500 years back continued..... 

" Ma.. Ma.... Maaa... Rajmataa.... "
Someone was constantly banging the door to the prayer room, breaking Devasena's meditation.
She slowly got up and slightly opened the door, to find a panic stricken Revati standing and shivering. Devasena looked sideways to see no one in this wing as promised.
She pulled her inside and closed the door.
" Job done? "
" I... I... Did... My job rrajmmataa.... But.. "
" But what? Don't test my patience Revati! "
" But.... The priest's dining room caught...fire... And though everyone is busy stopping the raging flames, there's hardly any chance that anyone will be brought out alive... "
Revati stopped, breathing hard.

Devasena looked at her constantly to judge the situation, then a smile lit up her face.
" This is such a good news Revati! My son's murderer died the most painful death, yet no one will even know how  actually! "

" Yes.... Rrrajmata... Bbut... "

" But what Revati? Why don't you clear things up? "

" Raghav Bhavani too burnt to ashes in the flame... "
With this Revati broke down on the floor sobbing.
Raghav was loved by each and everyone in the palace, from the maids to the queens.

And Devasena froze. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move.

She lost a child for the second time. And she couldn't even witness his burnt body.

The door started banging, now severely, ministers and other authorities of the court had to see Rajmata regarding the mishaps that had just occured.
Devasena slowly gestured Revati to open the door and leave. Rivers ran down her eyes.

Ram Singh Khurana entered the room seriously along with other ministers. Devasena gestured only him to stay. Others left, a bit dissatisfied.

Devasena wiped off her tears. And slowly uttered, " What's happening to Maahishmathi Minister? "

Ram Singh Khurana looked down, containing his tears. Raghav was specially dear to him.

" Neither his, nor his father's body can be identified as of humans.  They have turned a pulp. "

" Oh stop it Khurana Ji! ", Devasena shut her eyes tight.

" I can stop Rajmata... But what about the Bhavanis? They'll not spare us again!! "

" Again? What exactly do you mean by again? Do even you believe like them, that their daughter Sharanyetra died because Maahishmathi didn't treat her well? I have no say in that. Because I was not anyway connected to Maahishmathi back then when she died giving birth to.....to... Amarendra... " , Her voice choked, as usual.

" But as much I have known Maahishmathi, Rajmataas here receive as much respect as they deserve. If Rajmata Shivagami did... Why wouldn't Rajmata Sharanyetra?? 
It's true as much as I heard, they cut all connections with Maahishmathi once she died, but her death was just a mishap! I heard they believed she was neglected, but why even?
Also, we didn't invite her brother's grandson Vushan to be back here as the priest! He himself did....

Only if I knew, to claim what.... "
She deliberately ate up the last few words.

" I understand Rajmata.... And that's a lesser issue than the fact that, the fire was most probably not an accident. "

" What??? "

" Yes. Someone deliberately threw fire torches from outside on a pre-planned inflammable liquid spread throughout the room. And then had closed from outside every way out as possible.... "

Devasena said nothing. Only stared coldly at him.

" Do you suspect anyone? "

" I don't, really. Who could bear anything against these two souls? I'm myself horrified!
Rajmata, we need a king. As soon as possible. But since Virendra is young and incapable, come out and rule Rajmata.... "

Devasena turned away.

"Khurana ji! Who else knew about the Bhavanis' connections with us? "

" No one apart from you, me, and a few very old and trustworthy ministers. "

Devasena stayed silent.
" Raghav was able, loved, carried the blood of this clan very distantly, but did. He belonged to Amarendra's mother's family, he was dear to me, I even at times felt how good would it be if he belonged to us completely. And most importantly, he's seventeen. Could these make someone out there insecure? "

Khurana squeezed his brows and nodded his head for sometime. And then suddenly, something struck him, leaving him utterly horrified.

" Don't take my words to heart. Don't spread it even. I know you won't. Only, if by any chance I don't remain, break Maahiamathi's tradition, and make Virendra the king at fifteen. "

Khurana kept staring, wide eyed.

+++++

Devasena sat on the floor, her eyes closed. And though how much she tried to concentrate on her prayers, she couldn't. No, she wasn't afraid. She had already embraced death on the day her kid died. He didn't deserve that. Rajmata Devasena would live with pride if he died protecting Maahishmathi on the battlefield. But this was something that was nibbling off her pride.

Raghav's face glowed before her eyes. He was so much like....HIM.
No doubt, Sharanyetra was a big reason of what Amarendra Baahubali was, even though she belonged to a simple zamindaar family, the Bhavanis, and typical royalty wasn't in her blood...
Most importantly, Devasena didn't even know Raghav's faint connection to Maahishmathi. And when she kept praising Raghav's strange similarity to Amarendra, Vushan Bhavani would only smile, until one day Khurana overheard their conversation and told her the truth.
Vikramdeva, Amarendra's father and the king of Maahishmathi had loved Sharanyetra... And the rest was his will power and authority to own.

A drop of tear tickled down Devasena's eyes. She hadn't gone to see what was not even a human body of the human she loved so much.

Another face flashed before her eyes.
Devasena knew, she had tried her level best to make her feel like her daughter-in-law, and she knew as well, she had terribly failed in doing so, so much so that she couldn't even trust her enough and believed her to be unjust to her own grandson and make someone else the king, thus murdering him off...

Avanthika.

Devasena heaved a sigh. She made a murderer of her daughter-in-law, being unable to become the mother-in-law maybe she desired to have.

Amarendra, if only you were alive, Maahishmathi would have never seen this day..... 

The door clicked open to the prayer room. Devasena had deliberately asked no guards to remain in duty there. Devasena turned to the door, got up and smiled.

Avanthika's eyes were burning. Devasena didn't move, Devasena didn't protest. But Avanthika hardly knew, the one she was going to kill was already dead from within, long back...

Avanthika spread some inflammable throughout the prayer room, silently yet violently gazing at Devasena who said nothing at all. Avanthika had already locked the door from inside for the procedures and kept the key along. Yet she was astonished at the calm Devasena's face showed.

Having done that, Avanthika hissed,
"Good bye. I don't know how a blind love for someone else made you kill your own son, but I can well understand, you are the most selfish and possessive woman on earth whose eyes burn to see her son with someone else, even his wife! You are a.... 
Anyways, good bye. I don't care if I'm caught. My job will be done by then. Just as I finished that priest and his irritating son! Even if I'm imprisoned, my son will rule Maahishmathi. Do you get that? My son will rule Maahishmathi!!! "

A breathtaking laughter echoed through the room. Avanthika unlocked the door, brought in fire torches one by one, lit them and making herself safely outside, threw them one by one.

Within ten minutes, the prayer room exploded. And no one knew, the only soul that escaped in thin air, had a smile on her face.

-------

Note to readers : Please don't vote without reading. Because it's visible. Only if you read completely, vote.