Wednesday, 15 March 2017

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 65



                Hesitantly Juan said in a small voice, “Your Highness, I was rendered impotent for life, by my Master at that forbidden shrine when I was escaping from there with Myara.” The trio looked at him with astonishment, as if refusing to believe their ears.
                With a sharply drawn breath, the King expostulated, “If that was indeed the case, why didn’t you inform any one of us about it before the marriage? Didn’t you consider it a grave matter?”
               “Your Highness! I beg of you to listen to my explanation patiently. I was reluctant to marry your daughter after returning from that shrine for two reasons. One was that I was rendered impotent by the Master and the other was that I didn’t love her any more. But all of you were hell-bent on our union. The Queen and your self had experienced much anguish on account of my failure in accomplishing the task set out for the Princess’ suitor, my incarceration at that shrine and the Princess’ depression. My beloved mother had languished in starvation and isolation for a long time after my setting out for the task and must have been undoubtedly worrying about my safety and whereabouts.”
           “On my return, all of you were happy and relieved. The Princess too recovered and though fearful about my appearance initially, gradually accepted me as her future husband. I just couldn’t bear the thought of breaking everyone’s hearts all over again, by revealing the truth. But last night, I felt that it was my moral duty to apprise her about the truth. As you see, she took the news very badly and committed suicide.” 
             Suddenly, The Queen rushed to him and started shaking his shoulders violently, “Did you even tell her that you didn’t love her, Juan?” When he kept mum and lowered his eyes, she knew his answer. She collapsed on the floor in a heap and fainted. “So you did indeed take my daughter’s life! I should send you to the gallows for this dastardly act, but now nothing in the world will ever bring my darling daughter back. You have also suffered a lot in life. I can see the reason why you chose to keep silent about the truth. However, can you promise on your mother’s head that you didn’t desire Regina and her wealth, the prospect of becoming a King and becoming powerful and rich overnight?”
              He glanced at his mother who looked abashed and kept his hand on her head, solemnly promising, “I promise on my mother’s life that I have never desired the riches of Regina, power and prestige or becoming a King. Even the first time when I accepted your challenge at the congregation of suitors, I didn’t desire all this. I had fallen in love with the beautiful Princess whom I had always heard about, but never seen, even before that session was organized and announced by you. I had only wanted her and nothing else.”
              The King appeared slightly appeased and said, “Well then, we must find a way out of this impossible situation that Regina suddenly finds itself in. You must remarry at least for companionship and to save face. We don’t want the whole Kingdom to be speculating on your celibacy, do we? As you are the King, you can’t afford to lose face and respect in their eyes as well as the eyes of our neighboring kingdoms.”
             “Knowing your condition now, it wouldn’t be fair to expect any damsel to willingly accept being childless throughout her life, for no fault of hers! Besides, Regina desperately needs a good King which I’m sure you’ll undoubtedly be! I am getting old and infirm by the day, hence have abdicated the throne. I wonder who will be ready to marry you!” He looked despondent as he sat down heavily on a couch. Juan’s mother seized the golden opportunity to clearly say, “Your Highness! May I make a suggestion, if you promise not to be angry with me?”
               Wildly clutching at straws, he quickly replied, “Of course, go ahead by all means!”
               Even as Juan looked at her apprehensively, she told the King without looking at her son, “Myara will make an excellent life-partner for Juan! In fact, under the current circumstances only she can marry him as she will definitely know about his impotence. As Juan just revealed, the Master had cursed him as he and Myara were escaping from the shrine.”
               The King literally jumped up in joy. Then he looked doubtful as a sudden realization struck him. Why hadn’t she warned anyone in the palace, most of all, her best friend Sara, about the curse? The he consoled himself by offering a solution himself. Maybe she might have reasoned like Juan and wisely decided to keep mum. He even wondered whether Juan was in love with the brave Myara. Hmm, so that was why he had fallen out of love with Sara! But the King decided to let sleeping dogs lie, to save his Kingdom! He silently resolved to not question the beleaguered Juan about it. But Myara had a lot to answer! He would question her in private and make her take an oath to never reveal the truth to anyone till she died.
              Sara was buried with full state honors. The ivory inlaid, solid teak-wood casket, bearing the royal insignia was lowered into the earth in the garden behind the palace. The mourners solemnly watched the proceedings with heavy hearts. The King, Queen, Juan and the others were inconsolable. Only Myara was missing as she had already left Regina the previous night, traveled the whole night and reached the neighboring kingdom of Tiara, where she had put up at an inn.
              The next day, the King sent messengers to get Myara to the palace. When they returned without her, he ordered his soldiers to fan out everywhere in and around the Kingdom and find her at any cost. When they did locate her and informed her about her best friend Sara’s suicide, she appeared wan and heartbroken and flatly refused to return to Regina. She felt guilty thinking that she was indirectly the reason for her friend’s fatal decision in some way. 

To be continued.... 

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

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