Things had resumed back to normal in Raghopur. Samay was happy that his boat was not coming empty on the shore. The last few days were difficult for his father. He never told his father about his encounter with the royal ship. Samay, Raghu, and Rameshwar had decided to keep it a secret.
Raghu was almost obsessed with the prince though. He kept talking about him to his friends. Rameshwar would boast about his encounters with the royal family and the soldiers. Raghu was mesmerized by the beauty and elegance of the prince. He wished to become like the prince himself. A few days passed by.
One evening Samay came running to his house. He looked anxious. Raghu calmed him down and asked, “What happened? You look scared.”
Samay caught his breath and replied, “My father came back early. He said there was a huge fire on the opposite ends of the forest. He is terrified. People rushed near the river for help. He was able to rescue some of them.”
Raghu asked in surprise, “You are talking about Pushpamela village? How did this happen?”
Samay said, “Yes! Pushpamela…My father was really upset. The people he rescued, told him that a sage had taken his abode in the village. He recently visited the forest. People thought that he was going to end the curse. But he went crazy. He went into meditation for days…and yesterday he woke up and started putting fire everywhere. So many people died!!”
Raghu was shocked to hear it. They both went to meet Rameshwar. The three friends sat at the riverside in silence. They stared at the water and reflected on the incidents of the past few days.
Back at the palace, the prince was completely distracted. Since, the day he met Rohini, he could not think properly. It felt as if the arrow of desire had pierced his heart and his heart ached in pain. He kept thinking about the queen. His father wanted him to marry Rashmi. But how could he marry her? He loved her stepmother. But even that was a far-fetched dream.
Women had never been a distraction for Kartik. Ever since he reached adolescence, he had focused on solving the mystery of the forest. He had lost members of his family long ago, and it bothered him. How could he sit on the throne that is less powerful than another entity of his kingdom? He would be the king someday. He could not give up on his kingdom. But something was telling him to stop the chase. For a moment, he wanted to forget all his problems. He wanted to share a moment with Rohini. He wanted to know more about her!
While he was lost in his thoughts, the head priest reached his chamber door. A soldier announced his arrival. Kartika was not expecting the priest. He got curious.
He enquired at once, “Acharya! I was not expecting you. Is everything alright?”
The head priest replied, “I have a bad news! Pushpamela was burnt down. Only a few survived the incident.”
The prince was dumbstruck. He asked, “How is that possible?”
Suddenly he got concerned about the Sage. He asked again, “Is the Sage alright? He is safe…right?”
The priest was agitated. He controlled his anger as he said, “The Sage initiated the fire. We are doomed. We lost an entire village. That cursed forest will leave us with nothing.”
Kartika was in deep shock. He took his seat and reflected on the priest’s words. He asked again, “Does father know?”
The priest replied, “Yes! He was informed. He proceeded towards the village with a small troop. The Sage is held captive close to the village. As per the information, he completely lost his senses.”
Kartika got up immediately. He yelled, “How could you let him go alone? It’s dangerous out there…prepare for my voyage. I will go immediately.”
The ship of Ashwasena left the harbor. But the fate had taken a dark turn. Before Kartika reached Pushpamela, his father met with his demise.
Kartika found the dead body of his father and the rest of the soldiers on the banks of the river. Pushpamela looked like a cremation ground. Kartika lost his senses at the sight of his father’s dead body. He fell to the ground. His soldiers picked him up and rushed to the ship. The body of the King and the other soldiers were brought too.
A deep silence filled the entire kingdom of Ashwasena. The people mourned their King and all the victims of the deadly fire. The Sage disappeared in thin air and was nowhere to be found. After all the rituals and ceremonies had ended, Kartika was crowned as the new King of Ashwasena.
Read the next chapter. Read all the Chapters of The Forest. Go to Chapter 1.
