"It is time."

A beat of reticence passed and Sumitra exhaled tortuously. Her frail hand reached to squeeze a twinge in her chest. Kishan deduced that the moment was consequential and tensed. 'Time for what?'

It was time to pay the debt.

"After the demise of his first wife- Kirti, King Yagyavardhana has mourned for an entire year. Her highness- Queen Mother Vasundhara thinks it is the right time to bring happiness to King's life once again. Though he has all the riches in world, none can bring the satisfaction a woman can. The Queen Mother wants him to marry again, and this time she is looking for a suitable bride herself. While going through various pictures of eligible girls, your daughter caught the sharp eyes of royalty and after noting her ethereal appearance and compatible horoscope, they are eager to know her in person. You have got an invite from Rajwada Palace. You've got a proposal from the Royal Family."

Kishan's jaw dropped. The ground beneath his feet spun. Sumitra's hold on the cane tightened. She gulped and nodded thoughtfully.

"A proposal from royalty, you say. Is the Queen Mother aware of our status? We are poor farmers, not rich landlords. My granddaughter isn't a princess. I don't live in a bungalow. Luxurious cars aren't lined on my porch. We come from a different caste. How come the royalty thought of this? Are you playing games with me, Damodaran?"

Sumitra quipped wickedly, slowly burying her worries at the back of her mind. The moment demanded her sound mind. She will wallow in suffering on her pillow. Her family needs her support. Damodaran passed her a sad smile. His wise eyes read the conflicts behind her foggy orbs.

"I'd never play games like this. It is a pressing verdict. Whether you like it or not, your daughter has caught the eye of high in commands. If the status mattered to them, I wouldn't be sitting here. The queen mother is simply looking for a girl who takes care of his highness with utmost compassion."

One look at Kishan told Sumitra the queries in his mind.

"What do you suggest, Damodaran?

She leans towards him for a piece of advice.

"If I were at your place, I'd downright rejected the proposal."

A smile broke on Sumitra's face. He has always been like this. Honest and straightforward. Just like her granddaughter.

"But these are Royals. They might take your rejection personally. What you see as a wise choice might bring the wrath of Vasundhara Devi to your doorstep. I won't say much, you know better. As the eldest member of this family, it is upon you. To solve your queries, this is just a proposal, not the actual marriage. The Queen Mother has yet to see Gauri in private and test her. There's no guarantee, she will pick your girl to be the next queen."

Kishan bit his lip, refraining from jumping at the opportunity. He has always wanted to see the Palace. Now the dream was a breath away and only his mother had the authority to put a stamp on it.

"You are right. There's no harm in one meeting. My son will take Gauri to the Palace to see the Queen Mother. This way both the females will get to know each other."

"I swear to God I will happily jump in the holy Ganges than accepting such proposal from the most fearsome household in 300 miles. I don't vouch to become the daughter-in-law of a Queen mother, who is referred to as mean and merciless by suffering souls. Just think. Why would they knock at our door for a poor girl who wasn't even able to complete her higher education because of financial issues? The King is rumored as highly educated and an intelligent businessman. He should pursue a girl of equal status. Remember, his first bride was a princess. There is no comparison here. It is a trap, father. And I can see right through it.

I won't let a hard-headed monarch dictate my life. No. I will survive on meager meals with pride rather than selling myself as a worthless concubine. People will call me a gold digger. Moreover, those morons are willing to offer money. I am not an object on sale! Are you trying to sell me?

Ma, I don't want to be locked in that golden cage. I will lose all that I have if you say yes to this offer. My adventures and stories, what about them? I won't be able to tell the tales again. Those golden chains are going to shackle me and twist my tongue until I become one of those silly puppets."

Gauri's strong revolt didn't leave room for more persuasion. Her resilient countenance reflected her attitude towards materialistic endeavors. She wasn't ready to be a part of such schemes. She was happiest at the moment and no outsider is going to snatch it from her palms.

"My dear, try to understand our situation. Put that brain of yours at work. If the proposal had come from a normal family, we might have waived it off, but this is Queen Vasundhara we are talking about. You can't speak your mind in front of her. The Queen's words are law. You heard what the Priest said. Her highness has chosen you from three other girls of high status. Your beauty has captured her attention. It is clear how this picking was not done based on background because she is already aware of our condition. She must have asked for you after learning about your values and character. Let's not forget, before becoming a Queen, she was also a normal girl from a middle-class family. She wasn't always rich. Maybe, her highness is searching for someone who has a heart of gold just like you for her son.

I've heard many good things about the new King. He is devoted to helping the underprivileged and spends a fortune to provide facilities our rural areas lack. New shrines, hospitals with better equipment and doctors, schools for children, and factories providing work to the unemployed are opened by the King in past three years.

Moreover, people swear on his character. Though he is regarded as a ruthless man of high temperament, not once he has hurt an innocent. Not many people have seen him but those who took one glance failed to erase the image of his regal features out of their minds. He is handsome too."

The helpless father tried to penetrate his stubborn daughter's mind. He was greatly distressed by the matter himself and knew by hook or by crook the clever queen of Rajwada Palace will take whatever pleases her and in the said case, she has set her eyes upon his virtuous daughter. The thought of someone snatching his offspring forcefully sets an ache in his heart. He has handled famines and debts and fought with all his might to keep his family safe. But this was different. He lacked both guts and resources to face the impending doom. Vasundhara Devi will chew on their ossein if got rejected. His daughter's life was in line, yet he couldn't do anything.

"My child won't be a scapegoat just because she doesn't belong to an authoritative and well-to-do family. I dare you to compel my daughter. I will set this world on fire if any tragedy befalls her. She will not kill her wishes to entertain certain someone, who is trying to mold her according to their selfish interest. I beg of you to give her freedom some thought before reacting. If she married in the palace, we won't be able to see her. Who knows what that mother and son will do to her? How will she fit in? She may stroll like a rowdy here, terrorizing boys by her tactics, but up in those high walls, she will be helpless. Her wisdom could only help her survive so far. She wouldn't be respected for being a village girl. The Royals sit with big people all across the globe. How will our daughter fare with them? I've prayed to goddess Durga for eight years before she blessed my womb to give birth to this phenomenon girl. It is far better to force poison down her throat than to sell her to those wolves..."

"Rukmani..."

Kishan couldn't bear to listen to such heartless words any longer and, in the moment of heat, raised his hand to strike his wife. How could she say something like that regarding their girl? Rukmani's nostrils flared in rage. Like a lioness, she braced herself as she stepped into a battlefield for the safeguard of her cub. If this was Gauri's fate, Rukmani will happily send her back to the gods who filled her empty arms with a child.

Before his palm could have touched her cheek, the iron of Sumitra cuts the air and settles on their shoulders heavily.

"Enough of your callow banter. There is no need of evaluating your wisdom by losing your temperament over the smallest things. This isn't how I raised you, Kishan. If you respect me, apologize to your wife. Rukmani, I understand your sentiments. Gauri is our daughter and as parents, we want the best for her. We are unsure if the circumstances are in our favor or not, but one thing is clear, that she is of age to settle down.

I am the head of this family and it is my job to take such grave decisions concerning the future and well-being of all my children. In the coming days, Gauri has to marry someone and leave this life behind to commence a new journey. I am not saying that the proposal from the palace is ideal but would like to know why everybody is thinking that marrying in that family is the end of the world. The future is unclear and if we briefly walk through history, we see countless women who came from the ground, standing on highest esteem and converting mere kingdoms into mighty empires. Your arguments are based on rumors. We are not sure how that mother and son fare, but we know our daughter. I have faith in her. It is true, you are no match to him, neither in status nor educational department. But your morals sit higher than any of those morons. What are you afraid of? See it as a new tale in which you are the main protagonist walking on a thorny path while slaying evil.

If you believe marrying royalty is a heinous crime, go ahead and drown yourself in the holy Ganges or take the poison from your mother's hand as she suggested. But if you are my daughter, face the dance and weave your path.

What is the worse that will happen? You will lose your freedom? Life? Pride?

Remember, you didn't inherit them from your ancestors. You earned it all through good deeds.

The decision must be made by you for this is your life. But don't forget the sword of Vasundhara Devi hanging on all our heads. If you want to reject the King, come with a strong debate that helps to save our lives rather than showing these tears. Tears don't win the war, courage does.

Now go ahead and let Priest Damodaran know your option. He will carry your word to the Queen. Whatever your choice may be, your family will stand with you till their last breath."

Alone in gloom, away from light, he sat in shadows, remembering the nights where he smiled. Serene and quiet, the air which once filled his lungs with joy, was lost now. Gone were the people he loved, gone was the time when he felt loved. Through the window, he glared at moonless night, a night of liberation before the cycle of agony resumes. Cold and hot, he felt it all at once. The pumping lava in his veins burned his entrails, but he relished the pain. It was freedom.

Heart hammering low, whispering the ache inside a cage.

A cage beguiling a jewel, that had dreamed wildly of shining sun, now was a slave of the moon. Haunted, it mocked of innocence carried by wind from far away. He wished to taste it, to smell it on his skin which was an embodiment of a demon now. A monster hid beneath it, clawing at insides, fighting to jump out and devour the prey venturing in darkness.

Clenching his fists and breathing through his mouth, he stands and shuts the window, blocking the holler of children playing outside the wall of dead palace. Their aroma was alluring to his nostrils. Saliva accumulated heavily in his mouth and he shuddered when revolting images of bloodshed played behind his closed lids.

Gut-wrenching.

A knock from the teak door causes the muscles to bunch beneath the white shirt he wore. Clenching his jaw, he saunters towards the elegant leather chair behind a large desk.

"Come in, mother."

The door opens painfully slow and revealed the Queen Mother of the lonely palace- Vasundhara Devi. The air of authority she carried made him wary of her at times. She was the most powerful woman of his life. Light on her feet, she enters wearing a fake smile. Nearing his desk, she puts an envelope in front of him. Her eyes skipped to the extinguished hearth. He is never cold.

"How are you, son?"

The question earned a chuckle.

"I am very well, mother. What's the reason behind this midnight venture? You're aware how I dislike people evading my private space."

The disapproval in his tone makes her gulp. The distance of a meter, in reality, was like a mile. They rarely talk these days. The little conversations only resulted in arguments.

"I apologize for disturbing you, but it was important. As you see, every year, we travel far to visit the family deity's temple and conduct a holy ritual to make the goddess happy. You've been participating for the past three years and have completed all the prayers religiously with your better half. But in her absence, things are falling apart. You can't continue the tradition alone. Only a royal couple can..."

"I am aware."

He gritted, not wanting to relive those memories where his wife had smiled as they took rounds of the monumental temple.

"Your father and I would've done it this year, but his health is degrading. He is slowly losing his sanity. It won't look good in front of a bunch of people. To rectify the situation, I have been looking for a girl..."

A beat of silence passed and Vasundhara felt her heart thumping wildly.

"Don't finish the sentence, mother."

"But you can remarry and start over. It has been a year. I know Kirti and you were close and nobody can take her place, but these responsibilities are of grave concern. Our family has been following this custom for the past 200 years and this can't stop now. I am not saying that you've to behave like an ideal husband. Just this once, please agree. You'll need a wife to plead the goddess."

The mother reasoned and laid a perfect trap for her son's happiness. She knew he wouldn't agree to marry otherwise. He was a principled man and had high regard for family and traditions.

"At least take a look at the picture. She is beautiful and would surely fit into this lifestyle without much fuss. I am aware you don't need a wife. But this palace needs a queen, someone who will take care of it. Like it or not, I've invited the girl tomorrow. She isn't from those obnoxious rich folks. She is a naïve village girl. I've heard good things about her and everybody in close vicinity has gushed non-stop. She would be a suitable bride for you. I promise she will keep to herself and won't cross your path until necessary. You don't have to get involved with her right away."

"So you are saying, you've chosen an illiterate stupid girl who will dance on your fingers and twirl whenever you'll pull her strings. Interesting. Well done, mother. You've outdone yourself this time. If you were so worried about our reputation, you should have chosen a female hailing from a better background."

"Yagya, please..."

"Please leave."

There was so much hatred laced in those words that she immediately backed away. Her son was ruthless, it's true. But she doesn't want him to become cruel. She would never let him relent to mistakes she has committed naively, without caring about consequences.

"I am leaving, but know this Rana ji, I've given my word and no power in this universe is going to break it. You approve or not, if I liked that girl, she will be the new bride of this palace. I've chosen her over hundreds. As my son, I aspect you to keep my heart and give it a thought. Your stubbornness isn't going to ruin the ages-old tradition, I promise you that."

The strict mother uttered fiercely and left the cold premises with her head held high. She loves him a lot and would go to great lengths, and this marriage was one of those things.