Rishbala SS: Upakhyana..Last part Pg12 - Page 5

Rishabh was rambling from one lane to another in the Rohila village. Every house had lost a life or more in the war. Only loud cries of the women could be heard, lamenting their dear ones. Rishabh could not go back to the luxuries of his home last night. He had never seen death so close, never imagined what vacuum it could create in the lives of the ones left behind. "Rishabh, listen to me once, my son," called out an elderly man from behind. Rishabh turned back and faced the sarpanch of the Rohila village. The old man had reddened eyes and drooping shoulders, having lost his two sons in the battlefield. "So the king did have his own way with us, isn't it son?" asked the old man. "What are you talking about? What did the king have to do with this?" enquired a puzzled Rishabh. "You might not be aware my son, being regarded as one of the nobles of this kingdom. But we Rohilas have always been a burden for the king and his chatur Mahamantri. What better way of getting rid of the young blood of Rohilas and wipe out their families without being accused of?" "You are mistaken; the king is not against the Rohilas. He has always supported the development of this tribe. It is fate which has befallen us.." "It is good to live in dreams, young man, but when you wake up and find yourself in hell your dream does not help you to survive. Did you ever think why the Rohilas were never allowed to be a part of any army unit but the infantry so that they would be the first to be massacred in a battlefield? Did you try to think why the other units never came in front to support the infantry when they were asked for? It is good to be loyal to the king who is providing you with food and shelter, but it is not morally right to forget your roots and deny your bloodline." Saying so the old man turned and walked away, leaving a stupefied Rishabh in his own thoughts.

"I know this is very shocking and unexpected Rajkumari. I have always dreamt of giving your hand to the most eligible nobleman who would respect you and love you. But today if I have to save Vishishthapur from getting devastated, I will have to succumb to the wishes of king Vikramaditya. But rest assured, he will let you be the head of this state and you will have the power to decide the fate of this land, not him. He has promised me. And I will die a peaceful death knowing that my blood holds the throne of this land," explained king Narasimha. Madhurya was too astonished to register all the words the king was uttering. The king held his daughter by her shoulders, "Trust me Madhurya, I will make your marriage very special, in spite of the crisis we are facing now. I know you must have had dreams about your marriage all along." "No Maharaj, I will consent this marriage as my duty to this kingdom, not as my dream. So please let it be as somber as possible."

By the evening, almost whole of the Vishishthapur, barring the Rohila quarters, had recuperated its defeat in the hands of king Vikramaditya, as the news of the forthcoming royal wedding spread out. Rishabh was approaching his house, too lost in his thoughts and completely unaware of the events around, when he was summoned to the royal court. As he entered the court he was very surprised to see the two kings and the courtiers conversing in an amicable atmosphere. "Here comes the man of the day," exclaimed king Vikramaditya seeing Rishabh approaching them. Rishabh looked at king Narasimha, who had a puzzled expression on his face. "I must say Maharaj Narasimha, you have a jewel of an army commander here. He has the mightiness of a lion within his body and a death-defying attitude. If I have him in my army, no other kingdom will be spared from my invasion," saying so king Vikramaditya burst out in a boisterous laughter. "He is not only deft in warrior skills, he is equally talented as a singer Maharaj," spoke one of the courtiers to seek attention of the new monarch. "Wow! What better way to celebrate this great occasion! General Rishabh, please humour us with your musical talent," commanded king Vikramaditya. "What great occasion are you talking about king Vikramaditya?" enquired Rishabh. "Good lord! Please someone inform this man what a joyous moment is awaiting this godforsaken kingdom," exclaimed the conceited king, "It is the royal wedding between me, the great king Vikramaditya and your lovely princess, Rajkumari Madhurya. This wedding has put an end to the bloodshed, so it is celebration time!" Rishabh was dumbstruck at the announcement. He could not believe what was happening in front of his eyes. He looked at king Narasimha, who was looking regretful. In a single moment Rishabh saw all his dreams being trampled upon, his land which was sieged, his men who were brutally killed and his Madhurya who was being snatched away from him forever. "Why this drama king Narasimha?" shouted Rishabh, forgetting all protocols and its aftermath, "If you had to initiate this alliance to sell of your daughter and your kingdom to this brute in the name of a king, then why did you let this war happen and let all the innocent Rohila men be killed on the battlefield? You could have very well approached him with your allegiance without resorting to this bloodbath!" "Shut up Rishabh," shouted a panicked Giriraj, "Have you forgotten all your manners? How dare you talk to the king like that! Ask for his forgiveness right now, else I will forget that you are my son!" "He was my king, not anymore," saying so Rishabh left the court at once.

Rishabh was running blindly towards the inner palace. There lay his last hope, his only lifeline. He entered the princess' room stealthily and saw her sitting by the window, lost in her thoughts. "Princess, did you agree to marry that rapacious king Vikramaditya? Please do not commit that mistake, it will kill me, kill you, kill our love," pleaded Rishabh and knelt before her. Madhurya did not move from her place and kept gazing outside and said, "Do not utter any foul word about the king Rishabh, he is the king of this kingdom now, and very soon I will be his queen. Forget all that we had together; it was just a passing fancy for me, nothing more. You should not have misunderstood that as love." Rishabh stood up and by holding her shoulders turned her to face him. "I do not care about protocols any more, princess. And I do not want you to convince me that what we had between us was nothing but a passing fancy. I have seen your love for me in your eyes, you cannot deny that," saying that he pulled her into a close hug. "Please Madhurya, please do not leave me, you are my only hope for this life." Madhurya cherished the sound of her name in his lips for the first time, but immediately she adopted her stony appearance and freed herself from his embrace. "Do not forget that I am the princess and you are my subordinate. I can have sympathy for you; I may pity you, but can never love you. You have served me well so I was not taking your effrontery as an offense, but not anymore. You are fired from your position. You may leave now." She saw the fire of wrath in Rishabh's eyes and turned away her face to hide her tears. She saw him leaving her room with an air of belligerence. "I have always loved you Rishabh, from the moment I have seen you. May be in our next life we will unite for eternity," Madhurya consoled herself after Rishabh's shadow disappeared in the darkness of the night.