A/N - As usual I am late, actually 'late-est' this time, but here's the next part..*downwards*.. My apologies for the grammatical errors.😳 .. I have been horribly busy during the past month due to my college schedules.🤢
PS - Next part will be updated by next weekend surely..till then, read this and enjoy. 😊
Part 7
Flashback continued..
Darkness had reigned its kingdom over the entire village. It was the first hour of the second prahar of night. The moon shone brightly as the only significant source of light hanging against the dark walls of night sky, illuminating the rough paths of the village. The twinkling stars added to its glory. A faint breeze was blowing which made the leaves on the tree branches rustle. The environment was nothing but tranquil. The dimmed earthen lamps hanging in the houses suggested a simple fact that maximum individuals of the village population had either already hit their bed or were in the process of kipping down.
Chandragupta poured some lukewarm sesame oil from the vessel and massaged his mother's aching foot. He knew it very well that his mother would have been on her feet all day, sparing even a minute for rest. Mura started to deny that she didn't need any type of intervention, but her son regarded her with a 'don't-you-dare-to-utter-something-foolish' look which gave her acute warning and she chose to keep mum, thus saving herself in time from a three-page lecture. She definitely didn't want to mess with her own son.
She watched him with great affection in her eyes as his fingers moved on the twitching muscles, providing relaxation against the pain. A feeling of pride emerged in her heart for siring a son like him. He might have been thinking that she doesn't know about where he was all day long, but is there anything that could be concealed from a mother? She had overheard snatches of Chandragupta and Dhurdhara's conversation in afternoon when they were arguing over Dhurdhara's decision to learn sword fighting. She had also become aware of the fact that he was helping the villagers.
Mura was glad for one more reason. Since Dhurdhara would be accompanying Chandragupta, she didn't have to worry about him. They had been best of buddies since they were toddlers. And no matter how much they fought, they always ended up in reconciliation. She closed her eyes afterwards, putting all her musings to an end and in no time, drifted off to a peaceful sleep.
Some minutes later he noticed the sound of soft snores of his mother's which confirmed that she had fallen asleep. Slowly and carefully he detached his hands from her feet and covered her with a khadi cloak. After checking and making sure that the tumbler kept beside her bed was filled with water, he proceeded towards his own cot.
*
Supplication was an integral part of the students of gurukul. Their day started with morning prayers and similarly, before submitting themselves to the oblivion of sleep, they expressed their thanksgiving in the form of Sanskrit hymns. It had become his habit or more aptly a rule that he had followed on a regular basis since he started living in Takshshila. Aacharya Chanakya used to say that regardless of how busy one might have been all the day, at night the person should contemplate over his actions of the day.
When he began pondering over his deeds of the day, the images started playing like a slideshow in his brain. He remembered the way he had talked with Aryadutt and groaned inwardly. Was it really necessary to behave so rudely?
Chandragupta was known for his imperturbable nature in the gurukul. There were a bunch of rich rowdy bozos in the institution who had a habit of boasting and bragging. Ragging the junior students, bullying the weak- these were their assets. After his admission, he had frequently been a sting in their eyes due to his intellect and coordinative conduct. As a result, they didn't leave a single chance to let him down. Still, they never succeeded and neither did Chandragupta kept any grudges with them, knowing their self-centered demeanor. He used to follow what Chanakya had taught him - "Anger is the most prominent enemy of a person and one should learn to keep their temper in check."
He didn't know what had gotten over him in that moment, something of which he didn't have a say or control. The sole thought which was centralized in his brain at that instant was Dhurdhara's safety, he realized. A strange yet strong feeling of possessiveness had encroached itself in his heart and everything else had ceased to matter. A sudden urge to protect her overpowered all other rational thoughts. But why?
Was he infatuated with Dhurdhara? She had been his best pal since childhood and no matter how long the count of his cronies had become till now, she had a special place in his life. He couldn't deny about being attracted towards her, at least not to himself. But was it right to feel this way about her, he thought uncertainly, stifling a yawn. What if she regards him only as her best friend and nothing more? Would his heart be able to give up on his feelings?
He needed answers but none came to his psyche. And just as it is said, nothing comes to a person before it's the right time, his eyes became heavy due to the day's hectic events and thus he fell asleep within minutes.
*
2 days later
It was the third prahar of daytime and the sun was blazing high in the sky, signifying the pure calefacient weather of summer season. Oblivious to the scorching environment outdoors, Chandragupta and Dhurdhara were duelling inside their hideout. She had learnt the defensive tricks to a satisfactory extent. And now her guide was trying to invoke her to take an initiative for attack, but his attempts were getting wasted instead of yielding positive results.
Frustrated, he spoke,"Kya kar rahi ho Dhara, itne mauke de raha hun tumhe mai vaar karne ke, par tum ho ki samajh hi nahi rahi ho!"
She asked with concern,"Tumhe chot lag gayi to?"
He frowned,"Asli talwar nahi hai ye Dhara, meri chinta mat karo.."
She replied, rolling her eyes,"Haan, tum to yoddha ho, hum to bhool hi gaye the.."
He said nothing, just grinned at her.
In order to irritate him, she stated appealingly, fluttering her eyelids for added effect,"Shikshak mahoday, hum bahut thak gaye hain..aapki anumati ho to thoda vishram kar lein?"
"Dhara..,"he groaned.
Chandragupta hated this addressing. It made him feel like an old aged teacher, like the Aacharyas of the gurukul. And Dhurdhara found it amusing when everytime he showed his displeasure on being called like that.
Dhurdhara smirked at his displeased visage and plonked herself down on the coarse ground. Some moments later her sole companion joined her, taking a seat adjacent to her.
"Ek baat batao Chandra, kya tumhare gurukul me rajkumaron ke sath-sath rajkumariyan bhi padhne aati hain?"she enquired.
"Haan, awashya aati hain,"he confirmed.
"Kya wo sab bhi shastra vidya seekhti hain?"
"Nahi, sabhi to nahi..par jinki ichchha hoti hai, unke liye shastra vidya ki kakshaien (classes) bhi lagti hain.."
"To kya un logon ko bhi aacharya hi prashikshan (training) dete hain?"
"Haan, samanyatah (generally) to sabko sikhane ka daitwa (responsibility) gurukul ke aacharya hi sambhalte hain par kabhi-kabhi nipun (well-trained) chhatron ko bhi awsar diya jata hai,"he informed.
It was a normal statement that came from him as an answer to her query. He hadn't said anything harsh or unpleasant but it anguished her. Since he was not looking in her direction, it prevented him from witnessing the sheer surge of disappointment and jealousy that clouded her eyes.
So, the student group of gurukul included princesses also. And sometimes, even the groomed students were allowed to coach them. No doubt Chandragupta would also have been one of them, she concluded considering his sword skills. And who knows, may be one or the other princess would have tried to allure him. The thought itself made her feel sick to the stomach.
The disoriented state of her heart prevented her from hearing his next words. And when she picked up the broken strings of their conversation, her temper elevated to several degrees.
"...Rajkumari Kalyani jab baatein karti hai to aisa lagta hai jaise phool hi jhad rahe ho, uski sundarta ke saamne to chandrama ka prakash bhi feeka hai, adbhut hai uska roop..jitni sundar hai, utni hi buddhiman bhi..grih karya se lekar shastra vidya, sabhi me nipun h..par sabse achchha hai uska dusron ke prati vyawhar (behavior)..sach much saundarya aur aachran me Rajkumari Kalyani jaisi koi aur nahi,"he finished with an amused smile playing on his lips and turned to her.
He expected her to laugh at his description but not this. In describing his enthusiastic account, he had totally forgotten to notice that Dhurdhara had gone unusually silent. When he realized that she was lost in her own world, he clapped his fingers in front of her eyes to gain her attention.
"Tum ekdum se chup kyun ho gayi? Shabd nhi mil rahe kya!"he exclaimed playfully.
"Tumne to itna kuchh keh diya 'Rajkumari Kalyani' ke gungaan me, hamare kehne ke liye shesh (left) bacha hi kya hai..hame lagta hai ki ab hame ghar jana chahiye.."she rejoined stiffly.
Flabbergasted, he asked,"Itni jaldi..par kyun?"
She shrugged,"Tum us rajkumari ke paas hi kyun nahi chale jate ho..waise bhi yaha tumhara samay jo nasht ho raha hai hamare sath.."
He gave her a 'have-you-lost-it' look.
"Tum kya keh rahi ho Dhara, meri samajh me to kuchh bhi nahi aa raha hai..bhala mujhe kyun aayegi Rajkumari Kalyani ki yaad, maine to use dekha bhi nahi hai,"he retorted matter-of-factly.
Shocked by the clarification, she stated,"Par abhi itna kuchh jo tumne kaha!?"
He chuckled and enlightened her,"Lagta hai meri poori baat nahi suni tumne..maine bataya to tha shuru me hi ki ye sab baatein mere mitr ne mujhse kahi thi..tumne rajkumariyon ke baare me puchha to maine bata di..maine to us Kalyani ko kabhi dekha hi nahi hai, use jaanna to dur ki baat hai..aur, tumne jitna do dinon me seekh liya,utna karne me mujhe hafton lag gaye the..islye swayam ko kabhi kisi se kam mat samajhna Dhara,'he concluded honestly.
Their eyes locked and Dhurdhara's heart skipped several beats. In that fleeting instant, there was an upsurge of emotions in her ticker. Then out of nowhere, a slight breeze made its way between them, forcing her to blink away. And along with that, awareness dawned on her that she had been gawking at him for more than necessary seconds. Hastily, she jumped on her feet to cover up for her embarrassing actions.
Chandragupta enquired,"Arey ab kaha chal di?"
Dhurdhara proclaimed,"Abhyas karne.."
Highly bemused by her mood swings, he rejoined,"Haan haan, awashya jao.."
She turned and glared at him, casting a 'what' look on her face.
"Nahi, mai to bas yun hi puchh raha tha..wo kya hai na, kuchh der pehle tumhe dekh kar lag nahi raha tha ki tum thik ho..to maine bas nischit karne ke liye puchh liya..tumhe jo achchha lage wo tum karo,"he added consolingly.
She arched her brows,"Kya matlab hai tumhara?"
"Kuchh nahi, kuchh bhi to nahi..baatein to bahut ho gayi, jis karya ke liye aaye hain wo karein? Chalo ab.."
While she was still pondering over his words, he caught hold of her hand and dragged her for another session of lesson, smiling to himself.
*
Her eyes were closed and she was in a deep slumber. The corner of her lips were curved in a smile, probably she was dreaming about something.. or someone!
Suddenly, she felt a hand caressing her cheeks tenderly and smoothening away the strands of her hair that had strayed over her face. Her eyelids fluttered open and she woke up with a jolt, thinking about the source of disturbance as a stranger. But to her utter surprise, the unknown individual was none other than Chandragupta, who was sitting beside her.
She stammered,"Ch..Chandra, tu..tum yahan itni raat ko kya kar rahe ho?"
He reckoned,"Tumhi ne to bulaya mujhe aur ab puchh rahi ho mai yahan kyun aaya!"
"Hamne..hamne nahi bulaya,"she stated confusedly.
"Swayam se bhi jhooth bol rahi ho?"
"Hum jhooth..,"
Before she could complete, he silenced her by placing his index finger on her lips. Her palpebras widened at first when he began lowering his head, and as an automated response to the stimulus of an unknown emotion that sprang into life by his touch, they shut down.
When no further movement occured, she slowly gathered her courage to open her eyes and realized that all that was a dream. But, why the hell was she dreaming about him?
Probably because she had been thinking over and over about the conversation they had in noon. Her heart picked up its pace once again as she reminisced his words of praise. His eyes held sincerity and genuineness, and she felt herself on cloud nine at that moment. It also confirmed that no matter how much he loved to tease her, he could not bear her being upset. And he cared for her, may be more than just a friend. An inadvertent smile lit up her features.
But instantly the overwhelming emotions got replaced by nagging dubiety as she recalled about the princesses. They were extremely beautiful, lived in luxury while she was a simple, unattractive girl, a typical villager. What if he chooses one of them and not her? Will her heart be able to accept his rejection?
Perhaps, she thought, she should leave the answers to these questions on time. She didn't knew what was stored in the future, they were meant to be or not but somewhere in the corner of her heart, a feeling of hope was persistent.
*
2 days later
It was the last hour of the fourth or last prahar of the day. The sun was nearing the western horizon, hence the searing effect of its light had dimmed, making it endurable.
Dhurdhara was relaxing in the cave, sitting comfortably on a large boulder after spending good three hours in practice. While she was drenched with sweat due to workout, still her throat felt dry. To quench her thirst she gulped small sips of water from the tumbler she had brought. Just when she was about to put the container down, her auditory sense perceived a faint howling sound. Her senses alerted at once and she fixated all her attention in the direction of the audible vibration, holding her breath. For few seconds quietness prevailed and she was on the verge of believing that she might have mistaken.
But just a second later, her surmise was proved wrong when she heard it again. This time it was louder and clearer, indicating that some danger was nearby. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as the message registered in her brain, and her whole body shivered with fear in reflex. Something was needed to be done soon. She reached for the sword without looking and the tumbler knocked down, shattering into pieces.
(...To be continued)
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