In the Malava Islands,
They had all safely reached the islands without any further ado. Annapoorna (Shodasi Devi) expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Mrithyunjay, "Son, you are truly remarkable. You redeemed things for us when all of us had lost hope. You gave a new lease of life to me and my daughter. I am forever indebted to you. Ask me for whatever you want. I will grant it if it is in my power to give you."

Mrithyunjay humbly replied, "I just performed my duty. I do not want anything in return."

She reiterated, "If not now, maybe sometime later. Whenever you want something, ask me."

Mrithyunjay nodded his head in acquiescence.
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The islands reverberated with furious activity. Logs were chopped and huts were being erected. Just then, one of them exclaimed, "I am feeling very thirsty."

Rudra handed over the water in his sealskin pouch. The person avidly drank the water in the pouch. But to his disappointment, it was hardly a mouthful. As he drained the last drop into his mouth, he looked at the commander to inquire if he had more. Rudra looked regretfully at him, "That is all I have. Maybe somebody else has water with them."

Everybody looked inquisitively from face to face. A few of them stepped forward offering their sealskins in which they had stored water. They were about to offer it when Annapoorna exclaimed, "We have a very pressing issue before us now. Stop working and tiring yourselves. We need to conserve whatever water we have until we find freshwater sources or an alternative source of potable water. Samarth, you possess more knowledge about these islands than any of us. What do you suggest?"

Samarth sheepishly exclaimed, "I did not anticipate this problem when I suggested this solution. For our reconnaissance mission and the military stopover, we carried our drinking water and food with us. I am not aware about any freshwater sources here. Maybe if we send scouting parties, they might be able to locate freshwater sources."

"Or else", suggested one of the women, "We could try desalinating the sea water."

"Can we actually do that?"asked the others curiously.

"I am Meenakshi. I belong to the fishing community. So we usually live near the sea. The place where we used to live in Mahishmati was too far off from any freshwater source. It was just sea, sea, and sea all around us. So people of our community adopted an ancient practice we have followed since generations, desalinating the sea water for drinking. This is a knowledge only people of our community possess. I could try that here with the resources we have."
Annapoorna proclaimed, "In that case, you will try and see if you can desalinate the water of the sea while a scouting party will be sent to the interior of these islands under Samarth and Mrithyunjay to find freshwater sources if there are any. In the meanwhile, all the food and drink we have with each of us will be collected and equally rationed among all of us. Whatever we have is not just for us but for our whole community."
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Everyone realized that life on these islands was not going to be easy. It was an uphill journey and they had only each other to depend on. Luckily for them, Meenakshi was able to successfully desalinate the sea water with the existing resources though the scouting party was not able to find any freshwater sources.

A new morn had dawned. Those of them who were skilled worksmen like carpenters, blacksmiths, and masons engaged in construction activities, while the rest divided themselves into groups and engaged in fishing and hunting. All the women in the group began making preparations for communal cooking of food. They laughed and chatted happily.

They worked together sharing and smoothly dividing their responsibilities among themselves. After the men came with the food they had gathered, they all cooked together and ate together. Nobody was higher or lower than the other. They were all equal and everyone contributed towards their small community in their own unique way. Thus passed the first day of the fugitives on the Malava Islands, a return back to simplicity and the way of primeval mankind before the onset of culture and sophistication.

Aparaajitha beckoned a group of the Raktabijas and Mrithyunjay towards her. The Raktabijas had tremendously warmed up towards her in this short while. They hardly understood even a word of the language she spoke. Theirs was a tongue very different from what the other Mahishmatians and Vijayapurians spoke. But sometimes it is not important to know a language to understand the spirit of what is being spoken.

The Raktabijas instinctively understood what the child was trying to convey to them despite the language barrier. They felt an instant and immediate connection with the child. She was truly their savior. She was the only one who beheld the human behind the cannibal. She was the only one who had tried to understand them and not collectively dismiss them as barbarians. She was the only one who taught them to be kind and human. She was the only one who saved them from their own inner darkness.

She said, "As you see, water is scarce here. Meenakshi Akka has a tough time desalinating water for all of us. So we should conserve every drop of rain that falls from the heavens. It is a blessing to us from Amma Gauri. And we should plant as many trees as we can. We are cutting trees to build our huts. I know we cannot help it because all of us need a shelter, a roof over our heads. But let us promise to ourselves that we will plant a tree for every branch we cut, and three trees for ever single tree we bring down with our axe. Do not take what you cannot give back."

As Aparaajitha and the Raktabijas continued planting the saplings, Mrithyunjay carefully created pathways and channels in the mud to water the saplings.

Annapoorna was coordinating and discussing what they ought to do in future with Samarth and Rudra.

Samarth said, "We could try to contact Aslam Khan from Persia. He is one of Katappa's closest friends. He is a very influential man and reputed to be a very close associate of the King of Persia. Moreover, he is a horse and weapons dealer. If we succeed in contacting him, he is sure to help us build our military strength. He could also provide us with mercenaries and assassins to fight on our behalf against Subahu. What do you think?"

Annapoorna gave this idea deep consideration and thought, "That is a very good idea. But how do we pay for all this?"

Samarth replied, "In kind! Mrithyunjay told me that when he dived into the water to save our princess, he saw precious corals and pearls of different kinds. Similarly, several very valuable spices naturally grow on some of these islands. These things are high in demand in several places of the world. We could secretly trade in these things by undertaking sea voyages in return for food, clothing, weapons, logistics and mercenaries."

Annapoorna said, "Alright. In that case, you will set out immediately on a secret sea voyage to Persia and try to establish contact with Aslam Khan and explain our situation to him."

Just then this scene of Aparaajitha, the Raktabijas and Mrithyunjay together caught her attention and fancy. A soft smile started playing on her lips. She was pondering and musing over it when she was roused to the present by the words of her commander, Rudra who exclaimed, "Maharani it becomes dark very quickly on these islands. It is night already."

Annapoorna replied, "Rudra, may be I am seeing what you fail to see. The night may be dark but our future is truly bright."
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In Mahishmati,
The next day, Bijjaladeva was standing on the banks of Bhagiradhi performing the last rites for his dead son, Bhallaladeva. As he was immersing the ashes of his son in the Bhagiradhi River, Bijjaladeva said, "Son, I have fulfilled my promise to you today." Bijjaladeva pointed towards his breast, "I saved your ashes all these years only to see this day. Do you know Bhalla, I always tried to live all my dreams and ambitions vicariously through you. I tried to make you that which I couldn't become. When it was my turn to become king, I was passed over. What was mine was given to my brother. Then came your turn."

He continued, the pent up rage within him swelling to volcanic proportions, "History repeated itself. Your cousin brother, Amarendra was preferred over you. He was the darling of the scum of Mahishmati while you were a non-entity to them. Why the masses? Even your mother, Sivagami loved Baahu more than she loved you, Bhalla. Is not a mother's love and milk for her son the son's birthright? Should he share even that? Should he earn a mother's love and esteem by good behavior, loyalty, service and hard work? Your mother Sivagami did both. She shared your exclusive share of her milk with Baahu. She thought that you had to earn her love just the way Baahu did. That was the day I started nursing a murderous rage for Sivagami within my bosom. I could not stand by and let the same injustice be meted out to you that was meted out to me."

He spat out, "I manipulated and schemed my way to oust and eliminate Amarendra out of your path. I got Sivagami killed by your hands. She was your culprit. It was but right that you kill your mother with your own hands. Twenty-five years later, Amarendra's son, Mahendra came and overthrew you. These masses-these ants of Mahishmati welcomed him too with open arms. They all laughed at me.....they laughed at you, Bhalla......That day, Devasena and Mahendra set fire to you before my own eyes....As you burnt in that pyre......they laughed.......Do you know, Bhalla, which is the worst punishment of all?......Not death....You died....You were free......I was left behind after you to live....and experience living hell......Only today this burning pyre in my heart has been quenched.....I have the last laugh.....Where is that Devasena? .....Where is that Mahendra and his family? .....Where is that proud Mahishmati?.......All in ruins!.....Subahu, your son, your bloodline is ruling on the throne of Mahishmati....I, BIJJALADEVA, MADE THIS POSSIBLE....."

He walked back in slow and studied steps, turning his back on a kingdom he had destroyed for his vengeance, ambition and power lust. He danced on the carcasses of human relationships and loyalties he had strewn and ripped apart in trying to prove his point. After his death, there was a lot he would have to answer his maker about his choices and decisions. But he cared not. Was there a maker? Who knew what happened after death? Heaven and hell were here. They are what you make out of this world. AND HE WAS NOT SORRY FOR WHAT HE HAD DONE.
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In the Malava Islands,
Thirteen years passed. Aparaajitha grew up. She was eighteen years old now. She was the very epitome of rare, alluring, captivating, charismatic feminine beauty, grace, valor and emancipated womanhood. She grew up into everything her parents, Mahendra and Avantika would have been proud of had they been alive.

She learnt to brave all weathers, calamities and challenges with perfect equanimity. She learnt to hide all her tears, fears and sorrows in the deepest corner of her heart. With a bright and radiant smile, she put on a brave front for the sake of the people around her.

She and her people created their own life and civilization on the Malava islands. This coral archipelago of uninhabited islands received lost souls like them with welcoming arms. They found a second home here. They thatched their own huts, cultivated vast stretches of barren land with food crops, fruit trees and vegetables, built  their own boats, canoes, ships and travelled all the seas and oceans, trading in spices, pearls and corals.

The Raktabijas- the nomadic, barbarian and cannibalistic tribe who never remained in the same place for three consecutive nights, permanently settled down in the Malava islands. They were no longer outcastes or barbarians. They found a home of their own at last. They too were part of a kingdom and community, even though it was a kingdom without a history. They became civilized, learnt languages and arts. They became pure vegetarians out of choice because the savior and protector of their race, Aparaajitha, had asked them not to take anything they could not give back.

In return, they shared the secret and exclusive knowledge possessed by only members of their tribe- how to concoct the herbal preparation of Indraneeli that temporalily immobilizes the physical and mental faculties of the opponents- with everyone on the islands. All the people on the Malava islands, men, women, old and young, learned to wield all sorts of weapons and were given extensive military training in all forms of attack, defence and knowledge of military formations.

Though they were protected on all sides by imposing natural defences like the sea, its tides, the barrier reefs, tricky waterways full of eddies, currents and whirlpools, they also maintained constant sentry watch in several crucial and strategically vital approaches to the islands and developed many lines of defense. They strengthened themselves militarily with Aslam Khan's help, preparing for the final showdown with Subahu and the Kalakeyas. Though they were a force to reckon with militarily, they were nowhere close in taking Subahu and the Kalakeyas head on.

Though they were comfortable and happy enough here on these islands, except the Raktabijas, all the others had the single, distant and unwavering dream of regaining and returning some day or the other to their homelands, Mahishmati and Vijayapuri. Aparaajitha was ably guided, supported and assisted on every step in this path by Annapoorna (Shodasi Devi), Mrithyunjay, Samarth, Rudra, her people and the Raktabijas. All of them formed a closely-knit family that governed itself and took all its decisions democratically. Nobody was bigger or smaller. Everyone had a voice to express their views and opinions. This was their life. But it was a life led incognito. When would their angnyathavaas (life led incognito) end?