OSR Samyukta Pt18 - Dharam and Veer get Siya's scroll and reply; They make plans accordingly
Recap - Shera finishes reporting to Agni and leaves from there not giving in to any of his whims and thus angering him. Nivritti fulfills her desires of meeting up with Pari at the Shramik temple and they enjoy each other's company. Siya comes across a scroll in Harsh's room about Chatarpur's involvement in the war. Harsh gifts Siya a necklace, but when he tries to come close to her, she realizes that her true love was actually Dharam and feeling violated leaves him alone. She decides to write to Dharam to him inform about Harsh and Agni's plans, and hint about her feelings too. Still feeling the pinch of being lonely, Veer strolls away from the border to come across Sakshi and offers her a ride.
Aryanagar - The Orphanage at Sawai forests
They continue chatting all along their ride through the increasingly denser and pleasantly greener forest scenery, until Veer experiences a slow flash of realization when he begins to hear the gradual raucous noise and faint cackles of jubilant children from a distance. As Veer's white steed passes through the last stretch of the lush foliage, scenes of the obscured orphanage become increasingly visible amidst the dense trees. Bringing his horse to a slow halt at the periphery of the rustic scene, Veer addresses Sakshi in a surprised tone "This is the orphanage that Dhruv Kumar was talking about…" he pauses "So... you are S...Sakshi…I mean Sakshi didi...you were the lady he mentioned!"
As Sakshi starts laughing at Veer's baffled expressions, the young male residents of the orphanage in charge of collecting firewood; become distracted by the neighs of his horse and look up to catch sight of Sakshi arriving with the prince through the woods. Dropping their axes in bewilderment, they raise an excited alarm. No sooner; groups of thrilled children all around the humble dwelling stop their playful activities and dash towards the rare sight of a prince and his royal steed to swarm around him. Awkwardly surveying the commotion stirred by his arrival; Veer quickly springs off his horse, takes the basket from Sakshi and then helps her dismount.
Alerted by the noise; a puzzled Dhruv hastily emerges from the woods and arrives amid the throng of awestruck youngsters, flashing both Sakshi and the prince a surprised smile. The awed group of young children begin pushing and shoving each other, as they eye Veer's glittering sword and his magnificent horse in the hope that they might be given a chance to feel the regal paraphernalia. Observing the sweet spectacle of Veer's abashed smile in response to the children's apparent gapes; Sakshi protectively metes out a strict warning to the curious onlookers, against harassing the inundated prince.
Forced to obey her orders; the children stand back unhappily, while Sakshi passes her basket over to Dhruv and then proceeds towards the hut in response to the cries of an infant. Smiling at their dejected expressions, Dhruv turns to the prince to welcome him "I am surprised to see you here...I didn't expect....anyway...welcome Rajkumar Veer..."
Constantly distracted by the strangely unfamiliar yet blissfully pleasing happy faces around him, Veer takes a few moments to reply "Dhruv…Kumar…your fears were right …I...I...mean…everything you warned us about, was true...did you notice the military preparations at the border...the soldiers you spotted were from Gadhwar...they are..."
Pausing abruptly as he feels a gentle nervous touch around his fingers, Veer becomes moved by the placid look on the child's face and grips the boy's palm with a comforting smile, before continuing "I wish Dharam was here...he was very eager to see this place.."
Acknowledging his noble intentions, Dhruv tries to reason with him "Rajkumar...I appreciate your honourable views...but...I sincerely request you to maintain the secrecy of this place…according to Aryanagar laws, this orphanage is illegal..."
Struck by the underlying depth of Dhruv's statements, Veer begins to think to himself "How defectively imbalanced the laws of Aryanagar would have to be, if an Aryavrat has to run a Shramik orphanage…and that too in hiding..."
Forcefully shaken from his thoughts by playful nudges, he notices impatient children competing with each other to lead him towards the hut in an attempt to show off their wooden toys. Finding himself in an unaccountable state of joy; Veer willingly gives in to the wishes of the children, allowing them to lead him towards their residence, till he comes across Sakshi walking towards him with a bawling infant in her hand.
Amused by the expressions on the face of her overwhelmed brother, she addresses him sweetly "This is the latest addition to our unruly mob...since, it is not everyday that we have the pleasure of royal company...would you please grace this child by naming it?"
Veer tries to resist the offer out of modesty; but on noticing the tiny fingers of the small infant, he becomes reminded of the innocent girl he had become attached to who met a premature end, and replies emotionally "How...about...Sonu...could I name her…Sonu?"
Just as Sakshi nods her head in joyous approval; a loud ruckus of brash voices from a distance, suddenly alarms the chirpy crowd and the alerted Dhruv mutters hurriedly "Lord! Bhimsen...Babu are here...Rajkumar Veer…quick…hide...or leave…now..."
Speedily indicating Veer to hide with his horse behind a bulky overgrown tree, the worried Sakshi and Dhruv scurry around to usher the frightened children towards the hut. Watching the abrupt change in demeanour and puzzling apprehension in everyone's eyes; Veer holds back his temptations to ask them the reason for their fears, and wasting no time, swiftly dashes towards his jittery steed to drag it behind the enormous tree.
Hiding behind the hefty trunk and pacifying his horse to ensure it remains still; Veer waits with bated breath, attempting to guess who the unwelcome visitors could be, till he overhears a grim voice "How are you Dhruv... Sakshi...every time we visit, the number of children seems to keep increasing..." after a pause, the voice continues "After all…we use your convenient hideout to meet...scheme...we owe you something for it…use this money…it might help feed the extra mouths!"
After a brief pause, the curious prince then catches another gruff voice addressing Dhruv "Dhruv...being a converted Shramik...why don't you join us tomorrow in our secret revolution...and feel liberated from the Aryavrat's suffocating rule...."
Learning of new information pertaining to an impending revolt; troubling thoughts fleet past the horrified Veer, while the irritated Dhruv responds negatively to the dishonest proposition "Bhimsen...what...I am sorry...but...I can't join you...I...I...can't"
Restless to peek at the source of the terrorizing voices; the bold royal risks his stance and briefly bends over, but only manages to catch a partial glimpse of the overbearing revolutionaries surrounding the discomforted pair with their children. The appalled prince watches, as the massive Bhimsen continues his speech in an animated fashion "We are storming the palace tomorrow…the war is going to start the day after…with Rajkumar Agnivardhan's help we have all the weapons and manpower to carry out our revolts…we will get rid of everyone in the palace...we will destroy the entire royal Aryavrat clan tomorrow…the remaining royals will be slaughtered in the Gadhwar war!"
With every passing word and moment; Veer experiences rabid hatred crawl through the veins in his body and he clenches his fists in anger, as Bhimsen concludes his speech "I know what is going on in Agni's devious mind, I am sure he is planning to cheat us at the end of it too…but we are not so foolish, we will get rid of him at the end of it…"
Weighing the terrifying implications of a violent encounter in the orphanage; Veer is forced to stop himself from directly facing the revolutionaries then and there, and helplessly fumes in exasperation "In their bid to usurp the throne, the lowly Agni and Jai mama have teamed together so many vile people to create chaos and destroy Aryanagar...first Gadhwar...now the revolutionaries...we stand alone and defenceless, while the obstinate Maharaj and nobles choose to trust Agni and Jai mama over us... we don't have time...I have to rush back...to inform Dharam…"
Realizing the ominous and imminent nature of the situation; the resolute prince toils to compose himself and wipes the sweat trickling down his brow, as he take a daring oath in revulsion "Desperate situations...desperate measures...if Maharaj refuses to believe our honest approaches...I will be forced to take things in my own hands, but I wouldn't allow anyone to harm Aryanagar...or allow anyone else to capture the throne that can only belong to my brother, in future!"
Aryanagar – Dharam's tent; Military camp near the border
Stepping away from the gloomy sunset into his modest canvas tent followed by the tired Bhalla; a weary and agitated Dharam drags the four legged wooden stool with his foot and majestically seats himself in front of the round hardwood table. Glaring at the maps laid affront for a while; he shoves aside the sordid reminders of Aryanagar's half hearted preparation for the war and gently rests his head on the table, in defeat. His frustrated moments are abruptly interrupted, as the flaps of the tent swerve apart to reveal a pleased Agni entering uninvited into his hideout. Sporting a cynical grin Agni justifies his presence to them "Oh Dharam! All alone without Veer! I haven't seen Veer since this morning...actually Sanjaya has been looking for him...but, I guess...you wouldn't know where he is..."
Realizing the basis behind Agni's taunts; Dharam returns his traitorous cousin's grins with a sarcastic response to cover up for his brother "Unlike you...Veer knows his duties ...he arrived early... finished his supervisory work at the border by noon…" he pauses "h...he let me know that he was going for a short ride... so he should be back soon..."
Comprehending and marvelling at how one brother always stood guard for the other in spite of their differences; Agni glares silently at Dharam in subtle jealousy for a few moments, unable to refute his claims. He then notices the numerous scrolls scattered in frustration, smirks at the relatively destroyed Dharam and then exits the tent flouting eager anticipation of his impending sweet revenge over the devoted duo.
Folding his hands, Bhalla looks at the puzzled Dharam and quizzes him sternly "It is hilarious… every time you and Veer fight…you both act as though you are furious with the other…but never can be…then why the childish pretence…why not just let go…"
The lonely prince silently reflects on the obvious truth behind his friend's statements and how trivial their squabbles seemed in comparison to the problems that Aryanagar was facing. He asks Bhalla slowly "Actually...do you know where Veer is?"
Bhalla's enthused answer is suddenly interrupted by the unexpected entry of a tall soldier, proclaiming the arrival of a messenger from Niphaud with a message for the prince. No sooner than Dharam hears the mention of the familiar kingdom; he deserts his conversation with Bhalla and hurriedly signals his soldier to permit the envoy entry.
Following the soldier's humble exit, Dharam watches with silent ardency as an old man housing a simple yellow cotton robe with a white dhoti and red turban enters the tent.
The comely old man bows to the prince and then explains his untimely presence to the curious prince "I am a humble servant of the royal family of Niphaud... I have travelled ceaselessly to ensure I arrived here on time...I have tried to stay out of sight from as many prying eyes as possible at the borders..." Dharam turns to Bhalla with an increasingly worried expression, as he senses a serious undertone in the message; while the man continues "Rajkumar Dharam, I am no soldier... or royal messenger... but, I have risked my life to bring you something that was personally sent by Rajkumari Siya..."
The man carefully removes a cream scroll from within the folds of his cummerbund and hands it over to the anxious prince, as he ends his message "Forgive my insolence Rajkumar, but I did repeatedly assure with your soldiers that you were indeed Rajkumar Dharam... as my princess was very particular that I handed this in none other's hand!"
Enthralled by the pleasant surprise; Dharam temporarily forgets his problems, as he holds the precious scroll in his hand and smiles warmly in reply "I sincerely thank you for your services...your sacrifice will not go unnoticed...you will be suitably rewarded..."
Observing Dharam's gallantry; the man nods his head to reassure him "I did not do this deed for money...I owe the Niphaudi monarchs, including Rajkumari Siya; my very life for the support they have given my daughter and my family, for all these years... I give you my word Rajkumar... that everything about this message shall remain a secret..." he continues in a low tone "It is already dark Rajkumar... please grant me permission to take your leave, as I have a long journey back home..."
Amazed by the integrity and loyalty of the noble man, Dharam nods his head to conform with his wishes and respectfully awaits his exit, before he opens the scroll.
Mentally debating on the content of the message; Bhalla watches his friend quietly, as Dharam breaks open the seal in a fit of eagerness and begins browsing through the words, personally penned by Siya.
Shocked and pained by the new turn of events; he stares briefly into oblivion, as the few valuable moments that he shared with her start flashing by. Holding his forehead in angst, he feels his emotions for her slowly recede into a distant unreachable horizon, as he recalls how they had parted on friendly terms. Chiding himself for having expected her to harbour the same feelings towards him, the gravely dejected prince gets back to reading the remainder of the scroll.
Consumed by numerous troubling thoughts; the disheartened Dharam remains incognizant to the purport of Siya's hints, while he continues reading lifelessly, without answering any of Bhalla's queries.
Not having any opportunity to react to the horrifying news, Dharam's attention is suddenly caught by the ferocious storming in of his brother. Clinching the hilt of his sword; the tempestuous Veer stares at Dharam inquisitively, as he fathoms the distress in his eyes. With such alarming news to convey on both ends, the hushed brothers look at each other momentarily, trying to forget the inconsequential misunderstanding that they were having, while Bhalla discerns their trauma and chooses to remain quiet.
Veer finally ends the silence by enquiring anxiously "D...Dharam...what happened? Is everything all right...you look pale..."
On receiving no answer; Veer pauses briefly, before continuing to reveal his ghastly discovery "Dharam... I...I came across another of Agni and Jai mama's plans by chance...I overheard about a massive revolt in the capital tomorrow, while we are going to be expounding ourselves at the border here... one of us needs to get back..."
Appalled by Veer's information, Dharam screams aloud "What? A revolt? Veer! I...I just received a secret message from Niphaud... from Rajkumari Siya...to warn us that Chatarpur is involved in this war too... I don't know whether we should trust the message completely, as Rajkumari Siya could have misinterpreted something...but if it is true, then how many kingdoms...how many people...how are we going to face all this?"
Finding themselves cornered into increasingly formidable predicaments, Bhalla exclaims in horror while Veer struggles to fight the blood draining away from his face. Ensuring that he had his brother's consent; the exasperated Veer slowly receives the message from Dharam to give it a glance. Reading through the message; he perceives the personal nature of some of its content meant for his brother and hands the scroll back.
Veer then begins prancing about in fury, as he bickers with Dharam on the most plausible solution to foil the extent of deception they were facing. For a long while; Veer tries to assure them of his ability to brave the problems at the capital by himself, while Dharam remains sceptical about not joining his brother. Weary of repeatedly persuading his plans to avert the unavoidable end of Aryanagar and their family; Veer quietens them by shouting out his firm decision "Dharam I can't let you leave the border. Your supervision here is absolutely essential if the war breaks out...no one knows the border placements as well as you. I will go back to the palace alone, take ma and Swathi chachi to safety, deal with the revolts and then join you here..." he stutters "I will never allow you, my family or Aryanagar to be betrayed into defeat...Dharam, you stay here...please trust me...I can take care of everything alone...I will be safe...don't you trust me?"
Glancing at his valiant brother's supportive grip around his fist; the unconvinced Dharam attempts to bury his reservations, as he finally sighs "You are so stubborn...all right Veer...but promise, to take care of yourself...and may the Lord be with you...I will start planning placements against Chatarpur..." he mutters after a brief pause "Veer, I don't want to wait for the war to break out for orders to be made. Many lives here would be lost. As soon as you reach the capital, send all regiments and arsenal in full strength here..."
Bewildered; Veer asks Dharam slowly "Dharam...w...where do I have the authority?"
Handing Veer a blank scroll from the table, Dharam indicates towards a protected official Aryanagar seal pot and responds with grim determined reprisal "Veer you were right... deceit can only be won with deceit... we have to break the rules sometimes...forge pitaji's seal if you have to... abduct Sanjaya if you have to... but dispatch the regiments and arsenal... I will not allow my kingdom to be vanquished at the hands of traitors!"
Slowly reminded of the hurt he had caused Veer; Dharam dotingly holds his shoulders to express his regret, before bidding his brother a farewell "Veer...I apologize for having behaved in such a manner with you yesterday at the site and for taking so long to overcome my ego. I think I was hurt that you broke your promise to me and lied to me to do something behind my back which you never have in the past... please forgive me!"
Moved by his apology and gladdened by his changed attitude about following authority; Veer pats Dharam comfortingly and confesses "Dharam I am sorry for having been so rude during all our disagreements too..." he pauses to think to himself "As it is, I was infuriated with Agni and Jai mama...to top it all the horrible attitude that the nobles were showing you during the assembly made my blood boil...I could have killed everyone with my bare hands...additionally; that girl advised me to follow my heart and help you by clearing our name...so I did what I thought was right without weighing consequences..."
Standing with his hands behind his back, the stately Dharam questions his brother "What girl Veer?"
Tucking the scroll into the folds of his tunic, Veer nods his head casually in reply "Oh! That tribal girl... you remember...she came with us from Sawai..." he shrugs his shoulders "We met again by chance and she supported all my decisions... she tried to make me realize how embarrassed you would be by what happened at the assembly...so I decided to come to the site at Sawai to investigate...but Jai mama managed to outwit and frame me again..." as Veer assembles his belongings, he asks Dharam with playful annoyance "But, why are you asking me Dharam...you seem to have discussed all this with her...she informed me that you had asked her not to discuss it with anyone... not even with me..."
Dharam rolls his eyes and responds aloud "Oh Veer! A stranger instigated you and you broke your promise to me...Veer...why would I speak to her about such things... she spoke to me by chance and supported me in all my decisions too…" Dharam thinks to himself "I thought she overheard all our arguments on the way back from Sawai...but she seems to know far more..." he pauses to ask "Did you tell her you were coming to Sawai and to the construction site to investigate?"
The confounded Veer nods his head and defends himself "No...No...I didn't tell her I was coming to the site yesterday...why would I...as usual, she offered me her unasked wise counsel... she told me that her friend worked in the palace and got to know all this from the palace gossip..." Veer mulls briefly and continues "What were her intentions about lying to us separately? It is almost as though she wanted to create a misunderstanding... I knew she was dishonest...but all this! Was she spying on us? I better not meet her again, because the next time I do, I wouldn't be able to control my anger...I...I..."
Gauging Veer's temper, Dharam stops him "Veer, why would a young blacksmith tribal girl spy on the princes of Aryanagar? Besides, she is not even from Aryanagar...you say that you didn't mention anything about going to the site to her, so I don't see any reason to suspect her. I don't think she meant any harm" he pauses "She must be a mischief monger...always up to no good...some girls tend to eavesdrop, gossip and cause problems wherever they go... it is always better to just keep away from such people... "
Responding with a dubious smirk to his brother's suggestions; Veer proceeds to pick up the official seal from the table, till he comes across the Niphaudi Ganapathy idol on it.
Watching Veer's teasingly inquisitive frown, Dharam begins defending himself "Oh that... I... I thought it would be holy... I mean a blessing... to have an idol of the Lord when we..."
Displaying a lopsided grin, Veer pats Dharam on his shoulder and assures him "No... no... it is all right Dharam... it is understandable... having an idol of the Lord is indeed auspicious... I am sure he will bless you..." he stops, as he recollects the message he read in the scroll fleetingly and advices him "Talking of which; when you reply to Rajkumari Siya's message tonight...convey my regards to her too..."
Dharam exhales deeply and after a short ponder confutes Veer "Veer... she mentioned that the prince of Chatarpur has been finalised as her suitor... and that everything has been arranged." staring at the unconvinced frown on Veer's face, Dharam continues "Veer! Her parents are in the process of planning her wedding...at this stage and with so many problems here, how could I possibly...besides, I don't even know what she wants or what her wishes are… I don't want to send a message and ruin all that her parents are planning for their daughter without even knowing her wishes…or get her into trouble..."
Confused by his brother's reactions, Veer picks up Siya's scroll and passes it back to Dharam to refute him "Stop acting like an ignorant gentleman! She has risked so much sending this secret document to you, while you are ready to give her up to the prince of Chatarpur! Have you even read her message properly? Can't you guess what she wants?"
While Dharam opens the message once again, Veer winks at Bhalla to end his animated charade with a comment "Poor girl...how was she to know that she was trying to communicate her feelings with a prince who likes to act like an old man?"
Angrily glaring at Veer's rebukes, Dharam begins reading the scroll thoroughly all over again. Detecting gradual signs of joyous relief eventually overcome Dharam's forlorn aura, they await a response from him silently. Sheepishly looking up to view their naughty grins, the modest prince stammers "Yes I shall...I shall write back as soon as the war..."
Veer speaks up firmly "Write back to her now Dharam. We are going to war...we don't know what is in store for us tomorrow... do what needs to be done today, today!"
Bhalla adds zealously "Even if it is just a few words of appreciation for her troubles..."
As Dharam contemplates for a short while on their mischievous yet wise counsel, Veer slaps his forehead in frustration grabs an empty scroll, hastily dabs the quill into the inkpot and stares with an unyielding frown at Dharam, waiting for him to dictate.
Smiling sweetly at his persistent brother; Dharam given in by assaying for a few moments to try and not reflect on the war, the revolts or his family. Closing his eyes to envision none other than girl he loved, he finally bares his reservations to disclose his true feelings for her in very modest princely words. All through; Veer strives to write as fast as Dharam's words seem to flow. After a while and many articulate sentences later; Veer flashes the amused Bhalla a baffled grin, as his brother fails to show any signs of a conclusion.
Eventually running out of space in the scroll; Veer is forced to interrupt Dharam's thoughts "Dharam... that's enough... I mean... don't you think she must have got the message…"
The flushed Dharam looks up at their naughty smirks with a soft smile and finally ends his composition with a heartfelt proclamation. Eventually gladdened to reach the end of the task; Veer completes its last line in a hurried state and subconsciously signs off the message with his own name Veervardhan, out of habit. Dharam approaches Veer to peep over his shoulders and give the letter a quick browse. However; distracted by the messy scroll, he fails to observe Veer's own signature at the bottom and stutters to meekly object about its presentation "Veer! Your handwriting has not improved one bit... don't you think this document is messy... I mean... isn't it slightly untidy to send to her...what would she think of me..."
Veer protests mildly "Y...you were detecting so fast...and there was no space..." he then pauses when he remembers how in fact he was doing Dharam a favour and puts his hand on his hips to challenge him "After all that I have done to help you, this is what I get in return...next time when you have the courage to write your own letters... you can take your own time to beautify and decorate it..."
Bhalla adjoins with a low laugh "Don't worry Dharam...she would understand your situation..."
With numerous other pressing matters to tend to; the unconvinced Dharam nods his head and gives in to the whims of his playful companions, while Veer quickly seals the scroll with the official seal.
Realizing they had little time to spare; the temporary happiness on their faces slowly fades away, as the moment for Veer's departure arrives. The three royals walk towards to the centre of the tent and join their fists to wish each other luck and victory. With no guarantee that they would see the other again; the deserted brothers fight back their tears, to let their emotions become consumed by raging fury. Tightly hugging each other for a brief while; they silently pray for the safety of the other and hope God would give them a fair chance for vengeance to destroy their enemies. Amidst all the dire situations where they enjoyed hardly any support from the king or the nobles, where two kingdoms were marching against their handful of regiments, where a simultaneous revolt was taking place at their palace and where their own cousin and uncle were plotting against them; they find the fact that they were fighting their first war separately, their biggest hurdle to conquer.
Veer finally walks out of from the tent into the dark battle grounds; refusing to turn around even once, unable to affront the helpless dread that his brother's eyes bore.
