Brinda

Sham

King Adigun remained true to his words and hosted an event like no other, based on what Durga and Suraj wanted. While he sat on his throne, armed by guard and watching the proceedings begin to unfold, he felt a tightness in his chest while he watched a strange ritual he had not seen or observed before, get taken by the couple.

His face lit with pride for his man and the lady he now refers to as his sister, but his soul remained with unease. It prompted him to shift in his seat uncomfortably until he watched Suraj dance his way towards where the King sat. The loyal servant knelt and washed the King's feet, thanking him for all he had done and appreciating him for his kindness.

King Adigun helped his man up and whispered to him, "Is there a reason this wedding is far different from the one I had with the queen?"

The disparity was beyond doubt; the number of people in attendance, the type of music being played, the colorful attires donned by the bride and the groom, as well as the special looking plate he had heard them refer to as Shagun.

"You mean the Shagun?" Suraj asked.

The King cocked his head. "I cannot remember using it with my wife".

Suraj's face bore a dour expression immediately and it promoted a worrisome frown from the King while events continued to unfold in the hall. He upped himself from his seat and beckoned on the man to come with him while he ordered his guards to remain in place and secure the event as they had been instructed to come there to do.

In silence and unsaid words, the duo went out back and stood atop a balcony overlooking the entire Kingdom of Brinda.

"Is there something you aren't telling me, Suraj?" king Adigun asked. "I know when you hide something from me, so spill!"

Suraj fell to his knees and began to weep. It broke the King's heart to see his man cry on a day he was meant to rejoice and be happy.

"Your marriage with Ambika Devi wasn't one born of love or one joined by mutual desires from both of you", Suraj explained.

King Adigun ran his finger through his hair for a moment and then looked around in confusion.

"What does that even mean and how does that translate to the Shagun plate?" he asked.

Suraj slowly got to his feet but kept his head low and his eyes off of the King. "Marriages carried out under the will of surrender do not demand certain rites and the Shagun is one of them. Such marriages symbolize oppression, lack of willful union between the bride and the groom, and it often means forced submission from one party to the other".

The reality that he had been living a sham of a marriage with Ambika Devi hit the King hard and he slowly retreated until he found support against the wall behind him. He shook his head in denial but his heart did well to document every single thing that was in difference to what he had done at his wedding to his woman.

"It was a sham", he muttered to himself and in broken spirit.

"It isn't a sham, my King", Suraj tried to appease the heartbroken man.

King Adigun felt terrible about the situation and most especially for Ambika Devi who had to live through the humiliation of not getting a real proposal, a proper marriage and above all, the rites at her wedding as they ought to be.

"I need to make things right", the King gained consciousness of mind as he spun around and raced out of the balcony and headed back into the wedding venue.

He looked around for a moment, unsure of what to make of the sight and then stormed back out without a word to those within the hall. In quick steps, he raced back to the Kitchen, hoping and wondering if he could get the plate in there. It was all his mind wanted and all his conscience would permit him as he stormed into the kitchen and looked at the bewildered maids.

"Does anyone of you know what a Shagun plate is?" he asked.

The question popped out and then thoughts on how stupid he sounded blew back into his face.

"I need one made and I need it made now!" he demanded.

The maids hurried themselves into making something remotely similar while King Adigun pondered on what he had seen within the plate earlier. He demanded they reenacted it as close as possible to the real deal before storming out of the kitchen sweaty and almost out of breath. Barely able to keep his feet atop the ground, he made his way to the same door he had dared not walked through for months.

Ramming his fist into the door like a deranged animal, he gained Ambika Devi's puzzled attention while she opened the door and stood before him, running her gaze all over his body and what he had in hand. He peered through the veil over her face, wondering what she must be thinking of him in the very moment.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Almost out of breath and looking rather pathetic as he tried to stake his claim and explain, King Adigun replied between labored breaths, "I understand our marriage wasn't in any way its true form and with its proper rites as a King should his Queen and it breaks my heart dearly so I sought to make things right".

He could have sworn he saw a smile from behind her veil but he remained focused on her body and whatever movements she made. She shifted her weight from her left leg and balanced out into a more relaxed form as she stepped aside and allowed him entrance into the room. A breath of relief escaped the King's chest almost immediately.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked with the door swinging to a close. "What are you trying to achieve with all of this?"

King Adigun laid down the plate on the bed and turned to look at her before going on a knee. He pierced her gaze with his and felt his labored breath immediately clear out.

"I want you, and not for selfish reasons or because I simply want to take over your kingdom", he explained. "I need you as my queen, active, in proper consent, with love and through virulent passion".

She scoffed, placed her finger to her lips and smiled wildly from underneath the veil.

"I don't know what to say". She confessed with her fingers trembling and her breath slowly becoming labored.

King Adigun gulped down hard and with it went some lumps in his throat. He looked around and wished things had occurred under better circumstances, and yet, he wasn't even sure how best to go about things in that very moment.

"I watched Suraj have the most wonderful wedding celebration today and it turned out to be elegant and far beyond what I understood", he confessed. "It left a hole in my chest and brought me nothing but disappointment about how I treated you, what pains I brought you, and the audacity I had towards even attempting to marry you".

His words broke freely now; they weren't being voiced from his head but rom his heart. He helped himself up, approached her and stood within arm length of the radiant lady whose eyes he was dying to lurk into.

"Bless me with this union", he pleaded. "This isn't a King demanding anything of his queen. This is from a man who desperately wants his lover to be by his side forever".

Ambika Devi shifted to the side, rested on her left leg and then clamped her hand over her mouth. "First of all, you might want to pick a better venue".

King Adigun smirked wildly, grinned from ear to ear and wrapped his arms around Ambika Devi even without realizing it immediately. He pulled away and apologized profusely with his eyes, before turning around and hurrying out of the room in search of a more romantic spot.

"She indirectly said yes", he thought to himself while he danced along.