Rishbala SS: Upakhyana..Last part Pg12 - Page 6

Out of all these topsy-turvy occurrences, Abhimanas considered himself as the greatest loser. None of his 'courageous' and 'loyal' acts was appreciated and duly awarded. And now, that evil king who had promised him power and princess was busy relishing them himself! But Abhimanas was not one of those faint-hearted who would accept his defeat so easily. He would have everything he had desired for.

The wedding was to be held the very next day. King Vikramaditya summoned all the nobles and commoners from his kingdom to be a part of this celebration. The ambience had changed drastically in Vishishthapur in the last couple of days; from apprehension of an imminent war, anguish of a lost war, fear and new-found devotion for the new monarch to the revelry associated with the royal wedding. So ephemeral is human memory. But at the foothills of the mountains the Rohila quarters were seething with rage, awaiting their revenge. Rishabh congregated a small troop of the remaining young Rohila blood and swore to take back what was pilfered from them. This was the right time to strike back, unannounced and unexpected.

As the sun set on the wedding day, rolls of mirth and laughter could be heard from the court where king Vikramaditya was having fun with his friends and courtiers before the wedding ceremony. They were sharing lewd jokes about the forty-something king and his vernal wife (third in counting) and how exciting it would be to deflower the innocent on the wedding night. Suddenly about twenty masked men entered the court with swords and knives and started striking and stabbing indiscriminately any person coming on the way. Soon the peals of laughter switched to loud cries and curses. The royal guards had all been given leave to enjoy the merriment, so no one came for rescuing the groom and his friends. King Vikramaditya had been stabbed all over his torso. Still he had the strength to grab the hand of his assailant. "Who are you?" whispered the king in extreme pain. "A Rohila," replied the masked face and decapitated the king with one swift blow of his sword.

Ishaani could not hold her anger any more. She had tolerated the princess' tantrums throughout her life, but today she was not concerned about herself. "I will never support your decision princess, you should have told the king about your feelings for Rishabh. He would definitely understand," she said while plaiting the bride's hair with flowers and jewels. "Can you hear the mirthful voices around the kingdom Ishaani? Do you think my wedding with Rishabh could have turned those laments and cries into such jocund laughter? No, never. I am a princess first and a mere love-affected girl later. I cannot fiddle with the fate of all these people for my selfish needs," replied the princess, while fighting back her tears. Ishaani was going to say something when a maid entered the room wailing, "The king has been slain!! The groom is dead!! The Rohilas have attacked the palace!!" "What are you saying? Have you lost your mind sevika (maid servant)?" shouted Ishaani while Madhurya was too shocked to react. "Princess you stay here, I will check what has happened," said Ishaani and rushed out with the maid.

Madhurya could hear loud cries from the distant corners, but they were approaching towards the inner palace. Her wit had given up and her limbs were frozen. "Has my father been killed? Is he no more alive?" cried out the princess when two hands pulled her out of the room in the darkness of the balcony. Madhurya was both relieved and scared to see Rishabh grasping her tightly. "What are you doing here Rishabh?" "Princess, this is no time to argue. Some miscreants have attacked the palace and slained king Vikramaditya. They are creating rampage all over the palace. Soon they will find you and kill you. Come with me, I will take you to a safer place," said Rishabh and dragged her down the steps towards the rear garden. "No Rishabh, I will not go with you. You have killed my father and my would-be husband. I will not give up my life to you," shouted Madhurya while freeing her hand from his grasp and fled towards the palace. Rishabh caught her from behind and shook her with his hands, "Why would I kill the king or your husband? What are you blabbering about?" "I know it is you. You are a Rohila, you are the traitor who killed my father to get me. Leave me right now!" Suddenly both of them heard a loud cry of a female voice. As they looked towards the princess' room, they could see the silhouette of Ishaani being stabbed and killed. Before Madhurya could make any move, Rishabh covered her mouth with one hand and tied her hands with the other and dragged her to the shadowy background where his horse was waiting.

A black stallion pierced through the darkness of the night and entered a dense forest. Rishabh held the reins in one hand and clasped his other hand around Madhurya's waist. She had struggled in the beginning but gradually yielded to his hold. After a seemingly never ending journey through the black of the forest they reached a small hut obscured by bushes from all sides. Rishabh helped Madhurya to get down the horse's back and stand on her feet. She was still unhinged and held on his hand tightly. He took her inside the hut. An old lady came out with a lamp in her hand. "Daima, you have to take care of Madhu. She is a bit disturbed; she may not treat you well. Please do not mind her mood, but take good care of her. And see to it that no one gets the idea that she is here," told Rishabh to the old lady. Rishabh deliberately hid the fact that Madhurya is the princess, as he did not want his old Daima to be affected by the fact. "I will definitely take good care of her. You do not worry my son," assured Daima and took Madhurya inside. Rishabh looked at the princess as she approached the bed and lay down. She was sapped of all her strength, both mental and physical. "I will come back to you princess. I will bring back all your happiness, I promise," spoke Rishabh to himself before disappearing in the darkness again.