It was past midnight.
After making her unconscious, Arjun had carried Mallika back to her room, and placed her comfortably on the bed.
He would have left after a while, but Mallika seemed reluctant. She clung on to his arms in her sleep, and kept moaning-- "Do not leave me alone!"
So, after sometime, when Arjun felt that it was getting riskier to stay by her side, he fished out a delicate little bottle containing the essence of the rarest blue lotuses. Taking some, he smeared it gently on her forehead, it's mild aroma wafting through the air. He smiled, observing how her immaculate lashes fluttered lightly and how her bushy eyebrows relaxed everytime his fingers brushed past them. She was already the same in appearance, but she hadn't yet realised her potentials. He knew, though, that it wouldn't be long before she does.
When Mallika woke up the next morning, the first thing she felt was a sense of tremendous calm.
She looked around.
It was her room in the palace, unkempt as usual. She was on her bed, but still wearing the jewelry that she would generally take off before sleeping. A frown made its way to her face.
Hadn't she been in her uncle's place last evening? How did she end up here?
As she was about to rise, her eyes landed on a small bottle lodged safely beside her pillow.
What could it be?
Mallika picked up the bottle, observing it's body, where delicate carvings were made all over. The craftsmanship was neither conventional nor very sophisticated. But it was accurate and aesthetically pleasing. Every little petal of the many flowers and every single tendril of the many vines were intricately carved, and it looked too realistic to be assumed a mere piece of art.
Surprised, Mallika opened it, only to be graced with a beautiful fragrance of lotuses-- the kind she had only heard of and imagined all these years, but never had the fortune of experiencing.
"Blue Lotus essence!!" She jumped up in joy.
"Goodness! I finally found you!" She lifted the bottle to her lips and smothered it with kisses, her black orbs gleaming with joy. Taking in a long breath that was rich with the lotus fragrance, she sprinted out of her room.
"Ma!!"
Mallika had already spent a good time wondering how such a rare treasure could end up beside her pillow. After considerable thought, she had concluded that it must have been a gift from somebody.
Even though she was correct, she had, under no condition, imagined that it could be the person she had been looking for who had left her with it. Instead she had assumed it to be either her mother, or her uncle or Ashwin who could have done this.
Queen Svetmala was surprised to see her daughter burst into her room the first thing in the morning.
"Goodness Mallika!" She exclaimed. "You scared me!"
Mallika jumped onto her mother's bed, looking gleeful. She had decided not to be mad with the queen anymore. After all, she had never meant any harm to her. Even though she wasn't her biological mother, she was the one who had brought her up. How could she not be her mother then? And from the look of things, Svetmala had nothing to do with the apparent massacre of her family. So she shouldn't be punished either, right?
"Ma look!" Mallika held up the bottle in her hand. "Guess what this is?"
Svetmala took the bottle from Mallika's hands, gasping in wonder. "Blue lotus essence! My God! Where did you get this from?"
Mallika frowned. So it wasn't her mother who had left her with this.
"Mallika! You have to tell me where you found this! Blue lotuses are so rare! A bottle of their essence should cost a fortune. How did you lay your hands on such stuff?"
Of course, judging by Mallika's nature, she would rather purchase a new bow than some rare aroma. Thus, Svetmala was pretty surprised to see the essence with her daughter, specially when it was such a costly one.
"I didn't buy it, Ma," Mallika went straight to the point. "When I woke up this morning, it was already by my side. Someone must have gifted me, don't you think so?"
Svetmala frowned, "By your side? Mallika, have you stopped locking your door at night? How can just anybody enter your room and leave a present by your side?"
The words hit Mallika. That's right! How could somebody have entered her room? Then, again, she couldn't recall what had happened before she fell asleep the previous night. All she could recall was having met her uncle.
"Mallika! Is everything alright?"
Mallika nodded, "Yes Ma, everything is alright. I was just wondering how I could have been so careless as to leave my door unlocked. I am sorry for bothering you, mother, but I will surely lock it up from now on."
Svetmala smiled, "I know that." She gently rubbed Mallika's head. "I know that my girl is responsible enough to not worry her mother."
Mallika stiffened slightly. Tossing the mysterious little bottle in her palms, she looked at her mother, "I wonder mother, why, though I and Ashwin are twins, you always celebrate his birthday one day later. Why is that so?"
Svetmala grinned, "This is perhaps the hundred and twentieth time you have asked me this question in your twenty years of life. Don't you know, it's simply because Ashwin is the younger of you two."
Mallika smiled, a wry broken smile at that. If it had been another time, she would have believed her mother's words, but today after learning of the reality, these words seemed so superficial that she couldn't help feeling angry.
"I see."
Svetmala seemed to notice her sudden change in behaviour. "What is it? Is something bothering you?" She asked.
"Nothing mother," Mallika flashed her a vain grin that was so broad, it would have tricked even herself. "I was just wondering if Ashwin and I could have any other difference."
Svetmala grew a little uncomfortable. "What makes you say so, my girl?"
"Nothing Ma," Mallika gently pressed her mother's palms. "I need to go to the temple in the hills for offering prayers. I would rather hurry for my bath."
Svetmala nodded in agreement as she watched Mallika leave.
That was right. She had wanted to remove every possible difference between Mallika and Ashwin, but she knew Mallika would never be accepted by Bajrabaahu. She, would always be regarded as an outsider. That is why, Ashwin's birthday was not celebrated along with hers.
However, Mallika did not want to ruin her joyful mood thinking about all that. She twirled the bottle on the tips of her fingers as she entered the bath.
"How pretty!"she admired, running her fingers along the carvings. As she was about to put the bottle away, her eyes landed on a certain design on the bottle. Mallika gasped.
It was the same fire signature that she had seen on the paper and on the pendant on Aparajit.
What was her relation with this signal? Why did it keep turning up everywhere? Mallika wondered.