Roopali to take this step. He remembered how she had begged him to let her go. He did miss her and immersed himself into work to avoid thinking about her.

Gayatri was happy initially. But the king seemed lost and hardly came to spend time with her. Her happiness turned into despair and hate. She lamented the day Roopali arrived. She hardly came out of her room and stopped eating or sleeping. Satyavati recognised that something was wrong and stepped up to correct it.

She visited the king one day. The king was listening to the strategies of  his commander in chief . As soon as the king noticed her arrival, he dismissed his commander and told him that he would meet him after discussions with his queen. “You seem anxious, my queen . What happened ?”, he asked. “Your highness, lot has changed in this palace over past few days. You have immersed into your duty towards your duty towards welfare of our people which is commendable but you look restless. You have stopped spending time with your queens. Have we faltered in our duties to serve you ?”, she replied.

The king felt guilty. He stayed quiet and reflected his actions over few days. He realised he hadn’t been able to spend time with his queen due to his preoccupation with thoughts about Roopali. “I am sorry . I haven’t been able to give you or Gayatri time. You haven’t faltered in your service towards me. It’s me who hasn’t been fulfilling my duty towards my wives.”, he accepted his mistake.

“I have been occupied with feeling of restlessness and unable to understand why Roopali had left the palace immediately. She wasn’t completely healed and her house was still under construction. I still can’t come up with any reason for her quick departure.”, he continued. “Is it because of our failure to protect her on that fateful night or is it because Gayatri’s resentment towards her?”, he asked.

“I don’t know what made Roopali leave . You can check on her by visiting her. But Gayatri isn’t keeping well. She hasn’t eaten or slept for days . I hear she pines for your glimpse whole day. Please visit her soon. I worry she shouldn’t give up her life. I am able to manage with your absence but she can’t  .”, she said. He held her shoulders and looked at her with pride. “What did I do to get a wise wife like you who understands immediately my pain and mistake. Thank you , my queen for always supporting me like a rock.”, he said.

The king left her with promise of spending time with his queens. He headed towards Gayatri’s room with plate filled with her favourite delicacies. The guards notified her of his arrival. She stood up with great difficulty to greet him. Her tired eyes sparkled with life and happiness to meet her king. Her wait was over at last.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 14

The king was furious. “ He tried to attack us. Get ready with your troops and let’s attack them.”, he sneered. “Your highness, calm down. It’s not the right time to get charged up. Our troops are not ready yet. They need to revive the energy lost in last few battles. But for safety of our people and kingdom, I have beefed up the security at all the points.”  , the wise commander counselled.

The king calmed down. “Fine ! I trust you. Your advises and judgement have always proved right. We need to prepare ourselves well before we face them.”, he said. The commander took the leave and the king went back to Roopali to check on her health. “How are you feeling , Roopali ?”, he asked. “I am fine, your highness. I will always be indebted to you.”, she replied with a smile. The king smiled back . “We have taken care of situation. You won’t be facing any such incidents any time .”, he said and left .

Roopali was smitten by the king’s swift action and concern towards her. She felt a sudden rush of feelings and emotions towards the king. She didn’t understand what it was. She felt nice and happy. “The king has been very generous towards you. I will always be indebted to him .”  , she said excitedly. One of the nurse who was treating her said , “ The king is indeed generous to his people. He has always been devoted to his kingdom.”

The nurse’s words stung her . Her feelings were shattered. She felt guilty for misinterpreting his concern for something else. Suddenly those mushy feelings were replaced by guilt. She spent whole week in pining in guilt. She decided to move out of the palace to feel better. The very first day of next week, she stood out of royal court where the king was holding a meeting with his immediate ministers.

As soon as the meeting got over, the king arrived with his minister. He was surprised to see her waiting for him. He immediately walked towards her and  said, “How are you,Roopali? I am sorry I haven’t  been able to meet you and ask your health.” Her heart pained. Her emotions wanted to spill out. She wanted to say , “You have done lot for me, your highness. And I have started falling in love with you. I can’t mistaken your concern for love. If I stay longer, I may fall madly in love with you.”

She fidgeted with her fingers and shifted her gaze towards the ground. The king waited for her reply. After long pause , she spoke, “I am fine , your highness. I needed you to grant me permission to shift from the palace to new house you have provided me.” The king was shocked. “Why? Aren’t you been taken good care of ?”, he asked. “I... You have taken good care of me, your highness. But I don’t want to be burden to you. You are a king and I am a commoner. I can’t stay here any longer. Please grant me your permission. That will be only favour I ask for .”, she begged. “Fine , if that’s what you want. I will grant you permission.”,he said and left in anger.

(To be continued )

The Betrayal Story - Part 13

The moon shined brightly. Cool breeze blew momentarily. The weather was pleasant. But Roopali didn’t get sleep. She wondered why would king appoint her as supervisor. She didn’t understand whether she should be happy or sad with the judgement. She got up from the bed instantly and decided to take a walk.

Thoughts didn’t cease to hound her. She strolled the long corridors and passed many rooms. The guards were stationed at most of rooms. As she walked, she came across the garden area. There were no guards there. The place was quiet except for the sound of nocturnal insects and frogs. She sat on one of benches and stared at the open sky. The stars twinkled and the moon brimmed with pride. There was no clouds on the vast sky.

Suddenly she heard some rustle of leaves from bushes behind her. She turned behind. She saw a man running towards her. Her heart stopped beating. Her mind froze. She wondered who the man was and assumed he was someone to harm her. Instantly she came back to her senses and found a stick to attack him. The man tried to say something before the guards arrived and attacked him.

They pounded over him and tied his hand behind his back. The king arrived with his commander in chief to the scene. He got closer to her and asked, “Are you okay?” She nodded her head but later almost fainted in his arms . He lifter  her up back to her room. He called the royal doctors and got her treated. The doctor said , “It’s just panic attack , your highness. She will be alright.”

The king stayed in her room the whole night to check on her health. The nurses constantly took care of her . Next morning , she woke up to bright morning and king sitting next to her bed. He had slept on the chair with his legs stretched out and his head facing the ceiling. His mouth opened slightly. She smiled. She hadn’t seen a king up this close and sleeping peacefully.One of nurses got her glass of water and asked her about her health while the other nurse woke the king up.

The king woke up. He got up from his chair immediately and asked her about her health. “I am fine , your highness. I am grateful you stayed up whole night to check up on me.” The commander in chief arrived with some news. “ Your highness, we found out the identity of the man who sneaked into the palace.”,he said. She shuddered when the commander spoke about the man. The memories of last night haunted her again. The king quickly  understood and took the commander outside. “The man was sent by Rashid Sheikh to spy on us. I have increased the security around the city as well as the palace.”,the commander said. The king sneered at the mention of Rashid Sheikh. He was aware of his interest in Rawalgarh and he was sure he would let him fulfil his desire.

(To be continued )

The Betrayal Story - Part 12

The king dismissed everyone except few ministers from the court. He had to discuss about the army training and deployment at the neighboring kingdom who needed his help to resolve insurgency. Gayatri had almost reached her room when Satyavati held her arm to stop her. "What's the matter, Gayatri? You are sulking again. Did the king say something to you ?", she asked.

Gayatri nodded. "Are you unhappy with king's decision?", Satyavati asked again. She didn't say anything. Her gaze was bent down and she was breathing deeply. "Should I take this as a yes ?", she asked curiously. "Yes!", Gayatri spoke finally. She immediately lifted her gaze. Her eyes were red with anger and pain. Satyavati dragged her to her rooms and asked all the guards and maid servants to leave the room. The maid servants craving for hot gossips, left with heavy hearts.

"Tell me, what is bothering you? I have noticed that you have changed since the arrival of that girl. Are you insecure ?", she asked.  The young queen was bothered by the word 'insecurity'. "I am not insecure", she protested. "I am simply hurt. I feel Roopali is favored too much. We don't know much about her. How can we trust her so easily. I think the king is making a mistake over here", she continued with her arguments.

"I understand your doubts. But you need to put your faith on our king. He is wise. He knows what he is doing.", Satyavati spoke calmly. She held her hand and squinted at her. She continued," I know where your doubts are coming from. You are not bothered about king not able to spend time with you. You are bothered that he is giving too much attention to someone else. Am I right?".

Gayatri opened her eyes wide in shock. Satyavati had disclosed the truth she was hiding from herself to her. She didn't like it. "No! Why would I think like that ? I am not bothered about that. I am only raising concern because I care about king", she said. Satyavati smiled warmly.

"Gayatri, It's okay to feel that way. I felt that way when I was your age and would misinterpret king's concern towards other ladies as his interest. You will grow up eventually like I did. You won't feel the pangs of jealousy and will grow wiser. But don't habour those feelings. It may poison your heart and relationship with king. ", Satyavati counseled. But Gayatri wasn't enlightened. She still felt insecure about Roopali.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 11

Roopali twitched her nose and spoke, “I will report this to the king . You cannot sell something more than the price decided by the king. You are cheating the public.” “Who are you? Are you the king’s puppet?”, the angry shopkeeper asked. The public retaliated against the shopkeeper when he spoke against the king. They began to lynch tiny stones at him.

Amar Singh intervened them. “Stop ! Stop it all of you!”, he screamed. The crowd stopped. “Why should we stop ? This man spoke against our king. He should be punished.”, one man from the crowd spoke. The king removed his fake beard and the thick shawl before his aide tried to stop him. “He will be punished. But not here ! At the royal court . He will be punished for cheating the public and disrespecting a woman.”,he said.

The crowd was in awe to see their king close to them. They had seen them from far.  But having him amongst them was a treat. “Your highness, we are blessed to have you here.”, the crowd said and bent down with folded hands. The shopkeeper was stunned and started begging for mercy. Roopali was dumbstruck by the king’s presence. She didn’t expect the king to be here.

The shopkeeper was bought to the court. An urgent hearing was held. All the ministers and queens gathered at the court. “I hereby declare that your shop be seized and you are jailed for six months.Do you have anything to speak in your favour ?”, the king ordered. The shopkeeper knelt down with folded hands and cried, “ Your highness, please forgive me ! Don’t seize my shop. It’s my only earning.”

Roopali , who was standing at the corner of the court , came forward. “ Your highness, please hear me out before you make your judgement.”, she said. The king signalled her to speak. “Since he is sole earner in his family, it’s better not to seize his shop and reduce the number or jail term for the interest of his family.” , she said. The king was impressed. He said , “You spoke right ! I will then hereby change my judgement. For the interest of your family, your shop won’t be seized and your jail term would be reduced to one month. But you need to promise in writing that you won’t charge more than price decided in the court.”

Gayatri wasn’t amused by Roopali’s intervention. “I have one more order to pass. With today’s events, I am very impressed with Roopali’s sense of judgement and hereby assign her the post of city’s supervisor. You will handle all the city’s menial issues and pass the judgement for betterment of citizens of this kingdom.” Roopali was surprised and wanted to say something. The king stopped her. Gayatri wasn’t pleased. She fidgeted with her fingers constantly. Satyavati noticed it and wondered what was wrong with Gayatri.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 10

Gayatri sat on the floor next to her large bed. Her cheeks had turned red due to constant crying. She sulked, thinking about the change in tone of the king towards her. He had never been harsh on her. He would spend all his time with her. His attitude has changed since the arrival of that damned girl. "The king no longer likes me.", she thought as her heart swelled up due to despair.

A guard arrived at the entrance of her room. He announced the arrival of the king. Her heart missed a bit and she rose up immediately. "Your highness, I..", she spoke but stopped. She couldn't find any words and started crying. The king got closer to her and gently rubbed her shoulders to console her. "I am sorry. I haven't been giving you time. Few days have been very horrible for me. I have huge responsibility towards our kingdom and people. I have been trying my best to serve everyone justly and in midst of this , I have been rude to you. I am sorry.", he consoled her.

She wiped out her tears and sighed deeply. "Does this mean, your love for me hasn't reduced?", she asked innocently. "Yes, my love. My affection towards you is still the same. It hasn't diminished.", he replied softly. She hugged him. Her emotions poured out and she cried, "This is what I wanted to hear, your highness."

The king relaxed finally. Everything was back to normalcy. He could now concentrate his mind towards his kingdom development and status of his enemies. A lot of time had gone in managing people's attitude towards Roopali and making her comfortable. Now he was back in action.

A week passed by. Amar Singh got everything running back to normal. He assigned portfolios to each minister. He formulated many development plans and revised taxation plans.One day, he strolled in the central market , disguised as a civilian as a part of his supervision task. He hadn't noticed that Roopali was there too. She wanted to check the market due to constant praises from the nurses who were taking care of her. 

She had passed many stalls and found one that attracted her. They had vibrant colours of cloth materials. She loved stitching and hadn’t stitched for long time. She walked inside the stall and checked the material. The materials were soft and perfect for shawl. She asked the shopkeeper for a price. “It’s 60 gold coins”, he said, “But that’s too much. As per the city law , the price of a cloth should be 30 gold coins.” , she said. “Check the quality of the cloth , Madam. It’s rich.”, he protested. “But the king had passed a rule that the price of this specific quality and meters of cloth must be 30 gold coins. You are charging too much.”, she protested. The shopkeeper had lost his cool and shouted, “ If you want, pay this price. Or else you can leave.” “But you are doing a wrong thing.”, she argued back. A crowd had surrounded them to see the chaos. Amar Singh was one among them. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 9

Amar Singh was absorbed into his thoughts while strolling in the garden. The bright colors of marigold, rose or hibiscus didn't soothe him anymore. The cool breeze that blew momentarily didn't give solace to his restless heart. While he decided to head back to his room, a guard arrived. He bowed down to offer his salutation. The king responded with a nod.

"Your highness, Ms.Roopali wants to meet you.", the guard said with his gaze downward. "Yes, please let her in.", the king said.  The guard notified the other guards stationed at the end of the garden to let her in. The king watched Roopali walking towards him. Her pace was slow and calculated. She wasn't looking at him. Her mind was somewhere else just like his few minutes back.

There was small stone on her path. With quick judgement that she would trip, he screamed, "Look out !". She stood shocked. Her eyes were wide open and she was shivering. The guards hurried towards her. "There was a rock. Where is your mind ?", he scolded her gently. "Your highness,I am sorry. I was here to apologize. I..",she stammered. Her cheeks became red.

"You don't have to be scared. You are safe here.", he said gently. Her eyes were almost moist. "I know, your highness. You have taken very good care of me even though I don't belong here. And here I am making silly mistakes. I don't know how to rectify myself.", she said.

He smiled at her innocence. He got closer to her and patted her shoulders gently. "You don't have to feel sorry. I am glad that you are happy with us and feel safe here. It will take time for you to adjust to new environment.", he said.

She smiled. Before she left, he said,"Feel free to stroll through this little garden. These beautiful flowers and the fresh grass can be relaxing sight." He at last felt peaceful. As he was taking a huge breath of relief, he saw Satyavati smiling at him. "When did you arrive ?", he inquired. "Not very long . I saw you advising Roopali and you seem happy now. That means my work is done and I can leave.", she replied. He laughed and asked her to stay a bit longer. "No, your highness!  But I think you have one more task to do. You were too harsh on Rani Gayatri. You must go instantly to console her.", she said.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 8

Gayatri wasn’t pleased. She didn’t understand why the king was suddenly obsessed of taking care of that woman. She had one more competitor in the race to get the attention of the king. The woman  was a commoner and didn’t come from royal family. She hated that he humiliated her in front of the public for that woman.

The king dismissed the court and worked on the other urgent matters of the kingdom. After work he headed towards Roopali to check on her. He found her deep in thoughts. The nurses were applying herbal medicine on her hands. They stopped and left when they noticed the king had arrived. “How are you, Roopali ?”, he asked . She looked up suddenly. Her eyes were opened  wide. For the second  time the king was struck by the beauty of her eyes.

“Your highness! I didn’t notice your arrival.”, she exclaimed. She tried to get up from her bed. He signalled her to stay in the bed and sat on the edge of the bed, facing her. “I am getting better. Hopefully I will get better soon and become less burden to everyone, your highness .”, she said woefully. Her words stung him. He was reminded of his past mistakes of considering her as a traitor. He felt even more guiltier.

He rose up and said, “Hopefully you get better. But don’t consider yourself a outsider. You are part of Rawalgarh now.” He left immediately. The nurses arrived and got back to work. Roopali closed her eyes to get some sleep. But she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was busy thinking. In midst of the treatment, the nurses were discussing about today’s court meeting. Roopali got distracted and began listening to their conversations.

She learned about the decision the king had announced regarding her welfare in the court. Suddenly she felt culpable for saying those words to king. She decided to apologise for her mistake. The king was feeling restless. He didn’t see any of his queens. He wanted solace. But there was peace even in solidarity.

Next day he cancelled all the meeting. His mind was still wandering around the same topic . He stayed at his chamber for very long time until he made efforts to get outside from some fresh air. He sauntered to and fro in the garden. He couldn’t cool his mind. Gayatri arrived to solace his mind. But he dismissed. She left tear eyed.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story- Part 7

Roopali headed towards the room with mind deep in thoughts. She had almost reached her room when she found king coming from other direction. Their eyes met. “Ah ! There you are. I was looking for you.”, he said. Her face turned red and she became tear eyed. She remembered the harsh words of the queen. “I am sorry, your highness. I shouldn’t have wandered out. I should have adhered to royal protocol. This isn’t my home. It’s your palace.”, she apologised.

The king was taken back. “Why do you say that ? This is your home until we heal you back to your health. Please consider yourself as part of Rawalgarh.”,the king said. He left after enquiring her about her health. As he headed towards the royal garden, he overheard a gardener speaking to his colleague about how the king had made a mistake taking Roopali into the kingdom. The king was miffed. He understood why Roopali spoke that way.

“Call everyone for the meeting including the queens. I have an announcement to make.”, he ordered one of his guards. At the king’s court , everyone had assembled. They were surprised about the sudden meeting. Each one of them guessed the reason. Some thought it was annual budget meeting while some thought it was about reshuffling of ministers and others thought it must about counter attacking enemy kingdom.

The king arrived. Everyone rose and sat when  he sat on his throne. “ I have noticed that you are not happy with my decision. I won’t shame you for that. You have right to have an opinion. If you think I have done wrong, you have right to say it in front of me. Now I am giving you opportunity to give me your reasons and I promise I won’t shame you for that.”, he said.

Suryavanshi stood up to speak. He saw his sister signalling him not to speak through her eyes. “We are happy with your decision, your highness . We have nothing to say.”, he said. “But I have !”, exclaimed Gayatri. Everyone stared at her with astonishment. “Your highness, I have no qualms of you taking her into our kingdom but keeping her in our palace is not right. We have huge Dharamshala. Why don’t we keep her there? We have several experienced doctors who can take good care of her.”,she said.

“You had once told me that a person heals faster in care of love. She has no family or closed ones who can take good care of her. She needs us and it will be helpful for me to check on her health since I have taken the responsibility of her guardian.”, he said. Gayatri was furious. She didn’t say anything though she had many things to say. “Is there anyone who is dissatisfied with my decision ?”, he asked one more time. There was no response. “Okay! I will take this as a no then. From now on, you will accept and treat Roopali as rightful citizen of this kingdom. I will see no one making bitter comments on her being here.”, he ordered.

(To be continued)