Ira hastily left the court once the official proceedings were over, walking down the long hallways that led to her father’s chambers. Upon reaching his chambers, she was informed that the Maharaj had retired to the eastern gardens.
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Her mothers garden.
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She swallowed whatever ball of emotion was rolling up her throat and made her way to the gardens.
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“Rajkumari! I’ve been looking for you everywhere-”
“Not now, Ācārya. I have an urgent matter that requires my father’s counsel.” Ira continued to walk past her tutor.
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He jogged up beside her, keeping up pace with her long hurried strides, “This is urgent Rajkumari. I understand you’ve looked into the distribution of rations to the villages affected near the lands of war. However according to the royal ledger-”
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Ira stopped dead in her tracks. She looked at her tutor and frowned, “The royal ledger? Had I not asked for the palace to distribute all that the people asked for?”
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“You had yes but-”
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“Are you telling me my decision was wrong?” Ira had, in her panicked and confused state, let a little emotion slip into her voice.
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“Surya forbid I speak such words, Rajkumari,” he smiled at her gently, and Ira felt her annoyance and anger that the courtroom had built in her melt away slightly. “All I'm saying is, we must consider the royal treasury as well. We can't give more than we have.”
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Yes we can.
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She was the sole daughter of the Maharaja of Aryavartha. She could afford to distribute a few more pieces of bread and cloth to the deprived villages near the lands of war.
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“I understand something has just come up. Would you like me to go through the royal ledger and re-write your order? Rajkumari?”
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“Did you know this would happen?” she couldn't stop herself from asking.
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“The proceedings of today’s court?” Ira nodded to his question and began walking towards the gardens a little slower. Somehow, simply speaking with her Ācārya cleared her head.
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She would consult him on how to deal with this new found problem, once he was done with his work.
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“Not at all, Rajkumari. I doubt your father made such a decision hastily as well.” he chuckled lightly for a moment, “Do you remember when you were younger, Rajkumari, Maharaj would not let you off his shoulders. He carried you everywhere, all the court proceedings, all the ceremonies he had to oversee.” he stopped, halting Ira in her tracks as well, and placed a hand over her head.
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“Maharaj never trusted anyone, even the royal guards to take care of you. He only ever wishes the best for you.” he patted her head, a fatherly gesture in and of itself. “I know.” Ira grumbled to him.
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“Then I will leave you to your important discussion with Maharaj. Would you like me to review the royal ledger and revise your order and bring it to you by sun down-”
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“Don’t bother bringing it to me. Carry it out. I shall oversee the villages directly.”
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Another gentle smile, perhaps with a hint of pride. “Understood Rajkumari. May Surya bless you.”
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She bowed slightly at him as he walked away in a hurry. Perhaps, she shouldn't have dumped her work on him once again. She would find a way to make it up to him later. At this moment she needed to understand this reckless decision her father had taken, or else sleep would abandon her till the next cycle of the moon.
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The eastern gardens were in the opposite corner of the palace grounds. Far from her chamber, far from her father’s chambers—and even farther from the royal court.
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It was a large stretch of land, filled with the loveliest flowers and grasses. All brought in from different kingdoms. Father had gardeners brought in from different lands simply to care for the rare plants.
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All of this—and yet her father had chosen another bride.
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“Pitāmaha.” Ira announced her presence as she strode into the eastern gardens. Filled with flowers of all colours and sizes. A gift for her late mother. “The bright red ones were your mother’s favorites."
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“You have told me so before, Pitāmaha.” Ira walked up to stand beside her father who was looking down at the large bush of red flowers.
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A striking red.
The kind her mother would put in her hair. The kind Ira fell in love with simply for the reason that her mother looked ethereal with them in her hair.
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“Your mother was from lands, far far away from the five kingdoms.” he sighed, “she endured a lot to be brought down to these scorching lands. She was so graceful with her way and talk, despite everything.”
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Ira had heard this story more times than the leaves a sāla tree bore. She simply hummed in response to her father though.She could hear this story a hundred times over. Somehow hearing such stories helped ease the pain of loss.
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The stories seemed to breathe life into the prettiest memories Ira had of her.
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“I had this garden made for her, you know Ira? After her first month here, I heard of how she spoke about her mother lands. She only ever seemed to speak about how she loved all the colorful flowers, all the birds, all this rare creatures you find scarcely in these lands.”
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“And you made her this, placing it right under her chamber’s window. So she may look over to see a piece of her home.”
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Father chuckled, a sad sound. “I see, I've been boring you with this old man’s stories.”
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No, you have never bored me when you spoke of mother.
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But the words died on her tongue, instead she straightened her spine and decided to simply voice her worries. If she could, if there was even a silver of a chance she could avoid having that boy follow her around, she would take it.
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“Pitāmaha,” she stood for a beat, trying to frame her question the right way, “We could have won the war had we persevered." she finally said. Silence followed her words, her father frowned down at the flowers. She was sure he couldn't have had time to drink. She was certain her father was a responsible enough king to not down bottles of precious alcohol before a court session.
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Yet that lost look in his eyes-
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Ira bent down to brush her hand over a rose that seemed to be withering away. How hard these flowers must have worked to endure in foreign lands.
Much like her mother.
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“Your mother always wanted peace. That was why she had married me.” Her father had looked up at the skies then, and Ira got the sense that he was choking back the tears that were threatening to overflow. As he had done so many times in the past.
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He still loved her mother greatly.
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Even after all of this.
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“Your mother was a symbol of truce between far foreign lands and this blessed kingdom. She was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. I fear,” he took a shaky breath and squeezed his eyes close at the skies, “I fear that will remain so.” A pause.
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“She did such a generous deed for the sake of peace. Your mother always hated the idea of war. The idea of unjust brutal violence. All those affected and innocents often killed. She never liked such a scene. I was blinded with rage after what happened.” Her father sighed, looking down at Ira. His eyes held the fatigue of a hundred sleepless nights, of secrets and stories she knew she would never hear off. “Now I see, after ten long years of grieving, that this was not something your mother would have wanted..”
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He reached over and brushed his hand over Ira’s head. Ira noticed the glint of emotion in his eyes. All the feelings he had for her mother were kept at bay. He looked so exhausted, he seemed to have aged fifty years within the past few weeks.
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She made a mental note to ask the Rājavaidya to check in on her father before this cycle of moon ended.
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“She would want us to accept this offer of peace and start anew.”
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That made sense to Ira. The little she remembered of her mother told her that everything her father said was right. She hated war. She would have wanted peace. No matter the price, she would have wanted peace.
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“But… the guard?" Ira was sure what she had just said sounded like a whine. A childish cry a princess her age should not be making, how very improper.
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But she couldnt help it. At moments where her father and her would sit and tell long tales of her late mother, she felt like a child again. She felt small enough to be picked up by her father’s frail hands and run around the eastern garden, behind her mother.
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The way they used to.
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The Maharaj took a moment to answer that. A moment where Ira wondered whether the reminder of her mother in court had made her father lose his wits for a moment.
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Perhaps the decision to assign him as her Aṅgarakṣaka was not set in stone yet. Perhaps-
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“He looked to be not far from your age. And sending someone like him back to the lands of Thamravansh would harm him more than anyone. He is our subject now,” he ruffled her hair, making her try and swat his hand away. “He is your subject now. Be kind to the boy.”
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“You—” he stopped himself, frowning at the bush of red flowers. “What were we discussing my dear?”
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How odd.
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“The Aṅgarakṣaka-”
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“Ah!” he explained aloud, “Yes yes,” he turned towards her and patted her head once more, “your mother would have wanted it my dear.” his words filled with this gentleness Ira hadn't heard for a long long time. Since her mother had left both of them alone.
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Ira flashed her father her most obedient smile, that somehow felt crumpled against her teeth, and walked alongside her father as he put one last round of the graden.
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Her father began to leave the gardens, and asked if Ira would join him for dinner. Ira apologised. Said she had to attend to some matters and go meet her new Aṅgarakṣaka.
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Her father squeezed her hand once just as she had moved to walk away.The weakness in his grip unsettled her. It scared her enough for her to decide an urgent request with the Rājavaidya would not harm anyone.
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“You can always tell me anything Ira, you know that right?” her father said, and Ira felt such love and sorrow for the man. She almost hugged him.
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“Yes, Pitāmaha.” she said gently instead.
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Ira finally turned, heading towards her chambers. Preparing herself to show her authority once more. Racking her brain with a way to tell her new found Aṅgarakṣaka that she didn't exactly need him to protect her.
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Her subject. He was her subject now.
That thought alone sparked an odd feeling in her chest.
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She shook her head at that, trying to clear her mind of such things and took a longer route to her chambers.
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It was going to be a long night.
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Perhaps ties wouldn't be made immediately, but the strings of relationship would surely draw closer.
Even if only slightly, it would undeniably draw them closer.
-
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Rājavaidya- the royal apothecary.
Aṅgarakṣaka- the princess’ personal royal guard.
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and then Add to home screen.