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Maharani Priyambada was in the Map Room, going through some papers, with Niranjan Verma, explaining to him what needed to be done in those provinces concerned. Adhiraja Ishaan Dev walked in, with Mallal and Kumar Viraj right behind him, as he eyed Priyambada, who didn’t look up from her work. He sat down at the table, close to her, as Kumar Viraj took the seat on the opposite end beside Niranjan Verma.
“I was just explaining to him how to allocate some of the resources.” Ishaan Dev addressed Niranjan Verma.
“Adhiraja.” Niranjan Verma smiled faintly “I think I am talking on behalf of both Kumar and me when I tell you this: you have put your faith in us for such a huge responsibility, and we will not let you down.” Kumar Viraj nodded as Ishaan Dev smiled.
A messenger came to bow at the threshold when Priyambada stopped at her work and looked up with questioning eyes.
“I have a message for the Adhiraja.” The messenger spoke as Ishaan Dev frowned.
“Who is it from?” he asked. The messenger was silent. Kumar Viraj took the cue to excuse himself, and Niranjan Verma followed him out as Ishaan Dev asked again, this time Priyambada observing the silent messenger with a frown.
“It is from Mait.” His words made Priyambada’s throat feel dry as she eyed the scroll in his hand. She didn’t know whether to stay or leave. Ishaan Dev looked irked.
“Take it back, we have nothing to do with them.” He said as he turned his back on the messenger. Priyambada stared at the man who stood frozen in his spot like a statue.
“I said, take it back.” Ishaan Dev spoke louder as the man shook his head.
“It is unsealed, I don’t know whom to give it back to.” He confessed, his voice trembling a little. “ Please pardon me, Adhiraja.” He added sheepishly.
“Then throw it away.” Ishaan Dev roared at the already scared man. “Who dares to send the Adhiraja of Neelambargarh an unsealed letter?” His eyes stopped at Priyambada’s glance. Her eyes were disapproving. As if he didn’t know who wrote to him! Priyambada inhaled.
“Take the letter and let the man go.” She said firmly. “Or else he will be in trouble.”
“If you care so much, you take it.” Ishaan Dev’s words startled her a little.
“Me?” She narrowed her eyebrows “But the letter is for you.”
“The letter is for the ruler of Neelambargarh, right?” Ishaan Dev addressed the man who was still silent. “There you go, take it.” Maharani Priyambada inhaled. She had no idea why he was being so adamant, almost childlike, but she didn’t want to create a scene in front of a stranger. She took the scroll as the man bowed and left. She eyed the unsealed letter and turned to hand it over to him.
“Read it,” he shrugged. Priyambada frowned. He waited. She inhaled and shook her head.
“You and I both know that is inappropriate.” She shook her head. Ishaan Dev was about to say something, but her glance made him stop. He snatched the scroll and opened it as Priyambada turned to leave.
“Stay.” He stopped her before she reached the threshold.
“I think I should…”
“Stay. Priya, I am not going to repeat myself.” Ishaan Dev turned to walk across, past her and closed the door of the map room, making her heart skip a beat. “I said, stay.”
She looked up at his agitated face and stood quietly. She knew this tone. It was like a calm before a storm. He opened the scroll, still looking at it disapprovingly and read through. Then, he handed it over to a taken-aback Priyambada.
“Read it. Then burn it.” He spoke.
“What?” Priyambada raised her eyebrows. She took the scroll and read through it.
“I know I shouldn’t call you by your name, for I have lost that right to, Adhiraja. But as old acquaintances, if not anything else, I seek Neelambargarh’s assistance for Mait. My subjects are in trouble because of me. I don’t want them to suffer. If you agree to meet me, I will wait in my camp on the border of Aswar, on the next day of the Sun.” Priyambada read through the letter in her mind.
“She needs help.” She managed to clear her throat and sounded indifferent as Ishaan Dev eyed her.
“And Neelambargarh isn’t helping Mait.” He shook his head. “They can rot in hell.”
“Why not?” Priyambada put the scroll down on the table.
“Pardon?” he frowned at her words.
“I asked why not? Why will Neelambargarh not help Mait?” She asked.
“Because… because…” Ishaan Dev looked for excuses: “They are a smaller kingdom of no use to us.”
“You can’t judge that. We don’t know the future. We can at least ask what they want.” Priyambada shrugged.
“Do whatever you want then. The Adhiraja of Neelambargarh will not reply to an unsealed, unofficial letter from a small kingdom.” Ishaan Dev started to walk away.
“Do you mean that?” Her words stopped him as she turned. “I do what I want?”
Ishaan Dev inhaled. What was Priyambada doing? Was she clueless about his involvement with Advika? That wasn’t possible. Was she trying to judge Advika? His face suddenly lit up with hope. Was she intimidated or jealous?
“What do you want?” He asked, half turning to face her.
“To go and meet the princess. Hear about her woes, myself. And tell her to send an official letter to the Adhiraja of Neelambargarh if needed.” Priyambada shrugged.
“And why does the Maharani need to do this? Meet a princess of nowhere?” He asked with a hint of taunt.
“Because, unlike you, I am not sure of the future. I think any kind of good relationship with adjoining states is good for us.” Priyambada shrugged.
“Very well. Do whatever you want. Take Devdoot along. You are not going alone.” Ishaan Dev warned her before he left the room.
Rajkumari Advika was waiting in eager anticipation. This was her moment of truth. How much effect did she have left on the Suryapalian heir? He wouldn’t have forgotten her. She wondered if he had married twice over to forget the pain of her leaving him. She wondered how his queens were. Especially the princess of Neelambargarh. She had always heard of her from a distance, like one hears of stories and legends. She always wondered if she was beautiful enough for Ishaan Dev to forget Advika and his promises when he decided to marry her instead. Did he love her? Or lust her? She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had always thought that her beauty was the best in the land to have captured the heart of the bravest among men. Advika ordered her maids to dress her up in the finest drapes they could find.
Maharani Priyambada was fastening her waistband when Urvi came up to help. She looked at Urvi’s worried face in the mirror and narrowed her brows questioningly.
“Do you have to go there alone, my lady?” She asked as Maharani Priyambada fixed her white and brown warrior robe. She smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry, Mait is not a threat.” She shook her head.
“Pardon me, but how do you know that?” Urvi asked with a frown. “Everyone in Suryapali spoke of her because she was… she was…” Urvi stopped as Priyambada looked up at her.
“The Adhiraja’s lover.” Priyambada finished. “I know.”
“Then why?” Urvi looked perplexed.
“Because I want to know why, despite rejecting him and breaking his heart, she still needs his help. She is desperate, Urvi, and I see an opportunity for Neelambargarh here.” Priyambada lied. In her heart, she knew she wanted to see Advika for herself. Analysing her intentions towards Ishaan Dev would help Priyambada plan for her position and Neelambargarh. She was not naive. She was well aware of what could happen if…
“What if… the Adhiraja meets her again?” Urvi was unsure of whether she should say it, but she was scared that Priyambada would lose her importance and position to this new princess. Priyambada smiled faintly, appreciating Urvi’s mind in secret.
“Let him.” She walked past Urvi and to Devdoot, instructing him to prepare the entourage. She turned to slip the dagger into the scabbard and was about to pick up her sword.
“Not that one.” Ishaan Dev’s voice made her stop as the maids bowed and moved away. Priyambada looked up at his words as he eyed her sword.
“Where is the one I gave you?” He asked. Priyambada’s brows shot up.
“But that’s Surya…” He had spotted the sword in the weaponry chest by then and proceeded to take it out. He inspected the handle and scabbard and turned to hand it over to Priyambada, using both his hands on the scabbard.
“Whatever it is you are trying to do here,” He spoke almost in a taunting voice, “Think of this as the ancestors looking over you.” Priyambada took the sword and put it in her waistband without much resistance. She was almost amused to even imagine Suryapalian ancestors looking over a Neelambargarhi Princess, but she didn’t say it out loud. Ishaan Dev, for some reason, looked serious as she eyed him, and their eyes met.
“The entourage is ready.” Devdoot broke down the moment Priyambada nodded and walked away with him. Urvi observed the Adhiraja. He seemed as tense as she was.
Priyambada rode on the stallion she had fondly named Bijli, across the forestland of Neelambargarh with Devdoot and cavalry in tow. She observed her surroundings as the horse ran through the winding roads beside the river Maya. For the umpteenth time in her head, she ran her thoughts on the princess of Mait. She had to be professional about this. The queen of Neelambargarh, the blood of the Wind’s clan, wouldn’t care much about some insignificant princess of some small state. But she wasn’t insignificant, was she? From what Priyambada had observed, she still managed to get a reaction out of Ishaan Dev, no matter what the reaction was. Priyambada suddenly remembered Kumar Viraj’s words. You can’t make feelings disappear like they never existed. You can acknowledge them and move on. Now the question remained: did Rajkumari Advika move on, or did she have the intention to fix things with Adhiraja Ishaan Dev?
The tents of Mait, with their green and golden flags, were visible at a distance from where Devdoot stopped the entourage. Priyambada nodded in approval as he walked up to the soldiers standing guard. She patted the stallion and observed her surroundings. Soon, a man who seemed like the chief of security came along with Devdoot and bowed, as Devdoot said he was going to lead the queen into the tent for a private audience with the princess.
Kumari Advika frowned slightly when her chief of guards announced that the one coming with the entourage with Neelambargarh’s flag was the Maharani of Neelambargarh. Advika immediately flushed. She didn’t expect Ishaan Dev to respond like that, sending his queen to insult her. But then… she couldn’t help but wonder, what if her letter was intercepted by the queen, who feared for her position in his life being at stake? She must have known about his past. What if she was intimidated by Advika and wanted to see her? That would mean that she indeed still had her chance.
Priyambada stepped into the sunlit tent, with nothing but cushions and carpets laid down in the middle. Rajkumari Advika looked older than her, probably seventeen or eighteen, had a fair complexion that had turned a little red in the afternoon sun, and her hair was straight and braided. Priyambada couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. Along with the stark contrast between their heights and attire, Advika had a certain sense of attitude. Perhaps grace. Priyambada smiled as Devdoot introduced them.
“This is the Maharani of Neelambargarh.” Priyambada noticed that, unlike princesses from other smaller states, she didn’t bow. Instead, she smiled.
“Please have a seat.” Rajkumari Advika played a perfect host, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. On one hand, she saw a timid-looking fifteen-year-old with a dusky complexion and simple warrior attire, and on the other, she saw the queen of Neelambargarh. Those two images, from her mind and reality, couldn't match. Priyambada looked up at her stare as Advika looked away consciously. She sat down on the seat opposite the princess.
“I know you must have expected someone else…” Priyambada’s words made her look a little pale. “But I can reassure you, speaking with me is a good enough representation of Neelambargarh.”
“I… '' Advika looked for the right excuse “I assumed a letter with a seal as insignificant as mine would be ignored. Unsealed letters generate curiosity.” She smiled faintly as Priyambada’s gaze pierced through her.
“On the contrary, Rajkumari.” Priyambada stopped to gesture a refusal at the fruits being offered to her by Advika’s lady-in-waiting. “We would have considered your official letter more important. Things work systematically in Neelambargarh.” There was an evident hint of pride in her voice. “Anyway, do tell me what you expect from us?” Advika cleared her throat. In her head, she had, a thousand times over, prepared an emotional appeal for Ishaan Dev, telling him her ordeals and insults that the kingdom of Gandak dared to put her through, all because he decided to marry another. If she knew him, he would be angry and even perhaps guilty of her tears and decide to fight for her honour. But now she was appealing to someone else, where those emotions wouldn’t work.
“I… was engaged to the crown Prince of Gandak…” She looked away as Priyambada smiled faintly.
“I suppose you didn’t call me here to have a chat over heartbreak or invite me to a wedding?” Her words surprised Advika. “I don’t have all day, so please come to the point.”
“I apologise…” Advika was suddenly intimidated. “It is just that Gandak has threatened Mait, and if Neelambargarh supports us, they would perhaps think twice, Maharani.” Advika was uncomfortable with her address, as Priyambada chose to ignore it.
“Why do you want help from us?” Priyambada asked. Advika looked up. She couldn’t possibly tell the truth, could she? Blame her husband? How much did she know? Advika wondered.
“I… because right now Neelambargarh is the strongest neighbour we have without a doubt.”
“And what is there for Neelambargarh in it?” Priyambada’s question made Advika look confused as she explained further. “I don’t think the princess is naive enough to think a state like Neelambargarh would come to your aid without any terms and conditions or benefits. What is in it for us to strike an unnecessary enmity with Gandak? We don’t share borders with them. Why should we help Mait?” Advika’s throat went dry. She hadn’t thought it through. In her eyes, she was reason enough for Ishaan Dev.
“I thought the king would consider … my plea… given that we … were friends once…” Advika chose her words carefully. The last thing she wanted was to upset the Maharani. Priyambada smiled faintly.
“I am afraid to say that I observe the princess has little knowledge of political alliances.” Priyambada rose from her seat as Advika followed quickly. “Your reasons aren’t good enough for Neelambargarh. Neither will the ruler of Neelambargarh meet the princess for such a conversation. Kings meet kings. The rules of Neelambargarh apply to everyone in it, even the Adhiraja.`` Priyambada smiled politely. “I suggest the princess go back home, analyse what she can offer us, and when ready, tell her father, the Raya, to address an official letter to the Adhiraja. If it is in the interest of Neelambargarh, I, as the co-regent, reassure you that we would talk again, this time, ruler to ruler.” Advika nodded in silence. “Even if the Adhiraja is reluctant, I would like to know your offer.” She added as she turned to leave.
“Reluctant?” Advika’s words slipped from her lips as she frowned. Priyambada stopped.
“Yes, I am afraid,” She glanced over her shoulder as she spoke. “That the Adhiraja doesn’t hold Mait in high regard as far as the political benefits of Neelambargarh are concerned.” She could see Advika stir a little uneasily “In fact, he had advised me not to come here to see you, but I believe even the smallest of aides matters. No position, however small, is insignificant. Be it in the house or outside. Right?” Advika looked up at her words, aware that the entire land beyond the Heemdevi knew of her stupidity in turning down the crown prince of Suryapali because someone else was his first queen. Did Priyambada taunt her too, or was it just a conversation she was overthinking about?
Advika watched Priyambada leave. She now had the mammoth task at hand to go home and narrate to her father and convince him of what Priyambada said. A part of her heart sank because of what Priyambada said, and another part of her was still in denial, hopeful that the letter had been intercepted before it reached him and that when he agreed to meet her father, her doubts would be clear and he would still proclaim her as his. Advika wanted to make up for her wrong decision and save Mait at any cost. She thought Suryapali had taken over Neelambargarh, but from how Priyambada spoke and acted, it seemed like Neelambargarh’s culture, rules, and Rajkumari had taken over the might and mind of the son of Suryapali. What the truth was, Advika could only gather if and when she met Ishaan Dev.
