OSR Samyukta Pt 13 Trust her…Trust her not!
Recap – Confronted with Siya on their way back, the princes are forced to let her know the truth. This helps clear all the misunderstandings that Siya and her friends had and they understand each other, thus laying the foundations for a beautiful friendship. Handing them holy water, Siya wishes them luck for the war ahead and they leave for Aryanagar. Enroute the capital through Sawai, they take a break. Veer spots the girl from the blacksmiths present there and he catches her stealing a piece of bread from a vendor.
Links to previous episodes provided in following post...
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Aryanagar – Village of Sawai
Veer notices that the girl walking towards her cart nonchalantly steals a piece of bread from the vendor. He stops aghast, unable to believe his eyes. Dharam walks a few steps ahead before he turns back to observe Veer staring animatedly at the crowded food stall and signalling to the shop vendor, in order to catch his attention.
Inundated by impatient customers, the stall vendor eventually manages to notice Veer calling out to him, from a short distance away. Observing Veer frantically indicating towards the girl crossing his shop, the irked vendor misreads his actions. Unable to understand what Veer was trying to convey; he bends over to call out to the girl, who responds to his beckons by turning around and smiling sweetly.
Instantaneously softened by the effect of her riveting smile, the gruff man asks her kindly "That boy is trying to say something. He is pointing towards you. I wonder what he is trying to say!"
The lovely girl gazes at Veer, giggles and then whispers to the vendor "Oh! He? I think he is just trying to grab my attention… you know how boys are…I think I better leave now…"
As she leaves to proceed to her cart, the busy vendor becomes swayed by her claims and takes Veer to be a rich brat fooling around with him, in order to impress the beautiful girl. He frowns at Veer angrily and then ignores him to get back to his work.
Realizing that she had tricked the vendor, the fatigued Veer becomes miffed by the uncaring attitude of the vendor. He gives up and walks back to his confused brother.
Dharam patiently stands with folded hands, waiting for an explanation for his brother's funny actions. Looking at Dharam's puzzled face, Veer points in the direction of the girl and confesses "That girl…I don't know…I don't feel at ease about her riding with us… could you please tell her that we would guide her…she can proceed by herself…"
Taking the reigns of his horse, Dharam retorts "Our hero Bhalla has foolishly offered his services to her already…anyway why don't you try telling her…why should I to do the talking always?"
After a few squabbles about who should talk to her, Veer pleadingly looks at Dharam with misty innocence in his eyes. Annoyed by how Veer always managed to convince him to carry out all the uncomfortable dealings, Dharam looks away angrily and finally gives in to Veer's requests by proceeding towards the girl.
Quietly approaching the girl, Dharam stands behind her and speaks in a low hesitating tone "Would it be all right if we showed you the directions…due to a very urgent situation, we would have to ride home hastily. We might not be able to accompany you…"
She turns around to look at Dharam with a hint of disappointment in her eyes "Y…you have no idea how swiftly I can ride my cart..." watching his unmoved expression, she folds her hands naughtily "All right…guide me through the directions…a lone girl riding through deserted villages and streets in an unknown city would be capable of taking care of herself…what does it matter if some rich boys went back on their promise to help her!"
Ashamed by her implications; the courteous prince smiles uneasily and stands muted not knowing how to reply to her statements, all the while wondering if Veer should have confronted her instead.
Enroute Aryanagar
As the melodious tune of a tribal folk composition comes to an end, the girl opens her eyes and bows to the chubby boy trotting on his horse beside her. Enthralled by her gifted voice, Bhalla complements her "What an amazing singer you are… I am astounded…" he snaps his fingers "oh…yes…yes….do you know the song…the one about peacocks dancing in the rain? It's a tribal song too…"
She giggles at Bhalla's enthusiasm, as she nudges the horses to hasten her cart "I have sung all the songs I know…I don't know any songs on peacocks" her eyes slowly light up, as she adds "but I know one on a myna…"
Following Bhalla's eager approval she begins her next rendition; while the brothers stare at each other, fed-up of Bhalla's repeated requests and her never-ending folk concert.
Veer complains to Dharam "On the way to Niphaud, we had to only put up with Bhalla…now... on the way back, we have to put up with both of them…"
Feeling harassed by their companions and their seemingly slow journey, Dharam signals Veer to speed up his horses in order to maintain a distance from the noisy pair behind them. Racing ahead, Dharam is forced to speak above the girl's voice, as he admits to Veer "At this rate we will reach Aryanagar only after war breaks out" he pauses and then ascertains "I will have to divulge everything to father first thing tomorrow morning. If we frame Agni and Uncle Jaivardhan in front of the whole assembly, they would not…"
Veer sighs and stops him "Dharam…no…listen to me…please don't be hasty…don't tell the assembly…they would never believe us…with no evidence, our efforts…"
Dharam argues with his brother "Not again Veer! What do you propose to do… there is no time to hunt for evidence…if what the commander said was true, we hardly have a week…we should confront them directly and convince them somehow, as we need their approval to mobilize the army!"
Their dispute is abruptly invaded by a sweet voice behind them "Please slow down… there is a lone traveller behind you…it's not a good sign for a group to split up, while travelling together!"
Peeved by her endless requests, Veer glares at Dharam, who shrugs his shoulder and replies "Let it be… I don't think we should debate now. Let's talk about it later...at Aryanagar..."
As the retinue continue their sluggish journey back to the capital, the distrusting Veer forces Dharam to maintain a deliberate distance from her all along; while Bhalla remains enchanted by her songs and thoroughly enjoys the company of her chatter and giggles throughout.
Aryanagar - Outside the palace
Nearing the centre of the buzzing capital, the ambience gradually transforms into homeliness, as passing subjects pleasantly bow to greet their princes. Observing the celebratory atmosphere and festive preparations throughout the streets leading to the palace, the princes stare at each other in surprise. Glancing around, they smile at the excited children fluttering behind their horses, while the girl raises her eyebrows in wonder as men and women strive to put on their best behaviour in front of the young royal men.
A few yards from the external gates of the palace, Dharam and Veer halt their horses and jump off stylishly. The girl gracefully descends her cart and addresses them with an inquisitive smile "So…I had the pleasure of riding with the princes of Aryanagar…"
Bhalla replies charmingly, in genuine awe of her talent "Oh…no…it was actually our pleasure to ride with you….you entertained us so beautifully…"
She grins in reply to Bhalla's praises "Thank you sir…I am just a tribal girl from a nomadic tribe of blacksmiths… we tour cities for business. Now we are shifting to Aryanagar… My tribe will be following shortly…we were at Niphaud all these days…in fact we had a shop there…"
As she continues her introduction, Veer fears it might soon lead to the revelation about his discomforting encounter with her at Niphaud. Hoping to maintain his disguised anonymity, he interrupts her by smirking aloud "Do you always tell strangers, all about yourself…in this fashion?"
Discomforted by Veer's curt response, Dharam whispers to him angrily "You could have at least allowed her to introduce herself…"
Acknowledging his brash behaviour, the sheepish prince timidly looks up at the enticing girl and apologizes to her "I'm sorry….please continue…please do tell us your name…"
Staring at Veer, she smiles with a hint of superiority "I don't tell strangers my name…"
Unmindful of Veer's frowns, she keeps her basket on the ground and then proceeds to bow to Dharam and pay the prince her respects for having helped her out. Just as she is about to bow to him, Veer becomes wary of her intentions and immediately springs backwards; pulling Dharam along with him. While the puzzled Bhalla and Dharam stare at Veer, ashamed by his strange behaviour; the girl calmly smiles to herself.
Briefly confirming the direction she had to head in; she picks up her basket, climbs back into her cart and takes leave of the princes. Veer mulls deeply, as her cart steadily disappears into the sunset while the unhappy Dharam notices Veer's grim expressions and resents "Veer… off late, you have started behaving very strangely with girls…it has become very embarrassing…"
Not minding Dharam's complaints, Veer suddenly remembers the parcel of sweets handed over to him by Daksha and runs to their belongings to search for it. After a thorough search and finding no sign of the parcel anywhere, he speaks up triumphantly "Yes…I was right…I knew it…she steals things off people… my sweets are missing…I told you…she is a thief…"
Frightened by Veer's temper, Bhalla discloses meekly "Actually...Veer…I was hungry...so...I ate them on the way..."
The enraged Veer stares open mouthed at Bhalla for putting him in a funny predicament. Unable to relate to Veer's outburst, Dharam asks him irately "You weren't interested in them when the poor girl presented them to you at Niphaud…now suddenly you miss them…"
As Veer is about to defend himself by narrating the incident at the food stall in Sawai, they become distracted by the opening of the enormous corrugated palace gates behind them. No sooner, they find themselves unexpectedly swarmed by the delighted faces of the palace inhabitants. A large retinue of maids uniformly retreat to reveal the cheerful faces of the Aryanagar queens, treading towards them on the red carpet. Forgetting their conversation; the thrilled sons take their belongings, hand their steeds to the soldiers and run to their mothers, to receive affectionate blessings from the joyous monarchs.
Walking towards the palace following the reunion; Dharam and Veer become engrossed in the festive transformations of the palace. Noticing that the princes were not paying their entire attention to their caring barrage of questions, Maharani Swathi explains to the distracted boys "Don't look so surprised….we have organized for a massive prayer festival… tomorrow…to thank the Gods and our stars…you have successfully completed your education and are ready to take the reigns of administration now…we want you to be successful always…by the way, your father is waiting to meet you…"
Dharam briefly grins at his mother and then turns to Veer; worried about how this new occasion would only delay the opportunity of taking any action on the sinister developments that they had learnt of. Relating to what was going on in Dharam's mind, Veer silently assures his brother with his eyes and then looks ahead to conceal the same turmoil in his mind.
Ascending the steps of the palace, Veer hands over his belongings to the awaiting maids; and then reaches out for his studded dagger. Discovering it amiss from its carrier, he hurriedly searches his person and everywhere around him, only to find no sign of the expensive weapon. In a flash of realization, he remembers the girl and her playful grins when she had bowed to the princes. He stops in his tracks, as his frustrations metamorphose into a slow dumbfounded smile and he thinks to himself "Lord! How did she manage to do it?"
Palace of Nipahud – The queen's chamber
In the beautiful setting of a calm sunset, the imposing queen adorned in stately attire sits in the august chamber, facing her nervous daughter. Following numerous whispers and hushes by the glittering train of female attendants surrounding her; the queen requests all the ladies to leave the room, barring Siya's intimate friends. The stunning princess waits on the velvet couch, mentally struggling with hundreds of apprehensions crowding her mind about why her mother had summoned her.
Once the ladies exit the room, the queen adjusts her veil and speaks softly "The guests left this morning…I hope you are not upset with me for having scolded you in front of them…" she pauses "I was waiting for them to leave, so I would be able to speak to you privately…"
Hoping that her mother would not ask her anything else on the matter, Siya replies assuringly "No I am not upset mother…"
The proud mother smiles at her daughter and then takes out a scroll from behind her. Handing it over to Siya, she repeats the message in it "My friend…Queen Vaidehi of Chatarpur had sent me a message four days back" she sighs happily and continues "Her son, Rajkumar Harsh has expressed a desire to ask for your hand in marriage…"
As she accepts the scroll from her mother, Siya stares emptily; not knowing how to react to the expected news. She hesitatingly opens the scroll to find a painted portrait folded within and nervous to look at the portrait, briefly glances at her curious friends.
Looking at her daughter's hesitation, the queen advices her calmly "Chatarpur is a powerful kingdom. It would be honour for you to get married into such a family. Rajkumar Harsh will be arriving soon to meet you and you will see for yourself, what a gentleman he is. If everything works out well, we can formally proceed with the matter. You will have no idea how elated I would be…if your answer were positive…"
Respecting her mother's wishes; Siya views the portrait of the striking prince, silently striving to calm her fears about the strange situation of meeting someone in the form of a suitor again. Apprehensive about how this experience would turn out to be, she mentally prays to Lord Ganapathy to give her strength. Her eyes closed, she subconsciously remembers Dharam's words "Trust me, nothing has changed… you will meet your prince and you will still have many beautiful moments with him… I am certain of this....don't worry…"
Pacified and reassured, she opens her eyes and smiles to her mother warmly. Gladdened by Siya's approval; her mother runs to hug her, overcome with affection.
Palace of Aryanagar - Veer's waiting chamber
The early hours of the busy morning display scenes of maids rapidly pacing about the beautifully decorated palace halls in a bid to complete their tasks, in time for the rituals. Pre-occupied; Nivritti walks through the bustling corridors, meting out a set of instructions to Sunanda, before dashing into her son's room to ensure he was awake. Passing through the waiting chamber into his adjoining bedroom, she makes a quick search around the grandiose room. Failing to catch sight of him anywhere, she hurriedly walks back into the waiting chamber, until she notices a veiled girl sitting there quietly. Watching the baffled queen, the girl immediately stands up and joins her palms to offer her regards to the queen.
Curious about her presence, Nivritti asks her softly "Were you here when I went in…I am sorry I didn't notice you…" she pauses "What are you doing in Veer's chamber?"
The girl slips back her veil and replies softly "Rani…I am waiting for Rajkumar Veer…"
Amazed by how stunningly perfect her features were, Nivritti surveys her carefully and then continues "Why? Did he summon you? This early in the morning?"
The girl's reply is interrupted by the flustered queen Swathi rushing into the room, in search of her sister-in-law. Grabbing Nivritti by her hand, the queen frets anxiously "Nivritti… what are you doing here? Some of the articles that the priest had requested for, have not yet arrived…"
Swathi then notices the beautiful girl standing beside them and continues mildly "Who is she? What is she doing in Veer's waiting chamber?"
Just as Nivritti is about to speak up, the girl replies meekly "Rajkumar Veer has gone for his bath…I am waiting for his return…I have to give him something…"
Not knowing what to make of the unusual situation, the baffled queens stare at each other and break into astounded smiles. With numerous remaining errands to attend to, they ultimately leave the room murmuring gossip to each other.
In a short while, a glowing Dharam approaches Veer's room; fresh fragrance wafting around his persona, as he enters the waiting chamber. Shocked to find the familiar girl sitting there, he questions her inquiringly "What are you doing here, so early in the morning? Where is Veer? Who let you in here?"
She again stands up to bow to him and then takes out the dazzling knife to explain her presence "Yesterday this knife fell into my basket unknowingly…I am waiting for Rajkumar Veer to return, so that I could return it personally to him…I was asked to wait here."
Not trusting her entirely, a confused Dharam nods his head and smiles formally.
She then converses with him politely "Your Highness! Please don't mind me offering you counsel in this matter. However, I overheard some of your conversations yesterday on the way back from Sawai. I will mention my thoughts to Rajkumar Veer too..."
Dharam becomes increasingly troubled by her statements, while she persists "Rajkumar Dharam, I fully support you in this matter…whatever you said was right…you seem very level-headed… time and tide wait for none…if an urgent situation is coming up, any moment is the right moment to speak up…why wait to think...investigate…"
Alarmed by the fact that she knew so much, Dharam stops her "Y…you overheard all this…I can't believe it…this is a personal matter of state security…" still recovering from the fact that she was aware of everything, he orders her anxiously "We will take care of this. I forbid you to discuss this with Veer or with anyone else…where is Veer?"
She nods her head obediently and then provides him warped information about Veer's whereabouts "I think he has gone to help with some errand at the temple…I am hoping he would be back soon…"
Dharam responds sternly "No! I asked him to wait here…why would he go alone…"
She shrugs her shoulder "I'm not sure Rajkumar…I saw him go in that direction…why don't you search for him there…you would save time…the rituals are about to start…"
The confounded Dharam ponders for a while, sighs and then finally leaves the room in search of Veer.
After a brief length of time, Veer struts into his room radiating luminously as he brushes his wet hair. The moment he catches sight of the girl in his chamber, his chirpy disposition transforms into one of absolute shock. He stutters "You? Here? At this time? How did the guards grant you permission? Oh Lord! Did anyone see you here…imagine if Dharam came here… what would he think…"
She stands up and greets him with an enthralling smile "Rajkumar Dharam and the queens…well they asked you to come to the prayer festival, once you were ready…"
Veer starts panicking incoherently "They saw you here? Ma…Swathi chachi…oh Lord... no... what...would...they...think of me...no…God…"
In order to quieten the agitated prince, she takes out and hands him the high-priced weapon silently. The dazed Veer takes his weapon from her and stares at it, while she defends herself "I came here to return your knife…it fell into my basket by chance yesterday…"
Comprehending her nature, Veer smiles sarcastically "Oh yes...I can even picture how it crawled into your basket… anyway thank you so much for this…you may leave now…"
As he is about to leave, she calls out to him "Rajkumar Dharam discussed an important issue with me today…he asked me not to discuss this with anyone…not even with you!"
Perplexed by her words, Veer turns around and listens in disbelief as she speaks in a tone, contradictory to what she advised Dharam "Rajkumar Dharam might not agree…but… pertaining to your dilemma yesterday, I support you...speech is silver but silence is golden…never speak, always act…you are right…always make sure you have the evidence…and then wait for the right moment to speak…"
Unable to believe his ears, Veer mentally debates all along; trying to figure out how she knew so much and why Dharam would discuss the matter with her.
She continues supportively "Speaking at the wrong time, would only waste all efforts…"
Disturbed by the distorted information provided by her, Veer indicates with his hand to make her stop and replies bluntly "I will wait here for Dharam. He will be here any moment to join me to the temple. I will discuss this with him….thank you, for all your advice…."
Before leaving the room, she smiles at him assertively "I am telling you Rajkumar Dharam went ahead to the temple…he is attending the ceremony now…you can wait here for him if you want to…"
Veer muses to himself feeling a strange sense of inexplicable discomfort. After waiting for a long while, he eventually leaves his room to go to the temple alone; fazed by Dharam's actions.
Ciao till next saturday 😳
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
