OSR SAMYUKTA Part 16 – Scandal…scandal...everywhere...
Recap – Siya meets Harsh and his parents in a formal manner. As she converses with Harsh, she feels Dharam's presence in everything she says and does, making Harsh irritated by her complacence at his efforts. Nivritti worries about her son and prays to the bamboo idol. She hopes to soon meet the lady who had gifted her the idol in order to thank her. Shera meets Veer at the cliff and they finally have a pleasant conversation, where she advices him to follow his heart and clear his brother's name.
Links to previous episodes and preview to next episode in the following post
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Palace of Niphaud - Siya's chamber
Regarding the depth of the poetic content with wonder, Nanda sighs dreamily as she reads two more expressive lines from the silk scroll aloud,
"Even the Lord would have pondered and taken his time to craft your lovely features
I promise to hold in highest esteem everything about you; your life...your feelings..."
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, as she skilfully braids her hair with ivory pearls; Siya slowly drifts from Harsh's pledging vows into Dharam's similar reassuring words on the morning that she had confronted him "life and feelings...I would never misuse the life or feelings of anyone to do this…" As the maid hands her the comb from behind, she awakens from her reverie and tries paying attention to Nanda.
Wholly engrossed in the beauty of the composition, Nanda continues to recite the poem
"In the form of your painting, for the very first time I saw you and met you…"
That very moment I became yours and my life has taken such a beautiful turn ever since…"
Siya again reminisces the comforting memories of similar words stated by Dharam "The day I met you…the day I met you at the garden was the first very first time, I ever saw you…"
Siya subconsciously begins comprehending the extent of Dharam's warm nature, till she is brought to her senses on hearing Nanda's excited calls "Siya…Siya… what happened … you seem mesmerized by the effect of this phenomenally expressive poem!"
Stretching to relieve her cramped feet, Daksha yawns and tells her friends "It felt like I was attending gurukul….why are we revising this poetry in so much detail…"
Decked in a multitude of glittering gold ornaments, the angelic princess straightens the folds of her heavily embroidered ivory apparel and then turns around to face the bored Daksha with a stunning smile "What a gentleman Rajkumar Harsh is...he put so much effort into writing this just to please me... this is the least I could do for him… besides, we didn't behave very sensibly with him yesterday…" she then pauses slowly "but..."
The inquisitive Nanda prods her to enquire "but…what Siya…"
Playing with the studded rings on her fingers, Siya confesses in a low tone "Even though this poetry has such eloquent vows about how much Rajkumar Harsh cares for me, I can relate more to Rajkumar Dharam's concern for my feelings…I could perceive beautiful promises just through his protective glances and silent actions…how strange!"
Trying to think of an explanation, Nanda stammers "Maybe because…even though Rajkumar Dharam was a very reserved person, he was very nice…that's why…"
Daksha slaps her forehead and mutters "Oh Lord! Nanda and her wise words…" she then turns to Siya to clear her doubts "You feel that way because Rajkumar Dharam doesn't resort to exotic words or means to impress anyone…he is a simple person, but he is genuinely caring…"
After a brief pause; Siya's eyes gradually widen in horror and she mumbles to herself "Oh Lord! What am I doing? This is wrong Daksha!" she nods her head and frowns as she talks to her friends "My parents and the Chatarpur monarchs are having discussions pertaining to my engagement…I am going to get married to Rajkumar Harsh... he is waiting outside for me now…" she slaps her cheeks and resents "How sinful and defiling of me to be discussing about a friend...Rajkumar Dharam like this...God would never forgive me…"
Feeling guilty; she takes the poetic scroll in appreciation and then flashes her confused friends a soft reassuring smile, as she stands up to leave the room.
Palace of Aryanagar – Dharam's chamber
Hurriedly gulping down a glass of water; the devoted prince rubs his tired eyes and again leans over the ornate rosewood table, peering at the large map of the extensive border of their kingdom. Fuming annoyingly on how fruitless all his cries have turned out to be ever since the assembly, Dharam repeatedly contemplates on prioritizing ideal placements for the handful of extra regiments granted half-heartedly by his father and the faithless nobles. After numerous unsuccessful attempts at trying to reconcile and ensure himself that his kingdom would be safe; Dharam gives up, exhales deeply and then turns away from the map. Profoundly feeling Veer's absence, the worried Dharam ponders "I asked Veer to help me with the military plans, but my stubborn brother has disappeared, without even letting me know...I haven't seen him since this morning...the soldiers have not come back with any news of him yet...I hope he is safe..."
His glance then falls upon the tiny idol of Lord Ganesh tucked inside a small sandalwood shrine, housed in a hidden corner of his lordly private chamber.
Flashing a sad smile at the gift that was specially ordered for him by Siya, Dharam asks the Lord who seemed to be peacefully sleeping on his Niphaudi cushion "You seem to be very content with everything...tell me...will Aryanagar be able to defeat its enemies? Will we be able to overcome the plots by Agni and Jai chacha? Will you protect my family?"
Sadly approaching the quiet idol; he touches its soft cushion and mumbles to himself, as he recollects the cherished moments he had at Niphaud "I hope you are well Rajkumari Siya..." he then smirks sarcastically and thinks to himself "In this myriad of horrible situations that I have been facing off late, you are the most beautiful memory that happened to me…you thought of me as your suitor and wanted my attention during my stay, which I couldn't give you…I'm in love with you, but being entangled in this mess about my kingdom now, I'm unable to do anything to let you know what I feel about you...I wonder what you feel about me!" he then sighs aloud "What am I doing? You probably don't even think about me...I am just being foolish..."
His silent thoughts are abruptly interrupted when he hears a stern voice thundering from behind "Dharam…didn't we ask you not to pursue this matter any further? Why are you both so stubborn? Why don't you pay heed to official orders or decrees? Your recklessness is going to cost you a lot in future!"
Abruptly turning around, Dharam notices the grim expressions of his father, his uncle and numerous other nobles facing him. He stammers in an effort to reply "Oh! Pitaji...I didn't hear the announcement of your arrival...I was feeling disturbed, so I was praying to the Lord..." he pauses to observe their unmoved faces "What happened pitaji? Did I do something wrong?"
Aryavardhan replies harshly "Don't act so innocent Dharam…where is Veer?"
The troubled prince shrugs his shoulders and answers "I don't know pitaji….I haven't seen him today…I was hoping that he..." he falters apprehensively on surveying the increasingly agitated expressions in everyone's eyes, and questions them in an anxious manner "What happened? Has Veer done something wrong? Where is Veer?"
Palace of Niphaud – Palace gardens
Strolling through the well-maintained pathways and blooming arches of the renowned gardens in the dusky evening; Harsh barely abstains from gaping at the attractive girl, sailing ethereally beside him in divine ivory attire. Unable to overcome her meekness, the demure Siya walks silently, staring in the direction of the greenery and gently running her fingers through the hedges. During the entire course of their long promenade, the couple remain comparatively hush, barring exchanges of a few awkward glances.
Suddenly; by chance, a few dried leaves get entangled in Siya's petite fingers and she quietly stops in her tracks when she realizes the place to be exactly the spot that she had her first encounter with Dharam. Recalling Dharam's alluring naivety when he had put the leaves back on her head; she smiles at the leaves in her hand for a brief while, surprised by the coincidence. As the princess begins to dreamily blow the leaves away, she is shaken from her hypnotic state by the feel of the soft touch of fingers around her hand. When she turns to observe Harsh trying to take her hand in his, the shocked girl abruptly pulls her hand away. The rejected prince feels embarrassed and in an immediate attempt to compose himself, slowly starts walking ahead in order to conceal his distress.
Feeling bad for her actions; Siya gradually walks up to him and musters her courage to try and start a conversation "I am sorry...I was distracted...I tend to get distracted easily!"
Not looking in her direction, he sighs and replies sternly "I have noticed…"
The sheepish frown on her face gives way to an excited smile when she remembers his brilliant poetic efforts and she exclaims "Rajkumar! I read your poetry...your poetry is the most beautiful piece of literary work that I have ever came across...I am speechless at the fact that all those monumental words of praise were indeed penned for me…"
Listening to the first few positive words of praise from her; Harsh's joy knows no bounds and his anxiety immediately gives way to elation, as he turns to reply to her "Rajkumari Siya! You have made me the happiest man alive by this statement of yours."
He stares at her face for a while and then asks her politely "By the way, Rajkumari Siya, are you happy with this engagement...proposal... I... mean... are you happy to be with me?"
Facing a strange predicament with this question of his; Siya stands dumbstruck for a while, causing the prince to become baffled. When she finally gives in with a faint affirmative nod, the desperate Harsh becomes relieved and resumes his journey with renewed fervour; leading the way towards the rose gardens. Enthused and encouraged, he charges ahead descending the steep narrow stone steps, as he proclaims aloud "Do you realize that I meant each and every word in that poem...I want to protect you...I want to make sure you are safe always…I would do anything to ensure you are happy..."
The faithful Siya follows him; striving to listen to his supportive declarations, and consecutively trying hard to keep up with his enthusiastic strides. In an endeavour to concentrate on his words, Siya doesn't observe the sharp edge of a stone step in front and her feet unwittingly trips over it. Just as she is about to fall down the steep flight, she instantaneously grabs the large stone beside her and manages to balance herself.
Recovering from the brief incident, she watches her bleeding toe unhappily, and is about to call out to the prince to wait for her. Oblivious of what had transpired with the princess behind him, Harsh continues to walk ahead, uttering ceaseless assurances "Rajkumari Siya... I don't know why…but I feel very protective of you...I will always be by your side...I would never leave you alone...I don't want you to ever get hurt..."
Hearing his ironic claims; Siya stops herself from calling out to him, looks at her wounded toe and then smirks quietly, as she waits for him to finish his monologue.
Eventually not finding her beside him, Harsh swings around to notice her standing a short distance away and questions her "Why did you stop? Were you distracted again? Come on quickly...we have so much more to see..."
Siya nods her head casually and sighs "Oh! No...Nothing...Rajkumar Harsh..."
As she is about to proceed, her gaze falls upon the small sharp step that had caused her to trip. She unknowingly crosses her hands, and feels her soft arms, reminded of Dharam's strong protective grip around her and how he had watched out for her on their way back from the Niphaud spring.
Aryanagar – Village of Sawai – Royal guest house construction site
Traversing through one more dark shadow cast by the rough walls on the dusty floor of the partially constructed guest house, Veer examines the nooks and corners of yet another room scrupulously. After long unsuccessful attempts at finding anything out of the ordinary, he moves to an adjoining dim chamber to continue with his investigation. The prince persistently taps through the rugged semi plastered walls, inspects the grimy floors and even frisks under construction tools piled in the corners, but with no luck. Thoroughly exploring room after room, Veer eventually becomes frustrated and thinks to himself "I have searched the whole town today, but haven't been able to find any sign of Dhananjeya...being so close to the border and far away from the capital, I thought that this guest house must be a convenient site for them to store things…money…to hold meetings, but…I think I was wrong…"
Walking back through the dull long hallway; he reflects on his failed essays in frustration and bangs his hand angrily against the wall. Instantly grabbing his hand in pain; he winces and staggers a few steps in the corridor. By chance, he spots a dark void in the wall behind him and moves towards the dark cavity to scan it. Observing the rough steps leading into pitch darkness for a brief while; he begins to descend the jagged steps carefully. Entering a dwarfed cellar; Veer is barely able to envision anything and gropes around to help find his way inside the murky area. As he sways his hand around frantically, his arm hits two large objects lying on his way with ferocity. Staring into the darkness, Veer palpates the objects cautiously till he eventually figures them out to be large wooden rectangular chests. Reassuring his doubts by repeatedly feeling the wooden trunks, excitement slowly overcomes the distress shrouding him when he manages to locate the openings and he rejoices quietly "Yes…the money is being held here…I was right!"
Just as he is about to pry open one trunk, he stops when he thinks he heard voices coming from above. Startled, he debates for a while whether to remain hidden within the cellar or to proceed outside to investigate the source of the voices. Through the silence, he becomes astonished when he eventually deciphers the voices calling out his name. The concerned prince casts a brief glance towards the dark objects behind him and then rushes from the cellar back into the guest house. The clarity of the voices becomes increasingly evident, as the anxious prince treads through the shady hallways and walks towards the main entrance of the guest house. Stepping outside, he becomes shocked to encounter a plethora of expressions ranging from seething anger to grave disappointment on the awaiting familiar faces.
Hurriedly scanning the retinue of the enraged king surrounded by his guards, Veer turns to detect Dharam's disgruntled frowns. Approaching Dharam nervously; Veer stutters to him in a low tone "Dharam? You... here...how did you....why did you bring everyone along?"
Gritting his teeth in anger, Dharam replies "I didn't bring anyone along Veer... they brought me along...soldiers spotted you riding here and making enquiries...they think this was all my plan and that I sent you to investigate...I am trying hard to convince everyone that we should prepare for war and instead of helping me, here you are bent on proving yourself right."
Veer replies defensively "I did it for both of us…to clear our names...so people will trust us...so Maharaj will release all the regiments...so we can prepare for war properly..."
Trying to avoid paying heed to the annoying euphoria on Agni's face, Veer nudges Dharam's arm with a hint of thrill in his voice "Dharam…come with me…I have found something...I need to show you..." he stops when he notices the unyielding expressions on Dharam's face and then moves to the king to address him "Maharaj...I need you to come with me...I have to show you... there is something in the cellar..."
While Jaivardhan smiles at Agni with obscure amused frowns at Veer's grief, the dismayed Aryavardhan replies slowly "Veer you flout the rules time and again...you have become so impetuous..."
Exasperated, Veer interrupts the king to justify himself "Maharaj! Though I might not agree with all rules at all times, I don't break them without reason...you commanded us not to take action, because you didn't want to believe us... but if I didn't come here how could I prove what has been going on behind your back? I have worked so hard to try and find all this out...the least you could do is come along to see what I have to show..."
Aryavardhan becomes surprised by the tone of the young prince, while the enraged Dharam cautions him "Beware of who you are talking to Veer..."
Feeling cornered, Veer throws his hands in the air and struts about agitatedly. In an impulsive moment; he rapidly snatches a fire torch from a soldier nearby, grabs Dharam by his wrist and drags him towards the guest house. Firmly towing his unconvinced brother; the confident prince charges through the deserted site towards the dark cellar, followed by the crowd of curious men. With the help of the blazing light from his torch, Veer hastily re-enters the cellar swinging his torch around in an attempt to show them the trunks that he had found. However, after many tense moments of desperate groping and searching, the perplexed Veer finds no signs of the chests and closes his mouth in horror.
As the remaining members gradually enter the cellar one after another, Dharam folds his hands and questions his brother "What Veer? What did you want to show me?"
Veer holds his head in frustration trying to utter a plausible explanation for the unexpected turn of events "It was here Dharam...trust me...it was here...there were two chests...maybe even more...I am not lying Dharam...why would I lie...they were here..."
Dharam replies candidly "Well you did lie to me Veer... I can't believe you did all this behind my back Veer... what made you break your promise to me and come here by yourself?"
Unable to defend himself, the confounded Veer prances about and screams "I am not lying or having any illusions or behaving brash for the sake of it..."
Surveying the area again, his sight falls on lengthy tracks in the muddy floor and he shouts out to him "Dharam...see the tracks...something has been dragged from here just now!"
Jaivardhan looks at the floor and then laughs aloud "Veer...my son...your fantasies are hilarious... you mean to say that within the short time you came and spoke to us... someone came here at this time of the night and dragged out something..."
Dharam and Veer instantaneously glare at their uncle with a stern indication ordering him not to interrupt them. Finding himself abruptly silenced; Jaivardhan angrily turns to the king for support, following which the king stares at the brothers in contempt. Eventually; with nothing in the cellar bar a few faint tracks, the tired group take Veer's claims as another one of his spontaneous groundless imaginations and begin to exit the cellar one after another, leaving Veer with no alternative but to accept defeat.
Stepping out of the dark hole; Veer pulls Dharam by his shoulder and asks him "Don't you believe me...you could have at least supported me in there..."
Dharam turns around and responds gruffly "I don't doubt you...but in your very own words, with hardly any tangible evidence, what can one prove…" the furious Dharam repeats Veer's own words back to him "and Veer…all this serves you right for trying to take things in your own hands...for not listening to me..."
Extremely irked by his brother's lack of co-operation; Veer becomes infuriated and grabs Dharam by the collar and screams aloud, as he pushes him against the passageway wall "Dharam you are just being very silly...why don't you try and...understand..."
Depressed by his brother's lies and broken promises, Dharam fights back causing the rancid verbal exchanges between them to evolve into a brutal physical fight. As the brothers start inflicting furious wounds upon the other with their fists, the horrified group of men immediately rush forward and try to separate the feuding siblings with all their might. After many feisty moments, Dharam finally gives in and loosens his harsh grip around Veer's coat. Wiping the blood trickling from his nose; he glares at Veer, who returns his stares with equal disgust. Gauging the misunderstanding between the affectionate brothers and the king's disappointed expressions; Agni and Jaivardhan strive very hard to conceal their inexplicable joy at the recent favourable turn of events.
Palace of Aryanagar - Agni's private chamber
As the bright morning sun's rays permeate through the massive windows of the large chamber, the happy prince browses meticulously through the silk scroll in his hand. Deliberating on the matter in the scroll, Agni remains dissolved in his thoughts, till his attention is caught by a short announcement from the imposing entrance of his extensive room. He looks up to mark the large wooden door of his closely guarded chamber open slightly ajar and give way to a petite figure, who elegantly steps into the room. As the hefty cloak concealing her hypnotizing visage slips to the floor, Agni observes her long commanding kohl smeared eyes and luscious lips in awe. Her long wavy hair dangles as she walks across the room, while her attentively chosen metallic jewellery gracefully jingles in tune to her steps.
Gently adjusting her simple blue cotton veil; she slowly smiles at the overjoyed Agni, who stands up fervently with a rare expression of genuine smile on his face, as he greets her "I missed you so much…four days since you came to Aryanagar, but you come to meet me only now Shera…"
She smiles at his avid welcome and replies "Rajkumar Agni…I had to set up my shop…I had to look to my tribe…I had to make sure they had settled well…"
Agni puts his hand on her shoulders tenderly "I am glad to see you back…you are brilliant Shera...you are brilliant...I missed you so much...I love you..."
Frowning in wonder at his rare pleasant disposition, she acknowledges his heartfelt confessions with a welcome captivating smile and then charmingly removes his hands from her dainty shoulders.
Ciao till next Saturday 😳
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