Mayanshi - The Disgraced Queen

Chapter 15 - The Proposal

I am planning an interview session with the characters. If you have any questions you wish to ask your favourite characters, type here. Let's see if they can answer.

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"I knew you would come. But I didn't expect you this early." Ganesha spoke up as soon as Mayanshi entered his house. "Judging by your previous exit from my house, I thought you will return only after being shunned by everyone."

Mayanshi sighed. "Sriman Ganesha. Are you incapable of speaking respectful sentences?" 

"My respect for royals died with my king." He replied.

"Your king? My father, you mean? It wasn't just my father, who died fifteen years ago. I died with him. The consequences of his death might have disappointed you. But they had a much bigger impact on me. I was destroyed. My identity, my home, my dreams, everything... everything I love was snatched away from me." She paused for a moment to regain composure and continued. "I have only got betrayal and insults since I have returned. But unlike you, I haven't given up. I am willing to fight."

Ganesha scanned her from head to toe. "Fight for what?"

"To make Virata a better place."

"Why do you think Virata needs to be better? It is functioning. Don't you think?" He planned to test her for analyzing her nature.

"Yes. Virata is functioning. It is still one of the most prosperous lands of Bharatvarsha. The problem is, only the rich got richer in the past fifteen years. The poor are exploited severely. Our late King Vasishtha has only concentrated on increasing trade value which might have helped us establish dominance over other states. But our own people, are still suffering. Step out of your house once in a while and look around you. You will understand the situation."

"I do know what has been going on. My question is, how do you plan to change this?" He sounded mildly curious.

"By implementing my late father's ideas. He was a good king. He was flawed. But he was one of the best rulers. You can't deny that. After his demise, the law has been changed drastically leaving no scope to work on his development plans. I would like to revive that." She announced. "And to achieve this, I need power."

"Why do you need power to serve people? Service can be provided even by living in an ashram. You don't have to be the ruler."

"Let us just assume that I was born into a normal family living in an ashram, with no authority over the law. No matter how wise and efficient I am, do you think I can change this empire? No. The maximum I could do is to change my locality or my town. In an ideal world, what you said might be possible. In a practical world like ours, it won't work. Here, those who wield power get to make decisions. God has placed me in a position where attaining ultimate power is possible. I believe I make a good Queen. So, why should I give up? I won't." She said in a determined tone.

Ganesha was impressed by her reply. "Go ahead. Do what you planned to."

"I can't. Not alone. I need your help. I need your advice."

"Isn't that what I tried to provide few days ago? You didn't seem to like it." He pointed out.

"I still don't like it. There is no rule which says that I should like what you spoke." She made it clear that he can't dictate the terms of their meeting. "But I can't deny that you were absolutely right. Whatever you predicted, has happened. Help me." She demanded.

He chuckled. "Alright. What would you want me to help you with?"

"Samarjit seems to be everyone's choice. The Rudragiri issue has made it almost impossible for me to gain their trust."