‘Don’t talk to me!’ Swara muttered as she pushed open the door to their room. Sanskar glanced around and saw Ragini watching them from the opposite end and decided to obey her for the moment. He closed the door after them.
‘Listen to me Swara,’ he said as soon as the door was closed.
‘Why should I?’ She breathed in anger. ‘You don’t listen to me even once!’
‘I am sorry! I know you asked me not to take those pills but how could I have known that Ragini would swap the bottles? I had no idea she was planning such a stunt!’
‘Ugh!’ Said Swara as she opened the wardrobe and disappeared against the door. ‘Do you think I worry an inch about that? Is that how much you know me Sanskar?’
Sanskar was clearly bewildered now. If she was not angry about that, what exactly was she furious about. He watched her as she pulled out her night clothes still breathing steam. Her face flushed with anger and her eyes burning. She was quite a sight!
He had to agree that he felt a pang of pride as he watched her and a tad of relief. She had proved his innocence smartly, and of cause she had accepted that she trusted him in front of everyone.
‘Now why are you staring at me?’ She snapped him out of that trance as she messed her clothes in the wardrobe.
‘I don’t understand what else could be wrong here,’ Sanskar said innocently.
‘Well,’ Swara replied. ‘Mr. Maheshwari, for your kind information she had changed your pills. Good thing that she put some sedating drug, what if she had poisoned you? You’d still have taken them like a fool, what would I have done if something happened to you?’ She marched to the dressing table and removed her earrings.
‘You wouldn’t need me to proceed with the plan Swara,’ Sanskar raised his eyebrows. ‘I have already made arrangements for that, after all knowing what Ragini is capable of who knows what…’
Something shattered. Looking up, Sanskar saw that Swara had just broken her jewelry box. Her rings and earrings lay among the shattered glass. She knelt there, paying him no attention, picking up her ornaments. The thick curtain of her hair was shielding her expression. Sanskar went to help her pick them up and knelt in front of her, gathering the glittering stones. Something wet, fell on the back of his palm, startled he looked up.
‘Swara? Are you crying?’
She frowned at him, wiping her eyes furiously.
‘No, I’m not!’ Leaving the earrings for him to pick up she stood up instantly and turned her back on him, still wiping her tears secretly. Sanskar was no servant of hers to complete his task obediently. He too straightened and slowly touched her shoulder.
‘Shona?’
She sniffed but did not answer. Sanskar grabbed her shoulders and made her face him, still trying to figure out what the problem was. She refused to meet his gaze and kept staring determinedly at the floor, tears welling up in her eyes.
‘You’re a wicked…wicked person! You don’t even once think before you speak! If anything happened to you how could I have forgiven myself knowing it was me who dragged you in to all this! Do you really hate me that much?’
‘Oh!’ Sanskar said after a long pause. In fact he could not find a better response at the moment. Was not she the one who presented the no-strings-attached- theory? ‘You were worried that Ragini might harm me?’ Relief almost making him grin, he asked her.
Swara shook off his hold on her shoulder and scowled at him.
‘Throw the pills away!’ She said pointing the open window.
‘Swara…’ Sanskar tried to explain.
‘Throw them away! Throw them, right now!’
Putting his hands in the air in surrender and shaking his head at her childish stubbornness; he felt his pocket for the bottle and without another remark tossed it off the open window.
‘Happy?’
She wiped off the last remaining tears with the back of her hand and nodded, still sniffing. Sanskar watched her for a moment trying to restrain the urge he felt to hug her, but no, the feeling was too strong. He briefly put his arms around her, loosely though so she could shake off his hold any moment. Perhaps because she was so entangled in her thoughts, Swara had not objected. Sanskar ran a hand through her hair.
‘I’m not going to leave you to cope with all this alone,’ he muttered lightly. ‘We’re going to see through this together. I promise.’
*
If a man had to choose among flames and ice, the first choice might always be the flames…the useful, the lighting and the warm…but someone who had seen what those flames can do would always choose ice. The soothing coldness it brings against the blisters caused by the flames.
In her life, Annaprna had gone through some of those phases that she knew ice was better than fire, trust was better than love, Sanskar was better than Lakshya.
Knowing it and accepting it were two highly different tasks. To know something you have to be wise, to accept something you have to be strong. Annapurna was wise, but perhaps not as strong as Durga Prasad was. Although it seemed at the moment, that Sanskar indeed meant them no harm, having him inside her house was similar to having a free roaming lion there. She had no idea when it would turn around and attack. No matter what her husband’s view on him was, Annapurna could not have the reins of Maheshwaris on Sanskar’s hands.
To cage the lion and to reclaim the reins, she could see only one way anymore. For a moment she closed her eyes, sitting on her cold bed. This action of hers would tumble the fortress of Maheshwaris, would shutter the relations upon which they stand, would erase the trust and also it would break the promise she had once made to her husband.
She took a long, deep breath.
There was no choice. She was doing this for the greater good. Sanskar has to be restrained. When Sujata, with her disapproving mumblings entered her room, Annapurna was ready for her and the inquiries she brought with herself.
‘Jiji, you haven’t done the right thing!’ She said as she glided into the room. ‘Why did you slap my boy without letting him explain?’
Annapurna stood up slowly, bowing her head.
‘I am sorry Sujata. I was hasty I should have listened to him first. But…perhaps my past experiences got the better of me…’ she let a pause follow her words and watched the effect of understanding upon Sujata’s almost transparent mind.
‘What past experiences Jiji?’ Then she looked at her suspiciously. ‘What are you hiding from me? Why were you looking at my husband when you said something about blood traits? I’m so scared Jiji! Oh, my poor nerves, I’m imagining the worst things now!’ Muttering to herself she sat on the bed uninvited. ‘Please tell me what is it that I don’t know?’
‘Have you ever talked about Yashodara with Devar ji?’
Sujata looked at her, wide eyed.
‘Don’t take her name! That she devil!’ Then as if suddenly remembering she clapped her mouth. ‘I didn’t mean to insult you Jiji, I mean I know she was your sister and all, but I know how hard she tried to ruin my marriage!’
Annapurna said nothing as Sujata continued with her rant.
‘I still remember her tricks well! If god had not been watching upon me, I would have lost my boy even before he was born!’
‘Sujata!’ Annapurna said at last, in a sharp tone. Then she smiled as if masking her slip of tongue and said, ‘I think you should ask this question from Devar Ji. He can explain you better than I will ever be able to. Ask him, what the true circumstances behind that incident were. I’m not the right person to tell you this…’
She watched Sujata leave muttering to herself, and prayed to her lord to give her brother in law strength to withstand the storm she sent in his way.
‘Forgive me Yashodara,’ she muttered then. ‘But I can’t keep your secret anymore.’
*
The kitchen was lost in mild darkness as Ragini stepped in. She wanted some water after waking up from an unsettling dream. It happened a lot these days; maybe the evil thoughts were finally taking a toll on her mind. Even her dreams had turned many shades darker.
As she went to open the refrigerator someone held a glass of water in front of her, looking up from the faint light the open refrigerator supplied she saw it was Swara, with a very placid expression.
‘Take it Ragini, it’s pure water I promise,’ she said urging the glass towards her.
‘What are you doing here?’ Ragini replied still watching her cautiously and not touching the glass.
‘What, you don’t need it? Fine,’ Swara said before gulping down the water herself. ‘You see, Ragini I can’t sleep when I leave things incomplete. They bother me in my dreams.’
‘What have you left incomplete Swara?’
‘A conversation, between you and me,’ Swara said gracefully sitting on the kitchen table and pointing Ragini to the chair opposite to her. ‘Remember that night, right after you wedding. You were saying something very important before I clumsily fall down the bridge right?’
Ragini raised her eyebrows.
‘What do you want?’
‘Three weeks,’ Swara continued ignoring her. ‘It took me three weeks to walk again. And when I did, you can’t imagine how painful it was.’
‘You are not the only person who has been through pain Swara.’
‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘But I might be the only person who was put through all that by their family. Are you still under the illusion that you are in love Ragini? Love makes angles out of demons not vice versa.’
‘You who have never fallen in love has no right to comment on that! What do you know? You’ve learned to love a crown no matter who ever is wearing it! That is greed Swara, not love!’
‘And for your love you had to snatch the crown? Hmm makes sense from that point of view.’
‘Yes,’ breathed Ragini. ‘I had to snatch the crown. I had to! I was in love and I would have lost my love forever! You should thank me Swara. I broke your illusion, after all you survived!’
Swara stood up.
‘When you were younger you used to burn your old dolls, because you wouldn’t have anyone else touching them. I know your love Ragini, it is disastrous.’
‘Like your love is a boon!’ Said Ragini sarcastically. ‘See where it has brought Sanskar? He’s going to be broken in the end, I might do the favor of burning him perhaps.’
‘Don’t you dare!’ Swara, frowned. ‘If you ever drag Sanskar between us, I might have to unleash a bigger storm Ragini.’
‘Grow up Swara,’ laughed Ragini. ‘He’s not your doll to protect. You can’t protect him.’
Swara gave a swift smile.
‘Go on then, protect your king. I’ll manage mine.’
‘I like this better. No innocent niceness, you’re as vicious as I am.’
‘No sis, I’m far worse. You wait for others to pick up the weapons you have scattered around and start fighting. I hand them weapons myself.’
Brushing past Ragini and still smiling slightly she went to the door.
‘Know one thing. Sanskar was never my weakness. But Lakshya is yours.’
Unknown to Ragini the call she kept connected, disconnected with a light tap of her fingertip. The first weapon was handed behind Ragini’s back.
*
Ram Prasad Maheshwari was not a very scientific man, but whenever he thought of her, Mercury was the first word that came to his mind. A metal so exquisite yet utterly deadly, one that could dissolve gold in its embrace and the only metal that went against the nature; it remained liquid surprising the nations to study it. In the deepest layers of his mind, Yashodara was human form of Mercury.
She had been his first ever best friend, someone who had understood unspoken thoughts of his mind. Brilliant, dazzling, warm persona she was. Just like Mercury, breathtaking and commanding in their presence, always employed by those who were oblivious of their inner qualities. He remembered learning at school that Mercury was what the ancients considered the first metal on earth. True, there was a time when his purpose of life begun with Yashodara and ended with her.
The Roman’s used Mercury for makeup, Chinese to color their liquor, all they had seen was the innocent outlook. The closer they went the deadlier the metal become. Even its steam could be poisonous although the same lit the florescent bulbs, a tad more than necessary would destroy a well established environment.
Yashodara was kind of like that. She was not evil, heavens, no. But she was selfless to an extent that it was not healthy at all. She was too innocent for the world around her, too honest to the circles she belonged to and certainly too lovely to be burdened with the woes of the world. Her purity attracted anyone…but on the same time pulled them through tests of fire. She was too precious that one would die to protect her; many have sacrificed a great deal in order to make her safe. Her love was destructive, much like Mercury on the gold of life. It is not the metal’s fault that it is poisonous, but the others should know better than to paint their walls with it.
Yashodara had been a boon as well as a curse in his life. Her friendship had given him the valued memories of this life and her love…her love had destroyed him. His love, not hers; he amended the sentence. Yashodara had never loved him. The tales of that past were kind of like a shadow that kept following him. Darkening his image, blurring his intentions… Even today his sister in law held a grudge against him because of her. He sighed for a moment. Had she known the entire truth?
But now at the moment the part truth Annapurna knew was the most dangerous. He stood up from the dark corner of the study where he sat immersed in thoughts. There was a time when his life rotated around Yashodara. Bur the axis of his life had changed now. He had sacrificed a lot for her, lied, manipulated countless times but now the same center point of his life was becoming the eye of the storm that was going to destroy the new axis of his life. He sighed as he remembered his conversation with Sujata and winced inwardly. He could not control his temper when she had used poisonous words against Yashodara. Oh, why? Had he restrained his speech he would not have been sitting here thinking what storm the next morning would bring. He was sure Sujata would not be restrained; Sujata would not accept the truth he, in his hastiness had slapped against her. Sujata would retaliate and Sanskar would be the attack point. Sanskar, his most precious son… Even the memories of Yashodara which were like the air he breathed would have to be destroyed if they become the poison that would kill Sanskar.
Not even Yashodara had a right to stop his son from being the heir to the Maheshwaris.
*
‘What are you suggesting Ragini?’ Chandraraj asked slowly, as he pressed his mobile to his ear and listened to her calm, sweet voice presenting a venomous idea.
‘The merger will never be approved by the new chairman.’
‘I know that.’
‘Then perhaps it is time to topple the throne, the very moment our armies knock their fortress.’
‘I want Maheshwaris destroyed.’
‘I want them laying at my feet in pieces,’ Ragini smiled. ‘It is time to swipe Sanskar off the board; we should do it before he transfers his shares to Swara.’
‘It will not be a big blow.’
‘It will, when I unleash the storm.’
Cutting the call she sighed to herself. ‘It will destroy you as well Chandraraj,’ she muttered to herself. ‘I don’t like to keep my removed pawns… I destroy them completely. If not the other side might use them…just like Sanskar is used by Swara.’
*