“Brother!”
“What are you doing here, sister mine?” said Bhupathi, the crown prince of Amaravathi.
“Nothing!” said Chandrasena.
“You can stop hiding the axe behind your back. I can see what you’ve been doing,” said Bhupathi sternly.
“Actually, Aswini sent me. This was all her doing,” said the princess, fooling no one with her guilty tone.
“That’s very odd because she’s the one who sent me here too. She knew what you’re planning and asked me to run interference,” he said dryly. “Breaking the dam is a worthy job, but not for you, Chandra. Father’s already angry with you after the incident with Prince Veer. Do you want to rouse his ire further?
“And you. I expected better from you, Kalpana. Weren’t you supposed to rein in her worst impulses and here I see you aiding and abetting her.”
“I do so apologize, Prince Bhupathi. It’s my fault she’s here. I should’ve stopped her. Perhaps tie her down or put rocks in her footwear.”
There was a brief pause, and then Bhupathi spoke again. “It’s pretty subtle, Kalpana, but I can still hear the sarcasm.” He didn’t sound angry but rather entertained.
“Are you going to stop us?” demanded Chandrasena.
“Of course, that’s what I am here for,” said Bhupathi.
“But the dam is almost halfway destroyed. If you’d just let us finish—”
“Absolutely not. You’ll not touch another piece of wood from the dam.”
“But—”
“Give me the axe. I’ll do the rest. And if anyone asks, you can put the blame on me. Not like this idea didn’t occur to me a hundred times already. Now you’d better leave.”
It seemed like it was a day of surprises. Veer had assumed Bhupathi was cut from the same mold as Chandraketu, but it turned out, he had a little more in common with his younger sister.
And as for the princess…it became clear to Veer why he was feeling so restless and why it felt like he had given them the wrong name for his bride.
Chandrasena might not like him, but she didn’t hate him either. Her heart was free. And Veer wanted someone who didn’t see them as enemies first and people second.
She was kind, generous, and loyal. Perhaps the other princesses had the same qualities, too, but she had courage as well, and Veer knew that he would prizethatquality in his bride.
* * *
Everyone thought he had married Chandra to get his hands on Kalpeet and to bring the war to an end, but the truth was, even if he would admit it only to himself, the princess was the only thing he had ever desired from Amaravathi.
I want to be seen as a person, not a possession to be attained.
Veer winced at the recollection of her words, from that day at the temple pond when he had made clear what exactly he desired from her. He didn’t give her a choice. But then, he didn’t think there was anyone else in her heart, either, so he thought she was fair game.
He didn’t know the first thing to win a woman’s favor. He only knew how to win wars and keep people safe. He didn’t know poetry or sweet words. In all his life, he didn’t need it to dothe chasing. Maybe it was his position of power or his passable features, but he had no difficulty coaxing women to his bed.
On the evening of their marriage, it was he who had sent her a letter asking to meet in the gardens. He had wanted to beg her forgiveness for imprisoning her, and to start their life anew without any misunderstandings. But finding her with the incriminating dagger in her hands had wiped this detail completely from his mind.
And later, when he realized this, he reasoned that she must’ve run across Virat and in the darkness, mistook him for Veer. A possibility that strengthened at her trail, when she had said as much. Saying nothing in her own defense.
Why didn’t she say anything? All these years?
“Am I supposed to have trusted you? Based on what?”
Veer winced at her words. All these years, his parents and friends, Shota especially, had been cautioning him about the importance of building a reputation. Veer had deliberately turned a deaf ear to their pleas, believing it was beneath him to engender the goodwill of the people of Saptavarsha, and not until now did he realize how much of an idiot he had been.
His wife had nothing to go on but his reputation and hear-say when making monumental decisions.
