The din and hustle of the camp had calmed down. The drunk soldiers had all retired to their camps and many had already fallen asleep.
Ashwin had low alcohol tolerance. Still, he had gulped down two bowls of liquor to celebrate his sister's victory. Consequently, Mallika had to drag him back to his tent and deposit him on the bed.
"How can you be so irresponsible!" She scowled as she pushed him on the bed. "You know right, if something goes wrong with your health, father will get me flogged."
Though Mallika did not have any reaction to this, Ashwin seemed to flinch in his sleep.
"I won't let that man bully you anymore." He muttered almost inaudibly. Yet, his words reached Mallika's ears.
"I am not a 'damsel in distress'," she sniggered. "Little brother, you don't need protect me. I can take care of myself."
Suddenly, Ashwin sat up. He looked at his sister with red eyes, "Why does father bully you?"
Mallika frowned. This was a dark patch in her heart. Everyone in the royal circle was aware of King Bajrabaahu's dislike of his first daughter. It was so intense that one could almost label it as hatred, and often caused the king to become abusive towards her. Fortunately, Mallika wasn't a weak girl. She was strong enough to stand her ground even if that meant she would have to go against her tyrannical father.
Still, people avoided asking her about this. But in his drunk state, Ashwin didn't have much of his discretion left. "Why does he punish you for every big and small thing?" he asked.
"I don't know. Nor do you have to bother about such trifles."
"How can this be a trifle, sister? You have never offended him, yet he picks on you every now and then. Does he hold a grudge against you?"
"Maybe it's because I am not the kind of daughter he would have liked me to be," Mallika sighed. "You know, I am not pretty, and not at all lady like. Maybe he thinks I am a shame to the kingdom as a princess and that no kingdom will wed their heir to me."
"Are you crazy?!" Ashwin seemed to be shocked. "Shame as a princess!! Sister, what on earth are you saying?! Do you know, all those princes of the neighbouring lands who I have interacted with, they mention you with awe and respect. Marrying you into their family is their dream. And as for looks, why, there is not a single lady in all of Deccan who can rival your beauty, sister."
Mallika laughed lightly. "You are drunk, Ashwin. Stop blabbering and sleep tight."
"Sister, you must not look down on yourself, understand." Ashwin continued as he rolled down on the sheets.
A warmth spread across Mallika's dark eyes. 'As long as there are people who cherish me, how can I look down on myself!' She wondered as her brother closed his eyes and gradually fell asleep.
Mallika stood up and slowly left the tent. A cool breeze caressed her cheeks as she looked up at the starry night sky. The fire burning infront of the tents was still ablaze and bright. A few soldiers stood guard here and there. The smell of food and wine was still strong and the now deserted meadow was littered with the remnants. Across Ashwin's tent, some distance away, she spotted her uncle's large resting place. The lights were still glowing, so he must have been awake.
Mallika walked into Brihangad's tent, the second time that day. Unlike the previous time, the tent was now empty, except for her uncle who was sitting on a large couch, lost in thought. He had the strangest of expressions on his face, and Mallika could not figure out what exactly could be going on in his mind.
"Uncle!"
Brihangad sat up immediately, as if alarmed.
"Its me, don't worry," Mallika walked up to him. For a moment, she felt he seemed to suddenly be much older than he really was. "Uncle, are you okay? Why do you look so pale?"
"It's nothing, just the liquor maybe." Brihangad looked away, covering his forehead with his palm.
But his excuse only whetted Mallika's curiosity. He had never been one to get drunk easily. She had seen him drink on numerous occasions, never had the liquor been able to affect him to the extent of making him look sick. Mallika hated the way her uncle was guarding against her.
"Umm... Are you sure it's the liquor?"
Brihangad knew this niece of his pretty well. After all, he had been the one to practically bring her up. Ever since she was a newborn, King Bajrabaahu had completely disregarded her. So the girl would hang around with anybody she found likeable. It so happened that she chose him as her companion most of the times, and as a loyal uncle, he would have to relent to her endless mischiefs all day. Thinking about those days was Brihangad's special past time, as it was during that period that he had secretly started to train her in martial arts and warfare. Later, even though she had grown up, Mallika continued to stay lonely, and as a result, her bondage with her uncle did not weaken. Thus, it wasn't difficult for Brihangad to guess what had brought his niece to his tent now.
"I told you, we are not going to discuss that anymore. Isn't it enough that you are fine and not hurt?"
"It isn't," Mallika asserted. "I owe him a favour. I must pay it back."
Brihangad leant back on the couch, "Do you still remember how many favours you have unpaid?"
Mallika's face darkened. A dark shadow seemed to flicker in her eyes. "How can I forget? But..."
"But you cannot do anything. You have been saved innumerous times by somebody ever since your childhood. You owe them all a favour. But thanks to your father, you can never find out about them. Just count this one as an addition to that list and let it go, okay?"
Mallika shook her head. "Uncle, I cannot give up just like this. I will grow into an ungrateful person if I keep developing this habit of letting favours go without gratitude. Previously, father always prevented me from finding out the people who saved me. He would randomly find somebody or the other and tell me it was them who saved me. But do you think I am that stupid?! Do you think I would remember nothing about the person who saved my life? I don't know why father does not let me find out my saviour. But, this time it is different. It is between you and me..."
"It is not different," Brihangad sounded so agitated that Mallika was forced to feel a strange surprise. "My dear, there are things I cannot explain to you. Don't put me in this dilemma, please."
His words were earnest. Mallika, though thoroughly disappointed, did not want to pursue it any further.
Just as she was about to let it go, her eyes fell on a piece of paper placed on the table nearby. It looked quite old and worn out. By the looks of it, it seemed to be a letter. However, what caught her attention was a strange symbol painted on it, one that looked like a blazing fire.
"It's okay if you don't want me to know," she feigned innocence, as she walked over stealthily to the table. "I won't force you to tell me." Brihangad had not been paying attention for a while, seemingly still lost in his thoughts. Mallika glanced at the paper.
"This is the first time and should be the last. Warn Bajrabaahu for me. I have promised not to interfere till she is twenty, but if he dares to forget his limits, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Mallika's heart thumped loudly. What were these words? Who was the sender? What did he mean?
"Of course I don't have to tell you things," Brihangad's voice shook her out of her stupor. "You are shrewd enough to find them out yourself."