Samsāra

Chapter Twenty-Two

As I am in the middle of exam it would be hard to update as often as I do. Exams end by the end of September so I should be back to updating once a week. This chapter is quite short but I hope you enjoy it.

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It would be a rare sight for anyone watching: five women gathered in the pavilion, three of them were women in the prime of their life; the other two were very young.

‘Get up!’ Takshika hissed at the prone form.

‘Let me sleep, better yet let me die!’ Ajiona said solemnly from the shawls of yak hair she had swaddled herself in. It was muhurtas away from dawn, the sky was still the colour of pitch with a sickly wan moon whose light barely penetrated the darkness that was threatening to swallow it up. Aadarshini, Takshika, Gandhari and Pragya had plotted to drag her away from the warmth of her bed and room when she had only just got there, and into the icy chill of the night. Ajiona had gone whining and howling like a child - not her finest hour - vaguely aware of the shawls being wrapped around her and she was let out into the night, the four gathered around her; not even carrying lamps.

‘This is not how a woman of royalty act,’ Takshika snarled.

‘I'm not one yet!’ Ajiona countered. After all the work she had done the previous day and being accosted by Devashuni who insisted on quizzing her. A quiz! When ever sensible person was at the feast and unwinding! Yet Devashuni had been sitting crossed legged before her, as severe as Gauriparvat and more likely to spew molten rocks and lava if Ajiona had dared to suggest they unwind. The quizzing had turned to further reading and more quizzing, it had been only when Ajiona’s eyes had began drooping and yawning excessively that Devashuni retired. Her head had just been resting on the pillow when those four roughly woman handled her out of bed.

If sleep deprivation and exhausting lectures and mountainous tasks are what it took to be a royal woman in Mahishmathi, she would rather work in the kitchens. When it was warm enough, she would pay a visit to Rajmata Sivagami and say with the utmost respect that the deal was off. Why couldn't she be like the other princesses? A Disney princess to be exact? Talk to birds and sing and have cute animal sidekicks who wear cloth? Yes, that would have been better. Rudra could have transported her to a fairy tale of her own, yet he chose to bring her here. Here! Where she had almost died twice; where she had had to learn a new language and make new friends; where she suffered from lack of sleep and exhaustion; where she would have to entertain snobby queens and princesses and have their men ogle at her. That was it, enough was enough! No more going to Rajamata, she'd ask Rudra to take her out of Mahishmathi and back to her time. That would be when she saw him, which would be difficult as she had not seen him for a few months now. Would she have to summon him? Then there was the monkey, she had the suspicion that it was the God in disguise. Maybe she had to talk to the monkey which would be weird if it wasn't whom she thought it was. But it won't be bad to yell at the monkey, something she desperately wanted to do. Yell at someone.

‘This lesson is imperative Ajiona, do sit up.’ It was Aadarshini and her calm reasonable tone made Ajiona feel embarrassed at her outburst. She sat up, clutching her shawls to herself.

‘I am sorry,’ she mumbled.

‘We know you are tired sweet one,’ Gandhari said in a conciliatory tone. ‘But this is of the utmost importance. You need to know all you can about these maharanis and rajkumaris you are to entertain.’

‘Why don't we have this lesson at sunup?’ Ajiona wanted to know.

‘Because of the many eyes and ears,’ Takshika snapped impatiently clicking her tongue against her teeth. ‘Ayyo! I never thought they'd install their spies so quickly. I'm not entirely sure our exit wasn't spotted.’