Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition)

by Barbara G. Tarn

  "She's down at the river, washing," Bindya's father answered from his doorstep, contrite.

  Kunal spurred on the horse without turning back and left the servants' courtyard to head for the river.

  Bindya was alone, humming a song to herself. He observed the washer-woman from the trees shadow before coming out in the open. He got off his saddle, tied the horse and walked to her.

  She looked up from her work, surprised, and stopped her humming.

  "Even while doing a modest work, you're still the most beautiful," he said, crouching next to her and drinking the sight of her with the same pleasure he had felt in the palace great hall.

  "Thank you, my lord." She smiled and resumed washing.

  "Enough," he said after a moment of silence, grabbing her hands. "You shouldn't ruin these wonderful hands with such low work."

  She had long, slender fingers in spite of the ruined skin, and he squeezed her hand, staring at her face with desire. She deserved to be dressed and bejeweled like a princess, and taken care of so she wouldn't have to work for a living.

  "I don't mind working," she said, averting her eyes and blushing slightly. "Time flies when I'm busy."

  "Wouldn't you prefer living in a palace worthy of your beauty?"

  "Thank you, my lord, but I'm not interested in luxuries. I think I'd be bored all day."

  "Bored?" he protested.

  She used his surprise to free her hands and grab the washed garments, putting them in her basket.

  "Listen, I'd give you my name, my house, my love and anything a woman can wish for. You're so beautiful, Bindya..."

  He tried to embrace her, but she slipped away and rose, putting the basket on her head. She walked towards the trees and the buildings behind, followed by his puzzled stare.

  "I'm sorry, my lord, but Jeevan's love is my greatest wealth," she said stopping by the trees and turning to dazzle him with her smile. Then she left.

  Kunal frowned. "I shall have you, my beautiful commoner," he whispered angrily.

  "What's going on?" Bindya asked gaily, entering her modest lodging in the servants' quarters and finding her father and her brother gloomily seated in a corner.

  "Your brother lost his job," her father replied, depressed. He turned to look at her. "What did you refuse to Prince Kunal?"

  "He wants me, Father," she replied, her smile vanishing behind a frown. "But I will not break the promise I made to Jeevan."

  "I understand, dear. But I'm too old and broken for any kind of work. How shall we survive if Ajay doesn't find another job?"

  She sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sure we could take care of you, Father, and Ajay will find another job... away from the royal palace. That piece of shit!" She remembered the prince's slimy ways. "I'll talk to him!"

  "No, my dear daughter, calm down. He's the prince heir. Ajay and I can move to the city and you and Jeevan can visit us..."

  Ajay hid his face in his hands. "I knew it, I knew it!" he grumbled.

  "Don't worry, son, you're young and moving away might even help you to find that perfect woman you couldn't find among the palace servants..." The old man sighed. "We'll see."

  "Hello," Kunal greeted with a smile.

  Bindya pretended not to see him.

  Kunal spurred his horse and let it walk by her side. "Won't you greet me, beautiful maiden?"

  "What are you trying to do?" She turned angrily to look at him as he was towering over her from his saddle, one fist on her hip. "My brother lost his job, I'm sure it's your fault!"

  "My beautiful maiden, anger makes you even more charming," he grinned. "What can I say? It happens. If you accepted my proposal, your family would be all right. Have you changed your mind, sweetheart?"

  "No! Listen, I don't want to disrespect you, but leave me alone! I will marry Jeevan with Ajay and my father's blessing!"

  She turned her back on him and walked away as fast as she could without running. How could he think she'd prefer to be a prince's concubine instead of her beloved's wife? She was furious with the stubborn prince stalking her only because he had taken a fancy to her looks.

  He quickly caught up with her and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her up in the saddle in front of him. She dropped her basket with a yelp as he held her close to him – way too close for decency.

  "Let me go!" She struggled to get free of his arms and he laughed at her attempts before holding her tight and stealing a long, passionate kiss.

  When he let her go, Bindya stared at him, breathless. He smiled and caressed her cheek.

  "I love you," he whispered before kissing her again.

  "Bindya!" Jeevan's voice startled both her and the prince.

  Her betrothed grabbed her wrist, pulling her off the saddle. She nestled against his chest, still breathless, as Jeevan glared at Kunal, who was too stunned to react, but his face was slowly turning into an angry scowl.

  "You might be the prince heir, but this doesn't allow you to lust after someone else's woman," Jeevan told him, undaunted.

  Still holding her wrist, he dragged her away from the prince. They found temporary refuge in his lodging.

  "I'm sorry," she said, ashamed of herself. "I didn't want to."

  "I know," he snapped, still frowning.

  "Jeevan..." she pleaded.

  "I'm sorry." He held her tight, softening his tone and his expression. "But when I saw you in his arms... Then I saw your face and understood he was abusing his power. I love you, Bindya, and I'll protect you from everything, including him."

  "Jeevan, I need to talk to you."

  Jeevan sat in front of Bindya's father, staring curiously at the elegant guest who was already there when he got in. Ajay stood by the wall, brooding.

  "Jeevan, this is Mansoor, Prince Kunal's brother. He came to ask for Bindya on the heir's behalf."

  "I will not give her up," Jeevan replied, staring at the younger prince who looked much sweeter than Kunal.

  "He will break you," Mansoor whispered, lowering his eyes. "I'd help you," he added, looking up again, obviously concerned. "But it will be hard. Kunal always gets what he wants."

  Jeevan observed Mansoor before speaking. "You're a worthy prince," he said. "Unlike your brother."

  "No." Mansoor smiled ruefully. "I'm only a pale imitation of the firstborn, and the only survivor of his brothers. Thank the gods the Sect is destroyed, or I might have ended up like Yash and Karan."

  "Pity they didn't take Kunal instead," Jeevan said. "Don't try to be like him."

  "I won't, thank you." Mansoor even blushed.

  Jeevan smiled. "Are you betrothed yet, Mansoor?"

  "No," the prince said, lowering his eyes again. "Kunal is, but he said he'd break the betrothal to Kanya of Gajendra to marry Bindya."

  "He'd give up a princess to make a queen out of a commoner?" Jeevan asked, incredulous. "How will that sit with your father and the King of Gajendra?"

  "I told you, he always gets what he wants," Mansoor replied patiently. "They'll betroth Kanya to me. And he'll pay you..."

  "Don't," Jeevan interrupted him. "No money can buy my love for Bindya and make me break my promise to her."

  "Don't give up." Again, a whisper. Mansoor looked excited, but immediately regained control and put on a mask of formality. "I shall tell your answer to my brother."

  He rose and left without looking at anyone.

  "My boy, I hope you know what you're doing," Bindya's father sighed. "You must be crazy to oppose Prince Kunal."

  "Don't give up," Ajay said sharply. "Unlike me."

  Jeevan noticed he had packed his few belongings and was ready to leave.

  "Where will you go?" Jeevan asked, worried for his friend's future.

  "I don't know, but I've had enough of palace intrigues. I' think I'll go to Lakresha to start a new life."

  "I have relatives in Leland if you can't find work in Lakresha," Jeevan said. "Good luck."

  "May the gods bless you, Ajay," his father added.

  "Give a hug to Bin
dya from me," Ajay grumbled, grabbing his travel bag and heading for the door.

  "Hello," Bindya greeted with a depressed tone. She stopped a few paces from Jeevan and hung her head.

  They were meeting in the middle of the courtyard without Ajay, but it was uncommon of her not to rush into his arms. Jeevan answered, surprised by her gloomy mood.

  "We cannot see each other anymore," she said, lowering her eyes. "And the betrothal is broken."

  "What?" He couldn't believe his ears.

  "My father gave me to Prince Kunal."

  "He can't!"

  "He had to. Kunal found an old debt. My father had to sell me to cancel that debt."

  "You're not an object!"

  "Oh, really?"she snapped, her eyes glaring at him. "How do you think I feel? I must obey my father, and I can't let him go to prison, as he's too old and it would kill him. They forced him to give me to Kunal!"

  "So you will marry him?" he asked, calming down after her explosion. He knew she wasn't mad at him, but was frustrated by the rules society had imposed on them.

  "No, I... I don't know!" She took the two steps between them and found refuge in his arms. "I don't want to, Jeevan. But what choice do I have?"

  "I'll take you away," he whispered in her ear, holding her tight. "We'll leave too, like Ajay did."

  "To go where? Kunal is the prince heir!"

  "We'll stay away from people until he forgets you. We'll hide in the jungle. He won't find us. Will you follow me?"

  "Yes." She didn't sound convinced, but he knew he could hunt and take care of both of them. "Take me away, Jeevan."

  "If you think running away is the only way, I will not stop you," her father said. "Don't tell me where you want to go, I might be forced to reveal it. Be happy with Jeevan. I'm sure time will cure Prince Kunal's obsession and you will be able to come back. Please know that I love you both and you have my blessing. Go now. Tomorrow your new betrothed will come. Tomorrow it will be too late."

  "Thank you, Father." Bindya hugged him. "We will come back, eventually."

  She gathered her few belongings like her brother had done and joined Jeevan in the streets. They left the capital and headed north for the jungle, where they soon entered the shadows of the trees.

  They followed the main river, then a stream, keeping water in sight for practical reasons – they could just follow the current to go back to civilization, and they needed water to live anyway.

  In a clearing at sunset they ran into a tiger. Bindya yelped and backed up, but he squeezed her hand.

  "Don't be afraid," he said quietly. "It will not attack us."

  The tiger growled at them, drank some more and left without bothering with them.

  "I thought they were man-eaters," she whispered, still fearful.

  "Not really," he said. "Only if they don't have a choice. And that one looked young and healthy enough not to bother with preys taller than it."

  "How do you know these things about tigers?" she asked, staring at him in amazement.

  He grinned. "I was on the king's hunting team for some years and talked with lots of experienced hunters."

  "You're wonderful," she said adoringly.

  "Still, we should find a tiger-free spot to build our new house," he said. "This is one of their drinking spots, so we better move on. I hope you're not too tired yet."

  "No, but it's getting darker."

  He quickly made and lit a torch, leading her further away from civilization.

  Kunal was furious when he discovered Bindya had disappeared.

  "Suits you right," was Kanya's sarcastic comment. The princess of Gajendra hadn't liked being shunned for a commoner and given to Mansoor instead of the heir.

  "Shut up! I'll find her, she can't hide in my kingdom!"

  "I believe your father is still the king," she scoffed. "Anyway, good luck."

  He glared at her, then at Mansoor who was secretly happy that Jeevan and Bindya had run away.

  Kunal looked all over Agharek and sent men to the closest villages, reaching even the other, closer towns on Agharek river – Lakresha and Akulina – but nobody had seen Jeevan or Bindya.

  Discovering that Jeevan had been in his father's hunting party, Kunal decided to check the jungle as well. The northern part had been burned out during the destruction of Arquon, but around Agharek it was still luxuriant.

  So he mounted a hunting expedition, hoping to find the runaways. Mansoor and Kanya went with him, one worried, the other curious to meet the commoners who had dared defy the prince heir.

  Eventually one of the hunters found traces of human footsteps in the thick undergrowth – a muddy clearing had kept track of someone's passage. So far they had found isolated huts of single hunters, but had left them behind, following the river further and further away from the capital. They were almost in the vicinity of Lakresha and there were traces of two people walking in the jungle.

  "It's them!" Kunal grumbled. "We're close!"

  "Who is the crazy man who takes a woman to live in the jungle?" Kanya asked.

  "A real crazy, trust me," the prince scoffed. "He dared to challenge me. I'll find him and punish him for what he did."

  Mansoor didn't like the sound of that. "Kunal, may I sleep in Lakresha tonight? I don't like hunting, and you don't really need me here, do you?"

  "No," Kunal answered sharply without looking at him. "Want to go with him?" he asked Kanya who shrugged.

  "I'm fine," she said. "I liked following my father when he went hunting."

  Mansoor left the party preparing for the night stop, but instead of heading for the town, he continued along the river, holding his lance tight and praying to find Jeevan and Bindya before any large cat decided to feed on him. He should have asked a guard to go with him, but he knew they were all faithful to Kunal and he didn't want his brother to learn where he was actually headed.

  Night fell and the jungle became too dark to keep walking. Mansoor climbed a tree and curled up on a branch, worried and scared. He couldn't sleep for fear of predators and had no idea how much further he should go.

  He waited for daybreak without dozing off and marched on as soon as he could see where he was going. He knew Kunal and his men were close behind and hoped to find Jeevan and Bindya before they caught up with him. They had elephants, after all, while he – like the runaways – was on foot.

  Night fell again and he was exhausted and hungry. He weakly climbed another tree and saw a light not too far he thought must be a fire of some sort. Relieved, he climbed down and walked towards the light, reaching a clearing near a rocky wall where a not too deep cave opened. A fire burned inside.

  Stumbling with fatigue he crossed the clearing towards the light, but someone grabbed him from behind, putting a knife to his throat. He had made too much noise.

  "Jeevan?" he asked tentatively.

  "Who are you?" It sounded like him, but it was a whisper and he couldn't be sure.

  "Mansoor."

  The man let go and pushed him towards the fire. When both entered the light cone, they recognized each other. Bindya was hiding in a corner of the cave, but she came out as well.

  "Come in," Jeevan led Mansoor to sit down by the fire.

  "Hello, Mansoor," Bindya greeted. "You look haggard."

  "I'm starving," he admitted.

  She smiled and offered him the remnants of their dinner, venison not yet cold.

  "You've been brave to reach this place," Jeevan said while Mansoor wolfed down the meat. "Why bother, though? All alone?"

  "They found your track," he replied, stopping his chewing to frown at the reason for his solitary expedition. "Kunal has a hunting party. They'll be on you soon."

  "We'll move further away," Jeevan shrugged. "I'm a hunter too. I'll be more careful. They will not track me down, Mansoor."

  Mansoor finished his meat and sighed with satisfaction. He noticed Jeevan and Bindya's entwined fingers and looked at her pretty face.

  "Do you like living here?" he
asked.

  "Yes," she grinned. "I'm free, with the man I love who hunts for me while I cook for him... All we need is a hut for the monsoon season, as apparently we can't stay in this nice little cave." She turned to Jeevan. "Do you think we'll find another one?"

  "We might move to a town during that time," he said. "And then cross over to Rajendra."

  She giggled as he kissed her forehead.

  "I envy you," Mansoor whispered.

  "One day you will find happiness too," Jeevan told him.

  "Only if I manage to get away from Kunal," he grumbled. "And it's not easy, as there aren't any remaining foreign princesses who might inherit their father's throne. I guess I'm stuck with what he discards. Besides, he's my brother and I love him..."

  "Of course," Jeevan smiled. "Get some sleep, and don't worry if you don't see us in the morning."

  Mansoor lay down on the floor and closed his eyes, grateful to finally have some rest.

  A kick awakened him from his uncomfortable bed and he was startled to see the sun was up and the cave was empty except for him and Kunal's frown.

  "What are you doing here?" the elder asked.

  "Er... I got lost," he answered, slowly getting up on his feet, although he wasn't as tall as Kunal. But he felt less threatened if they both stood.

  "Really?" Kunal arched his eyebrows, skeptical.

  "I'm not as good as you are at moving around the jungle."

  "So you slept here, cooked some food and everything all by yourself?" Kunal pointed at the remnants of the fire and the discarded bones of the previous night's meals.

  "Well of course..."

  Kunal slapped him. "Don't lie to me," he threatened. "You found Jeevan, huh? Did you see him?"

  "No, I swear, I haven't seen him I don't know where he is!"

  Kunal grabbed him by his throat and squeezed. "Be careful, Mansoor, if I find out you lied, I'll kill you."

  Terrified, Mansoor nodded and Kunal let him go, storming out of the little cave. Mansoor followed him, dejected.

  "Mansoor." Kanya's voice startled him. "What does Jeevan look like?"

  He looked at her, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

  "Just curious."

  "He's handsome." Mansoor averted his eyes.

  "More handsome than Kunal?"

  "He's different. It depends on what you look for in a man, I guess."