To be born in my clan means to abandon all your dreams. At an age of playing with toys, swords were thrust in our hands. We were beaten to pulp, thrown in the wild; prepared for just for one purpose, to obliterate Rajgadh, stone by stone. It’s been twenty years, twenty bloody years of fight to reclaim what is rightly ours. But the struggle only had cost lives of my dear ones. Our enemy is mighty. We are outnumbered and outmatched. My people have started losing the hope to see their land again and accepted the refuge in the jungle. But I cannot. This wilderness is not our home. I must fight. I must bring peace. But, this war cannot be won by weapons. I need something more powerful than weapons. I need words.
“Why do I always support you?” Gaurav chided, embracing himself. “And get myself in trouble.”
Kashyap regarded his friend’s fury. It was obvious. The entire mistake was his. Quills and scrolls were not considered as warrior’s tools, especially not for a Yudhvan warrior. His obsession had already earned him a ‘misfit’ title in his clan. “Sorry,” he said, spitting rivulets of the rain that filled his mouth.
Gaurav nodded his head, shivering. “It’s all right. At least you are not alone up here in this watch tower. Now I understand why they haven't kept any roof here.” A thunder groaned above and the wind picked its speed. “These towers are made to punish people like us. This night, my friend, is going to be very long.”
Kashyap peered down at his village. Situated in the large clearing of Vasat forest, Yudhvan was a cluster of hundred huts, arranged haphazardly.
“Can I ask you something?” Gaurav shouted. The wind howled, defying his voice.
Kashyap nodded.
“Why do you write?”
A long moment of silence stretched save for rumblings and groaning of the thunderstorm. “I write for the peace of my mind.”
Young Yesha, the princess of Rajgadh flipped the last page of the book, laying restless in her cosy bed. Writings were barely readable in the feeble torch lights. But the story was too engaging to leave, almost making her forgot the grief of the loss of his father. She continued to read.
“You must sleep, my lady.” A woman’s voice distracted Yesha’s attention from the book. “Tomorrow is a big day for you.”
Yesha closed the book and stared at the wide balconies of her majestic chamber. Silk curtains swayed vigorously, revealing the downpour. “Did they find the writer of this book?”
The maiden shook her head. “Is that Starlight Wisdom, my lady?”
“Yes, and the writer’s name is not mentioned,” Yesha noted. “I want to meet him.”
“Him?” The maiden asked, snuffing one of the torches. “What makes you think that the writer is a man? I understand your curiosity. Our people have never read something as wonderful as this. It’s a masterpiece! Even I am as anxious as you are. Still my question remains the same, my lady. Why him? ”
“I don’t know,” the princess admitted. “Something tells me from the words and the way of narration that the writer is a man. What the press people are saying about him? They should know the writer.”
“I’m afraid to say, but they too are ignorant about the writer,” answered the maiden. “They found the manuscript at their doorsteps. They loved it and they published it.”
Yesha then gestured at her maiden and dug herself into the warmth of her woollen blanket.
The maiden dowsed the last torch and the room darkened. Yesha drowned in her dreams. Tomorrow, I am going to be an empress.
With breaking of the dawn, clouds parted, allowing the sun to bless the world with its warmth and light.
“Do you think its our scheme?” Gaurav asked, rubbing his hands. Their time of punishment had finally elapsed and they were signalled to descend the tower. Wrapped with shawls, both friends squatted near a bonfire. To kill the rising cold within them, Kashyap’s mother provided a kittle of tea. The presence of herbs was evident in its steam.
Kashyap snickered. “You mean about the death of the king? I thought it was natural.” He sipped a mouthful of tea from his saucer. The hot liquid slipped into his throat, burning away the coldness.
“May be it was natural,” Gaurav said. “But what if it was not? What if it was a plotted murder? Their first suspect would be us, Kashyap. And they won’t stop at any rate to kill the last one of us.”
Kashyap stared at his friend. “You think too much, Gaurav. I don’t think our leaders have done it. It’s an act of cowardice. And back-stabbing is not a virtue of any Yudhvan. We fight for what is rightly ours.”
“And what we have gained till now?” Gaurav tossed a stick in the fire; sparks flickered.“Deaths. More deaths.” He gritted his teeth. “We can’t win this war by weapons, Kashyap. We have limited resources while Rajgadh has legions of soldiers. They can erase our existence at any moment they wish. Peace have prevailed for last five years because of the treaty was signed, a pact of peace between us and them. Now with the death of the king, the treaty has ended. And that worries me.”
Kashyap wanted to say something but stopped in mid as his eyes caught a movement at the far end of the woods. He squinted and realised it was an approaching cart, pulled by a black mare. The merchant had arrived in Yudhvan. Women, children, men – everyone swarmed around the merchant. Vasat forest had indeed blessed Yudhvan people with food and shelter, but spices and wool was absent here. The merchant trade was an advantage of the peace treaty.
Kashyap and Gaurav waited till everyone filled their caskets as per their needs. When wagon was emptied, Kashyap neared the old merchant. “Is anything left for us?”
The kind faced man looked at the young warriors. He smiled. “Ah, there is something very special for you, Kashyap. This item will surely interest you.” From the folds of his weathered robe, he produced a book and offered it to the young man. “This is a masterpiece by an unknown. Keep it as a gift. I don’t understand why the people of Vasat don’t read.”
Kashyap read the title of the book, curiously. Shock stabbed his heart. “Starlight Wisdom?”
“Believe me boy, people are dying to know who wrote this brilliant piece of literature.”
He skimmed the random pages of the book in haste. This cannot be possible, he thought. Without saying anything, Kashyap dashed to his hut, followed by Gaurav.
“What happened?”
Kashyap halted and spun on his heels. Confusion and surprise battled to express his feelings. “I am the writer of Starlight Wisdom!”
“That’s good,” Gaurav cheered.
“No, that’s not good. I didn't give it to any press. Someone has stolen my work!”
Princess Yesha, now enthroned as an Empress Yesha, loitered leisurely in the long corridor of her palace. Her head ached by remembering all names of her advisers and their duties. She could barely remember few of them, and one of them was accompanying her.
Her first order as an empress was to award the writer of Starlight Wisdom with whatever he desires, if he ever show up. Many functionaries took this decision as a naïve approach. “There are truths and secrets only few of the powerful people of the kingdom should know,” told the noble adviser. “And I think as an empress you have every right to know them, all of them.”
“My ears are all yours,” Yesha said, adjusting the golden circlet on her head.
The adviser checked the corridor. Save for the royal guards there was no one. He whispered. “Your father death is not natural. He was poisoned.”
Yesha felt a stab of shock. Her legs buckled and the golden circlet almost slipped from her head. “But…I was told…”
“The kingdom could have crumbled if we had revealed the news of His Highness's murder,” the adviser admitted. “For measures, my empress, we suppressed the truth.”
“And…who have killed him?” Yesha said, barely quashing her fury.
“It’s an act of Yudhvan, my empress,” the advisor divulged. “And we have firm evidences for it.”
Kashyap kept looking at the Starlight Wisdom. He felt hollow from inside as if someone had robbed his dream off and left him purposeless. Certainly, someone did that. Everyone in Yudhvan knew about his writing, and no one took any interest in it. For the people of Yudhvan, weapons were basic need just like food and water, and their lives’ aim was one – to reclaim their land. Then who could possibly have done it?
“Are you feeling good?” Gaurav asked, concerned.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand.”
“People are liking your work, Kashyap.” Gaurav tried to rise his friend’s spirit. “They wants to know who wrote it. They wants to know you.”
“And that is not what I wanted!” Kashyap yelled. “I write for myself. Not for the world.”
Dumbstruck, Gaurav tried to read his friend’s face. “What do you mean?”
“This book is my dream.” Kashyap turned a page, his eyes solemn and blank. “Every word, Gaurav, in each syllable I’ve poured my soul. My only goal was to complete it.”
“Wait, you mean Starlight Wisdom is unfinished?” Gaurav asked, surprised.
Kashyap nodded. “It’s only half written.”
A peal of horn blared from the distant, followed by the thumping of drums. Alerted, both friends rose on their feet. They exchanged a nervous look. They knew what it meant. A spy of Yudhvan had arrived from Rajgadh to deliver the updates of the royal affairs.
Kashyap and Gaurav shoved their way to hear what news was brought. People crowded around the leaders and the spy. Everyone were curious to know.
“Chief,” the spy said. “Empress now holds the command of Rajgadh.”
“We must offer our condolences for her loss,” the muscular chief expressed. “The peace treaty must remain intact. What more?”
“She announced to honour the writer of some book with abundance,” the spy said.
Gaurav elbowed Kashyap. “Told you. Now empress is too impressed.”
Kashyap found that thought disturbing. He focused on the conversation between the chief and the spy.
“There is something more,” the chief said, “isn't it?”
Fear masked the spy’s face. He gulped down the knot that was forming in his throat. “She gave an another order.”
“And what’s that?” probed the chief.
“To eliminate us, chief. War is coming!”
“My lady,” said the maiden, filling her a cup of tea. “Can I ask you something?"
“Minera, you don’t need my permission to speak.” Yesha took a sip. “Besides my maiden,you are my curator too.”
The aged woman sighed. “Do you deem it wise to eradicate Yudhvan will bring peace to your mind?”
Empress’s hand froze, her grip tightened on the cup. “They had killed my father.”
“I know, my lady,” Minera admitted. “You already shared this secret with me. And you are about to kill many fathers. War is not an answer.”
Yesha sneered, banging the cup on the table. “My father tried to prevail the peace, what did he get? Back stabbing.”
“Do not forget, my lady, it was your grandfather who drew them away from their lands.”
Minera took a cloth and started scrubbing the spilled tea. “All I need, my lady, that you do not suffer the madness of power. I request you to reconsider your thought. Or else the ground will be watered with the blood of innocent.”
Distraught, confused, Yesha picked up the Starlight Wisdom, hoping to find concord in its pages.
“I can stop this war,” Kashyap told Gaurav. The village was getting prepared for the assault.
Men armoured with leathers were sharpening their swords. Women engaged themselves in harnessing the horses. They all had prepared for this day. To fight for their land. But instead of courage, Kashyap read fear in their eyes. Even the chief looked scared, though he acted confident. “I can save us.”
“How?” Gaurav asked, picking up his spear.
“Come here.” Kashyap whispered his plan in Gaurav’s ears.
The hair on Gaurav’s neck stood up. “No! No, this is foolishness! I can’t allow you to do this.”
Kashyap kept his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “This is the only way to avert war, Gaurav. Only way to bring the peace.”
“And what if you fail?”
“That’s the risk I must take. Either way, we are going to perish.”
Gaurav opened his mouth to say something, but could not put his expressions into words. He tried again. “I can't believe I am saying this, but you are not going alone.”
Infantries of Rajgadh streamed through the city streets, pounding the ground with their steel boots; their mailed armours clanking. Empress Yesha looked down at them from her balcony. “Did I make a mistake?”
“No, my empress,” said the advisor. “Your father should’ve taken this decision before. It’s pity that I failed to convince him. Yudhvan is a disease that needs abolition.”
“I don’t know why,” the queen of Rajgadh confessed, “but it feels wrong. A decision taken in haste is always conflicted.” She surprised at her own words. She actually quoted a phrase from the Starlight Wisdom. “Retreat our army. We are not going for a war.”
The advisor’s face tightened. “My empress, you cannot change your mind.”
“Yes, I can. I am the empress of Rajgadh.”
A servant appeared from the door and bowed in servitude. “My lady, two men wish your audience.”
“Not now,” Yesha irately waved him to leave. “I’ve more important things to handle.”
“But my lady, one of them claims to be the writer of the Starlight Wisdom.”
“I told you this is suicide,” Gaurav muttered as several guards pointed their swords at their
him and his friend. “We could’ve fight and slayed some of them. We could’ve died gloriously.”
“Shut up!” Kashyap snapped. “This is some kind of misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” One of the soldiers mocked. “You’ve invited your death by crossing our threshold, you scum. How dare you enter our city?”
“Leave them alone,” Empress thundered, entering the throne hall. “Guests are to be honoured, not threatened.”
Kashyap sighed in relief as the guards sheathed back their swords. Time eased and he took a look at the empress for the first time. Her angelic faced glowed with nobleness, her almond shaped eyes sparkled with curiosity. The golden circlet over her flowing hair added more splendour. She was, indeed, the perfect suitor of the throne.
“Kashyap,” Gaurav whispered.
“Yes.”
“You are gawking at her.”
Realising his mistake, Kashyap drew his gaze on the ground. “I apologise, my lady.”
“So you are the writer?” Yesha asked. “How I can trust you with that?”
From the moment they had sneaked away from Vasat forest, Kashyap had been thinking the same. How would he prove his authenticity? It was difficult, but somehow he sorted out this problem in a day’s journey. “You can either believe my words or you’ll have my life. Choices are yours, my lady.” He said with utter confidence.
For few heartbeats, Yesha looked at him in bewilderment. An insecure feeling grew in Kashyap’s mind. Did he made the mistake in coming here? He doubted himself.
“You are from Yudhvan, a clan that breeds warriors. How can a gem be born there?” asked the surprised Yesha.
“May be I was born to end this war, this tension between your kingdom and my clan.”
Kashyap risked a step ahead. “May be my words can stop things that weapons cannot.”
The majestic door closed behind him with a thud.
Alarmed, Yesha rose from her throne. “What are you doing?”
“Precautions, my empress,” the adviser said, battening the door. “A Yudhvan killed our king. I can’t risk your life at the presence of their kind.”
“We haven’t killed your king!” Gaurav declared. “Someone did this dirty job and blamed us for it.” He spun to the queen. “Believe me, my lady. We have been framed.”
The adviser cackled, his madness echoing in the throne hall. “Don’t you think you’ve more brain than you are supposed to have, worm. Ten years I’ve waited for this. And now when the moment has arrived, I won’t allow anyone to ruin it. Yudhvan must fall!”
“What are you talking about?” Yesha said, placing her hand at her waist.
“Princess,” the advisor teased. “Oh, my apology. Empress, are you looking for this?” He displayed a sharp knife with a golden hilt. “You should be careful with your belongings.”
“Give me my knife back.” Yesha order, enraged. “Guards! Fetch him and throw him into the dungeons!”
Kashyap’s stomach churned as no guard moved an inch. A horrible truth flooded him as he realised that apart from the queen, ten guards, Gaurav and the insane adviser, there was no one. And the hall was locked. That meant only one thing. It was all plotted. “You killed the king!”
The adviser scowled. “Yes, I’ve poisoned him to death. He left him no choice. He wanted to give back the land to Yudhvan.”
Yesha’s leg failed and she slumped back in the throne. “But why?”
“War has destroyed my family. It was a Yudhvan skirmish that snatched the lives of my dear ones. My wife, my son, my mother – everyone whom I loved.” The adviser’s eyes brimmed with tears, his face contorted with hatred. “And I am not the only sufferer. These guards too have lost their relatives. And now I’ll end this by destroying everything! The armies has already reached out of the gates.” He raised his hands. “Brothers, they are all yours.”
Brandishing their swords, the guards neared Kashyap. For the first time in life, Kashyap felt proud to be a Yudhvan."Gaurav, till the death?”
“Till my last breath, my friend.”
Kashyap ducked in nick of time as one of the guard attacked him. With swift defence tactics, he disarmed his foe and armed himself. The guard hollered in pain as Kashyap struck at his heart. Another leaped and their sword clashed. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Gaurav fighting four of the guards. It was a relief to see a sword in his hand and a headless guard beneath his legs. Clangs and cries filled the hall.
Shaep pain seared in Kashyap’s shoulder as one of the guards drew a cut from his blade. Enraged to see his own blood, Kashyap spun his blade, decapitating him. The lifeless body collapsed.
“Help!” Kashyap heard Yesha’s scream. Half of the guards had met their doom, half still were alive. “Gaurav!”
Gaurav understood what his friend meant. He leaped and engaged himself in deflecting the assaults of five swordsmen at a time.
Kashyap seized this opportunity and dashed towards the dais.
Horror chocked her throat as Yesha watched the adviser towering upon her. Her muscles refused to move.
“Sorry, empress,” said the adviser. “Your reign is short lived!”
A sword pierced his chest and the adviser howled, crumpling beside the throne. Kashyap stood behind him, his sword stained with the blood of the betrayer.
“Why do you write?” asked Yesha, watching Yudhvan people settling back in their homeland.
Kashyap smiled. “I write for the peace of my mind, my lady. Now, I’ll write for the peace of my people.”
“Kashyap,” Gaurav called. “There is something you should know.”
“What’s the matter?”
“It was me, who traded your Starlight Wisdom for wool with the merchant.”
There was awkward silence for few moments. “What?! I swear I am going to skin you for this.”
“Be calm, Kashyap,” said Yesha. “It was his mistake. Forgive him. Think, if he had not committed this mistake, then your people would not have been saved.”
“That means I saved them all, right?” Gaurav asked, hopeful. "That means I am a hero."
The Empress and the writer laughed while Gaurav scratched his head, wondering what funny he had said.
Behind the shifting shadows, among the stars, you’ll find your place. Your brilliance will be adored by the universe. Remember, the star that shines brightly now was once dull. Everything comes at a time. All you need is to wait. Patience and persistence, that’s what seeds wisdom.
Yesha closed the book and stared at the wide balconies of her majestic chamber. Silk curtains swayed vigorously, revealing the downpour. “Did they find the writer of this book?”
The maiden shook her head. “Is that Starlight Wisdom, my lady?”
“Yes, and the writer’s name is not mentioned,” Yesha noted. “I want to meet him.”
“Him?” The maiden asked, snuffing one of the torches. “What makes you think that the writer is a man? I understand your curiosity. Our people have never read something as wonderful as this. It’s a masterpiece! Even I am as anxious as you are. Still my question remains the same, my lady. Why him? ”
“I don’t know,” the princess admitted. “Something tells me from the words and the way of narration that the writer is a man. What the press people are saying about him? They should know the writer.”
“I’m afraid to say, but they too are ignorant about the writer,” answered the maiden. “They found the manuscript at their doorsteps. They loved it and they published it.”
Yesha then gestured at her maiden and dug herself into the warmth of her woollen blanket.
The maiden dowsed the last torch and the room darkened. Yesha drowned in her dreams. Tomorrow, I am going to be an empress.
“Do you think its our scheme?” Gaurav asked, rubbing his hands. Their time of punishment had finally elapsed and they were signalled to descend the tower. Wrapped with shawls, both friends squatted near a bonfire. To kill the rising cold within them, Kashyap’s mother provided a kittle of tea. The presence of herbs was evident in its steam.
Kashyap snickered. “You mean about the death of the king? I thought it was natural.” He sipped a mouthful of tea from his saucer. The hot liquid slipped into his throat, burning away the coldness.
“May be it was natural,” Gaurav said. “But what if it was not? What if it was a plotted murder? Their first suspect would be us, Kashyap. And they won’t stop at any rate to kill the last one of us.”
Kashyap stared at his friend. “You think too much, Gaurav. I don’t think our leaders have done it. It’s an act of cowardice. And back-stabbing is not a virtue of any Yudhvan. We fight for what is rightly ours.”
“And what we have gained till now?” Gaurav tossed a stick in the fire; sparks flickered.“Deaths. More deaths.” He gritted his teeth. “We can’t win this war by weapons, Kashyap. We have limited resources while Rajgadh has legions of soldiers. They can erase our existence at any moment they wish. Peace have prevailed for last five years because of the treaty was signed, a pact of peace between us and them. Now with the death of the king, the treaty has ended. And that worries me.”
Kashyap wanted to say something but stopped in mid as his eyes caught a movement at the far end of the woods. He squinted and realised it was an approaching cart, pulled by a black mare. The merchant had arrived in Yudhvan. Women, children, men – everyone swarmed around the merchant. Vasat forest had indeed blessed Yudhvan people with food and shelter, but spices and wool was absent here. The merchant trade was an advantage of the peace treaty.
Kashyap and Gaurav waited till everyone filled their caskets as per their needs. When wagon was emptied, Kashyap neared the old merchant. “Is anything left for us?”
The kind faced man looked at the young warriors. He smiled. “Ah, there is something very special for you, Kashyap. This item will surely interest you.” From the folds of his weathered robe, he produced a book and offered it to the young man. “This is a masterpiece by an unknown. Keep it as a gift. I don’t understand why the people of Vasat don’t read.”
Kashyap read the title of the book, curiously. Shock stabbed his heart. “Starlight Wisdom?”
“Believe me boy, people are dying to know who wrote this brilliant piece of literature.”
He skimmed the random pages of the book in haste. This cannot be possible, he thought. Without saying anything, Kashyap dashed to his hut, followed by Gaurav.
“What happened?”
Kashyap halted and spun on his heels. Confusion and surprise battled to express his feelings. “I am the writer of Starlight Wisdom!”
“That’s good,” Gaurav cheered.
“No, that’s not good. I didn't give it to any press. Someone has stolen my work!”
Princess Yesha, now enthroned as an Empress Yesha, loitered leisurely in the long corridor of her palace. Her head ached by remembering all names of her advisers and their duties. She could barely remember few of them, and one of them was accompanying her.
Her first order as an empress was to award the writer of Starlight Wisdom with whatever he desires, if he ever show up. Many functionaries took this decision as a naïve approach. “There are truths and secrets only few of the powerful people of the kingdom should know,” told the noble adviser. “And I think as an empress you have every right to know them, all of them.”
“My ears are all yours,” Yesha said, adjusting the golden circlet on her head.
The adviser checked the corridor. Save for the royal guards there was no one. He whispered. “Your father death is not natural. He was poisoned.”
Yesha felt a stab of shock. Her legs buckled and the golden circlet almost slipped from her head. “But…I was told…”
“The kingdom could have crumbled if we had revealed the news of His Highness's murder,” the adviser admitted. “For measures, my empress, we suppressed the truth.”
“And…who have killed him?” Yesha said, barely quashing her fury.
“It’s an act of Yudhvan, my empress,” the advisor divulged. “And we have firm evidences for it.”
Kashyap kept looking at the Starlight Wisdom. He felt hollow from inside as if someone had robbed his dream off and left him purposeless. Certainly, someone did that. Everyone in Yudhvan knew about his writing, and no one took any interest in it. For the people of Yudhvan, weapons were basic need just like food and water, and their lives’ aim was one – to reclaim their land. Then who could possibly have done it?
“Are you feeling good?” Gaurav asked, concerned.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand.”
“People are liking your work, Kashyap.” Gaurav tried to rise his friend’s spirit. “They wants to know who wrote it. They wants to know you.”
“And that is not what I wanted!” Kashyap yelled. “I write for myself. Not for the world.”
Dumbstruck, Gaurav tried to read his friend’s face. “What do you mean?”
“This book is my dream.” Kashyap turned a page, his eyes solemn and blank. “Every word, Gaurav, in each syllable I’ve poured my soul. My only goal was to complete it.”
“Wait, you mean Starlight Wisdom is unfinished?” Gaurav asked, surprised.
Kashyap nodded. “It’s only half written.”
A peal of horn blared from the distant, followed by the thumping of drums. Alerted, both friends rose on their feet. They exchanged a nervous look. They knew what it meant. A spy of Yudhvan had arrived from Rajgadh to deliver the updates of the royal affairs.
Kashyap and Gaurav shoved their way to hear what news was brought. People crowded around the leaders and the spy. Everyone were curious to know.
“Chief,” the spy said. “Empress now holds the command of Rajgadh.”
“We must offer our condolences for her loss,” the muscular chief expressed. “The peace treaty must remain intact. What more?”
“She announced to honour the writer of some book with abundance,” the spy said.
Gaurav elbowed Kashyap. “Told you. Now empress is too impressed.”
Kashyap found that thought disturbing. He focused on the conversation between the chief and the spy.
“There is something more,” the chief said, “isn't it?”
Fear masked the spy’s face. He gulped down the knot that was forming in his throat. “She gave an another order.”
“And what’s that?” probed the chief.
“To eliminate us, chief. War is coming!”
“Minera, you don’t need my permission to speak.” Yesha took a sip. “Besides my maiden,you are my curator too.”
The aged woman sighed. “Do you deem it wise to eradicate Yudhvan will bring peace to your mind?”
Empress’s hand froze, her grip tightened on the cup. “They had killed my father.”
“I know, my lady,” Minera admitted. “You already shared this secret with me. And you are about to kill many fathers. War is not an answer.”
Yesha sneered, banging the cup on the table. “My father tried to prevail the peace, what did he get? Back stabbing.”
“Do not forget, my lady, it was your grandfather who drew them away from their lands.”
Minera took a cloth and started scrubbing the spilled tea. “All I need, my lady, that you do not suffer the madness of power. I request you to reconsider your thought. Or else the ground will be watered with the blood of innocent.”
Distraught, confused, Yesha picked up the Starlight Wisdom, hoping to find concord in its pages.
“I can stop this war,” Kashyap told Gaurav. The village was getting prepared for the assault.
Men armoured with leathers were sharpening their swords. Women engaged themselves in harnessing the horses. They all had prepared for this day. To fight for their land. But instead of courage, Kashyap read fear in their eyes. Even the chief looked scared, though he acted confident. “I can save us.”
“How?” Gaurav asked, picking up his spear.
“Come here.” Kashyap whispered his plan in Gaurav’s ears.
The hair on Gaurav’s neck stood up. “No! No, this is foolishness! I can’t allow you to do this.”
Kashyap kept his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “This is the only way to avert war, Gaurav. Only way to bring the peace.”
“And what if you fail?”
“That’s the risk I must take. Either way, we are going to perish.”
Gaurav opened his mouth to say something, but could not put his expressions into words. He tried again. “I can't believe I am saying this, but you are not going alone.”
Infantries of Rajgadh streamed through the city streets, pounding the ground with their steel boots; their mailed armours clanking. Empress Yesha looked down at them from her balcony. “Did I make a mistake?”
“No, my empress,” said the advisor. “Your father should’ve taken this decision before. It’s pity that I failed to convince him. Yudhvan is a disease that needs abolition.”
“I don’t know why,” the queen of Rajgadh confessed, “but it feels wrong. A decision taken in haste is always conflicted.” She surprised at her own words. She actually quoted a phrase from the Starlight Wisdom. “Retreat our army. We are not going for a war.”
The advisor’s face tightened. “My empress, you cannot change your mind.”
“Yes, I can. I am the empress of Rajgadh.”
A servant appeared from the door and bowed in servitude. “My lady, two men wish your audience.”
“Not now,” Yesha irately waved him to leave. “I’ve more important things to handle.”
“But my lady, one of them claims to be the writer of the Starlight Wisdom.”
him and his friend. “We could’ve fight and slayed some of them. We could’ve died gloriously.”
“Shut up!” Kashyap snapped. “This is some kind of misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” One of the soldiers mocked. “You’ve invited your death by crossing our threshold, you scum. How dare you enter our city?”
“Leave them alone,” Empress thundered, entering the throne hall. “Guests are to be honoured, not threatened.”
Kashyap sighed in relief as the guards sheathed back their swords. Time eased and he took a look at the empress for the first time. Her angelic faced glowed with nobleness, her almond shaped eyes sparkled with curiosity. The golden circlet over her flowing hair added more splendour. She was, indeed, the perfect suitor of the throne.
“Kashyap,” Gaurav whispered.
“Yes.”
“You are gawking at her.”
Realising his mistake, Kashyap drew his gaze on the ground. “I apologise, my lady.”
“So you are the writer?” Yesha asked. “How I can trust you with that?”
From the moment they had sneaked away from Vasat forest, Kashyap had been thinking the same. How would he prove his authenticity? It was difficult, but somehow he sorted out this problem in a day’s journey. “You can either believe my words or you’ll have my life. Choices are yours, my lady.” He said with utter confidence.
For few heartbeats, Yesha looked at him in bewilderment. An insecure feeling grew in Kashyap’s mind. Did he made the mistake in coming here? He doubted himself.
“You are from Yudhvan, a clan that breeds warriors. How can a gem be born there?” asked the surprised Yesha.
“May be I was born to end this war, this tension between your kingdom and my clan.”
Kashyap risked a step ahead. “May be my words can stop things that weapons cannot.”
The majestic door closed behind him with a thud.
Alarmed, Yesha rose from her throne. “What are you doing?”
“Precautions, my empress,” the adviser said, battening the door. “A Yudhvan killed our king. I can’t risk your life at the presence of their kind.”
“We haven’t killed your king!” Gaurav declared. “Someone did this dirty job and blamed us for it.” He spun to the queen. “Believe me, my lady. We have been framed.”
The adviser cackled, his madness echoing in the throne hall. “Don’t you think you’ve more brain than you are supposed to have, worm. Ten years I’ve waited for this. And now when the moment has arrived, I won’t allow anyone to ruin it. Yudhvan must fall!”
“What are you talking about?” Yesha said, placing her hand at her waist.
“Princess,” the advisor teased. “Oh, my apology. Empress, are you looking for this?” He displayed a sharp knife with a golden hilt. “You should be careful with your belongings.”
“Give me my knife back.” Yesha order, enraged. “Guards! Fetch him and throw him into the dungeons!”
Kashyap’s stomach churned as no guard moved an inch. A horrible truth flooded him as he realised that apart from the queen, ten guards, Gaurav and the insane adviser, there was no one. And the hall was locked. That meant only one thing. It was all plotted. “You killed the king!”
The adviser scowled. “Yes, I’ve poisoned him to death. He left him no choice. He wanted to give back the land to Yudhvan.”
Yesha’s leg failed and she slumped back in the throne. “But why?”
“War has destroyed my family. It was a Yudhvan skirmish that snatched the lives of my dear ones. My wife, my son, my mother – everyone whom I loved.” The adviser’s eyes brimmed with tears, his face contorted with hatred. “And I am not the only sufferer. These guards too have lost their relatives. And now I’ll end this by destroying everything! The armies has already reached out of the gates.” He raised his hands. “Brothers, they are all yours.”
Brandishing their swords, the guards neared Kashyap. For the first time in life, Kashyap felt proud to be a Yudhvan."Gaurav, till the death?”
“Till my last breath, my friend.”
Kashyap ducked in nick of time as one of the guard attacked him. With swift defence tactics, he disarmed his foe and armed himself. The guard hollered in pain as Kashyap struck at his heart. Another leaped and their sword clashed. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Gaurav fighting four of the guards. It was a relief to see a sword in his hand and a headless guard beneath his legs. Clangs and cries filled the hall.
Shaep pain seared in Kashyap’s shoulder as one of the guards drew a cut from his blade. Enraged to see his own blood, Kashyap spun his blade, decapitating him. The lifeless body collapsed.
“Help!” Kashyap heard Yesha’s scream. Half of the guards had met their doom, half still were alive. “Gaurav!”
Gaurav understood what his friend meant. He leaped and engaged himself in deflecting the assaults of five swordsmen at a time.
Kashyap seized this opportunity and dashed towards the dais.
“Sorry, empress,” said the adviser. “Your reign is short lived!”
A sword pierced his chest and the adviser howled, crumpling beside the throne. Kashyap stood behind him, his sword stained with the blood of the betrayer.
Kashyap smiled. “I write for the peace of my mind, my lady. Now, I’ll write for the peace of my people.”
“Kashyap,” Gaurav called. “There is something you should know.”
“What’s the matter?”
“It was me, who traded your Starlight Wisdom for wool with the merchant.”
There was awkward silence for few moments. “What?! I swear I am going to skin you for this.”
“Be calm, Kashyap,” said Yesha. “It was his mistake. Forgive him. Think, if he had not committed this mistake, then your people would not have been saved.”
“That means I saved them all, right?” Gaurav asked, hopeful. "That means I am a hero."
The Empress and the writer laughed while Gaurav scratched his head, wondering what funny he had said.
Mind blowing as always :)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your review. :)
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