Eternal Strings

Gautam: There are about ten to fifteen bodies here. Not sure if these are all. Maybe, some have got washed away in the river water.

Aditya was not looking at the bodies but straight ahead of him to the place which once was a small village and now, a heap of ashes. Aditya hid the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

Gautam: What should we do now? This is the fifth village that they have destroyed in the last five months. One village at a time. They are waging war against innocent people who are living in the forest. We must do something Aditya. We can’t let this go on anymore.

Aditya knew that he had to do something to stop the slaughter. But he didn’t know what to do. Sending soldiers to protect the villages meant that he would have less men to guard the city and the walls of the palace. That would put the capital at risk. Even if he sends soldiers to the villages, their number will never be enough to fight the Hadharan calvary. They are a huge army and Salandh stood no chance against them.

Aditya walked away from the river side.

Aditya: Burn or bury the bodies. Whatever that is possible for you to do. I must meet the king.

Soldiers started lifting the bodies one by one and Aditya got on his horse and rode to the ancient Salandhan city.

******

The court was short but disturbing. Naren sat on the throne even though everyone else had left. The grievances he had heard kept him thinking. He forgot that he was hungry. He forgot that he was sitting there for hours, thinking and only thinking. What more could he do? He felt weaker every passing day. Naren was brought back to his senses by Aditya’s voice. It echoed in the empty court. The walls of the ancient palace reflected it as though they were making fun of Naren. He looked at Aditya.

Naren: What is it Aditya?

Aditya: Another village is destroyed. Villagers were mercilessly killed. Even women and children were not shown any mercy. This is the fifth village. The sight was heart-breaking.

Naren: I heard about it. What do you propose?

Aditya: I don’t know. We have to protect the villagers but even if we provide security to the villages, it won’t be enough. The Hadharan army is growing stronger. Our soldiers will be massacred. I don’t have the guts to send my men to be slaughtered.

Naren: I understand. You may leave, Aditya.

Aditya walked out of the palace hall to the garden.

******

Alakananda watched the twilight sky. The moon had already risen, the sky was a purple blue. She stood there taking in the beauty for a few moments. Nanda’s eyes met a lonely figure walking towards the ancient fountain in the abandoned part of the garden. By a single look, she knew that it was Aditya and her heart started beating faster. She hadn’t seen him in a week and now he is back, and he didn’t even come to see her. Nanda was happy and angry at the same time. Nanda walked towards the stairs and climbed down and moved towards the garden.

Aditya heard footsteps coming towards him and he realized that it was Nanda. He could feel her even without seeing. He had known her ever since growing up. He even knew the rhythm of her heartbeats. He remembered those times she had hugged him and those few times when she had kissed him. She was always shy. Even though she was betrothed to him at a young age, she never let him cross the line. For Aditya, Nanda was his wife and there was nothing that would ever change it.

Nanda came and sat beside Aditya without speaking a word. She moved closer to him. According to their positions, he is expected to stand up when she arrived. Alakananda was the princess of Salandh. Someone who deserved to be loved by no one less than a King, but she is going to marry the commander- in- chief of the Salandhan army and she loved him more than he could ever ask for.

Aditya used to stand up and hail the princess in the early days but if he does it now, she would probably push him in to the fountain water. Aditya smiled to himself. Nanda looked at Aditya in disbelief.

Nanda: Why are you smiling, Aditya? I thought that you were sad and that is why I came here. Are you making fun of me?

Aditya looked at Nanda and smiled again.

Aditya: How would anyone have the guts to make fun of the princess? That is a dare that no one in this country would ever commit.

Nanda: Good enough.

Nanda smiled at Aditya and that was enough to melt his heart. Her smile had such power over him. Suddenly his eyes teared up. He couldn’t hold them back any longer. He looked away to hide his tears. Nanda softly touched his palm and Aditya held her hand strongly.

Nanda: I am sad too, Aditya. I heard about what had happened. And I know what you are going through right now. They are my people.

Aditya: I wish that I could do something, Nanda. But our army has very few men when compared to them.

Nanda: What about training the villagers to fight back? And women as well. We can join the army and help you fight.

Aditya: We had tried arming the villagers, but commoners hold no chance against the cavalry and about women, I can’t let them fight our fight. We are bound to protect you and not the other way around.

Nanda: But what if we have to protect ourselves? Can’t you help us to do that? Hadhara might attack us anytime. Do you want us to give in that fast?

Aditya: No, they will never be able to touch you. Ever.

Nanda smiled.

Nanda: So, teach me to fight.

Aditya raised Nanda’s hand to his face and kissed her fingers and smiled.

*******

The Hadharan palace hall was huge and new. It was built only a year before. The vastness of the place made anyone who saw it for the first time to gasp for air. Aaryaan sat on the throne which was built above many steps. Hadharan court functions round the clock and whenever Aaryaan was in the country, he heard the grievances of his people himself.

After the court, he walked towards the army chamber where his commanders discussed war strategies. They had two ongoing wars with neighboring countries which Hadhara was winning. He could attack Salandh anytime but Aaryaan wanted to see their fear, the same fear they had instilled in his people years before. He will never forget the stories his father had told him. The stories about how brutally his mother and elder sisters were raped and killed.

After the war, Aaryaan’s father had gone in to hiding with him for years. He was only a few months old at that time. Salandh and Chenayu, Hadhara’s two neighboring kingdoms attacked Hadhara together and took over it. The first thing Aaryaan did after winning over the oppressed Hadharan people and readying them to fight was to destroy the Chenayu royal family and to take over the kingdom. He wanted to bring Salandh to soil at that time, but he had lost too many men and he also wanted to wait and see their fear. The king of Salandh at that time, Jagan was a friend of Aaryaan’s father. In greed for money and power, he betrayed Hadhara. Aaryaan might forgive the people of Chenayu but never the people of Salandh, not in this life.

Aaryaan walked in to the war room and everyone bowed down.

Aaryaan: How long will it take for us to seize Jasinpur?

Rudrah: Two more days.

Aaryaan: Make sure not to hurt the commoners. After the war, they should not rebel against me. They should hail me as their good king. Winning a war is not the greatest achievement of a king but avoiding a mutiny is. I don’t want people to rebel against Hadhara just like we did against Chenayu.

Rudrah: We understand your highness.

Aaryaan walked out of the war room and went upstairs to his room. He was tired and empty. On his way, he looked at the full moon in the sky. It felt ugly and unwanted. He climbed up the stairs again.

******

Nanda laid on her bed and listened to the soft sounds of the rain. It was soothing. She remembered the kiss she had shared with Aditya that night. She softly touched her lips and smiled. It was a sweet memory like many others. She couldn’t wait for their marriage the coming full moon. There were only a few more days to go. Nanda smiled.

Nanda had to leave for the Shinyun temple in the neighboring country in the next two days for festivities happening there. The new king of Shinyun had invited the kings of all neighboring nations to attend the festival. Shinyun has never attacked a country nor was ever attacked by one. It is considered as the holiest of all places. Nanda took a deep breath and closed her eyes realizing that she might have to face the dignitaries of Hadhara as well in Shinyun and it chilled her spine. Nanda tried her best to go to sleep but she couldn’t get a wink of it that night. Something made her stay awake. A feeling that can't be explained, something that she couldn’t comprehend.