Chapter2
#Chapter2
Kingdom of Hunters
Castle of Solar Dynasty
/"Tonight, we all have gathered here to follow our religion and respect the laws that were made by the ancestors of this solar dynasty a long time ago. Tonight, an odious sin was committed inside these very walls of justice. A life was stolen tonight, not any ordinary but the life of our leader and queen was taken tonight. With deep anguish, I announce the demise of Queen Vasundhara./" The moment those words left Gayatri’s mouth, chaos broke within the once silent atmosphere. Various voices rang together in shock and worry. All their eyes landed on the silent king who was barely holding the thread of sanity after losing his wife. His hold on sword tightens hearing the cruel words passing his mother’s tongue. Unfortunately, death and life weren’t in his hands, otherwise, he had never let his beloved die. The yells of disbelief and quarrel over the departure of Vasundhara boiled the blood that he shouted.
/"SILENCE. Maintain the decorum of the court./" The words were uttered through gritted teeth and everybody retreats. Tears escaped many eyes as they reminiscence the deceased queen. She was a kind, brave and just Queen. The wisest of all time. Nobody ever suffered under her watch. She took care of her kingdom like a mother and didn’t let anyone sleep mourning over hunger. They never saw a day of poverty under her laws.
/"We want justice for our Queen. How did she die?/" One of the warriors hollered, making Prince Surya grit his teeth in anger.
/"She was poisoned./" Gayatri cleared and the hall once again broke in murmurs. /"She was poisoned by Kirti, wife of my other son, Surya. The drug Kirti used didn’t have any antidote or cure, so we failed to save the queen. She has passed an hour ago. But we are not going to mourn right away forgetting, that we have a murderer on lose. So, I, Queen GayatriRaje is going to take liberty on punishing this worthless woman, who has burned her own house. Not only did she had killed the Queen of this empire but also put the life of the heir in danger. She has tried to harm the Royals, so I disown her from this family and commence a penalty as retribution for this unforgivable offense. Just like the Queen of this empire was burning from inside after you poisoned her, I suggest you be burnt alive in the middle of this hall to redeem your mistake and save this kingdom from the likes of you./" Queen Gayatri declared and the yells of the agreement broke instantly. Surya was gone far in the darkness and fear to lose his wife that didn’t even object. He stumbled back in shock and fell on his knees. Indra was a different story. He sprinted towards his chained mother and hugged her torso tightly. He was scared to lose her. He wasn’t mature, but he very well understood the torture.
Watching him crying and begging melted Chanda’s heart, so she carried him back to her chambers along with her kids. No sane mother will ever want her children to face such cruelty. As soon as they left, Gayatri gestured the executioner to come forward and begin the said sentence. He was a bulky man and stood at 7 ft. He wore a dark mask to cover his face. Bringing a canister of kerosene, he poured it over her in a measured quantity. Kirti could only gasp as her skin absorbed the product in seconds. Her heart hammered against her rib cage and she regretted doing the deed. Minding a harmless distance, the executioner than lit a match and threw it over the sinner. In no time, the sizzling fire caught the body of Kirti following the general chemical reaction. The entire court watched the suffering of the killer with emotionless eyes. The figure of Kirti was strained by the chains to prohibit her movements. Her cries echoed in the castle like the melancholy of a ballerina with broken feet. The same fire danced in the eyes of Surya, who witnessed the death of his sanity.
After an eventful night, everybody returned to their chambers. King Raghav settled on the velvet cushioned chair in front of the fireplace of his chambers. His eyes stared in distance, watching nothing as mind kept replaying the fragments of memories of Vasundhara; he has woven all these years. When the infant in his arms mewled in her sleep, he rocked back and forth on the chair while humming a soothing tune that lulled her back to rest. Moisture shined in his stormy grey eyes as he remembered their last moment together.
She was in pain.
So much pain that she couldn’t even scream. She was choking and gurgling on her blood. Her body was turning blue slowly and limbs were achieving coldness that settled fear in his heart. But her womb was surprisingly intact as she cradled it in worry. She was afraid to lose the baby. When the doctors concluded that she couldn’t be saved anymore, he had to take a heartless decision.
In all ways, he will lose his wife, but he is not going to lose the proof of their selfless love. The poison has already reached the lungs and was on the way of burning Vasundhara’s heart. The pain had sent her on labor at 8 months and it was distressing.
Using his machete, King Raghav beheaded his wife successfully relieving her of deep burning agony. The act shook the hearts of onlookers. The moment he took that terrifying step, the flow of blood went to the north along with poison pumping with it. In the meantime, the doctor’s somehow managed to deliver the child using a c-section. The baby was pulled out alive and poison-free due to that heartless act. When the baby cried, there were no happy tears or cheers in the room. All remembered the burning ache and pain of the queen. Nobody fell to celebrate the appearance of a new life but wallowed over the departure of the queen.
/"It’s a girl./" The nurse sobbed, wrapping the small and fragile figure in the warmth of a white towel. Leaving the side of a dead wife, King Raghav took the crying girl in his arms and kissed her forehead. Tears streamed from his eyes and landed on her forehead. He didn’t punctuate his pain out loud but his shoulders did shake when he held his child for the first time stepping into fatherhood. Something, his wife always dreamt of. He brought the baby close to his chest letting the infant bask in his warmth. The moment King Raghav’s stormy grey eyes met the hues of vibrant silver that matched the moon itself, he knew his Vasundhara was born again. It was a spitting image.
/"My daughter, you are my hope./"