I'm so sorry for the delay. Past few weeks have been very difficult. I missed you all.

Also, I have resumed my other story 'The Umbrella Partner'. If you are interested, please do read.

---***---

"Wait!" Abhimanyu stepped in front of Samarjit to stop him. "This is madness."

Samarjit pushed him out of the way and kicked the door open. "Leave!" He bellowed a command to the physician attending to Govardhana, who darted out of the room.

Abhimanyu entered the room, panting. "Maharaja! Please. Don't do this." He held Samarjit's hand in a tight grip, preventing him from striking an unconscious Govardhana.

"Why shouldn't I? This man betrayed my family. My mother and wife would have been dead because of him. He deserves to die."

"But he is our prisoner. You cannot kill him now. It will bring you dishonour."

"Dishonour? You weren't worried about honour when the prince of Avantipuram surrendered. You would have beheaded him then and there." Samarjit reminded him.

"Yes. But I stopped. Do you know why? Because of you. You made me realise what I was about to do, was wrong. Rage and fury cloud our judgement. Had I went ahead with my initial plan back then, I would have regretted it now." Abhimanyu said calmly, though his heart was pounding.

Samarjit stood still, gripping his sword. His knuckles turned white. He seemed to comprehend the words.

"Give him a fair trial." Abhimanyu continued. "He might be an enemy to the crown. But he saved my sister's life. For that, I will eternally be grateful to him."

"Grateful for what?" Samarjit was annoyed again. "She wouldn't have needed saving if it wasn't for his schemes to harm her. How can you forgive the man who backstabbed your sister? Don't you--"

"Backstabbing her?" Abhimanyu asked indignantly. "You mean like how you backstabbed her by conspiring with the courtiers against her?"

"What?"

"Didn't you go behind her back, convincing your ministers that she needed to stay here? And then you imposed this decision on her, telling her not to fight in the war, disregarding the fact that it was she who brought this massive army together."

"Abhimanyu, I agree I did that. But I had a valid reason. She was keeping secrets from all of us. I thought she was acting against the interests of the throne." Samarjit struggled to explain without offending him.

"Right. Because King Samarjit's reasons are always valid. He can do as he wishes and no one is supposed to question him." Abhimanyu scoffed at him. "You want to kill Govardhana? By all means go ahead. But don't act like you are a saint and everyone else is a sinner." He stepped aside and released his grip on the young king's hand.

Samarjit felt like he had been punched in the gut. He opened his mouth several times to defend his actions. But his voice disowned him.

The truth was staring at him in the face. He made her stay back. Which eventually led to her getting stabbed. He knew what happened in his absence wasn't his fault. But he couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt. And it occurred to him that it was this guilt that caused his fury.

After what felt like hours, he finally spoke. "You are right. I am sorry."

"I am not saying this to make you feel miserable. I just don't want anything to disrupt the peace we all have worked so hard to achieve. Just give him a fair trial. "

Samarjit nodded. "Fair trial it is. Whether he walks free or gets executed, it will be decided in the court."

Abhimanyu heaved a sigh of relief.

---***---

"So, Vaishali is not the murderer." Ganesha repeated Mayanshi's words. "If it is true, then why did she enter the tent? Shivam told us he saw her."

"She did enter my father's tent. But it was before he was stabbed by Vasishtha. My father was dejected after his fight with my uncle that night. She only met him to ask him if he was fine."

"And you believed that?"

"I wouldn't have, if this was taken out of context. But considering everything else she did, I have to. I mean, why would she go to the extent of disowning her son, fabricating a second wife story and stubbornly telling me that she should be arrested? It only means one thing. Vasishtha was the criminal and she wants to protect her son." Mayanshi explained.

"Maybe. But I still hate her for not revealing the truth." Ganesha nodded in agreement. "And you!" He said suddenly, making Mayanshi jump. "What were you thinking collaborating with your uncle? Capturing the city? How could you agree to this? Why didn't you arrest him when he first suggested this? I expected better from you."

Mayanshi lowered her eyes. "I know what I did was wrong. I was blinded by hatred. I just couldn't bear to see the person who destroyed my family, walk free. The mere thought of her and her progeny sitting on the throne, enjoying all the power and riches, filled me with rage. When my uncle offered a way to punish her, I took it. It seemed like a reasonable move back then. Now when I think about it, I see how I put everyone in harm's way." She covered her face with her hands.

Ganesha's expression softened. He placed his hand on her head. "It was a huge blunder. But you rectified it before it was too late. You figured out their intentions were wrong, and made a counter plan. You saved Virata. It pretty much cancels out the previous mistakes."

She raised her head to look at him. "You really think that?"

"I do. But that doesn't mean I am not angry. I am your adviser. I expect you to consult or at least inform me before you do something this big. You are not a normal girl. You are the queen. The consequences of your mistakes can alter the future of Virata. Do you understand, child?"

"I do. I promise to ask your opinion on everything from today."

"Good. And another thing. Don't go telling everyone about initially agreeing with your uncle."

"But--"

"We don't want the court hating you again. Everything you did for the well being of your people will be forgotten in a moment. Don't give these opportunists a reason to take advantage of you." He warned her.

She nodded at the adviser, weakly.

"I should leave now. I will pray for your health." He stood up and walked out.

Mayanshi closed her eyes to get some sleep. Few moments later, she felt someone's presence in the room.

"Pleased to see you, dear husband." She greeted him.

"How did you know it's me?" Samarjit was mildly surprised.

"No one is brave enough to visit me without announcing themselves. No one but you." She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

He too felt his lips curve upwards. She winced, attempting to sit.

His smiled faltered. With a grim face, he helped her up and placed a pillow behind her for support.

"Why the sadness, Maharaja? Not happy to see me?" She tried to cheer him up.

"I go away for a week and you get yourself injured?" He held her hands in his, with utmost tenderness. "Never do that again."

"Is that an order or a request?"  She grinned.

"A bit of both."

"Now tell me why I should consider this, when you so openly defied my order?" She asked. "Didn't I tell you that I like you to be unharmed? And yet you come home sporting an injury."

"You seem to have forgotten, dear wife. You said you want my face unharmed. You said nothing about my legs."

Mayanshi chuckled at her smirking husband. "Finding loopholes? I am impressed. You are beginning to sound like a Srimukha citizen."

"Well, what can I say? Totally married their princess." He smirked again.

And they burst out laughing.

"I am so glad you are fine." Mayanshi squeezed his palms. "You won the war. I feel so proud of you."

"I feel proud of you too. Your bravery and strength saved our people." He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ears.

She drew back instinctively. He removed his hand.

"I am sorry. After that incident, every sudden movement startles me."

"I understand. You need some time to adjust. I will help you get better." He promised.

"What about administration if you are busy taking care of me?"

"It can function for a week or two without my direct involvement." He remarked.

Mayanshi gasped. "King Samarjit taking a break from duties? Am I dreaming? Or did my ears deceive me?"

"I earned a short break. We both did. Didn't we just make our ancestors proud?" He said casually. "My father must be feeling so happy. He..." He trailed off, remembering the rumours circulating around.

"Something bothering you?" She frowned.

"I... I heard something bad about him."

For a moment she imagined Vaishali telling him the truth. 'That's not possible. She would never do that.'

"I heard that he was in relationship with few other women. He even had a second wife. Some say that I am the second wife's son." He looked away.

Mayanshi waited for him to regain composure. But when he looked at her again, his eyes carried immense agony. "The rebels you arrested few days ago have something to say too. They said my father is responsible for King Mahadeva's death."

Mayanshi clenched her fists. "Do you believe them?" She managed to say in a feeble whisper.

"I don't know. He was a good man. I shouldn't let this nonsense affect me. But he kept saying he wronged Princess Mayanshi during his final days." Samarjit continued. "I told you this when we went on the rescue mission. Remember?"

"No. You admitted after I confronted you." She replied in a sharp tone before she could stop herself. "I am sorry. Continue." She said in a significantly calmer voice.

"Well... what if he was talking about your father's death? My mother always says I shouldn't let anyone change the way I think of him. But a secret second wife, adultery and accusations of murder cannot be ignored."

Mayanshi started sweating. She wanted nothing more than him to stop discussing his father.

"Are you alright? You look pale." He offered her some water. She drank it very slowly.

"I am sorry for troubling you. I just needed someone to share this with."

Mayanshi glanced at him with a frown on her face. She gritted her teeth. A helpless anger engulfed her.

'Tell him' said a voice inside her head. 'Tell him what a cruel man his father was. Let him know that a monster's blood runs in his veins. Why spare his feelings? Let him drown in guilt.'

"Your father..." She trailed off, unable to continue. 'Why though?' She asked herself. 'For what crimes, should he feel guilty?'

She remembered how she was judged for being raised in Srimukha, something she had no control over. She remembered how she was called a disgrace and a traitor to Virata, just because she tried to do something good.

She was criticized to such an extent that she started feeling guilty and worthless. 'Would I really want someone else to hate themselves, like I did? I would be betraying everything I stand for, if I tell him the truth.'

She chose not to let her rage defeat her principles. 'No innocent person will be punished. Not on my watch.'

"I feel that you are doing a great disservice to your father's memory by doubting him."

"You think he was innocent?"

"I don't need to think here. I know what happened. You believed our enemies, whom we have arrested and thrown into dungeons. Our enemies, whose job is to spread nonsensical stories and see us doubt ourselves. They wanted to create chaos, and you are helping them achieve their goal by giving them unnecessary importance." She said sternly.

"So, their accusations are baseless?"

"Do I still need to tell you that? Is it not clear to you? They are playing with our minds. We won't let them." She stared at him for response.

"Maybe you are right."

"And coming to rumours about his second wife. Would Vaishali Devi have loved you like her own son, if you were her stepson?"

"No. She wouldn't." He agreed.

"Exactly." She continued. "We weren't just attacked externally. Our strength as a family has also been tested. When someone tries to smear mud over us, we don't encourage them. We fight them together. Don't let them get inside your mind. Fight these demons."

"Yes, Maharani. I will not let anyone tarnish my family's reputation. I won't let them besmirch my father's legacy after his demise." Samarjit nodded with determination.

Though the words pierced Mayanshi's heart, she smiled for his sake.

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I heard a rumour that you commented on this chapter.