Page 57 of A King's Oath

Samarth waited but when for long seconds nothing more was said, he started walking towards the Queen’s chambers. “Papa?”

“Yes, beta?”

“Is something wrong?”

Before he could reach the door, his father came striding out, a smile on his face — “No, all good. Come on, now, you didn’t tell me about Ava’s cricket matches. Do you go to cheer her?”

“Of course I do,” Samarth fell in step behind him. Papa’s arm came around his neck and pulled him along — “Is she a batter or a bowler?”

“Opening batter. She can play full toss like a pro. And she is a fan of yours.”

Papa glanced back at him with a laugh — “Do tell.”

11. Star

Life in Nawanagar’s palace was the best break. Except, Ava wasn’t with him. She had left for a vacation to the Netherlands with her family. From there, they would travel to Denmark and then up north if they didn’t spot the Northern Lights. Her mother was big on showing them. And even though Samarth was excited for her to see it all, he was slightly miffed that the time difference, her traveling schedule and fatigue of long days would mean fewer conversations.

Not that he had a lot of time on hand here.

He spent his mornings at the stables, tending and grooming the horses, learning more about them from his Papa’s stable master. At mid-day, he would get ready in a white kurta-pyjama and sit at his Papa’s court. Not on any of the main council seats but on one designated for him behind them — as an observer. He had done this last year too, but at that time he hadn't understood as much as he understood now.

From the fisherfolk’s petition against the proposed coastal highway to the textile traders’ pleas to get the Textile Ministry of Gujarat to reconsider tariffs, Samarth began to understand how business operated inside their kingdom. He also saw how his Papa dealt with feuding seths, how he mollified one without offending the other, how his own council of ministers too weren’t an easy bunch to handle. Samarth noted how AjatshatruKaka and his Papa were one tight team. Good cop, bad cop, bad cop, good cop, and then, if they had to — a duo of gangsters.

The Rawal and his Prime Minister.

“You will also need the right Prime Minister by your side when you become Rawal,” Papa told him when he voiced his observation out loud while they were alone in his office.

“Ajatshatru Kaka is so amazing, how can I let him go?”

“A new king means a new council. Not all at once, but slowly and steadily, you must replace those that do not align with your vision. Their loyalties will first be to me, not to you. Yes, if you find that some of them are beneficial to Nawanagar, then go ahead, keep them. But ideally in the first year of a new Rawal’s rule, the council also undergoes a change,” his Papa signed some papers and pushed back from his chair, bending down below his table to pull open the secret flap in the floor under it. Samarth was among the handful few in Nawanagar who knew of its existence. It had been their ancestors’ safe and held the seal, deeds and scriptures of Nawanagar’s throne. Its possessor had the first claim to the throne.

“When you become Rawal,” Papa went on, turning the key in the safe and using his thumbprint in the detector that he had installed after his takeover, “Make sure to change the passwords and prints. Wipe out all history from here.”

“That will be yours only…”

“Might not be,” Papa grabbed the Raj Sinh Mohar — the seal of Nawanagar from the depths of the safe and stood to his feet. This seal was rarely used on documents, if ever. It was only meant for highly significant changes or tax declarations. Papa had just signed one. He dipped the seal in melted wax and stamped it below his signature.

“You don’t know who I might have shared this password with. So the first order of business would be to lock out anybody else but yourself from accessing this safe.”

“You also did it?”

“I did. Dada Sarkar hadn’t told me everything and he was ill, so Dadi Sarkar asked me to take these steps immediately. That is why I am informing you. At the moment of transition of power, these are essential steps. Theymustbe taken.”

“It’s a long time away, Papa… at least 50-60 years.”

Papa laughed, sealing the documents and getting back down to stow away the seal. He locked the safe and stood back up, his larger-than-life frame in his simple white kurta-pyjama suddenly looking a little… wilted.

“Are you feeling sick, Papa?”

“Not at all. Why do you ask?”

“Just. For the last few weeks you are only going to court and then back to the chambers. You don’t go to the club also…”

“I am going today,” Papa was quick in answering. Samarth saw through that. His father never justified himself to anybody. Not even to him.

“Come with me today,” Papa rounded the table, grabbed his neck and shook it. “And stop creating conspiracy theories in your head.”

“Dada Sarkar also asked you if you were ok and you said it’s the weather. It’s not even hot yet…”

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