Shadow and Light

29

The Light

"You need to keep it back" I told her, my eyes widened, I was on the other side of the chair, she was standing before me like a goddess, with a spear in her hand.

"I wont put it down until you fulfil my wishes" she said, her voice raised, "No, Ada, keep it back you are going to hurt someone" I said, my hands on the chair, I blew air out of my mouth, "Keep it back" I told her summoning a calm voice, this lady just doesn't listen. "First stop ordering me I am not a dog, second, I didn't ask for your throne Ranvijay I just need to get out of here third I can use this spear better than so many of your soldiers" she boasted, twisting the spear in her hand and then banging one of its ends on the ground with a thud.

She leaned on it and pouted, "I am stuck here, send as many soldiers as you like, but please just let me go" she pleaded, it looked like she was going to cry but I knew her enough to know that she wasn't going to cry, not in front of me.

"Fine you can go out, but if you misbehave you are stuck here" I told her, my voice stern, she sighed and left the spear, it fell on the ground creating a loud noise, she didn't even flinch, she narrowed her eyes, "Fine and I am saying this the last time, do not talk to me like I am your dog" she warned. She turned around and left before I could say anything, she really likes to misinterpret my words.

She sat in the carriage, an aura surrounded her, even if nobody knew her, her presence screamed that she was the queen.

She asked the charioteer to move forward but I interrupted, "Wait for me" I called out, the charioteer and all the guards stood up in my presence, I wasn't wearing my crown, I was just accompanying my wife to the market.

I nodded my head and the guards who were sitting behind the chariot got down, and walked with us, "What are you doing here?" Ada asked, "Accompanying you?" I whispered, "Where is your crown?" she asked, "In my room" I told her.

"It's supposed to be on your head" she said, "Not all the time, only when I am supposed to be the king" I replied, "If you are not the king right now who are you?" she cocked an eyebrow, her eyes ablaze, the brown of her pupils painted gold in the sunlight, her pink full lips looked as soft as rose petals, I was tempted to touch them just once, I wanted to know how the lips of the woman I had married felt like under the pads of my finger.

"I am accompanying my wife right now. I am here as her husband" I spoke aloud, her eyes widened, she put a hand on my mouth, "Not aloud Ranvijay" she whispered, "I will talk however I want to" I said taking her hand away from my mouth.

She sighed and faced the crowd which had gathered in her wake.

I had dressed up simply, my chest wasn't laden with jewels, my kurta didn't sparkle under the light, I looked nothing like a king, maybe that's why, nobody recognised me.

"All Hail the Queen!" a loud cheer erupted, she waved her hand, and then joined them together, giving respect to anyone and everyone that made eye contact with her.

Nobody bothered to look at me, they had ignored my presence altogether and I just like everybody else basked in her glory.

She had revolted against the idea of becoming a queen, but looking at her right now, she was born to be a queen.

She threw gold coins at the poor children, who were barefoot, only a thin clothe on their body, my heart went out to them.

But before I could say anything, "Arrange clothes and food for the poor, employ their parents, send them to school" she ordered the minister which had accompanied us, out of protocol.

The minister nodded and wrote the orders on the booklet which he had carried along.

"You are taking good care of the position that I have put you in" I complimented her, she gave me a slow smile, "I am not the one to take advantage of my position, I am the one who kills those who do" she replied, I stared at her a second longer not believing how someone like this became what she did.