Victory And Loss ( Part 3 )

"No I wasn't! Are you alright?"

"Yes I am. Let's go pay the second queen a visit."

Elsewhere in the desert, Great General Bo'Hur was watching intently as a little kid not half his size battled three grown men using only a short sword and a small knife. He was nimble as a monkey, getting close to the target he wants instantaneously, yet avoiding the pursuer from getting close to him. He would slide like a snake when they did get close, neither weapons nor blows can land on his little body. He had the strength of a gorilla packed up inside, which he would sometimes release when his enemy least expects it. Bo'Hur understood some internal energy concepts. He knew that the child cannot release this energy unless it travels a cycle and is compressed within his body, but his men only battled blindly, assuming the boy is naturally freakishly strong. Bo'Hur mourned for their ignorance, but he still hoped that the men would see through the pattern and identify when the little warrior could burst out with energy. At the same time, he also formulated a battle plan. Also, he instructed his men to keep his eyes peeled on the enemy archers and those black clad assassins that would sometimes appear in a flash and quickly disappear. He knew the enemy had darts, arrows, traps and even beasts. They could disrupt the flow of the battle or even decide it using sneaky methods. Bo'Hur would not stop them if they did so, but he did want to know their method. Only if the method seems insurmountable would he expose it and opt for a full of battle with the forces. If not, Bo'Hur wanted to duel this kid so that he could end this war before the storm hits.

When the wind increased tempo however, gusts of sand slapping the men in their grim faces, Bo'Hur saw a mirage in the desert. A pink dot, a swaying figure. A feeling of heavenly beauty. He was captivated, at the same time, petrified with fear. Bo'Hur didn't know what the feeling was. When he looked towards the battlefield again, it was splashed with blood. A small figure, delicate and pure, was standing there innocently like a flower, in the midst of the scene of carnage.

"What happened!" Bo'Hur screamed. "How did he slay them all?!"

It was just a moment's inattention, and Bo'Hur already felt like he was on the losing end. If he carries the same state of mind into battle, he would certainly lose. He needed to adjust, but that captivating beauty in the midst of the grim battlefield, the mere existence of it, it set his heart palpitating…

Why? Why do I fear beauty…Of all things, beauty!

In the palace of the second queen, there is a pond of lilies that bloom all year round. Even in off season, there are one or two lilies to be found in here. When Vajra was little, he remembers an occasion in which the second queen enticed him to pluck a lily from the pond. She talked about how heroes often pluck lilies from deep ponds such as these for their beloved. Vajra nearly drowned in that incident. Ironically though, it was the second queen herself who panicked in the end and called her men to rescue Vajra. She never had the guts to murder. But she certainly could plot.

"Second mother, have you been well?" Vajra sat on a stool at a tea table next to the pond. His eyes flitted towards the water lilies that have been in full bloom this season.

"How well do you expect a new widow to be, Yuvaraja?" the queen huffed irritably, throwing her white silk pallu on her head. In Rtadhara, there is no formal coronation ceremony. The crown prince automatically ascends the throne when his predecessor dies. This was why, starting this morning, since the moment the king passed, everyone in the palace began addressing Vajradandaka as the king or Majesty or even by his title, namely Martanda. There will be a reign changing ceremony though, which will be held later. On the other hand, the second queen still insisted on calling him Yuvaraja. She believed there was still a chance before the reign changing ceremony for her own son to overturn things and ascend the throne as the first Martanda. If only he was just a little older…

"Second mother, this is for you." Vajradandaka saw that the second queen was still in her prime. She still exuded youth and her face was still a bit childlike. She had the features of someone who would never age, even when they are sixty. Vajradandaka wouldn't have noticed these things before, when he was just a child and she was acting in the capacity of his mother. Even if he hated her, he could only hope that somewhere deep inside, she held some affection for him. Although his sisters tried to replace his mother, they were still too young for the job. Since young, this person in front of him was the only one who could remotely fill that role. When he was little, Vajra wished for that many times. Why else would he want to pluck that lotus for her? It was a pity she only saw him as a thorn in her eye. His sisters educated him for a long time about her, but he never saw the truth about her. Even after he realised how she had been using for political matters, such as getting rid of the Ha'gya clan, she didn't turn into some evil existence in his eye. Even after he learnt that she joined hands with Rajguru and the prime minister, he still thought of her as second mother and nothing else. But now…now he saw her as how she was. After all, it was the end. Deluding oneself with affection now would serve no end.

The second queen silently gasped as the child in front of her slid a sealed jade vial across the table. Her heart stopped for a moment, but then it resumed. She steadied her voice from shaking. "What is this? Poison?" she asked in a level voice.

"Second mother, what are you saying?" the boy in front of her said in a flat tone. "Would son ever commit such an evil act as giving you poison?"

"Then what is it?!" The second queen's voice was shrill now. Her maidservants who stood around her trembled and fell to their knees.

The boy king was unfazed as he met her eyes calmly. "It's just a medicine which seals off the senses…Like a sedative. But it won't put you to sleep."

Alarmed beyond help, the second queen shivered. She pointed at her stepson with a trembling index finger. "You! What do you want?!" she screeched.

The boy king in white leaned forward. "Why does second mother always accuse me? What can I, your child, do to you in the end? I cannot even stop you if you want to climb father's pyre and join him in heaven as Sachi."

"You…!" the second queen shook, her somewhat plump body quaking violently. "You want me to jump into the pyre and immolate myself?!"

"Second mother has always been fearful. But you were also perseverant… I know second mother cannot do it by herself, which is why I brought you the medicine."

Her eyes red and her body quivering, the second queen could not help but throw a look around. She saw she was surrounded by Vajradandaka's men. Her maids were already hugging the floor, quivering in fear. However, the men stood respectfully at a distance and didn't seem like they were about to make a move.

In a distance, she heard a commotion. Relief flooded her and she almost smiled when she realised her son Hayagriva had come to rescue her. However, it was only for a moment. Panic overwhelmed her next when she realised what Vajradandaka might do to her son and daughter! Truth be told, the second queen had indeed become truly stupid over the past year. Back when the attack on the princes happened, the Indra was already at the final stages. He wasn't expected to live past three months. But for some reason, by some unknown, unimaginable determination, he managed to outlive that prediction by a whopping six months! Some say it was because of the eight princesses who took over medical supervision, but most believe that it was Indra himself. In legend, Indra was a true hero. He comes from the masses and fights against all odds to reach the top. He was known to survive any kind of tribulation. As the last Indra, Nihapriya was mostly a moderate ruler. But he indeed showed his obstinate side towards the end of his life, proving himself to be a true Indra.