Recap: Valli, a fortune teller, arrives at Queen Parvata Vardini’s palace and reveals insights into the queen’s past. She narrates the story of Kandika, who is destined to give birth to a divine child, and the troubled life of that child, Narobha, who becomes a robber. Valli then describes Tara’s virtuous early life.

Chapter 6/26: Fractured Lotus Stem

Part 1/2 of the novella ‘The cursed keris of Taravati’

Valli began, her face devoid of expression, yet tinged with sorrow. “You can offer a caged bird food, your highness, but it yearns for the sky. Alas, humans often fail to realize this in their lifetime.”

Tungabhadra -the local king – who was hunting for Narobha – the local robber – abruptly changed his plans. Instead of retiring to his bedroom for an afternoon nap, he went to his stables and ordered his attendant to prepare his chariot. The two-horse chariot raced towards its target: Purvadasa Nagadutta‘s – the priest’s – house. He dismounted leisurely, as everyone watched, puzzled by his presence at such an odd hour in such an unexpected place. Opening the gate at his own pace, he entered Nagadutta’s yard. Suga, the clever parrot, began to screech in its deep voice, “Thiiiieeeef! Thiiiieeef!” Tara came to the doorway to investigate the commotion. She was, in fact, shocked to see the king.

She offered a formal greeting and welcomed him inside.

“I wish to meet the priest,” Tungabhadra lied.

“I am sorry, your highness. It is his prayer time. He is in the forest.”

“Oh… he told me… I forgot… Very well, I will come another time.” As he turned to leave, he paused and asked for a cup of water. When she returned with the water jug, he leaned slightly to adjust his posture, then seized her, lifted her, and carried her out of the house.

Everyone watched the tyrant, speechless. The cries of Tara and Suga faded into the distance.

“Crying is not new to this world, your highness,” Valli said. “Rani Sita’s cries were heard. Rani Drowpati’s cries were also heard. Even the toddy shop owner’s daughter’s cry was heard. But it was not enough to save them. The world is designed to consume females. It happens again and again. When we give power to someone, we believe he is a holy person sent to save us. But no, he is fixated on power, to consume whatever he can control. And this will not stop until this world ceases to be a male-dominated society.” Valli’s voice was filled with sadness. The queen listened without reacting.

Tara resisted as much as she could, but eventually, she yielded. Tungabhadra married her that very day, and she became his queen.

Nagadutta returned to his house. Suga was crying out, “Tarra… Tarra…”

“What? Why are you screaming?” Nagadutta was unaware of what had happened. His neighbors were all watching him from their steps, fences, roads, and shelters.

Suga continued to cry as Nagadutta entered the house. He assumed she had gone out briefly to play. But one of his neighbors informed him of what had occurred.

“Ammaaaa… Taraaa…” Nagadutta raised his arms towards the sky and cried out to his god. A loud cry burst from his throat, and he fell to his knees on the grass outside his house.

Despite Queen Parvadha Vardini’s eyes glistening with tears, she maintained her composure.

“Which god ever reaches the one who truly needs something, Rani?” Valli exclaimed.

The enraged priest, with his knees and toes pressed to the earth, his body shaking with sobs, looked at everyone around him. His lips stretched wide, his nose wheezing, his whole body trembling with anger, he shouted at the sky and proclaimed, “The one who was supposed to protect his citizens has become a source of trouble for them. The one who abducted my educated, innocent girl is unworthy of her. Let me tell this to nature in the name of the god I worship: he will not last long. He will not live a full life with my daughter. Let it come true,” and he struck the ground with his right hand before going inside.

A sudden flash of lightning tore across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth.

On the other hand, Tungabhadra was overjoyed at having won the most beautiful girl on earth. He wanted to boast about it, so he declared Tara the queen of the land. His spy network informed him of Purvadasa Nagadutta’s curse. Enraged, he ordered his men to eliminate Nagadutta and continued his duties as usual.

For a ruler of his nature, this was not a significant matter. On the dawn of the next day, his men broke down the door of Nagadutta’s house. Simultaneously, Tara became the queen of the land, known as Maharani Sri Devi Parvata Vardini. As the crown was placed on her head, her father’s head was no longer on his neck.

Upon hearing this, Parvadha Vardini’s mind collapsed. She quickly left the room, fearing she would break down. Valli’s gaze remained fixed on the tiny seashells scattered on the floor. Although Valli did not see the queen, she heard her sobbing.

I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z

Note:

• This fiction is influenced by historical events.
• Images generated with ImageFx of Google Gemini.
• Awkward sentences are removed by AI for a smoother reading experience.