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)

The Betrayal Story - Part 6

Everyone waited patiently for the king’s judgement. They knew he would make a decision that would  be for the betterment of the kingdom. “Majesty, what is your decision?.”, the prime minister inquired as usual performing his duty stipulated over the years where the minister inquires the king to make an announcement.

“I hereby declare Roopali to be qualified citizen of our kingdom. She will be under my protection and stay at the royal palace until she is fit as a fiddle.”, the king announced his decision. Roopali was relieved and happy. At last she will have a place to stay and people whom she can call family. Everyone were satisfied with his decision except for the home minister , Suryavanshi who was Satyavati’s cousin.

At late afternoon, he arrived at the queen’s tea garden to notify his dissatisfaction to his sister.“ I am not satisfied by Maharaj’s decision!”, he quipped. Satyavati smiled. He was like her younger brother and she had spent most of her childhood in raising him like her son though they were two years apart. She still remembered asking her aunt(her mother’s younger sister) that whether she could make him her son in role play game with her girl friends. It was innocent question. Her aunt happily obliged her request thinking it was just a play . Eventually Satyavati took the role seriously and began to take care of her brother as her son.

“Why are you unsatisfied with his decision ?”, she asked playfully. “I .. You won’t take me seriously. But king is thinking emotionally. He isn’t thinking practically. He should have at least done background check of that lady before taking her into our kingdom.”, he said ruefully. “Hmm ! But our king isn’t naive as you think. He hasn’t won so many wars without careful planning and strategies.”, she argued.

He rose up in anger and spoke, “ After all he’s your husband , why would you listen to me ?” He stomped out while the queen persuaded him to stop. He didn’t listen. “He and his anger!”, she sighed.  She sipped the herbal drink and thought , “Did the king do the right thing ?”

Roopali wandered the royal garden. She was amazed by the nature in midst of the harsh desert. The sightings of birds and squirrels on trees and bushes , carefully made  flower bedding and momentarily blowing of cool breeze relaxed her mind and soul. Suddenly she felt someone standing behind her. She turned to see it was Queen Gayatri. The queen  stared at her in anger. “What are you doing here ?”, she asked.  “Nothing , your highness. I wanted fresh air. So I came here.” “I heard you were sick. Aren’t you supposed to be at the room allotted to you.”, the queen taunted. Roopali nodded her head and left with sad face. Gayatri smirked.


(To be continued )

The Betrayal Story - Part 5

Amar Singh was spending his evening with Gayatri. She wasn't her cheerful self. He assumed that she was angry at him for not giving her much time. That wasn't true. Her mind was engrossed in feelings of insecurity. She was insecure of intellectual prowess of Satyavati and wished she was more smarter than her. "What happened, my dear queen ? Are you mad at me for not spending enough time with you ?", he asked while he lifted her chin. 

She turned her gaze away from the king. She sighed and replied, "No, your highness ! I was only thinking." . There was unsettling silence . The king thought about what bothered the queen. He thought of ways he could change her mood. She was indeed sad about something. Suddenly she asked," What is that I don't have but Maharani Satyavati has as you ask her for opinion on political matters?" 

The king stared at her spellbound. He knew she needed more attention from him but didn't expect she would be extremely insecure about his first queen. "What are you saying ? Don't compare yourself with Satyavati. She is mature and wise while you are innocent and cheerful. Both of you are good in your own way." , he asked. "I prioritize you before her. I think of ways to cheer you up. Still you allege that I don't prioritize you before her. Instead of you, she should feel bad because I love you more than her.", he continued.  He rose up and left her chamber. She cried inconsolably the whole night. 

Vijay Singh was at the private meeting with Rashid Sheikh and Abdul. They were discussing strategies for attacking Rawalgarh. "Rawalgarh is heavily protected. There is no chance to go there and attack directly. Amar Singh's troop are always prepared for any attack. How shall we attack him, sire?", Abdul spoke anxiously. "We will attack him only after finding loopholes and war secrets of Amar Singh. We must send one of our confidants there to spy over Amar Singh and his army.", Vijay Singh said. "Don't worry, my friend. The attack has already began. I have sent my spies to unravel Rawalgarh's hidden secrets.", Rashid smirked.

Next day, Amar Singh held the meeting at the royal court with his ministers. The lady was bought inside. "Who are you ? You don't look like one of us. What brings you here?", he asked firmly. The lady who was gazing down looked up at the king. Her sea green eyes was enchanting. He had never seen such pretty pair of eyes.

"I am Roopali. I come from a small village near Sakleshpur. My village was ransacked by the sultanate and his troops. All the inhabitants have been killed including my family. I escaped from their hands before they could attack me.", she narrated her story. She fell to the grounds with folded hands and begged, "Please save me. They have taken my home and family. I have nowhere to go, your highness. I can't go back " The king felt guilty. He had thought she was a traitor but she turned out to be poor woman who had lost everything. 

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 4

Next day, Amar Singh inquired his health minister whom he had entrusted the responsibility of taking care of the lady his soldier had found outside the city gates. “She is weak and dehydrated and needs complete rest for a day. I tried to find who she is but she had no energy to speak. Hence I will talk to her once she is completely fine.”, the minister spoke. Satisfied with his minister, he dismissed him.

But the thoughts about the lady occupied his mind. He wondered whether she was a spy from the enemy kingdom and thought about possible kings who wanted to defeat him or whom he had defeated. He had one day for the truth to be revealed. He had to be ready with his force if in case the enemy attacked.

Before he planned any strategy to combat any possible attack , he inquired Satyavati. He always checked with Satyavati for second opinion in case he missed something. He headed towards Satyavati’s chambers. She was busy praying. He waited until she was done. She hadn’t noticed him. When she was done , she got up and turned behind to find him waiting for her. “Your highness, I am sorry to keep you waiting. If you had let me know that you were waiting, I would have stopped my prayers to attend you.”, she said embarrassed.

“Maharani ! Prayers are important. Nothing is more important than service to God.”, he argued gently. “For me as well as people of this kingdom , you are nothing less than God.”, she protested. The king laughed and said, “I can never win when it comes to arguing with you regarding your undying love for me." She blushed.

"Anyway, I need your advice. A lady was found in a outskirts of the city by our guards. She doesn't seem like she belongs here. I suspect she could be a spy sent by one of our enemy's kingdom. But she looked pale and weak. Hence I ordered her to be kept in royal place under care of health minister and royal doctor. She would be fine by tomorrow .I have decided to keep her under custody and get ready for the attack.", he got back to his query.

"And you need my counsel on whether you are doing right on your part.", she said. He nodded. "Your highness, before rushing to any decision, you must retrospect carefully. What if the girl is escaping from the tortures of a cruel king or dacoit ? We know nothing about the girl. It is better that you ask her calmly about her lineage and then decide what must be done.", she said. The king was impressed by her advise. While he was discussing about other matters, Gayatri stood at corner of the door. She was listening to their conversation. Jealousy stung her heart like an angry bee. She wished the king sought her advice like the way he sought from Satyavati.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 3

Amar Singh Rawal stared at the panoramic view of his city from large balcony of his bedroom. He was brimming with pride at the sight. The sun was going down and the blue sky turned into orange violet sky. The city was getting ready for the evening. One of his queen , Satyavati arrived to give him company. She was his first wife as well as confidant.

"Your highness, you look peaceful. Hence I will consider your contentedness as our accomplishment of looking after you.", she said while smiling softly at him. He shifted his gaze towards her and smiled back at her. "No Maharani ! Don't be so humble. Your service has always been par class. What makes me content is looking at our peaceful city and that our people are happy with my service.", he said. 

"Indeed a happy king makes a happy kingdom.", his second queen, Gayatri spoke loud , waiting at the door with the two servers. One of two servers had a small bowl of kheer(sweet dish) on a tray while other had large plate filled with Indian savories  bites. She ordered them to place it on small dining table at the center of the bedroom while she walked towards the balcony where the king was. The king and his first queen had turned their gaze towards her

Gayatri was the king's favorite wife and consort. Unlike Satyavati, she had childlike innocence and always craved for the king's attention though he provided her with undivided attention to her. The king smiled. "I prepared special kheer for you,Amarji...I mean.. your highness.", she blurted while Satyavati squinted her eyes at her in anger. Gayatri looked down embarrassed. "Maharani ! It's fine. It was just a small mistake. She didn't mean it.", the king laughed. 

"True ! Maharani Satyavati, your highness isn't angry with me for calling his name. We aren't in any royal gathering. It is only king, you , me and the servants. Don't be upset.", Gayatri said. Satyavati cooled down and offered the kheer to the king. He devoured it and appreciated the younger queen's culinary skills. Gayatri was in cloud nine. Later he headed towards the king's court where he held private meeting with his ministers on pressing matters of his kingdom.

It took about an hour to finish the meeting. He was about to dismiss the minister when a soldier arrived. "Your highness, we found a lady in miserable condition outside the city. We bought her to the court.", he said. Amar Singh ordered him to bring the girl. She was bought in. The lady was in her early twenties. Her skin was tanned badly. Her hair was rough and untied. She wore plain green cotton sari and black blouse that didn't match the sari colour. Her lips were dried and eyes were covered in dark circles. She looked famished. Her legs couldn't take her weight and she fell down. The king ordered his soldiers to take her to one of royal guest rooms as well as doctor to check up on her.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 2

Rashid Sheikh casually sat with legs folded to the right on sofa facing the balcony in his royal palace. He was relishing dates while the cool breeze  blew on his face, making him relaxed. It was tiring morning. He had heated discussions with his advisors on his meeting with the disgraced prince, Vijay Singh as well as planning strategic attacks with his commanders on weaker kingdoms to gain territory.

He had almost closed his eyes to take short nap when one of his guards arrived suddenly. "Your highness, the prince Vijay Singh has arrived. He says he wants to meet you personally.", the guard said. Rashid opened his eyes and signaled him to come in. The guards bought Vijay Singh in. He looked tired and wounded. His lips were dried. His face was heavily tanned and bearded. His hair looked scruffy. He was shaking due to hunger. 

Rashid had no empathy generally. But he always took good care of the ones whom he saw as his potential benefits. Vijay Singh was his weapon against his rival. He had to take good care of him. "Guards, He is our guest and I want you to take good care of him. We will speak once he is better.", he said as he ordered them to take him to royal guest room and treat him well.

Rashid took personal interest into getting him back to health. He always checked on him before he started and ended his day. It took a week for Vijay Singh to recover his health. Rashid immediately held a personal meeting with Vijay and one of his trusted advisor, Abdul. "So, tell me my friend, how are you feeling now ?", Rashid asked. "Much better! Thanks for your concern. I was well treated and looked after. My brother would be grateful with your gestures as he watches over me.", he said as he smiled. 

"Great ! Let's get back to business.  How will you help me defeat the king of Rawalgarh when you had fled from the battle scene while your brother fought the battle against him? " , Rashid asked."We couldn't defeat him single handedly. But if you join hands with him, we can defeat him easily. I have a plan that can work. If you follow it , we will definitely win." , Vijay replied. "Fine ! But you haven't come to me for help without any personal interest. Have you come here to seek revenge only or do you have any motives behind this visit?", Rashid asked.

Vijay knew Rashid was cunning and clever. He had to be careful with what he asks for. "I want you to give me Rawalgarh.", he said. The enraged advisor raised his sword against him. Rashid ordered him to put down his sword. "Cool down Abdul. I needed someone able to be in charge of Rawalgarh and neighboring cities so that I can concentrate on the Deccan conquest.  You will be in charge of Rawalgarh but only after you help me defeat Amar Singh Rawal.

(To be continued)

The Betrayal Story - Part 1

Note - This is story of love and betrayal set in 16th century in fictitious city in Rajasthan

It was season of burning summer mornings and cool nights at Rawalgarh. The citizens of Rawalgarh were waiting patiently for their famous king, Amar Singh Rawal. They had received the news from the king's loyal messenger that he was victorious in the battle he fought against the tormenting neighbor king Jai Singh and saved the city from his clutches. They weren't bothered about the scorching heat and the sweat staining their rich embroidery clothes. They only wanted to welcome their king whom they regard as God.

A vast desert was located 1000 km away from the city. It took one week for the king and his troupe to complete their journey towards their city. They were almost nearby. The king and his commander in chief spoke about the battle during their journey. The commander in chief gave him the update on citizens of his rival's city, cremation of dead soldiers as per rituals as well as status of his rival's younger brother, Vijay Singh, who ran away in between of ongoing battle - he had died due to heat stroke as per updates sent by his spies.

The update was false. Vijay didn't die. He had fooled the spies of Amar Singh into believing he had died. He had held his breath for few minutes until the spies had gone. He had planned to join hands with the deadly crusader , Rashid Sheikh. Rashid had conquered the powerful Ranas located at the north of Rajastan. Rawalgarh was on top of his list of conquest. He had tried several times to attack the city. He failed due to Amar Singh's undefeatable army and his strong allies. Now he was on lookout for pawn he could use against Amar Singh. He finally found one after receiving several letters from Vijay to join hands with him.

He didn't pay any heeds to prince of small kingdom until he heard about the infamous battle between prince's brother and his rival. He also learnt that Vijay had ran away from the battle and was coming to meet him. He waited eagerly for his arrival. He wanted to know how Vijay could help him succeed in his conquest.

Amar Singh Rawal arrived at his city. He was welcomed grandly by his citizens. The citizens , young and old exclaimed, "Victory to our king !" There was sounds of victory and celebrations in the city. The city and royal palace was decorated with marigolds and jasmine flowers. His two queens waited eagerly with the silver plates decorated with lighted diyas , flowers and small container contained vermilion. 

He arrived at the palace. Each queen offered him aarti and welcomed him with a smile. Everyone were overjoyed with the presence of his king. He was back home finally.

(To be continued)