Lust Or Love?

Chapter 25

AJMER

"Surya pratap is back on his throne your majesty. The secret sources tell us.....with the help of king Rishikesh of Jaitsalmeir, he's back."

"Humm. ...I see! "King Araman nodded drowned in a sea of conflicting thoughts. "I want to see the secret agent who have brought this message from Umarkot, send him to me right now! "

"As you wish your majesty! " Sushen the head scholar made his way out from the King's chamber. Suspicious thoughts in his mind. 'Why does he want to see the secret agent sent to Umarkot? , is there something or someone he Don't know about? '

***

"Good evening your majesty. " a petite little figure of a man bowed in front of Araman.

"You brought the news of Umarkot? " his full concentration on the man in front of him. "Yes your majesty, I have been there. "

"I have a work for you! " he stated, this time lowering his voice a little. Fearing someone might hear him, because he cannot afford to loose this secret, his life depending secret, his daughter!

"You will ask and I will pay, the much you want, but two things you must remember....first....this is a secret I cannot afford to loose, you will not tell about this mission to a single soul, including your family and secondly. ....if you failed to fulfill the first condition, you will loose your life. "

The petite man looked shocked at what he heard, but recovering from his trance he instantly nodded and gulped down the lump gathered in the back of his throat.

"Life and death have a thin margin between them, and only a few people keep standing on that margin when their their loved ones are on the either side. Unable to decide where to go!"

-Lust or Love?

He was about to reveal the secret to a man he merely know, was it right? Could he believe on him?

But he Don't have the choice either? Does he?

He have to know about his daughter....!

"Sushen ji? " the surprised queen, looked at the estates highest scholar, leaning on the closed door frame of her husband's room. His head sideways slapped on the wooden door.

She was confused, is he feeling sick? Or why was he leaning on the door frame like that? She found it ridiculous. But as the man gained the his posture back and saw the queen standing and looking at him. Her eye brows furrowed, and a strange expression settled on her face. Confusion? Or, disapproval?

"Are you alright, sushen ji? " she asked.

His breathing hitched, his face paled. What will he tell? What excuse will he give for secretly hearing the conversations with a man and stalking him?

"I....I..." he stuttered and suddenly the closed door behind him opened, revealing the king.

A damn angry king!

King Araman's body was on fire, he saw red! He clenched his jaw hearing the conversation on the other side of the closed door.

"I...I " he heard sushen stuttering and that was it for him. How dare he? He was secretly hearing his conversation?!

He pushed open the door revealing his wife and sushen standing, facing each other. "Smadri! " he said in a deadly calm tone. "If you don't mind I want to have a conversation with sushen ji. "

The queen stood there dumbstruck. She cannot understand the current happenings, but it was clear to her that, something was wrong. And she didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay. Through a tantrum and tell him that she won't leave until he tells him, what is going wrong.

But after that dreadful evening, there had been a stretching distance between them. They hadn't talked to each other since that day. And she didn't want to increase the gap between them. Additionally, he didn't look in a good mood either. He was wearing a terribly agonized expression, and that broke the last few leftover strings of her bravery to deny him and forcefully stay.

"Sure! " she mumbled. "I will come another time. " and then she left, glancing back at her husband occasionally walking through the corridor. And each time she looked at him, she caught him staring right back at her. But it wasn't the same calm and playful expression she was used to, but it was hard, agonized look.

King Araman looked at his wife until she disappeared through the large corridor in front of him. And then at last he looked at the man standing in front of him.

"I see...." he said noddingly at him.

"I gave you respect, I gave you money, I gave you the roof over your head, I gave you the grains to feed....I gave you the highest post in Ajmer, after me. But you don't seem to acknowledge it. You don't seem to like the idea. " his strong authoritative voice echoed through the hallways attracting a number of gurds from around.

"The entire Ajmer respected you, I respected you! "

"But you-"

"That's enough! " sushen hissed through his clenched jaw and was instantly rewarded with a few gasps from around as the guards heard the head scholar disrespecting the king, in a manner no one did!

"You respected me? " He shrugged noncommittally. "Hah! "

"You killed my brother! My father worked for years under your grandfather and father and what they did? "

"The old man had lost his mind Completely. " whispered one of the man under his breath. "Indeed! And now I see no way his life will be spared!" Replied the other.

"With no strong proof he was pronounced guilty. Just because a freaking mere man told that he saw my brother meeting the mugals and giving them the secret information about the castle and and army and he was announced a traitor! "

He could never believe that his brother could do such a thing. And there was no strong evidence against him either, just because the man claiming to be a eye witness of that transaction was a relative of the crowned prince he wasn't questioned once, that were left for the poor Brahmin boy who was honest, he was tortured for days in the dark prison. Whipped, beaten to force him to accept the crime he never did!

"He was innocent, .....was honest and you the crowned prince and your father the so called king announced him a traitor and hanged him to death! " he hissed his face clearly showing the the disgust and anger which he had dumped deep down in a corner of his heart which have resurfaced.

He could never forget, when his father recived the news, he was a honest soul who have never uttered a single lie in his whole life. The news of his son being a traitor , who had gone against the crown and helped the Mugals was unbearable for him and he died of a heart attack.

This was clear murder, conducted by the royal family!

"That's enough! " this time king Araman broke the stretching silence.

"Guards! " he ordered. "Arrest him! "

***

"And then the giant monster plunged on the little boy.....his large heavy body pressing on the little boy....the boy threw his arms and legs around to hit him but all in vain. ...He was as big as a mountain. "

"Then? " Rashi asked meekly, her voice a mere whisper out of fear for the little boy.

"Then he clasped the boy in his big rocky hands. His nails digging into his body, He felt pain, his body ached but he didn't cry because he was strong! "

"The monster was now happy, after so many days he was going to taste human blood again! Yum! He thought. He was going to have a hearty lunch. With tasty human meat. "

Rashi pulled up the duvet up to her chin, her eyes grew wide in fear.

"And then came the brave princess! With her magical sword."

"Princess? And not a prince? "

This time Rashi was relieved that the little soul will be safe from the claws of the monster but then She have never heard of a princess to fight.

"Yes, a princess! A brave, strong princess! " Surya saw a strange glow in her eyes, as if she is talking about her own dream.

"Then did she killed the monster? " he heard Rashi asking again as he moved away from the door and walked towards his own.

'A brave princess? ' he smiled to himself.