"So, you are keeping an eye on her because our Queen doesn't want Samarjit to get influenced by her?" Dhruvin asked Dushyanta, while choosing weapons for their daily practice. "I am so sorry that you have to be with her when you dislike her immensely."

"I don't dislike her. She is not really as bad as the Queen said she will be. In fact the more you talk to her, the more you will start liking her ideology." Dushyanta chose two sparring swords and gave one to his brother.

"Does that mean you will support her claim?" 

"I never said that. Samarjit is my cousin. Maharani is my aunt. I can't go against my family. I wish we could find a solution. I wish I could do something to put an end to this issue--"

They heard someone clear their throat loudly and stopped speaking immediately. "I don't think you should be discussing this in an open arena. Your aunt might award you death sentence." Mayanshi walked towards them. 

"Yuvarani, forgive us. We thought you might not come here for practice today" said Dhruvin.

"Why did you think so?"

"Because you are not speaking with the prince." Dushyanta said uncertainly.

"That doesn't stop me from practicing. All I need is a new partner." She declared, picking up a sword. "Would you like to join me?" She asked the elder of the two.

"Sure." Dushyanta took his position few feet away from her.

Through the corner of her eye, Mayanshi saw Samarjit arrive. She chose to ignore him and charged towards Dushyanta. He blocked her move efficiently and tried to push her away. She flipped the sword and caught it with her left hand. He seemed to have anticipated this move of hers. He bent slightly. She observed that he was attentive and strong. He made a good opponent. Yet she felt he lacked something. His pace was moderate. He wasn't quick.... unlike Samarjit.

She managed to disarm him using his weakness against him. He stood up and bowed to her. 

"Well done." It was Samarjit who spoke. He approached Mayanshi. "Hope you enjoyed fighting him."

"I did." She answered curtly.

"I believe you. Though it seemed for a moment that you didn't like it. Maybe because he let you win" said Samarjit. "How silly of me! I should have known you like people who step aside and help you move ahead."

"Do you wish to say something?" She asked directly. "Any message from your mother for me?"

"How do you know?"

"Why wouldn't I know?" She replied with another question. "It's always her."

He chose to ignore this and delivered the message. "Your foster parents will arrive by the end of first prahar. You are expected to have lunch with them. And after the lunch we have a security council meeting."

"Security council meeting in such a short notice? Might I ask what we are going to discuss?" She struggled to maintain politeness in her tone, when she wanted to scream at him for accusing her brother.

"You might have heard about the probable alliance of Avantipuram with Indrapuri. They are planning to attack us soon. We need to discuss how we are going to thwart them. Because if they succeed it will be like Rudragiri all over again. Only difference is, this time it will be entire Virata." He explained.

Mayanshi nodded, slightly impressed that he planned to do something at the very least.

---***---

"Welcome to Virata," Vaishali greeted the royal couple of Srimukha. "We are honoured to have you as our guests. If it pleases you, let us go and offer our prayers--"

"I will, Vaishali. First, let me see my daughter." Bhargavi interrupted her.

"But it is customary for guests to pray in the Pooja hall."

"I don't care about the customs. My daughter was attacked. Take me to her!" Bhargavi raised her voice. 

Raghuveera squeezed her hand. "My wife is really worried. We would be grateful if you take us to the princess."

"Maharaja, I have asked her to wait for you near north wing because it is a sunny day and she might feel uncomfortable standing at the entrance. Please follow me." Samarjit led them to Mayanshi. 

She rushed towards them and touched their feet to seek their blessings. 

"How are you, Maya?" asked Raghuveera. "Who attacked you? Do you remember their faces? Or anything that could help us locate them?" He cupped her face.

"I am fine, nanna. Unfortunately, I didn't observe anything. But fortunately, I wasn't injured." Mayanshi couldn't help but smile at him. His presence always provided the courage she needed.

"Stop lying to us, Maya. I can clearly see that you are hurt." Bhargavi blinked away tears.

"Amma, it's just a scratch. Nothing serious" said Mayanshi. 

"Nothing serious?" Bhargavi lost her temper. "You were attacked. You could have been killed. I don't know who you are trying to protect by making it look trivial. But I can't disregard this. If I had known how safe this place is, I would never have sent you." 

Samarjit sensed that the situation would get slightly awkward. He ordered everyone who wasn't family, to kindly wait outside.

"Maharani, are you trying to imply that we are incapable of protecting our princess?" asked Vaishali.

"I do. You couldn't protect her from both physical and emotional attacks." Bhargavi avoided all pretense and spoke her mind.

"You are insulting Virata. I have done everything in my power to keep her safe. She is my responsibility as long as she is here."

Samarjit and Raghuveera tried to stop their respective queens from speaking further. But they would listen to none. 

"I free you from this responsibility then. I will take her back as soon as she is strong enough to travel." Bhargavi announced. "Hope you are happy now that the biggest obstacle is out of the way."

"Obstacle? She is my princess too. And I care for her. Unlike you, at least I didn't pretend to be her mother for fifteen years. Why don't you admit it? She was never your daughter. She was only a weapon to you. A weapon you planned to use against me and cause my downfall. Because you couldn't accept the fact that my social status is equal to yours." Vaishali fumed at Bhargavi. "All your life you have tried to impress people whose position is higher than you, to gain power. And now you are accusing me?"

"What are you talking about?" Mayanshi was confused.

"It's nothing, Yuvarani." Samarjit glared at his mother, who realized what she spoke and tried to make damage control.

"Right. It's nothing. My apologies for losing my temper, Maharani. I think you need some privacy with your daughter." Vaishali joined her palms in a formal Namaste and walked away.

"Amma, what was she talking about? Did she just say you are using me against her? Did she really think I would believe her?" 

Raghuveera and Bhargavi stayed silent. "Amma?" Mayanshi looked confused. "Tell me she is lying. She is just trying to mislead me. Isn't she?"

There was no answer. 

"Say something." She looked from the king to the queen almost begging for them to deny the statement.

"Maya, sit down." Raghuveera requested her.

"No. Tell me. What did she just talk about?" She ordered. "If you don't, it is equivalent to insulting Maharani Kaushiki. She trusted you."

Bhargavi shut her eyes tightly. She took a deep breath and looked at Mayanshi. "Maya, whoever I was when I started working for your mother, I am not the same person now. I was young and naive back then. I sought power. Being a physician's daughter, I never had the luxuries, nor did I have the authority the royals possessed. And when your mother, my princess, asked me to assist her with her duties, I was overjoyed. I did everything I could to impress her. Including... including going against the law."

Mayanshi gaped at her, unable to speak.

"Your mother loved Srimukha with all her heart. And back in those days the trade between the two empires was flourishing like never before. I approved a decision that would favour Srimukha more than Virata, in the Queen's name. I thought she would be happy. It went on for few months before Vaishali found out. She reported it to Maharani and I was forced to go back." Bhargavi explained.

Mayanshi couldn't believe her ears. "She is not wrong. That woman was just doing her duty." 

"Bhargavi was young. She has changed a lot since then." Raghuveera tried to intervene.

Mayanshi ignored him. "If this part of her accusation is true, then what about the other part?" She prayed for Bhargavi to deny it.

"It's not true" said Bhargavi. "It was true."

"I think we should stop discussing this matter. We are a family. Nothing can change that." Raghuveera ordered his daughter to go back to her chambers.

For the first time in her life, Mayanshi disobeyed him. "Let her speak. Why did you adopt me? I need answers."

Bhargavi lowered her eyes. "I sought revenge. I hated Vaishali for what she did to me. When I married the king, I felt I won. But then your parents died and Vasishtha was crowned. I couldn't tolerate the fact that Vaishali is given a position which belonged to us. I wanted the power of both the states to reside in our family alone. I hoped, if I could raise you away from her and train you against her, that would lead to her downfall. And when you become the Queen of Virata and Abhimanyu becomes the King of Srimukha, we would be the most powerful royals of Bharatvarsha."

"What are you... why would you..." Mayanshi stuttered, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Did you ever love me? Or did you just pretend?"

"I love you, Maya. I always have and I always will. All these plans don't matter to me more than your well-being." Bhargavi held her hand. 

Mayanshi flinched at her touch. She looked at the Queen who suddenly felt like a stranger. She stayed silent for a long time before speaking. "You should go and rest. You must be tired."

"Maya, I can understand if you are angry." Raghuveera began, only to be interrupted by Mayanshi.

"I will talk to you later. Not now, please." She broke into a run and didn't bother to stop until she reached the royal garden.

After making sure that she was alone, she collapsed and burst into tears. 'My foster mother planned to use me to gain power. My substitute ruler betrayed me. My people hate me. How many more emotional blows are yet to come? Will I even survive this?' She questioned herself, desperately hoping to find answers, doing nothing to wipe the tears. 'I wish my father was alive'. She lay down on the ground, crying.

---***---

"There you are. The Queen has sent me to fetch you." Mayanshi heard someone approach her.

"Not now, prince Samarjit. I need to-- Oh! Forgive me. I thought it was him." She greeted Dushyanta.

"The Security Council meeting will start soon. Your presence is-- are you crying?" He gasped.

"No, I am not. I am... tired."

"Tired of what?" He sat down next to her.

"Everything. Everything I am doing, everything that is expected of me and everything that is happening to me."

"Is there anything I could do?" He asked.

"I don't think so. Let's go and attend the meeting." She stood up.

As they walked towards the hall, she found one of her maid servants being held on both sides by two other women. "Ganga, what happened? Are you alright?"

"I am fine, Yuvarani." Ganga answered in a weak tone. 

"Ganga is pregnant" informed the other maid.

"That's an amazing news, Ganga" Mayanshi beamed at her, forgetting her worries for a moment. "I am so happy for you. Take care of your health." She turned towards the other maids. "Please go to my chambers and ask Devika to send the new bangles we bought last week. Hope Ganga will like the gift."

Ganga's smile vanished. "Yuvarani, I can't accept any gifts from you. My mother-in-law wouldn't like it."

"Why not? You served me dutifully all these days."

"It's, er... it's because you are unmarried."

"Ganga? Tell the truth." Mayanshi ordered her.

"This is her opinion. Not mine. My mother-in-law has ordered me not to assist you and to stay away from you."

"Why?" The princess was perplexed.

"Because she thinks, you are... you are a traitor. She said you brought disgrace to our empire. I don't know why she said that. But I can't disobey her." Ganga bowed to her and walked away slowly.

"Princess, are you alright? Ignore them. They are uneducated." Dushyanta tried to pacify her.

Mayanshi stood still. She felt the ground slipping beneath her feet. She sat down and grasped the green grass. "Please get me some water." She managed to say. He obeyed at once.

As she waited for him to return, a strange unfriendly voice echoed in her brain. The voice of a man she never thought she would agree with. 

"Do you think Vaishali will let go of an opportunity as good as this? She won't. If the court didn't support her, the common people would. Remember. You are not the only one who can manipulate them. All she needs to do is to make them believe that you are a disgrace to our empire. A traitor."

She was outraged when he said that. Surprisingly, everything he said seemed to have come true. 

Dushyanta returned carrying a jug of water, with a few servants at his heels. She drank water. "Let me take you to your bed chambers." He offered.

"No. We are going out."

"Out? I am sorry. But you are not in a condition to travel."

"Few moments ago you asked whether you could do something. Yes. You can. Take me out. I have to meet someone." She said determinedly.

"As you wish." He agreed. "May I ask who?"

"Senapati Jayendra's brother. Ganesha." She replied. "Tell the dowager Queen that her Princess is busy with a more important duty." She informed the servants and walked towards the chariot.

---***---

In the next chapter: Mayanshi 2.0