Chapter 6: The King

Kartika spent his time in solitude. He was still mourning the death of his father. Six months had passed. He still had no news of the wretched Sage. He thought to himself, “What kind of person am I? I was sleeping in my chambers when my father traveled straight toward his death.”

He looked at himself in the mirror. He reflected on everything that happened in the past. After a lot of guilt and self-humiliation, he decided to take some action. He called the head priest.

The head priest appeared before the King. He sat on a seat while Kartika stood near the window gazing at his kingdom carefully. He finally spoke, “Acharya! I am done beating around the bush. I will come straight to the point. I want to solve this forest problem. So either I burn down the entire forest or I go in the forest and find out the reason for all the mishappenings.”

The priest opposed the proposal of Kartika. He said, “You are the King! I can never allow you to do that.”

Kartika spoke in an irritated voice, “I am not seeking permission! I am the King!! I can’t let my people die.”

The priest nodded in disagreement. He tried to convince Kartika. Right then a soldier walked into the chamber and announced the arrival of King Shailendra to Ashwasena. The priest and the king were in shock. Kartika asked the priest, “Why is King Shailendra coming uninformed?”

The priest had no answer. Kartika ordered the soldiers to make arrangements for their guests.

The priest told Kartika to hold his thoughts. He said, “We will talk about this matter later! For now, try to hide your emotions.”

Kartika prepared to welcome King Shailendra and his family. He had not seen Rohini after their last visit. His heart was racing fast. He had not felt this alive in the last six months. He was disappointed when he finally confronted King Shailendra because his family did not accompany him. Kartika’s eyes were searching for Rohini, but he couldn’t ask directly. So he asked indirectly, “ Your family didn’t join you here?”

King Shailendra laughed. He said to Kartika, “Why don’t you ask directly? You are looking for Rashmi right?”

Kartika tried to hide his desperation behind his smile. He said, “No! I’m just being formal. Your family didn’t come?”

The King smiled, “No! I am not coming from Avanti. I had gone to meet my friend, the King of Motikunja, Dharmesh. Some of his territory is close to the dark forest. It has been a rough year.”

Kartika sighed in grief. He spoke in a trembling voice, “I wish I could burn that forest down.”

Shailendra consoled Kartika, “You need to be patient. You are not a prince anymore. I don’t need to be rude, but you have acted rashly in the past. Now you need to think twice before making any decision. Your kingdom and your people, are your responsibility now.”

As they sat in privacy, King Shailendra revealed the true purpose of his visit to Ashwasena. He said, “Look, Son! I know this year was rough on you. But I have to look after my family and kingdom as well. Our kingdom is one the most powerful in the world. Kings and princes are already lining up for my daughter’s hand. But before his death, your father and I agreed that we must form a stronger alliance by marrying you to my daughter. He is gone. I want to know if you want the same as your father. Because I can’t wait any longer.”

Kartika’s fear was turning into reality. His love and duty were in mutual conflict. If he said no, then he would lose an important alliance, and if he said yes then he would be marrying a woman he does not love.

He spoke with a bit of hesitation, “Maharaj! I do want to continue our alliance. But my father just died. My mind is cloudy. I am not able to decide as of now.”

King Shailendra spoke again, “The Prince of Motikunja, is of age. He is eighteen but valiant like his father. His father, King Dharmesh wants him to marry my daughter. To be honest, the only reason I want you over him is that my daughter wants to marry you. She liked you from the first meeting. I will leave tomorrow morning. If you don’t answer by then, I will have to say “yes” to my friend Dharmesh’s son…think about it.”

Kartika couldn’t sleep the entire night. He kept thinking. What could he do? Even if he says a “No” still he would never be able to marry Rohini. She was already married.

After a lot of thinking, Kartika agreed to the king’s proposal. It was decided that he would marry the princess. The kingdom was finally celebrating after months of sorrow. After a few months of preparations and ceremonies, Kartika and Rashmi tied the knot in the grand palace of Avanti.  Kartika was feeling a deep pain in his heart as the events progressed. He was feeling suffocated in the presence of Rohini, knowing that she had gone out of his reach.

After the ceremony ended, Kartika brought Rashmi to Ashwasena. Ashwasena welcomed their Queen. While Rashmi was excited for her new life, she had no idea about the miseries that were in her way. For Kartika, the marriage was just a political alliance. He never loved Rashmi. He never went close to her. Rashmi realized her misfortune soon enough.

Far from Ashwasena, Motikunja was drowned in its own troubles. The King was worried about his people. Some of the villages were close to the dark forest. People were moving out of those villages. The crown prince, Ashwani, had taken matters into his own hands. He insisted that he must investigate the matter on his own. Although the King was not in favor of his plans he could never say “No” to his son.

With permission from the King, Ashwani traveled to the kingdom of Ashwasena. He wanted to take all neighboring kingdoms in his confidence before moving ahead. Ashwasena was now a friend to Avanti and hence, it was friendly to Motikunja as well. Ashwani began his voyage.

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