Chapter 10
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She was momentarily distracted by the cold wind that blew at her out of nowhere and her feet accidentally slipped into a dark puddle. She let out a sharp yelp. "Is this water or frozen ice?" she murmured, tugging on her skirts, pulling them away from the puddle, and squeezed herself into a congested street. 

She stopped in front of a house, swung open the rickety old wooden door, and stepped inside the cold, rundown house. The children rushed to greet her.

Revati was bombarded with questions the moment she turned around to face them. She simply chuckled. "Slow down children, I'll tell you what the surprise is about in a minute."

She set down the vessels she was carrying and began to light up some deepas. She poured the hot sambar into bowls and handed it to the children. They huddled together sipping the soupy dish quietly. "The surprise is that you won't be living here from tomorrow onwards," she stated, quite blandly for a supposed surprise.

"Why? You want us to go to the old orphan home?" the tiny girl asked, her eyes wide with hurt.

"No, no. Nothing of that sort. Tomorrow morning you will be taken to the palace, there are vacant quarters where you can stay until your father gets a holiday." Now, this was conveyed grandly.

Their eyes gleamed with excitement as they practically jumped on her, keeping the bowl aside, of course. She hugged them back and placed them one by one on the bed. "I know, very exciting! But if you don't have a good night's sleep, you won't have any energy left in the morning. We don't want that do we?"

"No Princess Bhagini, thank you for..." one child murmured as he trailed off to sleep. Her heart swelled with a warm sort of feeling. A small, cramped house with only a single lantern illuminating the surroundings in a dull, flickering glow. But three tiny, innocent toddlers huddled together asleep, made all the difference.

She draped the blankets over them and packed up her things. She stepped back outside, closing the door behind her softly.

Revati sighed in content. It feels good to help people. Especially tiny, cute adorable little people.

"That's quite enough playing the mother for today, don't you think?" a voice sounded behind her, sounding suspiciously like her best friend's. It was her. She was leaning against the side of the wall of a house, arms crossed in a relaxed manner. "We have an important matter at hand."

"Let's go somewhere else," Revati said, her gaze flitting upon the rows of houses, as she tugged the hood of the thin cloak further down her head. She followed her until they reached the edge of the woodland, more like a thicket, but it did lead on to a forest. Houses were far behind them, the scattered trees beside the rock hill greeting them instead. Revati cocked her head to the side and sent Suruchi a look. Here? Why?

"Tunnels," she answered, pointing to a dark patch of hanging vines at the base of the boulder.

The princess trudged further in the dark, parting the vines to the side, and stepped into the dark hollow to be met with-

"The same passageways leading to the same places. You don't always have to disguise yourself to sneak through the palace gates," Suruchi spoke as she entered the passage after the princess. A dull flicker of light came along with the maid's torch.

"Handy, but it is quite far," she commented, looking around.

"Better than going through the risk of being discovered. You know how the King abhors you walking- sneaking out at night."

"Yes, he may station a whole troop of guards if he ever got a whiff of it." A small smile played on her face. When her eyes landed on Suruchi, her expression turned serious. "Now, what was the important matter?"

"We'll talk on the way."She led the way with a tilt of her head. Revati took little notice of the dark tunnel with only her maid's torch glowing beside her. She felt the right side of her body start to feel warmer than the left which faced the cold, gray stone walls.

"I've seen a letter being delivered to... you-know-who and the said person sending one a while later, discreetly. It's been going on a few times for the past three weeks. Well perhaps not discreet enough, I saw it."

She paused to check the color of the markings further on in the tunnel. She placed the torch back in its place just before they reached outside.

"Today I happened to be on a higher platform and much closer. I couldn't see the contents of the letter clearly, but I gathered this much: It was addressed to someone and there seemed to be a list. It could no way be a mere necessities list, but -"

"-something more important, dangerous information if in the wrong hands," Revati finished, absently playing with the bangles on her arm, her gaze never leaving the palace, under the dull glow of the moon, that slowly zoomed into view as the duo walked up the road.

"Whatever it is, I have a feeling it's going-"

"-to be big and dangerous."

She nodded. "Now the question is-"

"-what is that person planning? when, where, how?"

Suruchi stifled a groan and willed herself not to roll her eyes. "Yes. And we have to find out what-"

"-it is and also remain alert."

Her brows set together, her forehead creasing. "Will you stop-"

"-finishing your sentences?" Revati questioned with the slightest of smiles. "Of course not!"

* * *

"Have you sent it?"

"Yes, I did."

"Are you sure nobody saw you?"

She threw up her hands. "Of course! You think that I'm that careless?"

"No, nothing like that," he assured her. "I was just worried."

"And what did you do to get the, er, special information?" she asked, drawing the curtains of her windows close.

"I only had to apologize for lashing out and that old man believed it," Dipankar said, smirking at his small accomplishment, more so in disbelief of his father falling for his lie. "And I told him that I'd like to be more active in state matters and I caught hold of most political and state entries, policies, scrolls, and whatever else you want."

"And, did you get it...?" she asked her husband.

"No, unfortunately, he doesn't trust me enough for that. He'll wait for the right time and hand it over to her," he spoke the last words with malice.

"Hm..." Roopvalli stroked the silky fabric of her saree, turning away to hide her exasperation at her husband's useless skills. "But it won't be long before he does. We have to do something, not anytime soon as he might get suspicious of our distant behavior these days."

"But what? Stealing is not a good option, especially if it's discovered by a maid in either one of our chambers. And lord knows how many spies she must have planted."

She turned towards him abruptly. "I'll take care of that. We'll 'borrow' it permanently once he hands it over to her. By the time he does that, you would've long gained his trust."

He nodded. "And your ally-"

"Our ally," she corrected.

"Yes-" He smiled. "-our ally, Maharaja Ballaraja, you say?"

"Ah, yes. Him. He wants revenge for his humiliation when he had visited here and I-" I want revenge on your father for murdering my mother and sister. Along with one other thing. "-I want the best for you, Swami. Your stolen right, respect, love, and fame be returned back to you again. For you to ascend the throne and become king of these lands!"

And for me to become a queen with hundreds at her disposal, adorned in gold from head to toe, basking in the luxury of royal life.

But as the sly snake she was, she wisely kept her thoughts to herself. She walked to the table, taking a seat opposite her husband. "Our incredible dreams. And some do become reality. Ours will too, dear. Ours will too. After all, with Rajkumari-" Soon to-be-Maharani, "-Roopvalli's plan, that is bound to happen."

He applauded lightly, raising his goblet of wine. "My clever Bharya! Always my well-wisher, as you were even before our marriage. Why must I listen to the caws of a crow, like my good-for-nothing family, when I can listen to the melodious tunes of a Koel, such as yours, wife."

She let out a loud laugh, shrill to anyone's ears but melodious to her blind husband's, picking up her goblet and clinking it with his. "And this Koel will not let you down!" Or will it?

Revati elsewhere in the castle stopped cold in her tracks. An unexpected thread of hurt coiled around her heart, gripping it.

She spoke, her voice lower than that of a whisper, "But brother, what would you know? A Koel lays its eggs in the unsuspecting nest of a crow's. And the crow will carry out the needful, while the Koel is commended for its misleading voice. And given the luxury of her well raised chicks."

She rubbed her eyes devoid of any emotion and walked away.

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It's hard to see in the dark without a lamp.
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Glossary:
Bhagini - Sister 

Koel - Nightingale

Bharya - Wife (in Sanskrit)
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So...how was the chapter? I'd appreciate it if you guys could drop by some honest opinions.
Btw, those who're having exams, All the Best!!!👍

Thank you for reading!❤️
-Chinmayi, 14.