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Prologue
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She awoke from her slumber with a start.

Whether it was because of the roar of the storm or the loud knocks at her door, she did not know. But she did snap back into her senses quick enough. Her feet shuffled, her anklets echoing faint jingles as she moved to the oak doors, the warm glow of her lantern embracing the dark, marbled floors. Her fingers tentatively held onto the handles and pulled the doors open.

It was a man. A man with a wider build and a taller frame than her. Her husband. She brought the lantern further in front of her to see him more clearly. 

His rectangular face was marred with lines of worry, eyes bloodshot, and stance uncertain. Perspiration beaded his forehead, his neatly groomed mustache now a bind of waxed ropes. His chest heaved with ragged intakes of air, each particle in his body screaming panic.

"Swami?" her soft voice a cooling breeze over the shaken man. "You could've sent for me, I've would've come. Why did you take up unnecessary trouble to come up here yourself?"

"Apologies, for breaking your sleep at this ungodly hour of the night, but some- something requires our immediate attention," he said, his voice teetering in between his speech. "This way, to the court hall."

"Yes, of course, Swami." Her expression rippled into one of concern as she walked behind in his staggering footfalls. Her pulse quickened with each step she took. The prickly embellished borders of her saree whispered over her feet. Her anklets bit gently 'round the sides of her ankle in worry.  She could hear her husband's heavy breathing even through the clashes of thunder and the steady fall of the rain. 

What could it be, that needs our immediate attention? I fervently hope it is no threat to us. She prayed mentally, worrying her lower lip.

The sculpted ceilings, walls studded with gold, lavish embellishments that were always greeted by the couple were now only welcomed by the dark. Something clenched at his heart and something clenched at her heart too. But it was not the same.

The woman shuddered, not because of the cold winds but because of an ominous chill that swallowed her body. She peered over his shoulder as he opened the great doors to a hall. She awaited the worst as terror brewed in the pit of her belly. Perhaps a messenger with a life-threatening message? An informant with the news of war?

Her walk to the royal court hall was through a turbulent sea, but when she stepped in, the tidal waves seemed to fall back down in a gentle sway. But why did it not promise stability? 

There stood a lone figure with a bundle in her arms. The couple strode in and the wife's brows drew together in mere curiosity, not anticipation as she had expected.

The husband stood beside her, his restless gaze everywhere except the two women. The wife frowned, studying the shadows of her cheekbones from afar. "You seem familiar..."

"I-I was your handmaid from a few months ago, my lady." Her voice quivered- a helpless leaf caught in the wind that clung to its branch in desperation.

"Ah, yes." The wife's face broke out into a faint smile, her lips curving upwards. "As I recall, you went back to your village to take care of your mother. I hope she is faring well? What brings you here?"

The maid stuttered, struggling and failing to force the situation into words. Something submissive flashed through her eyes. Was it regret? The queen's eyes widened when she saw the frail, delicate young one in her arms. The infant's thick lashes rested on soft cheeks, the rest of the body wrapped in a linen blanket.

She placed a gentle hand on the mother's shoulder. A pair of eyes widened encouragingly at the pair of frightened ones. "You have nothing to fear, speak your mind. Tell us what troubles you. Or who."

"I'll tell you, dear." The wife's head swiveled in the direction of the voice, waiting for him to continue. The sense of dread crept back in again as she watched her husband's troubled face.

He gulped, taking in a deep, uncertain breath. "The woman is... unwed, but the child that she carries is hers. A bastard. And the father..."

"The father?" A tyrant? A dacoit? A rogue- Oh no, her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as one person came to mind. Her cousin. The royal advisor. "Swami, is there a reason you did not call my cousin here?" she asked, eyes focused on a random spot behind him.

"Yes, it had to be only the two of us," the husband confirmed, but his tone unnerved her.

"Who is it? The father?" she asked, already knowing of the unspoken name but wanting to hear it from her husband's lips. My cousin shall not get away with this, I'll-

"Me." He finished.

At that moment everything became absolutely still. She did not expect this. A tidal wave of betrayal slammed into her without warning. A throb of hurt shot through her chest, and a heavy lump welled in her throat. She jerked her hand away from the woman and let it fall by her side. It took her moments to realize that the sharp intake of breath, was her own.

Her knuckles were hills of ivory from gripping the arms of the chair behind her. It was the only thing that kept her wobbly knees from collapsing then and there. A faint sliver of water appeared at the corner of her eyes. She shut her, once-joyous, eyes tight. And when they opened, they were oceans of blazing fire. Cold, frigid, icy fire.

"This is why you dismissed her from her services nine months ago." Her voice shook, not with an ache but with rage. It was more of a statement than a question. "You had an affair with this... this Veshya all this while. How could you!? How do you go behind my back naught but months after our wedding and bed another even after your promise of fidelity? Did those sacred vows mean nothing to you in our marriage?" she demanded. He winced at the amount of pain that laced her tone.

"I-I can explain," he tried to reason, hands in front of him, palms facing his wife in hopes of consoling her.

"Then by all means, please do." She shot him a stony glare. If looks could kill, her husband would already be buried ten feet underground.

"This didn't happen after the marriage, it was some time before our marriage, I was young and foolish-"

"We've been married for over a year now. A mother has to carry the child in her womb for nine months. Not fourteen! After all that you've done and lied to me this entire time, spare me your disrespect and your dishonesty. That is the least you can do." Her voice was low but powerful and full of fury, each word a harsh blow upon his guilty heart.

She turned to the maid who cast her gaze downward immediately. "You. Tell me when he started to pursue you."

Now the maid herself was caught in the wind, not just her voice. But this wind was no ordinary one, it was a hurricane. "Y-your h-highness-s, it was a short affair. Y-you were away at your maternal kingdom at the time, m-milady. He-"

She was cut off by a loud scoff that made her flinch. "Oh, of course. You would need someone with you while your wife was away. It must've been the perfect opportunity for you to scurry off with loose women like her, wasn't it?"

The man swallowed, eyes glued to the floor, without a word to defend himself. The silence was deafening. The only sounds were of the heavy, rapid shower of water outside. "Continue," her stern voice cut in.

"H-he had advanced on me and I tried to avoid it, but he didn't seem to hear me. He was... a little drunk that day. Then, i-i-it went on for only a few days, milady. Then when I discovered I was with ch-child, I tried to procure myself an m-miscarriage milady, I tried my best. But it was too late, and the baby was born only days ago."

She was not ready to believe her words. The hate and betrayal were too thick a fog that clouded her logic. "Clearly you didn't protest enough nor did you firmly reject his advances. I never fathomed for you to go behind my back like this." Her voice did not waver, it was firm as steel. They were quite taken aback by her strong demeanor, despite themselves.

Not every woman was blessed with that magnitude of control. Most women, even queens, would've run away or have broken down immediately.

But this woman, she was the epitome of strength.

The mother lowered her head, mouth opening and closing with empty responses coming out. Even a blind man could see the shame of her thoughtless actions upon her face.

The wife's nose wrinkled and her eyebrows furrowed in disgust as she looked upon the mother and the child. "Even the sight of you brings bile to my mouth."

Her next words were a harsh slap across the face to the maid. "Go. Get out of my sight, I never want to see you ever again. You will be stripped of your current work and never in your life will you be granted a permanent one. You will be taken away to a village far away from your house and the palace and presented with enough money to survive. Take yourself and your unfortunately-birthed child and never come before me ever again."

The woman stumbled, mouth falling open in incredulity and horror as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. "I-I beg your p-pardon, milady?"

The wife only glared as she spoke, "Do I have to repeat myself?"

The former shook her head frantically, unable to grasp the gravity of the situation.

"B-but the villagers will demean us and our standing will be reduced to shambles. She will not have a proper childhood, and- please, allow me to resume my position as a maid, I will work twice as hard my lady. You can deduct my salary, but please, just gi-"

"I said GO! Get out before I change my mind and send you straight to Yamaloka." Her eyes were hard, her voice brutally cold, her demeanor stiff and guarded. The only thing that showed her true emotions were her tightly fisted hands.

The maid gasped at her last words, dropping her head and scurrying away with her child.

"My dear, how can-" the sinner began, placing his hand on his wife's arm.

She snatched her hand away as if his touch burned. 

"Don't you dare touch me ever again," she hissed at him. "I will never forgive you for this." A clap of thunder followed, sealing her vow, as it ricocheted throughout the palace.

With that, she spun on her heel and left her husband alone in his throne room to lament, her last words of a vow still ringing in his ears. Her eyes visibly depressed and disgusted at him were engraved into his memory. And he was sure that it would be etched there for the rest of his lifetime, haunting him.

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Glossary:
Swami - literally means 'god'. A common term that was used to address one's husband
Veshya - prostitute/whore
Yama Loka - the place (world) where God Yama (god of death and judgment) resides
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