A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 66

            In Regina, at his wits’ end, the King again consulted Juan and his mother. She quietly said that she would get her future daughter-in-law to the palace. When she went to that inn with the soldiers, Myara had vanished! After searching the whole day, the soldiers hit upon an idea. They sent a message to the palace to bring her favorite mongrel named August. When he arrived at the inn, he started running in the direction of Regina then suddenly veered off track and started bounding towards the hill where the shrine was located. Heaving excitedly up the steps towards the cave where Myara had taken refuge from the angry eagles while going to rescue Juan from the shrine; he left the others following him far behind. The eagles who were hungrily hovering overhead, kept a safe distance due to his incessant barking.

             Once near the cave, he sniffed around the opening, picked up her scent and leapt into the cave and was delighted to spot his mistress, Myara lying down on the cold and damp floor, curled up to keep herself warm. He licked her tear-stained, soft cheeks till she opened her eyes and looked at him in amazement. As he barked excitedly, she caressed his head and body and gathered his eager brown body close to hers. “How did you find me, darling?” Then her eyes widened in realization. So someone from Regina was desperately looking out for her! Why?

            August shook himself off from her gentle grasp and bounded outside the cave, barking loudly. When the soldiers who had been busy warding off the birds with their pointed staffs and Juan’s mother spotted him they were relieved and he led them into the cave and waved his tail at his mistress.

           Juan’s mother asked the soldiers to wait outside the cave for a while. She knelt beside Myara and held her hand gently. “Myara, my dear, come back to Regina. The King and Juan are waiting for you.” “But I don’t understand, mother, why am I needed there right now?”Myara asked in a bewildered tone. “Myara, as you are aware, Sara, your best friend is no more. Only you know about the curse that the Master of the shrine gave Juan. Hence the King has decided that you must marry Juan and become the Queen of Regina.” Quickly she narrated the events that led to Sara’s suicide and the private conversation of the trio to Myara.

         With a pained look, Myara said, “But I had promised you that I’d have nothing to do with your son after his marriage, hence how can I break my promise?” Juan’s mother said firmly, “I had given you that oath and now I relieve you from it. Hence there is no harm in breaking your promise now. Come soon. We’ve no time to waste!” Myara looked wistfully at the tunnel. She had again lost a chance to investigate that puddle and solve its mystery. Now a greater mystery awaited her in Regina. How would Juan and she ever have a child? Would Regina remain without a successor forever?

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         The door bell rang incessantly, as Martha wrote feverishly. When the noise became too much for her, she got up from the desk, annoyance writ large on her face and stomped to the door. She opened it to see Dr. Hussey standing there. He looked tired after the long day at his clinic. She immediately felt sheepish and welcomed him with “I’m sorry, Doctor. I was very engrossed in writing my novel. Please do come in.” As she stepped aside, he noticed her gown and the way it clung sensuously to her curves. She sensed him watching her and quickly offered to make coffee for both of them.

          She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece and was alarmed to see that it showed 8 p.m. as the time then. Dr. Hussey had asked her to be ready for going out for dinner at 7.30 p.m. and he was a stickler for punctuality. Though he had himself overshot his time-limit by half an hour, she didn’t have any excuse for not being ready on time! She watched the milk boil absentmindedly. What would happen to Regina if she went for dinner? She felt the absurdity of her thought but was also annoyed that her writing had been interrupted by the Doctor’s arrival. Then she guiltily remembered that it was his house and not the other way around!

           She started as the Doctor entered the kitchen swiftly and deftly closed the stove even as the milk threatened to spill over the brim of the vessel in which it was being boiled. “Martha, come out of it! Where are you dear? Pull yourself together. See the milk would’ve ended up making the place messy had I not come in the nick of time.”

            Vaguely, as his voice registered in her brain filled with thoughts of Regina, she said, “Oh, I’m sorry!”

           “Martha, leave this job to me. Please go and get ready. I’ll bring the coffee into the living-room and wait for you. Five minutes and no more!” he jovially ordered her, keeping his voice firm. She knew that he meant what he said. She hurried into her room, washed her face and hands, pulled on the same dress that she had traveled in, applied lip-gloss, brushed her beautiful hair, left it open and walked out into the living room. A gaping Dr. Hussey welcomed her and told her, “By God! That was fast. You look heavenly dear. Come, have some coffee. Tell me, how was your day? Did you eat anything at all?”

            Lightheartedly she said, “Thanks Doctor, I’ve had a lovely day. I had lunch, rested for a while and then wrote till ten minutes ago, when you returned….” As he noted a slight wistfulness in her tone, he joked, “…and disturbed your thoughts!” She brushed his self-deprecatory remark by saying, “It was just as well, Doctor, other wise I would’ve ended up without dinner and got up in the middle of night, feeling ravenously hungry!” Both of them laughed loudly.

         It was 8.30 p.m. when they set out for the restaurant. Martha could feel their neighbor’s eyes following them from behind the peep-hole of her apartment. “Quite a nosy one there!” she remarked casually to him as he agreed. “Yes, it’s so sad that we can’t choose our neighbors, isn’t it? I would’ve loved to have you as my neighbor,” he said with a twinkle in his dark eyes. She found his ready wit endearing and even surprising. She hadn’t expected him to have a funny bone! 

To be continued.... 

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

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.

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 64

              They forced their attention on the proceedings as the King loudly said, “Now all of you may enjoy the feast in the pavilion outside.” Everyone gathered there made a bee-line towards the gilded throne on which Juan and Sara were ensconced to wish them a long and married happy life and give them beautiful gifts. Then they proceeded towards the pavilion where every conceivable food items were displayed tastefully in a buffet. The salad decorations were splendid and eye-catching. Peacocks and elephants were carved out of radish and pumpkins, exotic-looking flowers were made of strawberry, grapes, tomatoes and cucumbers.

              Then there were night-long celebrations at the palace, in the midst of which the new King and Queen of Regina slowly made their exit into their private chambers. Roses, lilies and jasmine invited them with their enticing and heavenly fragrance into their boudoir.

               Sara waited with bated breath on the canopied bed for her husband to make the first move. As he moved towards her, she closed her eyes and her soft pink lips parted for a sweet kiss, expectantly. When she didn’t feel his lips on hers, she opened her eyes and looked at him strangely. “What’s wrong with you Juan? Haven’t we waited for this divine moment all our lives? Why are you so reticent? I’ve noticed that you appeared very pensive and lost today.”

               Gently, she told him, “Please confide in me, Juan. I am your soul-mate. At least, I hope to be one.” A small sigh escaped her lips as he maintained a stony silence. When she couldn’t bear his brooding any longer, she started sobbing quietly.

              “Sara, I’m sorry, but you’ve married an impotent man!” with great difficulty he revealed the heart-rending truth to her. He was relieved after he got it off his heavy chest. He could breathe easier now! Seeing the shocked look on her beautiful face, he said, “Believe me, it is the truth. I was rendered impotent at the shrine by my Master as he was angry that I had dared to disobey him and attempted leaving the shrine with Myara.”

                Angrily, Sara retorted, “But couldn’t you have informed the King or me about this important information before the wedding, Juan? What will we tell everyone when in a few months; a successor to the throne is not born? Can we really live a platonic life, even if we tried really hard?” Juan had no answer. Then he tried. “Sara you were desperate to marry me and the King was hell-bent on our union. My mother was also hankering after our wedding. What choice did I really have?"

                Sara’s lips pursed into a thin line when she noted the full import of his statement. He had married her as an obligation and not out of true love! She was chilled to the bone. She went to sleep on a couch near the bed leaving Juan staring at the full moon that reflected Myara’s enchanting face.

                The next morning he saw that Sara lay on the couch with blood streaming in a rivulet from the side of her beautiful, bow-shaped lips. He looked urgently at her ring-finger. She had swallowed the huge diamond from her wedding ring and taken her precious life. He let out a loud wail. The tears wouldn’t stop even as everyone in the palace streamed in to look at what had prompted that wail. They stopped short in their tracks on seeing the newly-wedded Queen, dressed in all her bridal finery, lying prone on a couch, looking ethereal even in death. The newly anointed King was crying like a baby.

               The King and Queen looked accusingly at Juan’s bent head and then at the Minister. “So you ultimately proved that you are just a worthless scumbag!” the King thundered. “I want an immediate explanation, Juan. Why did our beloved daughter commit suicide?” Then as a suspicion reared its ugly head in his mind, he added, “I hope that you didn’t force my Sara to commit suicide. In that case you will be responsible for murdering her!”

                 Juan sorrowfully raised his head to look at the King. He could see that everyone there was crying their hearts out. What a dreadful end to such a beautiful occasion in Regina! they were surely wondering. Just what had egged the new Queen to take such a drastic step? She had looked so beautiful and so much in love with her husband the previous day! All of them waited with bated breaths to hear his reply.

                Juan was looking mutely at all of them. His throat was choked with emotion and his heart was as heavy as lead. Quietly he said, “Yes Your Highness, I’m responsible for your daughter’s death, though I swear that I didn’t kill her. However I can tell only you, the Queen and my mother about the reason that led to her taking her precious life. Oh, how I wish that she could’ve taken my worthless life instead!”

                 Without much ado, the congregation, including the Minister, left the boudoir and went away, leaving only the trio with Juan. “Come on lad, speak up now. My blood is boiling with rage now. Speak before I strangle you to death.” His eyes were streaming with tears, as were the Queen’s and his mother’s. The Queen especially was looking at him with vengeance flaming from her eyes. His mother was also very distraught as she could see that her grand dream of her son ruling Regina and living in lavish luxury was vanishing from her eyes. In fact, she feared the King’s wrath that would surely destroy her only son Juan’s; and her lives in one fatal stroke.

To be continued.... 

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

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 63

                                          

                           “Princess Sara and Juan will get married after a week. Now she’ll exchange rings with Juan to seal their betrothal,” the pleased King announced in a loud and ringing voice. A roar of applause rent the vast Assembly hall. The King continued over the uproar, “The coronation will take place before the marriage rituals on the same day.” “How convenient?” thought Juan. Obviously the King couldn’t, rather wouldn’t let his only daughter marry a pauper, would he? Hence the coronation had to take place before the marriage so that she could marry a King! He laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. It was as if he was involved in a farce.

                            Probably, he’d have been better off in that forbidden shrine, at peace with himself. Now a long life of mental torture awaited him with open arms. He knew that any person in that large gathering would’ve given an eye and a limb for the Princess’ hand and the crown. Well, he had lost an eye, though unwittingly. Now he had lost his entire life. Destiny had played a very nasty trick on him. He felt like crying. He wondered what everyone would feel if he did just that! They’d jump to the conclusion that he was shedding tears of joy. He looked at Myara as the Princess approached him with her ring. She had curled her palms into her hands and had pursed her lips hard to keep her emotions in check.

                             He was dazed as an attendant held out a large velvet-covered tray with a sparkling solitaire ring on it, surrounded by colorful flowers. He took the ring cautiously. He still had time. He could spring towards Myara and slip it on her beautiful, slender finger. But he was duty-bound. His mother couldn’t be let down, neither could the King, Queen and Sara. He felt nothing as he exchanged rings with the Princess. It was as if he was play-acting as he often did with the other kids in his childhood. Pretending to be a King and marrying a Princess and living happily ever after! Oh why had he grown up at all?

                            Dully he saluted the King, Queen and Ministers and bowed before the cheering Assembly. He was numb with grief. He couldn’t even muster a smile for the Princess as she smiled happily at him. She understood that he had been bewildered by the sudden course of events. It had been too sudden for him, after all her attempts at ridiculing him. She’d give him time to come to terms with her volte-face.

                           After the ceremony, there was a huge banquet and lots of song and dance and the celebrations continued till the wee hours of dawn.

               Then Martha started writing…..

              That week was the darkest week of Juan’s and Myara’s lives and the brightest one of Sara’s life. There were continuous celebrations at the palace which was illuminated and decorated with flowers and festoons daily. The proclamation of the royal wedding was made by official spokesmen at all the public squares of Regina. The people of the kingdom looked forward to the royal feast that would be served to all of them. There was singing, dancing and a lot of joy de vivre in the air. Only Juan and Myara were despondent and morose. It was as if they had been sentenced to death at the guillotine! They felt as if people were celebrating their permanent separation.

               One day before the wedding, Juan sought Myara’s company for one last time. She too agreed as she had desperately wanted to see him up-close one final time and say “Good Bye.” They met clandestinely at the stable behind her shack. She appeared dull, with dark circles under her eyes and listless eyes that brightened on seeing him. He appeared so handsome in his new clothes, a matching shirt and trouser suit and a hat, undoubtedly, one of the several gifts that the King had bestowed on his future son-in-law!

              She had dressed up carefully for him. A simple ethereal white dress with a colorful scarf adorned her lissome body. She looked as beautiful and fragile as porcelain. Juan’s heart went out to her. He couldn’t contain his emotions and clasped her to his bosom tightly. She pushed him away gently, reminding him, “Juan, you will be crowned the King of Regina tomorrow and marry my best friend Sara. Don’t ever forget that. Now you are no longer mine. I will never meet you after your marriage. I will go to some other kingdom and start my life afresh. Promise me that you will be faithful to Regina and loyal to Sara or I’ll never forgive you. Also promise that you’ll never try to locate my whereabouts!”

              “Myara, can’t we just elope?” he asked earnestly. She slapped him across his right cheek with all her might. He rubbed his red cheek ruefully. He had got his answer. An emphatic “No!” He knew that he had just lost everything worth living for. He said “Good Bye” and walked back towards the palace without a backward glance.

                 That night he couldn’t sleep at all. What if the King knows that I have been rendered impotent? Will he stop this ill-fated marriage? He kept thinking. Then he still had a chance of a life with Myara. But he didn’t want her also to remain childless just on account of him. No it was better that he just quietly married Sara and did as Myara bade him to. He’d respect her wishes.

                  The next day, the whole palace cheered as Juan was crowned by the King himself at the lavish Coronation ceremony that was attended by the Kings and Princes, dignitaries and ambassadors of all the neighboring kingdoms. All of Sara’s suitors had turned up to see what they had lost and Juan, the peasant, had gained!

                  He looked dazzling in rich golden robes embroidered with precious gems and pearls and lots of gold jewelry adorning his person. Sara looked resplendent in a red and gold, shimmering gown especially ordered for the happy occasion. She was swathed in gold, pearls and a sparking diamond tiara that matched his diamond-studded crown. 

                 Immediately thereafter, they went to the lone majestic Cathedral in Regina. She appeared radiant and breath-taking in her flowing, milky-white wedding gown made of the finest lace and crystal beads. He appeared every inch, the dapper bride-groom, in his crisp white shirt and shining black tuxedo with a single rose-bud pinned to his lapel.They loudly and clearly repeated their marriage vows and exchanged their wedding rings; shyly kissed each other and went about an elaborate ceremony that proudly proclaimed them as husband and wife.

                 She coyly looked at him and caught a peculiar sad expression on his handsome face. The leather patch over his right eye was the only bit marring his captivating visage. Yes, he had undergone a lot of trauma just to make her his. She owed him her life! She decided that she’d be a very good wife to him and bear him many children. She felt ecstatic at the thought of their first night together…. He dreaded it…..

      

To be continued..... 

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