Chapter 12 - The Investigations
"We could've summoned the Rajvaidya in your chambers."
"I know, but then he would have had to cross the entire palace and the grounds to reach my quarters. And because I am already in the compound, I think it's better to get myself checked before retiring for the night."
They were walking side by side, crossing the empty corridors as they made their way towards the royal physician's working chambers. The guards bowed mechanically, as they passed them in regular intervals.
Bhallaladeva looked askance at his companion and saw how the silver moonlight was complementing her almost serene expression.
She didn't look ruffled at all.
A jarring contrast to an hour ago.
All hints of annoyance and anger had left her svelte frame, the moment they had exited the court.
He sighed mentally, recalling the disaster which had almost happened.
He could feel a tang of metal in his mouth and his legs had started becoming heavier due to the massive blood loss making him feel slightly doozy. Maybe that was why he couldn't stop himself before the words tumbled out unforeseen.
"I... thank you for stopping me at the right time in the court, Princess. Had I killed that idiot, not that he didn't deserve a most ignominious death, it might have resulted in a messy affair."
"I believe what I said my lord. And besides, I am much flattered by the completely unnecessary but much appreciated defence of me", she responded almost immediately but with a nonchalant grace which by now seemed almost like a second skin to her.
He scoffed.
"It was necessary m'lady. Chalukyan Rudradev is a sleezy power hungry fool. But he crossed a line today. Though, I am appalled at my own lack of restrain. I am not usually resorted to such reckless impulsiveness."
"Cut yourself some slack, your highness. A human body can suffer only so much before it starts affecting our minds. And on top of that, they were provoking you on purpose. I am certain, most of the narrative was planned before hand. My insult was just ghee in the flames."
Bhalla felt his admiration rise at the astute observation. His wife was definitely sharper than what anyone here, has given her credit for. It was impressive how, having only interacted once with the court, she had already gauged their less than stellar intentions.
"That much was evident. It did become somewhat of a coup led against me at some point."
They turned a corner and he had to hold in a wince as the abrasion in his knee jolted with pain.
"But then, when has it not?"
He exhaled, somewhat subdued.
They walked a little in silence before he turned to look at her, tilting his head to consider something before speaking. This time his words were deliberate but had an almost masked tone of nervousness to it.
"Do you believe I could do... such a thing?"
She looked up at him slightly startled at the uncharacteristic edge to that question. It took a surprising amount of effort for him to not immediately avert his gaze away from her piercing one.
The elder prince of Mahishmati, had long stopped caring what people thought of him.
His reputation had always preceded him and he had never bothered what it had reflected as.
He had not even cared what his own family thought about him most of the time. Maybe, their opinion had the least precedence in his life. Besides, he could care less whether their subjects saw him as an immoral fiend with no qualms about any humane considerations or similar.
Only being capable of senseless violence and selfishness.
In fact, it had always been somewhat of a source of an inexplicable but constant amusement to him. He had sometimes even strived to break his own records. Letting the rumour mills fan the building conflagration as much as possible.
His favourite one was still that most of his enemies believed he had made a pact with the demonic entities or Rakshasas to let them disguise and hide amongst the Mahishmati troops during battle.
And that was what made him and his army, nigh invincible.
And in turn he had to led them feed on his soul.
He wished, that were the case. The prospect was wildly imaginative and gave him a solid excuse for his ruthlessness.
After all, what heart can a soulless person ever possess?
So he had no idea why, what this chit of a girl, walking beside him, thought about him mattered a fig to him. And shockingly it did matter quite some bit, if the tense knots in his stomach was twisting around in was taken into account.
For some goddamned reason, he didn't want his wife to think the absolute worst of him like everyone else has always done.
It was a terrifying realisation to have.
There was a agonising few moments of silence and an equally considering look in her large eyes. He was having a sick feeling that she may chose to ignore his question or worse, outright lie on his face.
And whatever he had conjured her response to be it didn't even come close to that.
"I believe you didn't do it. Or else it would not have been so choppy."
She could see her husband's eyes widen slightly at her bold words.
"It was an amateurish attempt at best and a chance to shift blame on someone at worst. Had you been the mastermind behind this, I am certain the Prince, God forbid, wouldn't have been breathing right now. And none would have been the wiser."
It seemed the very air around them had stopped with baited breath, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
His baritone only seemed to deepen impossibly, "I don't know whether I should be impressed by your faith in my ability of complete treachery or the lack of my basic moralities."
Unfortunately that only made her burst into laughter and she had to force down a mad bout of chortles which ended up in an ugly snort which bellied any efforts of appearing remotely ladylike.
When she controlled herself, she looked up at him only to see him actually smiling, the corners of his piercing eyes crinkled slightly in mirth.
"No, seriously. Please tell me my lady, what made you so convinced about this?"
"About the faith in your cunning or the lack thereof in your ethics?", she asked saucily having thrown all caution to the wind at the moment.
She looked like she was having too much fun to maintain appearances at the moment.
"Well, contrary to popular belief, I have always been keen on gaining information about the current political situation of my Kingdom and that of most of the important empires around. Mahishmati has always been on our radar", she responded quaintly.
The night was smelling oddly of sandalwood incense and mangoes in this part of the palace.
"I have always been rather impressed by your style of annexations Commander. You have always been so... ", she seemed to consider her words before continuing, "...decadently clever."
He had to raise his eyebrow at that.
She gave him a masterfully crafted look of pure innocence.
"I remember hearing about how you took over Kalinga Pradesh in the east without spilling a single drop of blood or firing a single shot so to speak. It was....", she looked straight at him, "quite ingenious."
"You laid siege right during the rains, knowing that the cyclone and the river changing course would result in low rations. A move which everyone wrongly assumed to be fatally stupid of Mahishmati. But little did they know what you had planned."
She couldn't stop the grin overtaking her beautiful features recalling the time when her spies had spoken at length of this incident.
"You opened up your own rations reserved for your armies, to the villagers at the outskirts. While the King was busy hoarding for his armies, fearing the oncoming battle, leaving next to nothing for his subjects. You knew that the people would be starving and ready to do anything for food and water at that point. Even mutiny against their own supposed beloved ruler."
"People are very fickle that way. Aren't they? They love and hail you in the good times and immediately turn tail and blame you at the bad ones."
There was an eerily knowing tone to her words then. But it changed the next moment. A note of thrilled satisfaction took over.
"And that is exactly how it played out. The Kalingans turned against their own ruler and Kalingaraj was stuck in a rock and a hard place. He knew without the support of his subjects, you would infiltrate the capital city with almost no problem. And once inside the fort, your army would easily decimate his forces."
Bhallaladeva who had also gone back into that particular memory aided by his wife's perfect narration grimaced unexpectedly next. His words were scathing, dripping with clear disdain and a cutting sarcasm which was by then, Nayani had recognized, to be his natural defence, in any situation.
"And then came the unexpected mercy. The famous Amarendra Bahubali and his benevolence saved Kalingaraj from utter ruin. His highness in all his holier-than-thou righteousness couldn't let the poor sod be prey to his own incompetence and stupidity. So we had to strike a deal with him and let him put his own terms. When we could have easily forced him to comply to all of ours.", he narrowed his eyes reminiscently, "I had him literally by the throat."
She waved it away as if it was inconsequential. The set of slender gold bangles glittered and clinked against her delicate wrist with the motion.
"Oh! But to what result? You had already trapped him in his own words, hadn't you? Most of their river ports came under Mahishmati's control. The trade was to be regulated by the empire. The King couldn't take any major political decision on his own accord without consulting our envoys and in turn the emperor."
They looked at each other again, breaking their brisk pace a little for only a moment.
"You won. And you knew it", his wife completed wisely.
They had started walking again and it was some time before the Commander spoke again, breaking the almost comfortable silence which had befallen them.
"Some would call it cruelty my lady."
She was as always, quick to response but also gracefully considerate.
"Cruelty is a matter of perspective my lord. Always has been and always will be."
The amber light of the torches aside cast an almost unearthly glow on his wife's radiant features and he had to swallow drily and forcefully turn his face away from her.
Hopefully, inconspicuously at that.
He was slipping.
As if the ground beneath his feet has started becoming slick with mud and he had no idea how to remain rooted.
It was inconvenient and highly unbecoming of him.
Not to mention, incredibly dangerous.
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"Oh so finally his royal highness, the great Imperial Commander has deigned it within his dignity to come, all the way walking, to our humble abode. Let Lord Shiva be praised, Akhila, bring the flowers so that I can lay it, at his holy feet and commemorate my good fortune."
Nayani almost jumped out of her skin at the harsh gravelly voice which assailed them like an onslaught of vitriol from nowhere, on entry, to the doctor's chambers.
She looked at her husband only to see him appear shockingly sheepish.
"Rajvaidyaji..."
He tried speaking, only for that voice whose owner, had still not turned towards them, from whatever he was doing at his desk, cut across him, in a move of frightening discord.
"Come come sire, and excuse me, till I call all my attendants to pay obeisance to you, along my side. After all you have decided to kindly oblige to my uncountable messages since this afternoon. Blessed be my stars!"
It looked like the Rajvaidya did not share the entire empire's terror of the Commander's temper.
"Have you finally realised that however much you boast about it and be delusional, your body is still that, of a mortal? With mortal shortcomings like.. I don't know.. injuries?"
"I..."
"That your bones could break, ligaments could tear, tendons could rip, muscles could wound...", the voice had progressively pitched higher and thickened with an acidic sarcasm."
"But I.."
"That if you bleed for too long then you may die?"
The elder prince butted in forcefully, finally finding an opening in between the incessant acerbic tongue lashing he was receiving from the older man.
"I was busy in the investigations. And then the emperor called for a meeting. I received your messages but I couldn't comply to it at the moment. You know how the court gets.. when.."
"And maybe you could have made His majesty, the emperor who also happens to be your younger brother.. understand that you are injured!!! Yes??? How much time would that have taken? And don't you dare give me any excuses!"
The clang of a steel container was followed by more swearing and a few painfully loud sounds of stone smashing over stone. The thick cloying smell of freshly pounded medicinal herbs assailed them unrestricted and the Rajvaidya continued, still not deigning to give them a mere look.
"The number of times I have had to, and more surprisingly, managed to, pull you from certain death, if not a permanent physical handicap, would have the Ashwin Kumars themselves, frothing with envy."
There were more suspiciously squelching noises and the head physician kept on aggressively churning something in a stone container with a grinder.
"I swear, I have never seen a man so incapable of keeping himself unharmed before and I have been in this trade longer any of you were born."
Nayani had to muffle a giggle at that with her hand, her eyes shining with laughter at the darkening flush of embarrassment which was slowly colouring her husband's chiselled face as he looked everywhere but at her or the other healers.
And not for the first time she got the feeling that maybe the Rajvaidya was unaware of her presence. And that she was missing something of context.
"If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought you were suicidal, sire. Unfortunately I do know you better and that is even more disturbing.. as to.. Oh!"
Well she didn't know about that, but she was sure, the older man who had finally turned to clock in her presence, sure did look like he considered suicide just for half a second, before his shockingly cerulean eyes, softened in shy embarrassment.
"Oh I am so sorry, Princess! Forgive an old man's half crazed ramblings. I have been the royal family's personal physician since the Emperor and the Commander were mere infants. So, I often forget decorum while addressing them. I hadn't known that you were also present.. which I should have actually....A thousand apologies."
"Oh no Rajvaidyaji! Don't apologise at all. I am so much younger to you, in both age and experience. It is unseeming and downright unacceptable. Please."
She folded her hands bowing to the first man, except her own husband, since coming to Mahishmati, for whom she actually felt a measure of respect for.
"In fact, don't stop for my benefit. I have never seen a more entertaining sight than this, since coming here. I believe, my lord would have fainted had you continued for even a second more."
She spoke mirthfully and enjoyed how the blood on Bhallaladeva's face spread throughout his neck and chest like an ugly mottled crimson stain in the amber lighting of the chambers. His words were exasperated but held a strangely foreign tone of fondness as he addressed the head of the physicians as she guessed the older man to be.
"I can't believe you sir. You couldn't have waited for a day at least?"
The latter laughed good naturedly, making a smile break out on her face, at the warmth in his voice, as he spoke next.
"I guess I ruined your reputation thoroughly my child. It is unsalvageable now. Better come in and get yourself comfortable and let me see what I can salvage from that poor tortured body of yours."
"I swear I have never met another man so bloody incorrigible as you, Chinnanna."
It sounded alien in his voice.
Such an informal and fairly personal way of addressing someone.
Even if the former did say that he knew them when they were children, yet the princess had not yet heard the General addressing any of his own blood family with that note of familiarity as he did, with his physician.
"I try my boy."
The Rajvaidya replied slyly and ushered them in.
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"It is a specialized toxin extracted from the cannabis plant. The concentration used on the rats was very minimal but I believe the elephant... Raja.. must have been dosed with a much heavier batch."
The healer who had been tasked with the extraction, informed them.
"Did you see anything else amiss in the normal procedures?"
Kattappa asked, looking over the place, taking in all the various details of the elephant stables and around, with his hawk like gaze.
"Nothing noteworthy Sire. Only that Raja was behaving abnormally. But that can also be because his mate is pregnant."
Bhalla who had been inspecting the bottle of toxin which the doctors had managed to extract from the dead remains of the rodents and from the infected fodder which those fiends had fed his favourite beast of war, startled at that.
"Mitra?"
"Yes sir. The mahooths had informed me, about it last week. But she is healthy and normal. It is only his behaviour, which was troubling."
He handed over the bottle to Kattappa as the latter shook it and brought it close to take a sniff inquisitively.
"This doesn't make any sense Marthuk. None of the royal guards, the infantry of the elephant corps or even the Prince's guards detected any anomaly in anyone? There was no one under suspicion? How did the said person even get the poison mixed in the fodder?"
He growled lowly, still unable to process that not a single man from the triple layer of security around the palace grounds had noticed anything wrong or suspicious. They were seasoned warriors, the lot of them. Specially trained to observe these kind of things.
It was unnerving.
And that was a feeling which the General hated with a passion, unforeseen.
This unknown assailant has managed to unsettle him. And that was considered nearly impossible. Nothing made the Commander of Mahishmati nervous. Nothing in this universe or beyond.
Except this... apparently.
Marthuk, the head of the infantry division bowed his head in defeat.
He had always had an answer for his leader. Complete with three different solutions and fifteen back up plans for each. That was why he knew, he had been able to maintain the position he had had, since so long, in his leader's good graces.
Which in itself was a miracle.
The elder prince was notorious for his stringency regarding what he considered quality in his forces.
But unfortunately, this time, the veteran chief of the infantry had no response.
They have all been made a royal fool of and that was something which was a bitter pill to swallow for everyone.
Marthuk knew, they will all pay for this somehow.
The General was not a lenient man by any stretch of imagination. Their punishment would be unique, excruciating and sprung on them without notice.
The stocky man swallowed drily at the terrifying prospect.
Suddenly, Ashwin, the chief of the elephant corps, who had been inspecting something in the corner, seated on his haunches, for some time, exclaimed part victoriously and part confused.
"Your highness... have you noticed this?"
They hurried over to him and peered down at what he was pointing so enthusiastically. Marthuk felt his heart rate increase immediately as he recognized the broken arm band half hidden behind a haystack, covered in dust.
How can he ever forget this?
That insigne has been branded into his brain since the past two years.
By the darkening expression on his Commander's face, he knew so did the latter.
"These are.... are those what I think it is?"
Bhalla's words were definitely rhetorical which most of them knew by then, yet Kattappa answered, even if it was by force of habit, more than anything.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"But.. Kattappa..that means.."
"The Sakhtayeyas have gotten far beyond themselves this time."
For the mark of the serpent on the single coin which was tied to the broken rudraksh beads which served as the string of the armband, was used by the infamous warrior tribe of the southwest which have been giving them grief, since the past five years.
His words were pure unadulterated rage when their leader spoke next.
Those rebellious upstarts have crossed a line now..
"I can't believe it! They sure are weasels and have never been supportive to us."
"But to infiltrate the Vasant Mahal itself. Concoct an assassination attempt on the Prince of the Empire? They have gone too far this time. Too bloody far", he barked feeling his jaw lock painfully and the wound in his knee throb against the dried paste of medicine which had been put over it.
He heard Vijay's steps coming to a halt behind him but he could hardly hear the latter's words, through the sudden boiling rushing wrath, bubbling in his capillaries, in his heated blood.
Those fucking slimy swamp dweller ....
"Commander..."
"Quiet!"
....infuriating cowardly two faced....
"But.."
"I said silence!"
....horse-dung bastards!
"It is a very grave offence surely General. But unfortunately, there is no way we can prove it. Simple correlating it with a half broken piece of ornament won't hold any weight in court."
The men were slowly inching away from their General, feeling the impending explosion about to occur and feared the consequences of being caught in the crossfire. They knew it was a long standing argument with the court, whether they should just march in the south western states and wipe out the rebellion through sheer force.
The Commander had always been shot down by the council with the cherry on top, being the Emperor himself, vetoing against his brother's requests repeatedly, in the past. Amarendra Bahubali would avoid bloodshed till he could bear with it.
And now those very people have managed to enter their home right from under the Commander's nose, so to speak.
The soldiers would have been seriously worried if they had not been currently witnessing the proverbial smoke emanating out of their leader.
"Specially not when the council has already judged me guilty", he spat venomously.
"My Prince... if I..m"
"Yes you may Kattappa. No need to act out this whole deferential show of pretence constantly for my benefit. It is frankly exhausting. I know what you think of me."
The Chief of Internal Security went really still and watched the elder prince pace like a maddened, caged panther, in front of him.
"I am sorry my prince. But I think, you don't know that at all."
The sudden silence which had befallen the former's quiet words was ended impatiently, by their second in command, Vijay, who had been waiting, just for the right opportunity to break in.
"Sire, a thousand apologies to interrupt you but it is of utmost importance that I bring a matter to your notice."
He spoke beseechingly and Bhalla waved his hand sharply in a universal gesture to proceed, but without taking his sharp eyes, off his former tutor's calm face. Vijay beckoned someone from the side who was revealed to be, a tiny runt of a boy.
"Hey, come over here and relay to the General, what you have just told me."
He looked like one of the children of the attendants of the palace.
His still infantile face was smeared with dirt and his clothes, rumpled and filthy seemed to drown his almost skeletal frame. The mop of sun burnt hair, hid a pair of ridiculously large eyes, which was now darting at them all timidly.
"Come on now boy... don't be afraid. What do you know about this affair?"
Kattappa urged him gently, feeling sorry for the child. The men standing in front of him, didn't give a very safe and warm reception, to anyone at all, let alone, lone and poor children.
"S...s..sir I..I.. was playing in... the edge o..f.. f the wall w..with t..the j..jasmine... trellis... I... I.. am sorry.. I hadn't... mea.. nt to...t..to"
He was proven right when Marthuk lost patience and snapped viciously at the kid.
"Snap out of it boy. We don't have time to listen to you blubber like an idiot. Don't forget you are speaking to the Commander."
If the boy had jolted in fright at that, it was nothing compared to the way he almost jumped six feet in the air, his face twisted in pure terror as Bhalla's voice split through all of them like a slap of thunder. In the kid's defence, all of them had probably leapt along with him.
"Marthuk!"
The head of the infantry, wilted under the withering glare the Commander sent his way, and backed off immediately.
Then to their utter bewilderment, they saw the former's hard features softening immediately as he turned his attention to the trembling child in front.
It made him look like a completely different man.
"What is your name, kid?"
Kattappa had never heard the elder prince lower his voice or soften the ragged edges of his tone so much, for anyone before. The closest being, when he spoke to his nephew. But that sounded more like a playful banter inexplicable to all, but the two of them.
Mahendra was probably the only child who didn't seem to be petrified of his Uncle, even when the latter would sometimes yell in his presence. He only seemed to burst into a fit of giggles, seeing some poor person or other, suffering under the Commander's mercurial anger.
But never so utterly.... kind.
"T...tan..u sir."
The child blabbered, still a little wary and more than afraid.
"Tanu, come here..."
The way he seemed to fold in on himself, somehow managing to appear completely harmless, the way he kneeled unassumingly, to appear closer to the boy's height and urged him near, and more than that, the way his eyes seemed to become progressively something close to tender, made Kattappa wonder about what other secrets, was his former pupil hiding beneath that vicious veneer.
The boy,,, Tanu seemed to get over his fear somewhat, and slowly inched closer to Bhalla, looking like he was a baby gazelle trying to walk towards a lion.
It was positively endearing.
"I'll tell you an important secret, if you tell me what you saw. Don't be afraid.. we won't hurt you. I promise. Now take a deep breath and try to remember exactly what you have seen, and tell me everything. Leave nothing out. Do you understand?"
The elder prince almost breathed into the air, making most of his men having to strain to be able to make out his words.
"Y..yes sir. I will try."
Tanu squeaked.
"That's a good kid. Now try again. Slowly."
He actually smiled at him. It was a sudden, blink it and you miss it, beacon of an afterglow of a burst of sunshine, before it was gone.
Kattappa had to blink at that.
Tanu seemingly having overcome, all wariness of the scary looking Commander, leaned closer to him and muttered everything into his ears. Vijay could see the way the latter's hands curled into itself and the subtle tick in the tightening of his jaw.
Then he smiled lightly again, before whispering something in the little boy's ears, making the latter's face break out into a wonderous expression. Like he couldn't believe what has been told to him.
Try as they might, no one else could hear a word of the exchange.
"Now keep that to yourself, will you child. I don't want the King to execute me for treason."
He replied and the slight mischief in his tone made the kid burst into laughter, quickly having to muffle it with his tiny dirty hands.
"Now, off you go and do not tell anyone else what you told me. If someone asks, tell them to go ask the Commander."
The kid, Tanu nodded seriously and giggled again, at the little tap the General gave him on his nose with his long finger, before getting up fluidly from the ground. He gestured silently at Vijay and the clear unspoken command to keep an eye out on Tanu, didn't go unnoticed by anyone.
"Forgive my inquisitiveness sire, but may I know what you told him?"
Kattappa finally asked, having given up trying control his curiosity since the past five minutes, as they had started walking back, towards the palace grounds.
Bhalla for once, didn't even hesitate before replying absent minded-ly.
"Once, Bahu and I had tried climbing that same jasmine trellis, to reach the top of the gate in pursuit of a mammoth spider. Only to topple and fall over you and Am.. the Queen Mother, in all our enthusiasm."
The soldiers had to struggle to reign in their amusement trying to imagine the two little princes knee deep in their antics and the disgruntled Rajmata and former Commander at their heels. Only Kattappa couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his wizened face.
They were truly the good old days.
"But what did he tell you, My Prince?", he enquired again.
"Most of what I needed to know Kattappa. Meet me in the war room and bring His Majesty with you. We have some strategizing to do."
Kattappa didn't know whether he should be happy hearing the cheer in his General's voice or shit scared. But knowing, Bhallaladeva since all these years, forced him to concede, that maybe in this case, the latter reaction was the more prudent one to have.
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