Page 275 of A King's Oath

“I said — alright?”

“Alright.”

“No crying now. I am not there to see that pretty face go all twisty.”

“Shut up.”

“I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Mmm…”

“Now give me an ‘I miss you’ and that noise Brahmi made.”

“Bye.”

PART IV: A KING’S OATH

— AVANTIKA, SIDDARTH, TARA & SAMARTH —

45. Rawal Ni Girlfriend

— AVANTIKA —

Nawanagar was wrapped in the cheer of Diwali. Lights already strung up, streamers and lanterns on town squares, glinting golden under the noon sun. It was gyaaras, the day Diwali fortnight started across Gujarat, or that’s what Samarth’s father had told her.

“From gyaaras to laabh paacham — ten days are nothing but food, fireworks, poojan, gatherings and lights shining across all houses in Nawanagar all night long,” his exact words. “No night bills for the whole month in residential areas. The palace picks it up to keep the cheer going.”

Her entry into Nawanagar was a hush-hush affair even though their cars sped inside the palace gates to throngs of people lining both sides of the lane and the town square. Sharan’s accident news had reached his kingdom. And everybody close to the palace was out to get a glimpse, even though their landing itinerary was not made public.

“SO many people, Mama!” Brahmi was stuck to the tinted glass of their car, her hands and mouth pasted there all through their ride from the airstrip to the town.

“You come to Delhi every year and see so many people,” Avantika tried to downplay it.

“Yaa but they don’t stand like this and try to look at us!” Her head turned, her mouth open wide. “Papa, do they always stand like this in your home?”

Samarth glanced up at her from his iPad. It had greeted him at the airstrip along with his Prime Minister — Vishwajeet Vaghela. She had been introduced to the middle-aged man, and as if he had known all about her — his head had bowed and hands had folded, both to her and Brahmi. As if he knew to keep quiet, he hadn’t uttered any titles out loud.

“Not always,” he answered truthfully. “But today they are here because Sharan Kaka was so brave.”

“He was crying because of an injection in the plane,” Brahmi snickered. Avantika smiled. Sharan, even in all that pain, had entertained Brahmi with his antics whenever she had danced into his Air-Ambulance-converted room. He was in an actual ambulance behind them now, his parents in a car ahead of them with security vehicles surrounding their fleet. She had traveled in fleets all her life. This was a first for Brahmi. And now these citizens out to line their way.

Avantika glanced at Samarth, catching his eye. They hadn’t gotten a chance to discuss how they would shield Brahmi from this. What would they tell her while she lived in a palace where her father was king, and for all intents and purposes, she — the princess.

“You and Brahmi have your own bungalow inside the palace. It is in the North Wing, a part of the property and yet separate,” Samarth answered her unasked question. “Chaperones have been limited. Hira ben will be there with you whenever you need anything, as will Harsh. It will be a familiar setup.”

“And the titles…”

“What title?” Brahmi chimed. “Are we watching a movie?”

“No, you look outside, see so many cows, wow…” Avantika distracted her.

“Your names. Well, her name and you will still be Kumari. In Delhi that never was the case?”

Avantika shook her head.

“Papa is on his own mission. Let this evening’s meeting happen. I wanted to go to receive them at the airport but after the last call, I think it’s best I stay put.”

“Who is coming?”

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