Page 136 of The Burning Mountain
“But why did she appear before him? He’s not her devotee?”
“You’ll have to ask him when he comes, my dear,” said her mother gently.
Chandra battled with a crushing sense of disappointment that he wasn’t there. She accepted her mother’s fussing for a while, feeling bittersweet about it, because for the longest time, she had wanted to hear her mother again more than anything, but now that the moment was here, she yearned for other things.
The person she wanted to see the most was nowhere to be found.
“I’mglad you were able to prevent the war, Brother,” said Chandra one evening, as she and Bhupathi were walking through the manicured gardens in Tripura, the capital city of Amaravathi. The brisk pace among the fragrant plants perked her up.
Chandra tired easily and was slowly building up her strength. She was glad to find that the mark of Amarendra still worked for her. She half feared she would lose it because she was unable to adhere to her strict practice while recovering.
After Chandra’s mother declared her healed enough to travel, Bhupathi wasted no time in inviting her to Tripura. It had been seven…no eight years since she stepped foot here in the royal palace, ever since her banishment, and it felt surreal walking here now.
Bhupathi had just finished recounting the events that happened since Chandra fell to Virat’s knife, giving her a lot to think about.
She was told the war Amaravathi had instigated with Rajgarh had sputtered out before even starting. Seeing his only son and heir put his life at stake, to meet him on the battlefield, had shaken King Chandraketu. After a tense, and thankfully verbal exchange, he had surrendered, calling a halt to the war that was unwanted by both kingdoms.
She was shocked to hear others address her brother as king, but Bhupathi had confirmed it. Once her father’s role in the conspiracy came out, Chandraketu was vilified by friends and foes alike, causing him to lose face. He abdicated the throne and went into retirement, appointing Bhupathi as the next king of Amaravathi.
Her father didn’t come to visit her, a fact that made Chandra glad. Her mother said nothing about it, for which she was grateful. Her anger at his betrayal at a crucial time still slumbered in her blood like coals, needing the slightest nudge to blaze into a fire.
She had reconciled all these years to her father’s harsh ostracization by telling herself that as a king, her father could show her no partiality. She had broken rules, admitted to crimes, she deserved punishment. But all the while, he had been plotting Kalpeet’s takeover. Which if it had succeeded could have pulled them into another war. She had held her father in high esteem and his fall from grace bit into her with disillusionment. It would be a long while before she cooled to even think about him without aggravation.
They talked of other matters until dusk fell. Chandra learned that Guruji had gone back into retirement, living at anashram, deep in the forest of Tapovan. But he did send her a long letter full of best wishes and apologies for his actions. Chandra carried no grudge against him. She was grateful for all the help he provided when she needed it.
She had a surprising source of information about how things were back in Rajgarh. Vireni. Chandra was surprised when she first received a letter from Veer’s sister. Initially, she had asked about her recovery, but later they spoke about other matters. Chandra found it easy to talk to her. Vireni confessed that she was more comfortable talking to people when they were not face-to-face.
Shota and Billadev had gone back to their duties, as the spymaster and a senior captain in the army, respectively.
Kalpana had elected to stay back in Rajgarh at the behest of many people. Though she missed her, Chandra was glad to hear that Sarun was thriving under the guidance of appropriatepeople. Girish was with them, and they were still waiting for Chandra’s return before tying the knot.
She hadn’t heard from Sameera since their argument, and Chandra still didn’t know how she felt about the whole thing. She longed for her but couldn’t get past the extent of her betrayal. Guruji had also offered in his letter, as a last piece of advice, to let things go, to forgive and accept that people were sometimes not perfect.
Speaking of not perfect…
“Why are you silent? Are you thinking about Veer again?” teased Bhupathi.
Chandra looked at him hopefully. “Did you hear anything from him?”
Bhupathi shook his head, his mood somber. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Chandra. It’s probably just a matter of time before we hear something.”
Chandra sighed but said nothing. She had spoken to Veer, once, in a farseeing stone, which he had the foresight to leave with her brother. And he had been busy even then, his inquiries brief as he was thick in dealing with matters in the kingdom.
The danger of Meru was past, but they still needed time to heal and resettle the evacuated people. And then he had to leave on another journey. This time to hide the key pieces once again.
But as days passed into weeks, with no word from him, she had started to wonder if maybe he was going to abandon her for a second time.
The only thing that gave her hope, besides the fact that he had said he loved her, was the steady stream of gifts from Rajgarh. Some were expected—they were customary gifts presented to a daughter-in-law—like embroidered sarees, sandalwood, and jeweled ornaments.
But occasionally she would see something different, like intricate metal jewelry that had hidden knives or sharp objectsinside them. Or a sturdy pair of leather gauntlets. A dark, woolen cloak that felt as if she were being sun-kissed every time she draped it over herself. A ship wheel—she laughed at seeing that. He had remembered what she told him about being allowed to steer her uncle’s ship in her childhood.
“Be patient, Chandra,” said her brother, intuiting her thoughts. “Look, if nothing else sways your mind, perhaps this will. Veer offered to give Kalpeet back.”
“What?” She stopped and turned toward him. “Am I hearing this right? Veer fought and bargained so hard for that fortress, and Rajgarh even prepared to go to war just a few months ago to defend their claim to it…why would he do that?”
“For you,” he answered.
“Me?” she said, confused.
