OSR
Samyukta signifies togetherness, unison and interdependance. This story is no doubt about trials and tribulations of two brothers, but definitely the underlying message being that unity is victory!!!
Part 1 & 2 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/dharam-veer/853004/samyukta-1-and-2-dharam-and-veer-story-so-far
Part 3 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/dharam-veer/859041/samyukta-of-d-and-v-it-sinks-in-part-3
Recap - Dharam and Veer rescue a girl Sona from a few ruffians who kidnapped her; when they realize the troubles the family undergoes on a daily basis to earn their living. They are back at their palace now...
OSR SAMYUKTA Part 4 - Realizing their fears…
Palace of Aryanagar - Dharam's bedroom
Ensuring that his mother had left the room, the irritated Dharam whacks Veer on the back of his head in order to get back at his prankish harassments pertaining to Dharam's imminent wedding plans. An irked Veer hits him back, in return for a harder slap from Dharam. They continue doing the same till it evolves into a silly persistent contest. Their rally of scuffles gradually culminates into a crescendo of brutish attacks, primarily driven by the ego of not wanting to give in. As they grab each other by their collars, Dharam orders Veer to let go of him, as he pins him to the ground. Veer retaliates by tightening the hold on Dharam's neck.
They are distracted by a confused voice addressing them "Dharam! Veer! What is going on?"
Both of them look up to see the shocked faces of the king and their chubby friend staring down at them. They let go of each other as soon as they notice the commander-in-chief and numerous other nobles entering the room, one behind the other. They stagger up, brush their clothes and straighten their hair, displaying foolish smiles as they do so. Trying to avoid the confused glances of the onlookers, Dharam resumes his seat quietly.
Aryavardhan sighs and introduces the nobles to Dharam one by one. The nobles pay their salutations to the prince to wish him a speedy recovery and then leave the room silently.
After the nobles exit, the king talks to Dharam sternly "It seems like you didn't hear the announcement of our arrival. I thought you were hurt…but here you are, busy fighting with Veer….anyway, how are you feeling now son?"
Dharam glares angrily at Veer, who turns away in an attempt to conceal his mischievous grin.
"I am fine father… recovering well…"
Suddenly Dharam receives a hard pat on his back causing him to briefly frown in pain, while Bhalla speaks up proudly "Dharam…. Veer… I can only begin to imagine how that ordeal must have been….! Indeed what brave friends I have …those brutes…ruffians… luckily for them I decided to sleep early and not join you last night…" Veer and Dharam desperately try to control their smirks, while their friend continues with his string of personal claims.
After no visible signs of ceasing his praises, Aryavardhan decides to interrupt Bhalla "Dharam! Sanjaya explained all about the incident and how the Shramik ruffians attacked and robbed you. I heard they have been taken care of now! Son... it is not safe to travel in lonely dark forests with money and jewellery on person. Henceforth, you will not travel alone again – both of you!"
The princes' smiles wear off gradually and Dharam turns to Sanjaya puzzled "Attacked and robbed in the forest? It happened near Sawai… I… I was not attacked to be robbed… on the contrary; I fought with them to protect the child…who gave you this wrong information?"
Sanjaya seems confused "Child? In Sawai? I was told…"
Dharam is about to explain but he stops, as he catches Veer's worried expression indicating towards the corridor. He spots his nosy untrustworthy uncle, Jaivardhan approaching them and decides against pursuing the puzzling matter.
Jaivardhan enters the room sporting a sly smile and then requests the king to accompany him to the awaiting assembly session.
Just as the king and his brother are about to leave, Sanjaya resumes the conversation "Rajkumar, what were you talking about?"
Veer abruptly chips in with nonsensical small talk joined by Dharam; distracting the confused Sanjaya and successfully leading Jaivardhan off the scent. Hard pressed for time, the king loses interest and then bids them a hasty farewell leaving for the assembly with his brother.
Veer and Dharam look at each other, worried by the distorted facts provided to the commander-in-chief and the king.
Palace of Niphaud - Siya's bedroom
The plump affable king Janaardhan nervously adjusts his majestic royal tunic; staring blankly at his wife and his daughter for moments together, mentally pitying his unfortunate responsibility of having to pass a verdict. His good-natured heart finally melts, looking at the angelic look in his daughter's eyes and speaks out slowly "Dear queen, I think we must try and understand that all she was trying to do, was to perfect a form of art."
The seething queen, who is seated on her couch, stands up angrily "Perfecting a form of art?" She shows him the scrolls dotted with amateurish half painted figures "Would you call this perfecting a form of art?"
Sia meekly adds "I don't think the tutor was very good."
Janaardhan agrees "Yes…I think he gave up too soon…"
The frustrated queen shouts out "You don't want to send her away for professional tutelage like other girls her age and now she is always up to no good."
The king looks sheepishly at his attractive daughter "Not all princesses go away for tutelage… besides, she is our only child...how could you think of sending her away…"
The queen retaliates "You are spoiling her" she sighs and continues "When I named her Siya I was hoping that she would retain at least some qualities of Goddess Seeta – matured, poise …responsible…. But those are precisely the qualities she lacks …."
Listening to her mother's harsh words, tears start flowing from the pretty girl's eyes.
The queen looks at Siya's saddened face, nods her head dejectedly and speaks, as she exits the room "Oh Lord! When would she learn to manage her own affairs? I don't even want to begin imagining how she will lead a married life or fulfill duties at her husband's place…"
Janaardhan tries distracting his daughter "Oh Siya! Don't worry about all that – there is still plenty of time… I am sure she will… "
Siya whispers to her father guiltily "Ma is upset with me again….she is very upset…because every time she is, she talks about marriage. I feel like she just wants to send me away." she starts sniffling "I try very hard but I fall short every time don't I? I don't know what to do…"
The king puts his arm around her "Oh! Her anger is just to ensure that you turn out perfect Siya… but no one in this world is perfect ….everyone has to…"
Siya interrupts her father with a determined tone, as she wipes her tears "No pitaji! I will strive to be perfect. I will have to show her how I am capable of achieving what I set out to…" her eyes light up "Yes…. Yes… I know what I will do…" She gets up and swirls about, as she leaves the room "I will master my skills at cooking…tomorrow, I will get together with my friends to supervise an excellent menu and surprise her… I am sure she will be mighty pleased!"
The calm father suddenly realizes the implications of her words "What! No…Siya…Wait…. I don't think that is what your mother intended you to do… wait…"
Aryanagar military grounds - Outside the tent
Dharam and Veer wait patiently outside a large military tent repeatedly having to silence a nervous Bhalla. After a few moments, the inquisitive commander-in-chief steps out of the tent and asks the princes "Rajkumar Dharam… Veer! Why did you summon me? Is everything all right?"
The three of them look hesitantly at each other until Dharam finally speaks up in a low voice "Senapati… this morning you mentioned that we were attacked and robbed last night. Who gave you that piece of information?"
The confused commander explains everything "I was informed by Dhananjaya – the chief of the northern regiment. He was given all this information by one of the thugs…that thug was alive when Dhananjeya went to investigate. That's how I came to know that some Shramik rogues attacked you to rob you, without realizing that you were the princes of Aryanagar. Why… is there a problem Rajkumar?"
They suddenly hear a noise and shush each other. Sanjaya enquires worriedly "What is the problem? I am worried now… why are you being so cautious?"
Bhalla starts explaining the entire scenario in his usual manner. Veer shuts his mouth hurriedly when they hear the noise again.
After a while, Dharam continues "Basically Senapati, your source of information is not right" he pauses and then enquires "Do any of our soldiers or regiments have a blue uniform?"
Sanajaya is taken aback "Blue? No…. never…. none of our soldiers have ever had blue uniforms unless… "
A shadow suddenly steps into the light from the dark shadows. Dharam and Veer don't even try to hide their agitation, as they recognize the unwelcome figure standing before them.
The bewildered commander looks at their troubled faces and continues "Rajkumar Agni… have you ever spotted any soldiers sporting blue tunics in our kingdom? The only such soldiers I know are our rivals…soldiers from the rival kingdom of Gadhwar… but …"
Frustrated that Sanjaya had repeated everything to their sly cousin, Veer slaps his forehead.
Agni beams a cynical smile at Veer and then replies "Oh Senapati… Gadhwar… tch tch tch soldiers from rival kingdoms infiltrating our borders…I hope the princes are not undermining the strength of our defense. Anyway….you may go now…"
Sanjaya stands there stubbornly waiting for a response from Dharam, forcing Agni to repeat his orders to him.
On receiving no response, he bows courteously and gives Dharam a firm reassurance "Rajkumar Dharam! You do realize that if there is any issue...I will always be there, whenever you need me!"
As Sanjaya leaves, Veer turns away angrily; irritated by Agni's presence "Dharam let's leave now…" He catches Dharam and Bhalla by their arms and begins to lead them away.
Agni jeers at them, as they leave "Oh oh! Someone seems to be in a hurry…"
Dharam answers Agni angrily, as he is pulled away by Veer "Spying, interfering, eavesdropping, meddling – unfortunate to see a person's life revolving around this…and nothing else to do…"
Agni acts surprised "Oh what an honorable life you lead – fun, frolic, games, wasting time, throwing away your father's money…" he stops and smiles sarcastically as he mutters "Tch tch… and now spreading fairytales told by small children…unfortunately for her… poor girl…she was very pretty…but looks like she spoke too much…"
They abruptly stop in their paths as the undertone of Agni's statement dawns on them. Veer turns around furiously, feeling the heat of the blood gushing to his face as he glares at Agni. No sooner than any of them realize what is happening, he charges at Agni with all his might. He violently grabs him by the neck pushing him to the ground. Agni desperately tries fighting him off as he feels Veer's nails digging into his skin. Dharam and Bhalla run towards the duo as Veer repeatedly punches the startled Agni with one hand and throttles him by the other.
Veer fights his tears "How could you? What are you going to do to her? She is only a child… you cruel beast…if anything happens to her…"
Agni gags as he tries to speak "Leave me alone… you will repent for this Veer…. Let go of me…."
Dharam and Bhalla grasp Veer with all their strength but are unable the restrain their vehement partner. Their screams and pleas attract the attention of the soldiers in the tent, who come running to their rescue in no time. Three of the soldiers join Dharam in trying to loosen Veer's fierce grip for many tense moments, but with no success.
An exasperated Dharam shouts out "Veer listen to me… let go… Veer… my shoulders are aching…let go now… Veer… please…I don't want to lose you…" Veer's fingers automatically loosen and he comes to his senses as he feels his tears dampen his face. Agni chokes and coughs as he staggers to his feet bruised and shaken, while Veer stares blankly at his shivering hands. Unable and unwilling to face the questioning glances of those around him, he moves Dharam's hands from his shoulders and stands up emotionally. He paces away disregarding his brother's calls.
Palace of Aryanagar - Agnivardhan's private chamber
A loud scream echoes through the room as the young maid nervously applies the soothing balm on the scars on Agni's neck.
He glares at her contemptuously "Be careful you Shramik fool…"
After a brief while, the distressed maid pauses and continues hesitantly.
Agni hyperventilates as he swings frenziedly on his couch "Sometimes I doubt if he was ever an Aryavrat. No poise or dignity like the rest of us… a brute – that is what he is" he turns to look at the innocent maid, as she wraps her medicines and grabs her by the wrist "Did I just catch you smiling? Were you just laughing at me?"
She pleads in a distressed tone "No Rajkumar! I wouldn't even dream of something like that… never Rajkumar…"
Jaivardhan walks to his son and loosens his grip on her wrist. After ordering the relieved maid to leave, he sits next to his son with his arm around him and pacifies him for a while.
After ensuring that there was no one else in their chamber, Jaivardhan muses to himself "I can't believe the amount of rage bottled in that small persona"
Agni retorts agitatedly "Only if he wasn't Nivritti bua's son, I would have had him tortured…tortured till I was satisfied…and then killed. Hah! We are lucky that Dhananjeya warned me ahead…lucky that I managed to hear their conversation with Sanjaya…we can't afford to have anyone starting investigations into such things or we could get into trouble. They have proceeded to Sawai to see what has happened to the fate of the girl's family. Let them have a look at what Agni is capable of doing, if anyone steps in his way!"
Jaivardhan ushers him "The family will be destroyed...there will be no evidence of anyone having complained anything about the taxes or anyone having stated anything about any soldiers now…they can't bring this up in the assembly…calm down son…they can't harm us now…"
Agni shouts back "Well he has! He has…. pitaji…are you trying to support them?"
Jaivardhan replies patiently "No… Agni! Why would I try to support him?"
After a while, he asks Agni doubtfully "Did you say Sanjaya mentioned something about the Gadhwar guards?"
Agni replies in a vexed fashion "No… apparently that wretched child mentioned that she spotted soldiers with blue uniforms. On discussing, they now have doubts that it could be the Gadhwar soldiers!" he looks at his father and continues "Oh Lord! The soldiers of Gadhwar… they infiltrate the borders only to drink, loot and enjoy… why do we have to put up with them?"
Jaivardhan "Well… we would need to tolerate them son… we don't want our plans going awry, right? Anyway, I just hope Dharam and Veer wouldn't find out anything about…"
Agni replies firmly "Don't worry father… they wouldn't…they just wouldn't! We will always have spies looking out for them…"
Aryanagar - Village of Sawai
Veer repeatedly tries to search for a logical explanation for the ferocity of his actions, as he makes the long journey to Sawai followed by a concerned Dharam and Bhalla. Following Veer silently, they glance at each other every now and then; giving him time to recover. Approaching the familiar lane, they slow down their horses to a trot. Gradually proceeding towards the small house, the three riders dismount one after the other.
Veer stands paralyzed as he realizes his fears come true and closes his eyes, overcome by defeat. Wishing he could destroy Agni at that very moment, Veer painfully observes how the home that had housed a cheerful family less than a day ago; was empty, pillaged and burnt down. Dharam falters to the deserted porch with a heavy heart, pushing the broken door away. Neither of the brothers musters courage to be able to speak to the other for a long while. With no one around, in the deserted expanse of area to enquire, Veer and Dharam resign to their worst fears about the fate of the family.
Eventually, Bhalla looks around anxiously "Veer… Dharam… it is very lonely around here… and getting dark too…Maharaj forbid us from riding alone here, only this morning…" On receiving no answer from the numb princes, he continues imploring them to start for Aryanagar as soon as possible. When his repeated persuasion yields little results, he holds the reigns of his horse and starts leading it away, as though he were leaving. After a few seconds, he thinks the better of it and comes back, begging them to accompany him.
Much to Bhalla's relief, Veer and Dharam finally decide to leave. They glance at the forlorn house for the last time and then lead their horses away from there quietly.
A calm voice from behind reverberates softly through the silence "How many Shramiks undergo the same thing day in and day out… it is only when it happens to someone you care for, do you realize how horrible the situation is…"
The three royals look back to see a strong young man with fine features donning a dhoti and a torn shawl, standing calmly. Bhalla stares at him, nervously clutching the handle of his sword, while they wait for him to continue.
He grins at Bhalla and replies slowly "My name is Dhruv Kumar… don't worry… I am not here to hurt you... I am just a passerby… a nobody…"
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