Nandini stared at the palace doors with a wretched helplessness. She should have done something...she should have protected Prithvi from his mother's vicious outburst. But she had stood by and watched his heart break into a million pieces.

The mother whom he had worshipped all these years had used unbearably harsh words to devastate him...and the reason was a malevolent step-brother who wanted to destroy him...

She looked at the woman sitting near Indrajit's unconscious form.

Priyamvada was staring at the doors through which her son had disappeared and was calling out his name with increasing anger, evidently livid that he had flouted her orders.

The fury that Nandini was supressing emerged from her eyes as hot tears. She rubbed them away roughly.

At different points during the day, she had experienced varied emotions towards Priyamvada. Awe, pity, concern, compassion, fear...

Now only a burning rage was left. If Priyamvada had been anyone apart from Prithvi's mother, she would have paid for the sin of hurting him.

Sumer Singh glanced at Nandini and saw a look that had scared him on a couple of occasions in the past. He waited till she looked at him and shook his head, attempting to advise that she should not speak rashly.

Nandini didn't seem convinced but she nodded unhappily. Sumer Singh was right. The urge to lash out had to be curtailed. Prithvi wanted her to be with his mother, and she would do it at any cost. 

Priyamvada looked at Nandini and angrily said, "Where has Prithvi gone? Ask him to come back."

Sumer Singh stepped ahead hurriedly. "Your highness, he will return soon. He just needs some time," he said pleadingly. "We should hurry and take the older prince to the hospital."

Priyamvada looked at him silently. Then she glanced at Nandini and made a subtle gesture, indicating that she needed support to stand up.

Despite feeling a raging hostility, Nandini walked to Priyamvada and helped her rise to her feet. Then she moved away.

Priyamvada noted the action, then she regarded the man who had spoken to her. "You're Sumer Singh?"

"Yes, your highness," he murmured, bowing slightly. An unknown fear was chilling his flesh...

"Listen to me carefully, Sumer," Priyamvada said slowly. "Indrajit will not be taken to a hospital. As far as the outside world is concerned, the fight did not take place. The truth should not leave this compound even if Indrajit dies. This is a family matter and it will stay within these walls."

Nandini overcome her aversion and stared disbelievingly at Priyamvada. The older woman had screamed and ranted dementedly about Indrajit just minutes ago. But the instant there was a possibility that the family's name would be besmirched, her beloved step-son had ceased to be importance?

Sumer Singh nervously said, "But your highness, he needs urgent treatment and the facilities and equipments in a hospital -"

"I appreciate your courage," Priyamvada interrupted icily. "But I will not tolerate another word of argument."

"Yes, your highness," Sumer Singh muttered, switching instantly to the behaviour ingrained in him by his father and grandfather. Their most unbending rule had been unquestioning obedience to the family they served.

He gestured to the confounded guards who were waiting near the steps. They ran to him and he instructed them to bring the stretcher that had originally been purchased as a precautionary measure for Uday Singh. He then asked a shaken Jiva to accompany them. The men rushed off to do the needful. Then Sumer Singh called up the palace manager who, like the guards and staff, had been asked to stay away till Indrajit had left.

Nandini unconsciously coiled one end of her duppatta tightly around her hand and turned to stare at the vast grounds. The thick woodlands looked scary in the dwindling light. But they reminded her of Shamli. She tried to imagine that she was in her house....standing on the terrace and gazing at the pretty woods behind the house. She was not standing near Priyamvada and Indrajit's smashed body that was making her feel severely nauseated.

The imagination did not help. If she couldn't be with Prithvi and comfort him, she would prefer to run off into the woods and face its dangers rather than be in this sickening situation.

Wishing earnestly to calm down, she thought of her father. He had been so forgiving and compassionate. And he had never allowed an injustice to go unnoticed...

In the meantime, Priyamvada's mind was racing in different directions. She was starting to feel a deep uneasiness regarding her son's silent departure. Why had he thrashed Indrajit so mercilessly? What kind of a person was Indrajit? The relationship between the brothers was undoubtedly damaged. Sumer Singh would be able to enlighten her further, but she didn't want to hear anything that would destroy the cheerful visions that Prithvi had sketched for her. She would just have to mend the bond between her son and Indrajit. But how? Where would she start?

The dirty red liquid on her hands and clothes was not letting her focus. She needed a bath urgently. But everything had to wait till Indrajit was taken into the palace.

She had spoken blithely of the possibility of Indrajit's demise. But she couldn't let that happen. The knowledge that Prithvi was alive might have lessened Aditya's rancour towards her. But her husband would abandon her permanently if anything happened to Indrajit.

Men were emerging from the palace, and two of them were holding an actual stretcher. A frantic man in a suit ran to her and Sumer Singh introduced him as the manager of the palace.

She responded to his clumsy bow with a grave nod and then looked at Indrajit. The guards were placing him on the stretcher.

Priyamvada looked at Sumer Singh and the manager. "Arrange for a good team of doctors, nurses and attendants," she commanded tersely. "They can bring all the equipments they want and we will pay them any amount of fees. But ensure that they know they need to be discreet and hold their tongues about everything that happens in the palace. Take Indrajit to a room in the same wing as mine. Both of you must stay with him till the doctor arrives. And I must be informed of every decision that's taken for him. I'll come to check on him in some time."

Nandini tried to remain silent as the team of men left the yard, but then a request burst out of her. "Sumer uncle, please wait for a minute."

Everyone besides Sumer Singh looked at her in surprise. His face only showed resignation. Not daring to look at a frowning Priyamvada, he indicated to the men to carry on.

After the guards and manager had gone out of hearing distance, Nandini turned to Priyamvada and quietly asked, "How could you be so cruel to Prithvi?"

Priyamvada needed a minute to digest the fact someone was demanding an explanation from her, and that too an explanation that was wholly unnecessary. Then she acidly asked, "I don't need to justify my reaction to someone like you...but did you not see him trying to kill his older brother?"

"Brother?" Nandini repeated bitterly. Then reminding herself repeatedly that Priyamvada was unaware of many facts, she restrained a scathing retort. "Indrajit doesn't consider Prithvi to be his brother. He hates Prithvi and has tried to kill him in the past. I've seen it with my own eyes," she divulged miserably.

Priyamvada veiled her horror at the information that the pathetic, worthless offspring of a crazy whore had attempted to take her son's life. But she could no longer disregard the need to find out precisely what had gone wrong.

"Is this true?" she asked Sumer Singh austerely, then swiftly adjoined, "Prithvi told me you went to Devgarh and took him away. And that he led a life of great comfort and happiness in the subsequent years. Was that a lie?"

Nandini glanced at the floor instinctively to conceal her reaction. Waves of love and respect were surging uncontrollably inside her...

"No, your highness. He did not lie about anything," Sumer Singh said immediately, having been tutored well by Prithvi through messages and calls in the last few hours.

"Sumer uncle, she needs to learn the truth about Indrajit," Nandini implored fervidly. "And about what happened today. I know Prithvi wouldn't have started the fight. And there must have been a strong reason for what he did to Indrajit."

"Sumer, if there is any truth in what Nandini has said, I want to know it," Priyamvada said harshly.

Sumer Singh didn't hesitate any longer. He couldn't disobey an order or continue to curb his own earnest wish for Prithvi's innocence to be known.

"Your highness, he did not lie to you but he left out some unpleasant facts because he didn't want to distress you," he said diffidently. "The older prince resents Prith – His Highness Prithviraj and has attempted to hurt him numerous times so far. He holds a serious grudge against you as well. He did not arrive with good intentions today. The younger prince kept his patience for a long time and tried to convince Indra- His Highness -

Priyamvada impatiently said, "You can use their names for this conversation."

"Thank you, your highness," Sumer Singh said humbly. "The fight was not begun by Prithvi. He wanted to avoid a conflict and did his best to convince Indrajit to leave peacefully. But Indrajit refused to do so until he had met you. And his purpose was unworthy. Then he started speaking disrespectfully about you. The things he said...any devoted son would have reacted as Prithvi did."

Nandini instantaneously recalled Indrajit's foul insinuations regarding Priyamvada. If he had repeated those to Prithvi, he deserved to be killed, not just beaten...

Priyamvada was blank-faced for a while, then she looked at Nandini and tightly said, "You must know where my son is. Find him and bring him back."

"I don't know where Prithvi has gone, but I know he'll return when he feels better," Nandini said quietly. "As Sumer uncle said, please...please give him some time alone," she requested unsteadily.

Ignoring the plea, Priyamvada looked at Sumer Singh. "Ask the guards to look for him."

Sumer Singh consented obediently. He was worried sick about Prithvi. But he knew that the search would be pointless. Prithvi would return when he wished to, and no one would be able to find him until then.

A strangled yelp pulled their attention to the main doors. Kadambari was standing near the steps and gaping at the red splotches.

Nandini's doubtful gaze moved to Priyamvada, who had claimed to have heard from Kadambari that Prithvi was dealing with some serious trouble near the main doors.

Priyamvada met her gaze, and strangely, it was the absence of any defiance or guilt on the shrunken face that confirmed her misgivings.

"Take me to my room, Nandini," Priyamvada told her coolly. "I need to change out of these filthy clothes..."

***************************

Prithvi walked deeper and deeper into the palace without any awareness of what he was doing or where he was heading.

Gradually, the beautifully maintained portions were left behind. The walls turned more ancient and stairways became dilapidated. Light lessened steadily and there was an increasing sense of dampness. Now plants were growing through the cracks in the wall, and a strong wind moaned as it travelled wildly through the decrepit passages.

Yet, Prithvi continued to walk, uncaring of the intensifying darkness and the warnings issued by the stones that had crumbled to the floor. 

Then a faint crimson light started to lighten the atmosphere.

He stopped at last when a turn brought him to a run-down room. Chunks of the wall had fallen away at some point in the past, and through one large gap, he could see the sun setting over the hills.

The obsessive need to keep moving left Prithvi all of a sudden.

He stood unmoving, indifferent to the beauty of the scene as well as the peril of lingering in the unstable structure.

He didn't know where he was and he didn't care. It was enough that he was far off from the scene at the palace entrance, and here, he could pretend that he had also left behind the harrowing moment when his mother had screamed out that unbelievably hurtful statement...

Prithvi tried to block out the recollection, but the words rang repeatedly in his ears, causing a new laceration on his heart each time.

His brain tried valiantly to make him see reason.

His mother had been devoted to his father. That love could have resulted in an affection for her step-son. And on the same day that she had gone through the shock of meeting her own son after believing him to be dead for thirteen years, she had seen him beating up Indrajit. So her shock and dismay were understandable.

But he couldn't understand the cruelty.

In his teenaged years, when thoughts and memories had become too excruciating to bear, he had found succour in physically gruelling activities. The pain in his body had given him temporary relief from a ghastlier agony.

He looked dully at his handkerchief-wrapped left hand. It was throbbing...but not enough...

He unemotionally squeezed shut the palm. Warm blood gushed out of the laceration and seeped through his fingers to fall on the floor.

*********************

Clad in a powder blue silk saree and adorned by shining diamonds, Priyamvada listened patiently to the neurotic manager as he confirmed the directives she'd issued during a cursory survey of this particular section of the palace. It was her duty to feign interest in everyone, and the pretense had always come naturally to her. In reality, her brain was analysing matters that were actually vital.

A large team of doctors and nurses was tending to Indrajit, whose injuries were not life-threatening. Fractured arms and legs, shattered nose and jaw, broken ribs. Nothing she needed to worry about. He would not be capable of moving on his own for about seven weeks and he would not be able to speak for many days.

Both those facts had pleased her.

She had asked Sumer Singh to get rid of Indrajit's servant. None of her step-son's attendants would be allowed to visit him. Indrajit needed to be helpless and completely dependent on his real family. He would be more malleable if he didn't have any outsider to rely on.

Sumer Singh was keeping her updated of every development regarding Indrajit's health status. If the truth about her step-son's intentions had not come to the fore, she would have played a more active role in interacting with the doctors. But it had enraged her to know that he had tried to take Prithvi's life and she needed some time to conquer the intrinsic need for revenge. Nonetheless, she would become the loving step-mother that she had sworn to become long ago. She had to do it for Aditya.

Sumer Singh would maintain vigil outside Indrajit's room tonight. The man was proficient and obedient. Meanwhile, Kadambari was handling the kitchen competently. Both were smart and efficient, Priyamvada mulled. But while Kadambari could be influenced with emotional drivel, Sumer Singh would be more difficult to manipulate. However, they were highly obedient and devoted to the respective families. She didn't need them to have any other qualities.

Uday Singh had apparently taken a sleeping pill and would not be waking up till morning. So that was one less problem she had to tackle today.

Overall, she would have been content if not for two discordant elements. The continued mystery of her son's whereabouts and the intolerable attitude of the female who was enamoured by him...

Priyamvada thought again about the nasty scene outside the palace. A few crucial points had escaped her attention at that time but they had come back later.

Nandini had come forward to say something, but Prithvi had caught her hand to dissuade her. And when he had walked to the palace, the girl had done the same thing...

When the manager finished speaking, Priyamvada commended him insincerely and reminded him again to let her know instantly when the guards found Prithvi. Promising to do so, the clownish man floated out of the room.

Priyamvada's contemptuous eyes switched from the manager to the two maids waiting inconspicuously in a corner, waiting for the slightest gesture from her. Then she looked at the girl hovering near the door.

Nandini turned and walked back to sit on the furthest chair without glancing at her. Fidgeting with anxiety, the girl resumed her surveillance of the doors.

Priyamvada's mouth tautened with anger.

Outsiders did not have to know that she was panicking about her son. But surely anyone with a bit of sense could understand what she was going through. Over two hours had passed since Prithvi had walked away from her. Where was her child? When would he return? The guards at all the gates had confirmed that he had not left the palace. Aadyabhoomi was one-fourth the size of the palace at Devgarh, but the useless staff had failed to locate him yet. The manager had given her a new mobile phone that had Prithvi's number. But it was useless because her son had switched off his phone.

Still, she had not asked for Nandini's help again. It was abhorrent to her nature to make a request twice. And it was evidently incompatible with Nandini's nature to be humble and respectful towards someone who was above her in every way.

The girl's behaviour was preposterous.

Nandini had trailed her faithfully from the time they had re-entered the palace but had steadfastly maintained a distance of several feet and the stupid stoicism of a mule. This style of proclaiming loyalty to Prithvi left a lot to be desired, Priyamvada denounced tartly.

Yet, she had not asked Nandini to get lost...because of the calmness that her presence induced in the atmosphere. It couldn't just be the result of her experience at the exhibition, Priyamvada reflected. There had to be another reason, and she would decode the mystery after certain pressing problems were resolved...

********************

Nandini gazed intently at the door. While she didn't want the guards to find Prithvi till he desired, her need to see him had increased to a painful level. She would have gone in search of him if he'd not asked her to be with his mother.

It was another matter that Priyamvada did not appear to need anyone's support, Nandini mulled stonily, ignoring the critical gaze levelled on her.

If she hadn't seen the transformation herself, she wouldn't have been able to connect the devastated figure at the exhibition to the stately, composed presence in the room. Priyamvada had found her bearings in a mind-bogglingly short time and was handling everything and everyone effortlessly. The feat should have seemed impressive and heart-warming...but it didn't, Nandini mulled uncomfortably.

She thought worriedly about Sumer Singh and Kadambari. Both were stressed beyond measure about Prithvi but were concealing their feelings and fulfilling their duties. And Kadambari had not been given time to even deal with her panic. Priyamvada had set her to work immediately...first to help her change, and then to assist the manager in making necessary arrangements for the big medical team looking after Indrajit.

Nandini's mind drifted momentarily to the broken body she'd seen on the ground outside the palace.

Her concern for Indrajit was limited to a slight pity and a wish that he wouldn't suffer any permanent damage. The guilt would weigh on Prithvi's conscience. And she also didn't want anyone to blame Prithvi unjustly. Beyond that, she didn't have any genuine sympathy for Indrajit as of now.

Still, she had cringed when the manager had described his injuries. But Priyamvada had not seemed to be affected at all...

**********************

Priyamvada was planning how to handle the conversation with Prithvi when he returned. She had to apologise to her child. She had to explain why she had gone berserk on seeing him thrashing Indrajit. But she couldn't tell him how she had landed up at the scene of the fight. He was not ready for that. She had to give him a different story.

Priyamvada looked irately at Nandini. She would have to be the one to break the stand-off.

She cleared her throat and courteously said, "Nandini, could you sit here for a minute?"

Nandini glanced warily at Priyamvada and the nearby armchair she was indicating. She hesitated for a second, then complied with the request. It was difficult to keep resentment from her face but she succeeded in conjuring a neutral look.

"When Prithvi returns, I will need to speak to him alone," Priyamvada said briefly. "I have to apologise for...what happened. And later, I will be having a meal with my son. For the first time," she said abruptly, her voice dropping to a mutter. "The first time...isn't that ridiculous...that I'll be having dinner with my 20-year-old son for the first time. It's an ordinary part of the day for most parents...but so precious for me. I remember days when he would try to make me eat. But I don't recall a single time when we sat down to have a meal together," she said unevenly. "I wish I -"

Priyamvada halted, aghast at the emotional outpouring that had happened unexpectedly. What was wrong with her? Why was she revealing her innermost thoughts and feelings to a stranger? Was it because of the medicines she had taken in the morning? Or the exhaustion?

Nandini was equally shocked. Priyamvada had appeared to be so much in control that the intensely moving admission had come as a bolt from the blue. And though she realised what Priyamvada was about to ask of her, she didn't feel sad. If anything, her anger at Priyamvada lessened and she felt a pinch of guilt at her earlier behaviour.

Monitoring her words strictly, Priyamvada coolly said, "So...as you may understand...I want it to be a family dinner and I would be grateful if you would have dinner in your room tonight. If Prithvi asks about you, I'm going to say you went back to your room because you had a headache. Please keep that in mind."

"I will," Nandini said gently.

Detesting the compassion in Nandini's eyes, Priyamvada brusquely said, "Prithvi might ask me how I found out about Indrajit's visit. I'll tell him that the guards informed me. The ones who were with us when we saw...and since you were with me at that time, you must give the same explanation if he asks you."

Nandini stared at her blankly. Both of them had heard from the manager that only a handful of people had known about Indrajit's arrival. And those individuals had been warned strictly to keep it a secret.

"But they're innocent," she said slowly.

"So?" Priyamvada enquired.

Nandini swallowed a biting response and tiredly said, "Please don't put the blame on them, aunty. You can tell Prithvi I was the one who told you about it."

Priyamvada tilted her head marginally. "And if he cross questions you?"

"I'll – I'll find a way," Nandini replied tightly.

"If that's your wish, so be it," Priyamvada shrugged. It was a better story, because if it was accepted, there was a chance that her son's opinion about the impudent girl would take a serious hit.

"But I want you to tell me what really happened," Nandini said quietly. "How did you find out about the fight?"

Priyamvada's features tautened at the question. The girl had plenty of pluck to demand an answer from her. However, instead of using the stinging retort that was at the tip of her tongue, she found herself cynically saying, "You will not believe me."

"I will...as long as you believe it is the truth," Nandini said simply.

Priyamvada gazed at the babyishly clear and honest face. No one was going to believe her. But just hearing those words had made a world of a difference...and she knew the girl meant it...

To her disbelief, Priyamvada felt tears prick her eyes and had to make a serious effort to push them back. Medicines and exhaustion, she decided stalwartly. Regardless, her voice wasn't firm when she said, "I'll tell you later."

Noticing a paleness on the older woman's face, Nandini softly said, "Okay."

They sat in silence for a seemingly long time. Then there was an excited tap on the door and the manager sought permission to enter the room. When it was granted, he hastened towards them, elatedly stating, "We've found the prince. He's in a hall in the north-east side – it's close to the entrance."

Powerful relief coursed through both the women.

Nandini shot up from her seat and anxiously asked, "Is he okay?"

"He is perfectly well," the manager said happily.

"Did you ask him to come here?" Priyamvada asked unemotionally.

The manager bent his head shamefacedly.

"He refused?"

The manager fearfully murmured, "Yes, your highness."

Priyamvada smiled, pleased at her son's obstinacy. "Fine, I'll go to him. Wait outside for a minute. And ask the servants to set dinner for two people in the dining room that is nearest to...wherever my son is. I will bring him there shortly."

Nandini thought wistfully that she would have been happy to see Prithvi from afar, but she didn't have the guts to express the wish.

Priyamvada looked impassively at her. "I want everyone to shift to this wing. You will also move to a new room."

She signalled to the women waiting in the corner and they hurried to her.

"Go with Nandini to her room and bring her luggage to any of the empty rooms near my suite. She has a headache, so take care of her," Priyamvada added pointedly to protect her own interests. "And tell Kadambari to send Nandini's dinner to the new room."

Priyamvada glanced at Nandini with conflicted eyes, then looked resolutely at the door and strolled out gracefully.

***********************

Prithvi wiped the third round of tears trickling down Kadambari's plump cheeks as she tied a bandage around his hand. She sniffed heavily and continued to cry, only pausing to look nervously at the door every five seconds.

He didn't know how she found out that he was in this room. But she had appeared at the threshold with a brown metallic box minutes after he had settled wearily into a plush chair. Kadambari had not asked any questions and he had not attempted to reassure her. With the voiceless empathy of a mother, she had simply proceeded to treat the wound on his hand.

After bandaging the palm, Kadambari kept her kit aside. She caught his pale face with both hands and kissed him on the forehead. Then she picked up her kit and the bloody kerchief from the floor where she had discarded it. And giving him a troubled glance, she made her way out of the room speedily.

************************

Priyamvada signalled to the manager to stay back and continued to stride rapidly to the room that contained her son. In the seconds before she reached the door, a new fear pierced her, slowing down her steps.

At her age, most mothers would be experts at tackling such situations with their children. But Prithvi had never gotten angry with her as a child, and then for thirteen years, he'd been raised by servants.

Pictures of her son pounding Indrajit mercilessly scurried through Priyamvada's head. What did she know about pacifying her son....what did she know about her son...

Then Priyamvada felt surprised at the uncharacteristic self-doubt. She took pride in the fact that she wasn't anything like the useless specimens that populated her gender. Priyamvada Singh Rathod was an exceptionally intelligent and tough human being.

Any other woman in her place would have still been huddled in the suite, overwrought at the life-changing developments that had transpired without warning. She, on the other hand, had effortlessly assimilated an incredible amount of complicated information, thoughts and emotions within hours and then had taken charge of an entire palace.

And this was her son. She didn't need any practice or special knowledge to mollify him.

******************************

In the brightly lit room, Prithvi was pacing unhurriedly through the room while speaking on the phone. She knocked at the door to draw his attention. He glanced at her emotionlessly, and after some more murmured words, he cut the call.

Priyamvada waited for an acknowledgement but didn't get one. Instead, her son walked to the couch and sat down.

A grown-up version of a tantrum, Priyamvada identified with a tender astonishment while gazing at his sober profile.

Prithvi fiddled with his phone as his mother approached him and took a seat near him.

"Look, Prithvi, I'm wearing the clothes and jewellery you bought for me," Priyamvada ventured timidly.

When her son continued to concentrate on the device in his hands, she tentatively asked, "Who bandaged your hand?"

The question went unanswered. Priyamvada regretfully said, "You're right to be angry with your mother. She is the most terrible human being in the world."

"Don't try to steal your father's crown, Maa," Prithvi muttered.

Priyamvada chuckled, but immediately afterwards, anguish crossed her face. She placed a hand on her son's cheek and gently compelled him to look at her.

"Prithvi, you know I didn't mean...what I said," she said beseechingly. "I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you. But you have to understand, I didn't know anything about what Indrajit had done. I know the truth now. And this is your mother's promise to you....I won't let him hurt you. I won't allow anyone to hurt you again," she promised fiercely.

A cautious light came to life in Prithvi's eyes. Just for a moment, in spite of the ominous signs that had tortured him from noon, he nurtured an anguished hope that he would finally know how it felt to have a mother.

"But Prithvi...you too have to give me your word that you won't raise your hand on Indrajit again," she said zealously. "It will break your father's heart if you don't resolve your differences with him."

Prithvi grasped the hand on his face and removed it smoothly. Sensing that he was about to get up, Priyamvada kept a restraining hand on his shoulder. He remained seated but looked away silently.

This time, Priyamvada didn't force him to look at her, but there was a faint hardness underneath the affection in her voice. "Prithvi, Indrajit is your older brother. We are part of the same family, and this is an opportunity for us to begin life on a fresh slate. The past should not be allowed to dictate our feelings and actions for the future. Indrajit will come around. I'll make sure he does. But I need you to take the first step. Forgive him and extend the hand of friendship. I'll take care of the rest."

Only the large metallic statue in the corner of the room witnessed the dark volatility of the emotions that raced across Prithvi's face as his mother spoke.

Then an impenetrable mask fell over his features and he looked at his mother thoughtfully. "I'm hungry. Can we eat?"

Priyamvada was stumped till it occurred to her that her innocent son needed time to consider what she'd said.

"Alright, we will not speak about it anymore tonight. Yes...yes, we can have dinner right away," she smiled warmly, stroking his hair. "I've asked them to set the table in the nearest dining room for mother and son."

His forehead crinkled. "Just us? Where's Nandini?"

"She has a headache, so I asked her to return to her room and rest," Priyamvada said serenely. "She said she would have her dinner in her room tonight."

"Is that so," Prithvi said pensively. He glanced at his phone and swiftly typed out a message while casually asking, "Maa, how did you find out about Indrajit's visit?"

"Nandini told me," Priyamvada fibbed placidly. "She heard it from a guard, I think. But she doesn't remember which one."

His fingers stopped for a microsecond, then resumed their rapid movements. "I suspected as much," he said nonchalantly.

Priyamvada felt relieved. She smoothly asked again, "Who bandaged your hand?"

"A guard. I won't be able to identify him," Prithvi regretted, and seriously added, "Must be the result of Nandini's company."

Priyamvada was plagued once more by a strong and disturbing suspicion that she was misreading her son in crucial ways. Generally, she could classify people based on their nature and characteristics in no time. But she was struggling to do it for her own child...

Prithvi kept the phone back in his pocket and stood up fluidly. "Alright, Maa, let's have dinner."

Priyamvada regarded him analytically as she rose to her feet.

Prithvi smiled at her in a sweet way that caused a twinge of pain in her heart for some reason. And she was struck afresh by the enormity of the blessing that had renewed her life.

He held up his right arm.

With a trembling smile, Priyamvada tucked her arm into the crook of her son's hand and they walked slowly out of the room.

*************************

Conversations during meals had been prohibited when Priyamvada was growing up and she had retained the habit in later years. Still, the dinner was one of the quietest ones in her life.

Prithvi was attentive and sweet towards her throughout the meal. He forestalled the maids and served her food with his own hands. But he affectionately rebuffed her attempts to do the same for him.

After dinner, as they left the hall and proceeded to her room, Priyamvada informed him of the room that had been selected for him on the ground floor. He didn't offer any opinion and merely reminded her that she could call him on his phone at any time without hesitation.

Priyamvada cagily brought up the topic of the years he had spent under Sumer Singh's protection. He answered her questions readily but did not ask her anything in return or initiate a conversation. The only time he spoke of his own volition was when he requested her gently to retire for the night and permit a maid to sleep in the living room of her suite for a few days. By then, she was so keen to make him happy that she agreed immediately.

He politely asked her to rest well and waited till she shut the door.

Then Prithvi went in search of those who had become even more precious to him than before...

*************************

Standing near the window, Nandini plaited her hair absently, her thoughts miles away from her surroundings.

This was second suite that had been allocated to her on the ground floor. She had spent half an hour in the previous room but had not unpacked or done anything apart from wandering about in a gloomy muddle. So, it had not caused any trouble when apologetic staff members had requested her to shift to this suite, which was similar to the first one but opened to the gorgeous yard where exceptionally beautiful moments had transpired that afternoon. The delightful surprise had elicited a genuine smile from her for the first time in hours.

But the soothing effect had not lasted.

The lavish hot meal sent to her room would probably have gone untouched if Kadambari had not arrived and bullied her into eating enough for three people. But she had not put a morsel in her mouth till Kadambari had answered her questions about Prithvi.

Yes, he was okay...he was having dinner with his mother...he would be staying on a suite on this floor...

But the tint of distress in Kadambari's demeanour had taken away the comfort of her verbal answers.

Nandini scanned the bedroom for hair bands. None were visible, and she didn't have the energy to go hunting. Giving up, she closed the curtains and clambered into bed with her thick plait already coming undone.

Striving to be comfortable, Nandini turned on her side and glanced at the tablets and pain balms lying near the glowing lamp. Kadambari had brought the medicines and the big-hearted woman had left only after being assured that the medicines and balms would be used if necessary.

Nandini pulled out the lower pillow from underneath her head and dumped it on top of the two pillows on the other side. She closed her eyes and again saw Prithvi walking alone into the palace...

She couldn't stop agonizing about him.

She wanted the sun to rise soon so that she could meet him. But simultaneously, she was thinking about the old saint's warning and dreading the new storms that were bound to come their way tomorrow. 

And at the core of those storms, Nandini could see the bewildering riddle that was Priyamvada. She couldn't think about the interactions she'd had with Prithvi's mother without feeling that her head was going to explode.

Her attitude towards Priyamvada had been insensitive and immature in the evening, Nandini contemplated with a weak pang of guilt. That sort of behaviour would have earned her at least two hard slaps from her mother. But she couldn't help it, because there was a huge, irreparable flaw in her basic nature from birth.

Forgiving and forgetting were reserved for people who hurt her. People who intentionally hurt her loved ones lost any right over her love, respect and compassion. Priyamvada could be given a little leeway because of her tragic history...but just a little...

****************************

Prithvi maintained a vigilant watch on the sleeping girl as he removed his shoes and socks at the doorway to the bedroom. Then without making any noise, he entered the room, deposited his phone on the bedside table and slid into bed.

She had not switched off the lamp on her side of the bed, but her back was to him. A lush plait of hair was splayed on the mattress. It had unravelled halfway...

Prithvi reached out guardedly and drew the heavy silken rope closer to him. He coiled a finger around a thick lock and closed his eyes.

A quarter of an hour passed without incident. Then Nandini rolled onto her stomach. A pinch on her scalp caused her to grimace woozily at the same time that the tug on Prithvi's finger woke him up from an uneasy nap.

As she turned to face him, Prithvi's mind snapped into alertness. He released the lock of hair while sitting up, hastily saying, "It's okay. It's me. Don't yell."

Nandini blinked fuzzily in the yellow light of the lamp, her mind wading through a mishmash of dreams. Why would she yell since they had been sitting together all this while...

He apprehensively observed the dawning awareness in her gaze.

She scrambled forward to hug him fiercely. The unexpected reaction caused him to remain still for a minute. Then the amazement subsided...and the less pleasant emotions that he had bottled up threatened to slip out of his grasp.

Prithvi disregarded them savagely. He wanted her presence but he didn't want her empathetic understanding at this point. It would force him to confront some truths that he was not ready to acknowledge. Not yet...

So he held her lightly for some seconds, waiting reluctantly for the right moment to disengage from her.

But just as he was about to do so, Nandini drew back herself and looked at him with moist eyes. She'd been swept away with joy on seeing him but now she could feel his pain and exhaustion. Then she noticed his bandaged palm.

"What happened to your hand?" Nandini asked in horror, touching his arm with instinctive care.

"It's nothing," he dismissed. "How's your headache?"

Nandini looked at him in puzzlement. "Headache? I don't have a -" she halted. Priyamvada sprung up in front of her eyes like a spectre, extinguishing the warmth in her chest.

Eyes dropping, she shuffled back unwillingly to her side of the bed, mumbling, "Oh that...It's gone. I had a painkiller."

He observed her shrewdly, and subdued one more disquieting reflection. Anyway, Kadambari's diagnosis had proven to be correct...

Sitting with her legs tucked underneath her, Nandini worriedly insisted, "Tell me what happened to your hand."

"You saw what I did to Indrajit. That kind of bliss comes at a price," Prithvi smiled briefly, then offhandedly asked, "How did you find out?"

She shrunk back further and looked down at the cream-coloured bedsheet again. "I found out from - from someone and I told your mother about it. I'm sorry...I know I shouldn't have done that."

"Don't worry about it," he replied just as quietly. Considering the speed with which she had stated the lie, she must have rehearsed it in her mind several times. He could bring out the truth but he didn't want to know it. He didn't want to hear anything more that would aggravate the mayhem in his life.

Plucking at the soft sheet, Nandini awkwardly said, "You've also moved to a room nearby?"

She didn't want him to leave and be alone in his current state of mind. But her brain was issuing ominous warnings while holding up images of Priyamvada. If his mother found out somehow that they were together in a bedroom at this hour, there wasn't any doubt that matters would take a serious turn. Nandini's heart shrivelled up on thinking of the consequences.

"Yeah, for the time being," Prithvi replied tentatively, focussing on the alarming signs of discomposure in her manner. He was going to be prompted to go back to his room in another minute. And not for merely moral reasons. She was emitting the uneasiness he had seen each time he had mentioned his mother post noon.

"Do you want water or...or anything else?" she asked anxiously, completely torn between the emotional side of her that wanted him to stay and the sensible part that wanted to encourage him to return to his room.

Taking a risk for the sake of mental peace, he warily asked, "Can I stay back for a while?"

Dismayed, Nandini looked at him mutely.

"You can go to sleep," Prithvi clarified in haste. "And – and you can keep these here if you like," he added, taking two large pillows at the head of the bed and plonking them in the centre of the mattress.

Nandini chewed worriedly on the inside of her lower lip. She couldn't possibly let him sleep in her room. Yet...the unease and fatigue on his face were demolishing a resolve that had not been strong from the start.

"Okay...okay...you can stay," she mumbled distractedly, half talking to herself. Then she gestured clumsily at an untouched coverlet at the foot of the bed. "You can use that blanket."

"I don't need it," Prithvi said, still gazing at her soberly. He wanted her to be next to him for some time. Everything else was unessential.

"Okay...good night," Nandini smiled apprehensively, moving further away. Then turning her back to him, she reclined on the mattress with a cheek pillowed on a palm and adjusted the cotton blanket to cover herself fully.

The tension in Prithvi's shoulders eased. Now there was a possibility that he would actually be able to get some respite from his mind.

Lying down on his stomach, he studied her shrouded outline and hesitantly said, "Nandini, could you talk to me about Shamli?"

Astonished, Nandini rolled around to look at him. "What?"

"Shamli," Prithvi repeated uncomfortably. "The planet of people who believe social boundaries and privacy are mythical creatures. The global headquarters of ghost-busting grandfathers. The town with the most happening nightlife in the country."

Lips twitching, she asked, "What do you want to know about it?"

"Anything scrap of information will do," he replied seriously. "Give me all the mind-numbing information you'd tried to dump on me when I'd just moved into the house."

She looked at him doubtfully, unsure of the intention behind the question. Then a compassionate understanding flashed in her eyes

Forgetting to be reserved, Nandini smiled affectionately and propped herself up on both elbows. "I'd called home twice in the evening. Everything's fine. Maa said it has been raining all day there. Not heavily...it's just a continuous drizzle. Grandpa was annoyed because a bike splashed dirt on his new clothes when he was travelling to a friend's house. But the bike stopped working after going a little ahead and grandpa believes -"

"It was the work of a ghost that is devoted him," Prithvi completed her sentence amusedly.

"Kind of," Nandini chuckled ruefully. "And Prakash...he is a little upset with everyone because – do you remember the mango tree in the backyard?"

"Was that the one under which I'd just wanted to kiss you and you ran away like I'd tried to rip your clothes off?" he enquired.

Her mouth fell open.

The incident he'd mentioned so casually yanked her back to that unforgettable evening when their relationship had taken a shaky step forward. The mellow sunlight and fragrance of roses and jasmine...his relentless mocking that had roused her temper and nearly driven her to tears...her hand grasped by his...the mesmeric power in his gaze that had frightened her...his hand in her hair, holding her in place...bending his head...

Nandini felt thankful that her face was against the light and he couldn't see the fiery colours that she knew were blotching her cheeks. Then the unfairness of the accusation hit a nerve.

"You'd not said one kind word to me till then, and then you suddenly – what was I supposed to do?" she asked indignantly.

"That's easy. You should have allowed me to –

"I don't want to hear your ideas," she squeaked.

"Wise," he admitted. The ideas would have convinced her to ask him to leave the room.

"As I was about to say, the mango tree was planted by my great-grandfather," Nandini continued with dignity. "Everyone says he had the ability to heal people. And they believe there is medicinal power in the fruits of the tree that he planted," she said brightly. "Our family doesn't pluck the fruits. They are meant for others. People who are ill...or are suffering in some way. And the tree doesn't bear fruits every year. It has its own cycle. There are many stories about how the fruits -"

"Your great-grandfather planted a tree that gives magic fruits?" Prithvi summarised solemnly. "Thank you for telling me that. Now it's easier to understand why your grandfather believes he can traps ghosts."

She glared at him and then turned huffily to face the other side.

"I'm sorry, no more such jokes," he apologised hastily, rising up on an elbow. "I admire your whole family and your entire line of ancestors. Superhumans – all of them. Don't stop talking."

Nandini swung back sternly. But then she couldn't help grin at his worried look.

Exhaling deeply, Prithvi relaxed again.

"I'm not saying the fruits are magical," she said primly. "Everyone believes that they are...but my father used to say that it was not about the fruits...it was about the faith that people had in them. When I was a child, if I fell down or hurt myself somehow, he would give me hard candies and claim they had the power to reduce pain. I believed him and I used to actually feel better after eating those things," she laughed, and then felt inundated with bittersweet emotions. What she would not give to see her father again...and for the pain of his demise to release its hold at least slightly...

"You don't have to continue," he said, gazing at her intently. "Go to sleep."

"I'm fine," Nandini insisted stubbornly, "So...about the tree, grandpa saw Prakash sitting on it and plucking some of the blossoms for fun. He lost his temper and shouted at Prakash. Then Maa found out. And she did the same. My poor brother was in a bad mood when I spoke to him," she sighed.

In a soothing tone, she went on to speak about the new books that her grandfather had received from friends...the latest happenings in the lives of her friends...the neighbours who had purchased a new car and had asked Bhoothnath to perform a pooja for the vehicle...the other neighbour who was planning to renovate his house...

She raised every subject that was bound to bore him senseless, and felt a limitless contentment as his drowsiness grew and he finally closed his eyes.

Nandini gazed at him for a minute, debating whether it would be okay for her to kiss his cheek. Then she crept forward on her stomach and leaned over the pillows. Her lips pressed lovingly against the prickly skin of his face, then she placed her warm cheek against his for some moments...

"Don't risk it."

She leapt back with a gasp.

Eyes closed, Prithvi murmured, "I'm depressed and tired, not dead."

Nandini scuttled to the other side and hid under the coverlet. She heard a low laugh but didn't turn for another fifteen minutes. By then, he had slept for real.

She gazed at him fervently for a long while, praying hard to the gods to protect him from pain...physical and emotional...

***************************

The little boy was being very reckless. He was half walking, half jumping on the ramparts of the fort. Every few feet, he would scramble up the old stone barriers like a small monkey to peek over the edges.

He didn't have to be careful because he knew he was not going to get hurt. His father was right behind him and so nothing bad could happen.

There were small stones on the path, and some had golden lines running through them. The boy crouched down to pick up a shiny rock. Right then, his father placed a hand tenderly on his head.

Prithvi awoke with a jolt.

That had been one hell of a realistic dream...

He could still feel the little boy's cheerfulness and supreme faith in his father's capabilities...and the light pressure of a hand on his head...

But it had been a dream. It was not real. He was never going to feel the touch of that hand...or what it was to progress through life with the unshakeable belief that he was under the watchful gaze of a rock-like protector.

A look at his phone revealed that it was twenty five minutes past three in the morning. He had slept for a decent number of hours but mental exhaustion was demanding more rest.

Prithvi looked sleepily at the girl who was on the other side of overstuffed pillows. Nandini was sleeping on her back, one hand on the pillow near her face and the other on her stomach.

He lifted the offending barriers between them and replaced them in their original spot. Then he moved across the bed till he was right next to her. He laid down his head as softly as he could on her shoulder, the side of his face on her shoulder and his forehead against her throat

She stirred with a questioning sound.

Prithvi raised his head quickly. "Sorry," he muttered, and prepared glumly for banishment.

Nandini blinked at him groggily, then she brought down his head with her left hand and coiled her right arm around his neck, holding him cosily against her.

The agitated buzzing in his mind quietened down, and he felt a soul-deep gratitude for her existence as well as presence in his life. Her love was his lifeline. If it was taken from him...

He whispered her name.

"Hmmm?" she asked drowsily.

"Don't leave me, okay?" he mumbled.

She stroked his head. "I won't."

It was all the reassurance his sleepy brain needed...

*************************

Prithvi woke up after one and a half hours with the usual keen alertness that characterised his mornings. But he remained motionless for numerous minutes for a valid reason.

His face was pressed against a warm, supple skin, and he didn't want to stir an inch.

He breathed in her sweet scent. Then acting on a purely instinctive impulse, he nuzzled his face against her soft throat and kissed it lingeringly a few times. A feeble hum of complaint disturbed his pleasurable pursuit, and he instantly realised that his stubble was pricking her skin. He lifted his head in time to see a crinkle disappear from her forehead.

As always, she possessed the lure of an insanely luscious treat. One that was forbidden to him.

Succumbing guiltily to the most innocent of his desires for an instant, he brushed his lips against hers as lightly as he could. Then he unwillingly removed the slender hands around him. If he ended up waking her, the doctors who were tending to Indrajit would have another patient on their hands.

The amused spark in Prithvi's eyes was obscured fleetingly by harsh emotions as terrible scenes from the previous day replayed in his mind. He grimly shunted them to a side. Nasty happenings were going to be an everyday occurrence in the coming days, perhaps months. He was not going to let them encroach on the parts that made life worth living...

It wouldn't be difficult. Compartmentalising his emotions cold-bloodedly was a talent he had perfected ages ago.

He brought back his attention to the sleeping pumpkin. The memories had been useful in one way – they had cooled down his bloodstream immediately. He resignedly rearranged the coverlet around her and had begun to move away when she turned and snuggled into him.

Prithvi didn't budge for a minute. Then swearing under his breath, he detached himself from her smoothly and climbed down from the bed.

The risk factor was too high. Because injuries would be the least harmful result of any reckless activities – she was quite capable of banning him from being close to her again.

As it was, if he took into account the pace of their relationship and her unlimited inhibitions, the days and night of his dreams were about 30-40 years away, he reflected morosely. Any transgressions that could postpone that precious era further had to be avoided. For now, he would have to continue relying on a tried and trusted remedy - long, cold showers...

***************************

Prithvi closed the door to his new room and strode briskly towards one of the rear entrances of the palace.

He would pass by his mother's suite to check if all was quiet. And maybe halt at the unfortunate room that currently accommodated his maniacal brother, he thought grudgingly.

Restful sleep and the time he had spent with his pumpkin, though it had necessitated the cold shower, had worked some sort of a miracle. He felt fairly restored in mind and spirit. The dream about his father too didn't seem bizarre now. It had obviously been triggered by the day's unbelievable events and Nandini's talk about her father.

He wasn't feeling like his usual self yet, but then that wasn't going to happen anytime in the near future. So at present, he was only thinking about an invigorating stroll in the woods and watching the sun rise over the hills

Then an odd sight brought Prithvi to a standstill.

Several meters ahead, about a dozen guards were huddled in a circle and conversing in murmurs.

Had something gone wrong with his mother...or Indrajit...

Ambushed by a variety of perturbing thoughts, Prithvi walked swiftly to the men.

On seeing him, the guards fell back unanimously and bowed. Relief flooded every face.

"What's wrong?" Prithvi asked tensely.

**************************

Prithvi's pace increased while the angry gleam in his eyes remained unchanged as he neared the room. But his feet halted abruptly when he arrived at the door and saw a pocket-sized human being on the couch.

It was staring at the floor, huddled into a shawl that would have been suitable for a Himalayan winter. This puny person was his 24-year-old cousin?

"Rajeshwari?" he asked doubtfully.

The single-word question startled Rajeshwari into nearly slipping down from the couch. She steadied herself and gazed fearfully at the tall and ominously tough-looking young man at the door.

She had prayed frantically for just one thing from the time her car had left the Devgarh palace – that she should not meet Prithvi first. Kadambari...then Nandini...and then her brother.

But her luck had not changed. The most petrifying scenario was unfolding. She was facing a furious Prithvi alone, and he was scarier than her grandfather. And why wouldn't he be angry. She had landed up without showing the basic courtesy of informing him, Rajeshwari mulled wretchedly.

She didn't have any excuses. She had just been terrified that Kadambari would call up any minute to say that there had been a misunderstanding and Prithvi hadn't forgiven her for the mistake she'd committed when they were children. Or he would find out that she didn't have any redeeming qualities and would forbid her from coming to Aadyabhoomi. Or he would change his mind for no reason.

Rajeshwari's legs started to shake. Frantic to create a decent first impression, she struggled to disguise bottomless terror with a limpid smile.

Her cousin's physique and aggressive aura had been intimidating even when she'd spied on him from afar in his college in Shamli. Now when he was walking towards her with a belligerent air, he seemed more demonic than her grandfather.

"When did you leave Devgarh?" Prithvi asked ill-temperedly, stopping in front of her. "And why didn't you let me know before leaving?"

Rajeshwari felt disoriented all of a sudden.

She had expected a virulent rebuke like the ones she heard from her grandfather. But the instant he had begun reprimanding her, it was as though someone had pulled her head out of icy water. The absolute disappearance of fear baffled her, and she stared at him curiously.

"You left after dark, didn't you? And then you travelled all night to reach here," Prithvi continued irately. "Are you insane? Why did you have to take such a risk? The routes you took aren't safe for women during the day. What made you think it was okay to travel on those roads at night?"

Rajeshwari realised what it was. Although Prithvi was fuming, his voice didn't hold any loathing or intention to degrade her. However, the rebuke contained another emotion that she hadn't sensed in any of her family members in the past thirteen years.

Concern.

This was how it felt to be scolded out of genuine concern, she pondered with an ecstatic awe. It was more beautiful than the kindest words, and it was the most wonderful thing she had heard in years. Suddenly, Rajeshwari was racked by an intense pity for herself.

"Are you hearing me?" he demanded sharply, frustrated at her blank face. "If you'd let me know in time, I could have -"

Shedding her blanket, Rajeshwari darted ahead to hug him tightly and burst into tears.

Shocked, Prithvi stared down at the sobbing pixie-like creature whose head reached his midriff.

Suddenly contrite, he patted his cousin's head uneasily. "Don't cry. I'm not angry. I'm glad you're here...I was just worried because -"

"I know," she wept.

"Then why are you crying?" he asked guardedly, and sympathetically added, "Is it because you forgot to bring three-fourth of your height and weight with you?"

Rajeshwari laughed shakily and then restarted her sobbing. "I don't want to go back, Prithvi. I hate that palace. I hate it," she said vehemently.

Crushing remorse and fury mingled on Prithvi's fair visage as he put a protective arm around his sister. "You're right where you should be," he said quietly. "Forget about that hellhole. It doesn't exist for you anymore..."

********************************