If only he could convince his conscience, but it wouldn’t let him be, when things were this dire in the kingdom. And try as he might, he couldn’t go against a direct order from the king—to stay here—even if said king was his student once upon a time.
When King Chandraketu had first sought Guruji’s help, he didn’t think it would take this long or get this complicated. It was around the time when the rival kingdoms of Rajgarh andAmaravathi wanted to tie their offspring in marriage, as an added insurance to a truce.
Chandraketu had been vehemently opposed to a marriage between Rajgarh and Amaravathi, and Guruji had not understood his reticence until he explained a conspiracy that was hatched generations ago.
* * *
Seven years ago…
“Why have you called for me, Your Majesty? Is there something you need my advice on?” asked Guruji, as he seated himself in a plush embroidered chair. Chandraketu remained standing.
Guruji watched with interest as his former pupil hemmed and hawed, clearly uncomfortable.
“Rajgarh’s main palace and its capital city are built not too far from Mount Meru,” he admitted, finally getting around to explaining the issue. “The Meru of our legends is the same one, a once dormant volcano that is going to erupt in a few years.”
Guruji stared at him in silent astonishment. It took a lot to shock Guruji, but this news struck him dumb.
“How?” he managed to ask.
“My father told me about this secret on the day I ascended the throne,” said Chandraketu. “One of Rajgarh’s founding fathers, back when he was looking for a place to establish his capital, came to Amaravathi for advice. And my great-grandfather had directed him toward Meru.” Chandraketu had a faraway look on his face. “Things between the kingdoms were very different at that time. Amaravathi was much powerful, and we weren’t this much at loggerheads.”
“Did he explain why he did that?”
Chandraketu scowled and sat down with a huff at the table. He dragged a flagon of wine toward him, then poured himself a glass. “Because they’re all a bunch of wizards. My ancestor had the foresight to predict that they would grow to be a powerful kingdom in the Saptavarsha and wanted to prevent that at all costs.”
“But still. How could Rajgarh have not known about the Meru?”
“Because Meru is an important part of Amaravathi’s lore and not well known elsewhere, much less a newer kingdom like Rajgarh. My great-grandfather was counting on this fact.”
Chandraketu took a sip of the wine, and his mouth turned down in a grimace as if it tasted bad. “But also, because the previous rulers of Amaravathi, until now, had perpetuated this ignorance by destroying this information wherever we could. The fire that destroyed the trove of scrolls in the library? That was set deliberately. We couldn’t eliminate the legend of Meru from the minds of people, it was too ingrained and part of Amarendra’s saga, but over the years, it shifted from being the truth into the realm of fairy tales.”
Guruji listened to Chandraketu’s ramble with a sinking heart, his mind grappling with the ramifications of a betrayal of such magnitude.
“And now they are asking for my daughter’s hand. How could I agree, knowing what we’ve planned? I don’t want any of my daughters to suffer. That’s the reason why I called you, Guruji. So you could show me a way to prevent this engagement from happening.”
Guruji took a deep breath, trying to quell his inclination to take his former pupil to task. He was disappointed to learn Chandraketu’s immediate concerns were regarding his daughters and how to avoid forming an alliance with the kingdom they had wronged for decades.
Years of teaching and training by the best the kingdom of Amaravathi had to offer, and the king had not grasped the true meaning of being a ruler or learned the skill of foresight.
“RajaChandraketu, please,” said Guruji, trying to pitch his voice into convincing him. “Listen to me and give your daughter’s hand in marriage to Prince Veer. And whatever else Rajgarh asks of you. Did the recent war that lasted for three years not tell you anything? Rajgarh is a powerful kingdom. We wouldn’t be able to withstand another war of that magnitude; not without beggaring our people. Think about how tarnished Amaravathi’s name would be if this got out.”
“But—”
“So, this is my suggestion to you,” he said sternly, speaking over whatever the king had been about to say. “Tie your kingdoms together in the strong bonds of marriage and when the time comes, offer your help unstintingly. It is the only way to get out of this mess without dragging Amaravathi’s esteemed name through mud.”
* * *
King Chandraketu had bowed to his wishes, although with extreme reluctance.
Guruji sighed. That plan would have worked, but for some unfortunate events.
He didn’t anticipate Chandrasena killing Prince Veer’s best friend. He didn’t expect Veer’s punishment or predict the rivalry to continue between the two kingdoms.
Guruji came to know the truth of what happened later. When Chandra finally trusted him enough to reveal the secret. Too late to be of any use. He found the princess’s concerns regarding her friend valid, after all, they knew next to nothing about Prince Veer to predict his actions. And although Guruji’sprimary aim was to keep Amaravathi safe from all threats, he still couldn’t bring himself to throw two innocent lives to the wolves by ousting Chandrasena’s secret.
So he hatched an alternative plan: to train the princess instead, in case something else happened and Chandraketu created more obstacles to helping Rajgarh.
It didn’t, in fact, start out that way. He had suggested training only to distract the princess from thinking too much about her punishment. But Chandrasena showed an aptitude for martial arts and was able to master the goddess’s powers in a short while.
