Samraagi
“Empress …Khushi?”
“Yes, prince! After you fell unconscious, Rajkumari Tarini was crowned as the Empress to take care of the kingdom…” Said a minister happily.
“I request everyone leave this room. I wish to talk to the Empress, alone.” said Arnav curtly.
Nodding, everyone except Tarini left the hall. Tarini blushed vigorously thinking that Arnav wanted to appreciate her and speak romantically to her - some private stuff.
“So, Khushi! Excuse my forgetfulness, I must call you Empress now, right? How do you feel being the Empress?” Arnav said in a sarcastic tune.
" What are you saying? Why are you calling me 'Empress'? You called me Khushi na? You yourself had decided to call me that. Did you forget that? Should I remind you?” Tarini joked with a smile, not grasping the sarcasm in his tone.
“Khushi, my foot!” he stood up and broke a bottle of medicine with his hand. Tarini looked scared and moved a few steps back on seeing his anger.
“I had never expected you to be such an opportunist! I thought you loved me but you here were taking advantage of the situations!” Arnnav scoffed.
“What did I do? What are you blaming me of?” Tarini said tearfully.
“Really? You are going to pretend like if you don't know what I am talking about now?" he scoffed. “You took over the kingdom without me!”
She went and held his shoulders softly “I did all of this for you so that...”
“So that you could achieve your ambition no matter whether I survive or not!”Arnav shoved off her hands from his shoulders .
“What are you saying! Can you even hear your ghastly words?”she said disbelievingly.
“The truth, Khushi! You did this all to become the empress! I thought you wanted to walk hand in hand with me, that you will be by my side forever. But no! What a fool I was to think so? You wanted to be 7 steps ahead of me!”
“ No! Please don't say such things!Understand me, please! I am saying the truth, I did this all for you only. In fact, it was me who saved you.” Tarini cried.
“Thank you, Empress, for your favour. I might not be able to take the weight of your favours on my shoulders.” Arnav angrily spoke.
Both his and Tarini’s eyes were filled with tears. Her tears were of agony, of being victimised by the flame of misunderstanding.
His tears of were of agony, of being not able to trust the person who currently was the closest to his heart.
“I thought you loved me, I thought you wanted to stay with me. I thought we both had perfect understanding. I thought we were more than friends for we have walked more than 7 steps together and would walk miles together in the rest of our lives. I thought you were my better half …my soulmate as it is said.
But the truth is you are an opportunist, who took the advantage of her husband to be half dead to ascend the throne and fulfil the dream of her being the oh so great Empress without an Emperor!”
“ This is not the truth!” Tarini screamed.
“Oh really? Then answer me, Tarini, are you not the empress ?”
Tarinii stood silent, noticing that he had referred to her using her real name.
“Answer me!”
“ I am the Empress...” She meekly spoke.
“You possess the authorities which my father held?”
“Yes.” she sobbed.
“Am I your husband?”
She looked at him wide eyed.
“ What sort of a question is this?”
“I asked, am I your husband?”
“Yes, with the almighty as witness to the making of our bond.”
“Are you my wife?”
“Yes!” she cried.
“Am I the emperor? Was my coronation ever performed?”
She shuddered at this. His coronation had never taken place, he was not the emperor! In haste, the people had not got him coronated. Anjali had just given his sword to her, saying that she would rule on his behalf.
“Am I the emperor of the country Aaranya?”
“No...”she sobbed
“ According to the customs of this place, our nuptial vows and the holy scriptures, we both are equal halves of a whole eternal soul, right? Then how did this happen that one of us has all the power, while the other doesn’t have any? You didn’t take up the crown on behalf of me, you took it up as an individual who had married me. You did this because you wanted to be the Empress but not as my wife but on your own! You weren't walking hand in hand with me You went way ahead, Tarinii, way ahead! In fact away from me.”
Arnav scoffed and left the room angrily. Betrayal was the only word playing in his mind.
Tarinii cried her heart out. So, this what the sage meant by an empress without an emperor!
Once again, she was a victim of politics.
*************
“What happened? Why do you seem so disturbed?” asked Akash as he saw Arnav sitting on the bed holding his head. He was quite stressed out after shouting on Tarini. He felt bad for doing so but he was really hurt by the news he recieved as soon as he woke up.
He wasn’t upset that she took over the powers. He was sad as he thought she did this all selfishly because she wanted to be the empress.
She could have taken care of the kingdom without ascending the throne also. It was her greed for the throne and not love for the kingdom that made her do this. She took advantage of the situation like a bloody opportunist! I better not think of her anymore. She loves the throne, not me.
“Nothing, Akash. Tell me the status of our kingdom...No, first tell me how is Rajkumari Sayantani. She is fine, right? I don't know how she would have reacted to Shyam's betrayal to our father…”he said sadly.
“You just woke up from your state and you have already started worrying about the kingdom? Take some rest!” Aman said.
“ Shyam is dead, Arnav. He died that day itself. The Empress had attacked him to prevent him from reaching you but he had been successful in hurting you by that time. However, her attack didn't go useless, he died on the spot."
"We have performed his final rites. Rajkumari Sayantani is fine. I do not think she is upset with what happened. She thinks that whatever happened, happened for her own good.”said Akash .
“I think she should go back to her father’s kingdom. She shall feel better then.” Arnav said with concern.
“I too suggested her the same, but she wanted to be here to support Bhabhi.” said Akash.
“Since when did she start talking to you. Till I knew, she shared her woes only with Arnav and Anjali didi...”asked Aman.
“ Nothing much, we recently became friends. So she...” Akash hesitated.
“Alright! Aman, stop your investigation about Akash and send a notice to Suryapura. Their king is dead, so it shall come under our territory.” said Arnav.
“Fine then I shall send an official notice to Suryapura as soon as possible.” Aman said as he left the room.
“Arnav, now that you are fine, I suggest that you ascend the throne as soon as you can. The Empress seemed quite scared with everything that had happened today. Although, she handled the affairs quite well but the world won't accept Aaranya as strong with a female leader. Although, I think that is the point where the whole world is wrong, this is no time to fight the world," suggested Akash.
“Start the military training and arrange the coronation. Go!” Arnav said closing his eyes.
Life Journey of two people poles apart in career, status and style. One is the ...
Drabbles for Shrimad Ramayana Contest
Geet stood rooted on the spot as her shivering fingers touched he forehead, ...
Comments (0)
View all