Agneya was a large city built upon the plains around the foothills of the great Kailash mountain range. The city was saturated by the smell of burning incense and sandalwood contrasted sharply by the smoke from wood and dead bodies burning at pyres, called shamshan in the local tongue. The crackle of ceremonial fires and funeral pyres, the clang of temple bells and loudly recited prayers by groups of priests from the scholarly caste, the brahmins, lent an additional layer of suffocating piousness and religious fervor to the city. The deceptively charming river Yamuna, the clear, sparkling Ganga, and the river of knowledge, Saraswati, named after the great goddess of knowledge, met right at the heart of this city, thereafter flowing down and away as the great river Lohit towards where the Rudra sea lay. The entire city of Agneya was centered around this eagle-foot conflux unique in the entire world, though ironically, the city was culturally and spiritually tied around fire. Aspects of river and hills nonetheless did invade subtly into the larger framework, if only out of necessity.
Agneya, the holy city named after the fire god Agni, lay glowing like a bed of embers. It was awash in vivid tints and hues of orange and crimson by the setting sun, the colours being enriched further by the fires lit in prayers and pyres. Even the four rivers appeared to be composed of liquid fire in that light.
Karma, Marian and Leonard gazed at the city and the vast plains that stretched out beyond its walls, carrying away the immense weight of Lohit into the obscurity of distance. Karma was done paying his respect to the sun a while ago as he did every evening during the three preceding days this fledgeling fellowship had been travelling together for. Now the three travellers were descending down the green hills in ease, enjoying the picturesque scene that lay sprawling around them. The land was like a canvas engulfing them in its painted folds so curved that the objects within the painting at one end could imbibe the beauty that lay on the other end.
This beautiful evening, the three travellers could afford to be relaxed. Even if night did fall whilst they were still on the road, tonight they would not have to worry about it. Tonight they would have concrete lodgings after all.
“Ah! It feels so good to be here in a city after so long,” Leonard spoke with animated gestures, “It had been too long sleeping in tents and bedrolls, barely even encountering villages in this damned cold! To think I would be sleeping tonight on a proper bed! And having a proper, warm bath!”
Marian did not reply to Leonard's comment. She did agree with him, particularly the warm bath part, but wished not to divulge her wishes for such gratification of sensual nature; her familiarity with being silent helped.
Karma, on the other hand, chose not to stay silent.
“It makes no difference to me either way. I don't really get uncomfortable, nor does ambient temperature really affect me.”
Leonard laughed and craned his head towards Karma, who sat reverse upon the back of the horse which Leonard himself was riding.
“Of course, of course! But that does not mean you can't get comfortable, does it? Hahaha! Don't worry, tonight we will drown ourselves in luxury!”
“Is it really necessary?” Karma mumbled in reply.
Though he might have appeared to be apprehensive, he was truthfully looking forward to it. He was merely abashed by the fact that he would be getting to enjoy luxury, something that was never allowed to a casteless one.
“Of course it is necessary!” Leonard declared his will boldly.
Marian glanced over her two male companions and smiled. Then she frowned at one oddity.
“Karma, why are you sitting on the horse like that?”
“Ah, this? Well, it is because I wish to watch the hills tower above me. It is always a majestic sight.
Another reason is that if I were to keep looking continually at the beautiful sight of where we would eventually be, I might not be able to drink its beauty as much in the moment of contact as it could be possible from fleeting glances and final indulgence.”
Marian couldn't help but stare at Karma with a deadpan expression, even as Leonard nodded along to Karma's explanation as though it made perfect sense.
‘That doesn't make it any less strange,’ she thought, ‘That reasoning is what I find even more perplexing, not to mention improper! Does he realize how it sounds? Does he even know what he's saying?!’
She stopped her mental outburst to actually observe the two, one of whom was seriously staring up at the heights they left behind while the other also had a serious expression of contemplation, as if he had just discovered a carefully guarded secret. They had no idea how absurd all of it appeared to Marian.
'Alright,’ she sighed, 'I am definitely surrounded by idiots.’
The moment this thought struck her mind, she couldn't help but smile wryly. After all, when hadn't she been surround by idiots and madmen? She would herself appear mad enough to another, she had no doubt.
Once more, her mood soured. She should not be thinking about all these - just let bygones be bygones. Thankfully for her, Leonard and Karma were talking once again, helping her snap out of her thoughts.
“You know,” Leonard was saying, “I have no idea why your people call it an eagle-foot conflux. Wouldn't it sound more grand to call it the dragon-foot conflux?”
“Hmm. Have you heard of the legends of the Garuda? They are a species of spectral beasts. It is said that they have been friendly towards our kingdom since time immemorial. This conflux was named in their honor.”
Though Leonard's question was quite silly, Karma's answer piqued the interest of Marian. She paid closer attention to their conversation now.
“Have you really seen one? A Garu…..ah yes - a Garuda, I mean?”
“I personally have never had the fortune of meeting such a legendary creature. But rumors have it our king, Ramachandra, is quite friendly with one such being. My guru told me his name is Jatayu.”
“Whoa! Your master sounds like quite an amazing person!”
“Yeah. He is. He is also probably the strongest person I know.”
“Isn't it said that your king is really, really strong too? I heard that he actually fought a demon and won?”
“Well, there are a lot of rumors floating around about the adventures of our king's youthful days. I'm not sure how many of them are true though. Some say he's the strongest person in the world. Some say he has an army of spectral beasts under him. Some say that alongside the Garuda Jatayu, there is another spectral beast, a Vanar named Hanumaan. The two along with his brother, prince Lakshman, supposedly act as the king's personal guard.”
“Do you believe them?”
“Well, whether I believe them or not, I try to keep what I hear in mind. It is good to always keep your eyes, ears and mind open.”
“I see, I see~! Hey Mary, Bhárat Kingdom sure is something, eh?”
Marian was not really surprised to be called out suddenly. She expected Leonard to know that she was paying attention to their conversation. Despite how carefree Leonard was, he was extremely perceptive as well as in possession of top-notch instincts. It was easy to forget that he used to be one of the seven belonging to the innermost circle, just like her.
Marian mentally noted down the fact that Karma had noticed as well and wasn't at all surprised.
“Of course,” Marian said, “Though I think the rumors that Karma was talking about are perhaps exaggerated.”
When no one said anything, expecting her to continue, she sighed, proceeding to expanded on her view.
“The part about spectral beasts may or may not be true, though some merit may be credited to these rumors. I mean, every rumor has to have some kind of a source, right? But the part about these beings being the personal guard of the king? That I find hard to believe.
As for the king being the strongest in the world? That is probably incorrect too. Everyone who sees the immense strength of one who stands in the higher echelons of might up close forgets that the world is really a vast place. I mean, you hear some names whispered in awe and reverence across the world, don't you? While Prince Ramachandra was a name whispered a lot during days past, King Ramachandra has not really made waves across the world. In fact, isn't the general Bhishma much more widely discussed currently in terms of might? Then you have names which now make you pause in your steps. The strongest being in the Hetairoi, or the Macedonian emperor's army, surely you must have heard of him?”
Karma nodded.
“Heracles”, he said, “My guru had spoken of him while talking about contemporary politics, though much of what he had spoken is muddled in my mind due to the curse.”
Satisfied, Marian continued -
“Think of the current king of Kemet. Who has not heard of Ozymandias, the King of Kings? Supposedly the Pharaoh defends his entire kingdom on his own, never going out to war against anyone. What about King Arthur with his Excalibur? Who can say for certain that King Ramachandra is stronger than these phenomenal beings that roam the world?”
Here, Marian took a deep breath and looked away into the distance.
“And what does it matter anyways? You have heard of what happened to King Arthur, right? Where did all his might get him? His reign crumbled with a single incident of adultery, of treachery. All your power, all your goodness, it gets you nowhere.
What's worse - you can't even trust anyone. Everyone is hiding a blade up their sleeve which they will plunge into your back the moment you trust them with your back.”
Leonard suddenly interrupted Marian with annoyance coloured by a tinge of frustration visible upon him like a gathering of thunderclouds.
“Hey! What do you mean by that? Do you think I would stick a knife up your back when it is turned?”
Marian faced him with a pained smile.
“No, Leonard - not you. You're too sweet for that. You’re almost too pure, you know that? Sometimes I fear for you. You trust people too much because you would never betray anyone yourself.”
She looked away with an ugly snicker.
The last leftover crimson light of the day remaining after the sun’s disappearance, consuming itself into darkness with every passing second, illuminated Marian with its baleful glow.
“Sometimes I feel like I should simply turn around and stab people in the back before they can stab me.”
“You're wrong!”
Marian looked at Karma, surprised by his sudden outburst. He had his eyes trained upon her with a ferocious intensity burning within his eyes.
“You are wrong,” he repeated once more. “If everyone would follow such kind of a reasoning, who would be left in this world? We would all have killed each other out of fear!”
“Then pray tell, dear friend, what do we do when someone backstabs us, someone we considered a dear friend?”
The was an edge to Marian's voice that Karma did not like. She was….bitter. He did not know why she was behaving in this manner, or what had happened with her in the past that caused her to be so bitter, but it seemed as if all that bitterness was now festering, choking her from within like a vicious concoction of smoke, soot and tar.
He had noticed the mood beginning to plummet downhill ever since the name of King Arthur came up. At first he did not understand, but when she talked of being helpless despite having power, even Leonard had started acting strange. The cheerful young man had turned grave in a perplexing manner. But what Marian had said after that he simply could not digest.
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He could not let them continue to be hurt this way; he would do whatever he could to help them. They were his friends, right?
“You need to let it go. Acknowledge that this person was never really your friend. I don't know much about being friends, but I know this much - A real friend would never be able to do that. This warmth….how could anyone throw it away?
We learn from our mistakes, right? There must be something to learn at that moment of pain, though I don't know what it could be, looking at that possibility from a distance.
Leonard knows this. That's why he's such a bright, warm person. He knows to accept and keep moving. I think you should not worry about him; you should rather learn from him.”
But whatever he said did not help at all. Marian's face, now plunging into the darkness as the last wisp of light disappeared, twisted even further with bitterness.
“So you mean to say we should keep giving, even when we don't have much, till we have absolutely nothing left? Till we are nothing but a mass of ripped flesh torn apart by betrayals, rejections and complacency?”
“No, not necessarily. What actually matters are people who truly care about you, right?
Bearing grudges will burn you away, you know? It could make you do things you don't really want to.”
“But who do I trust? How do I know if someone really cares for me? How do I know someone is true and constant? Is there any concrete method to ascertain who is true to me and will remain so? Tell me, is there anything like this? Or do we just take the risk and get a stab wound more often than not for our troubles?”
Karma did not reply. He had no answer.
He noticed that by now Marian just looked tired. He was familiar with that look. It was not that of physical exhaustion of any kind - it was born of something far, far heavier.
His heart ached. He did not want to see his friends in such pain. It felt like he wanted to tear his heart away. Karma accepted this pain as an inevitable result of caring for another. But he had also learnt that once you acceptsomething, you need to act in accordance to that acceptance. Deed necessarily follows every act of acceptance.
“Leonard,” Karma softly spoke up, “Do you remember when you asked me to travel with you two as your cook? I accept.
I shall burn to ashes anyone who would dare to try harming you. This I vow upon the radiance of my father.”
Leonard chuckled, suddenly brightening up once more.
“Really? Thank you so much, Karma! I'm glad! You're a good guy, you know that?
And......you don't need to travel as a cook or anything. You're our friend, no?”
At the same time, Marian looked up, a bit surprised, but her face was still droopy. She looked as if she couldn't let go of her skepticism that she donned like a self destructive armor. Wearing a tired, wet smile, she uttered with just little flicker of sincerity -
“Thank you.”
Karma heard her half hearted whisper that nonetheless carried out loud through the night, then looked at her with decisive determination. This was one person he would definitely protect at any cost.
“Friends are important,” Karma whispered back into the night.
“And we're here!”
Leonard's voice rang clear like a bell, and the cobweb of troubled thoughts in the mind of the travellers were swept away. The massive walless city of Agneya loomed in front of the three, an indistinct hum of a sea of voices just beginning to register in their mind. A temple bell clanged somewhere in the distance; a morose spell shattered to a million insignificant pieces.
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“.......
O Lord that gives us warmth, gives us light -
Protect us from those who would do us harm, put us in plight.
Thou who holds the power to turn enemies to ashes -
Guide us with thy strength, keep away evil's soft caresses.
Lord Almighty and O thou faithful lover, gracious wife Svaha,
Grant us the warmth of love - from family, friends and spouse; Om Svaha!”
The old lady opened her eyes to three sets of expectant gazes directed towards her. She had heard them come in by means of the main door to the inn creaking open, then the lightest shuffling of feet in the room coming closer towards her direction. She paid them no heed, continuing her prayer with utmost devotion to God. Thankfully, they had enough sense not to interrupt her prayers.
If only all the people were like them! Travellers these days had no respect for customs. Couples would come in giggling, ogling each other while she prayed; drunk old men would come in with a blatant disregard for anyone aside from themselves, acting as if they owned the world, thereby proceeding to interrupt her prayers; there were also those tourists who neither understood their customs nor bothered to learn, and they would either chatter like monkeys amongst themselves, or worse, some worse cocky little upstart devoid of patience would try to cut through her prayers by addressing her directly even though he or she could clearly see her state of pious engagement.
The three travellers who stood in front of her clearly appeared to belong to some sort of nobility.
There were two foreigners, both with yellowish hair and pretty faces, though she wasn't sure if they were siblings or not. The girl's short locks were wavy and a brilliant shade of golden, whereas the boy had a pale yellow mane - so pale that it was almost colourless. Even if it were not so, she would still hesitate in declaring them siblings. That was not because they differed a lot in appearance, the truth of which was to the contrary, but because she was old, and not many foreigners from the Okzident visited her humble little inn.
The other was an enigma. Frankly, that man's appearance was a bit frightening. Sharp, golden eyes that were lined with red dye, pale skin that almost matched the skin tone of the foreigners, and long white hair straight as only an Eastern hill dweller's could be - all aspects combined to form a sharp visage that seemed to peer directly into the soul of all things surrounding him. He was donned in traditional clothes - a handsome native achkan, called a kurta, and a crisply tailored dhoti, a native replacement for trousers, clung to his frame smartly. He seemed to be a man belonging to the borders of the society, for he was neither clearly a native nor apparently a foreigner. Truth be told, she didn't know much about the tribal people from the Eastern hills of the Kingdom. If they had a nobility then this was her first time meeting one belonging to it. Strangely enough, this man appeared to be uncomfortable for some reason.
But regardless of who they could be, business is business, so she had to speak up before she lost some quality customers.
“I welcome to our humble establishment, dear sirs,” the old woman spoke up in a surprisingly clear voice, “What you like to have? Food? Room? All available, nice and cozy!”
Karma looked at the courageous old lady. He really sympathized with her, even though this was his first time meeting her. She was just like him - she belonged nowhere truly aside from herself and her own own beliefs. She appeared to be a religious character, being at the same time a rebel by necessity.
Traditionally, women were supposed to be the light of the household; they were supposed to take care of the private sphere of life by taking care of the family and doing all the chores of the household. Only the men were supposed to take part in worldly matters like business, administration and warfare, or academics, all depending on their caste.
Karma had never agreed with these social norms and ideals, for there were always those whom circumstances did not favor, who were incongruent with the expected pattern of life. These people were driven to the fringes of society as a result of the rigid orthodoxy. Who were the fortunate to decide what was right and what was wrong for those who were luckless? While Karma understood the practical wisdom of women working at home while the men worked out of doors, that was no reason to be so rigid that they would begin looking down upon women. His mother was the strongest person he had ever known, and he knew very well that those fortunate who boasted their capacity would not be able to withstand even half of the hurdles his mother had faced with as much courage, admirability and success as his mother had.
Karma smiled at the old lady, his discomfort with the new luxurious clothing that Leonard and Marian forced him to wear being momentarily forgotten. This old lady who did not appear to have the basic support of a family must have had enough struggle in her life. He wanted to assure her that tonight she had people who would at least understand her, and not cold businessmen.
“Yes, Grandmother,” Karma addressed the old lady in customary Indu salutation, “We would like two rooms, please.”
Karma watched as the old lady's eyes widened a bit and her smile grew a little more uneasy. He wondered what could have happened? He merely wanted to be a bit kinder and make her feel at ease, but surprisingly, her reaction veered in the opposite direction.
“Most definitely, ji! I shall have nothing but the very best for you!”
Karma wanted to protest that it was unnecessary really, and that he was not someone of a great position, but he did not say anything more, lest he should worsen this already taut atmosphere. As always, he set people on the edge, filled them with fear without any real fault of his.
Leonard watched the entire scene unfold in front of him with interest. He did not know what Karma had said, but the moment his friend started speaking, the old lady seemed to have lost her nerve.
Karma was such an interesting person! He seemed to see right through everything, and yet never really understood the meaning of it all.
'I mean just look at the situation now!’ he mentally commented.
Leonard was sure every one of them had a desire to be kind to the old lady who appeared to be the one who was running this little establishment despite her age. Karma perhaps wanted to set her at ease, but he did not understand society the way Marian and himself did.
The old lady probably worked here as she had no choice. It was all business for her to ensure her own survival. So when she saw them in all their finery and non-native skin, she probably thought they were some rich foreigners. But when Karma had spoken to her in their native tongue, she must have thought that he was there to ensure that no one could hoodwink them or lay a finger upon them. More than an assurance, it appeared to her a gesture of warning.
Leonard watched as the old woman said something in Indu language again, after which Karma gestured to him and Marian to follow. He glanced towards Marian, then turned his attention back to Karma as he and Marian followed.
He felt really ticklish. What a strange group they made! All of them were so new to open communication that he wondered how everything had not fallen apart till now! Maybe it was because they were so unused to sharing whatever was within them that they understood each other at a very sub-conscious level. Or maybe it was because they were simply good at heart.
Whatever the reason was, he could contemplate later - they had reached the room the old lady wished to offer to them.
Karma looked at the room flabbergasted. Earlier when the old lady had told him to follow her, she said that she had a better option for them. She did not have many rooms anyways; this was a home-stay rather than a proper inn. He had agreed to have a look and promised that they would stay there if it suits them. The old lady had thanked him and then nervously had begun speaking about how she was the one who was managing everything on her own after her husband had died, how her son had moved away to Gurukul city for academic purposes and never came back, how there was only a little orphan girl to help her with all the work, of whom she took good care as Agnidev decreed. Thereafter she grew even more nervous and began telling him how they would love the room she had chosen in her mind for them, and how it was would be much more convenient for them if they stayed in a single room, where she could get them whatever they needed all at the same time, thereby reducing the need to wait or her trouble to prioritize. But whatever she had said had not prepared him for what the room had in store.
The wooden walls and the granite floor of the room shone with good care. An unlit chandelier hung from the ceiling, surrounded by pretty lights he had only overheard being spoken about by well to do kids. Mattresses so thick that he never even knew existed lay upon two such beds that he would not be surprised if they were fit for royalty. Pretty curtains drawn apart to let in the moonlight hid behind them windows of such make they left no room for doubt that this room was constructed with the focus being upon aesthetics.
Before Karma could even say anything, he felt Leonard's arm being thrown around his shoulder in a gesture of familiarity that shocked him. Yet, the recently familiar warmth of happiness grew within him, and the resulting mix of emotion left him embarrassed, happy and speechless.
Leonard spoke not to Karma but to the landlady directly, addressing her in Common.
“This is such a beautiful room, madam! We would gladly love to have it! We would pay anything for this room!”
Thus it was settled.
The keys to the room were given to them and Karma's protests silenced. Leonard and Marian moved into the room immediately afterwards, pulling the uncomfortable Karma along with them. Lights were lit and the room explored. Soon, they snuggled into the beds - Leonard with Karma, leaving an entire bed to Marian which she gladly accepted. The old lady left their dinner in their room after half an hour, then bid them a good night in her broken Common.
Finally, it was now that time of night where each of them attended to themselves.
Karma was slowly walking around the room, taking in all the sights, smells and feels of the sense of luxury around him. Marian had long since disappeared into the bathroom to take a hot bath, which was her share of rest and relaxation before hitting the bed. As for Leonard, he lay upon the bed he and Karma shared, idly staring up at the chandelier, his mind wandering all around.
He thought about Karma. He was an interesting person, and a good guy really. From the moment he met Karma, he grew interested. He could sense Karma's power searing beneath the surface, carefully controlled and hidden away. And despite all that power, he was really humane, really kind. This new friend of his, who Leonard was absolutely sure wasn't really a human, was quite like himself.
He remembered times before he chose to become a wanderer alongside Marian. During those times, he was always polite. He used to be just as he was now from within, a young boy brimming with emotion, kindness and wonder. Yet, everything he said, everything he did - he had to apply a filter to it. He had an important position, so he could only act accordingly. The way others looked at him influenced all of his actions.
Marian's case was even worse. No one knew who she was, how she felt, what she thought. She was taught to keep it all bottled up. Societal norms required her to do so. She deceived out of necessity with her silence, or she would never have been where she was. But when he got to know her accidentally, she turned out to be quite an optimistic person similar to himself. But she had not seen the ugliness surrounding herself. She was used by people all around her. While he saw the beauty and was amazed by it, at the same time he also saw and acknowledged the ugliness surrounding him. His optimism was born out of acceptance, whereas hers was born from ignorance. So when everything came crashing down that fateful night, she broke. She turned bitter. All that hope which was bottled up within her festered and poisoned her. That was the reason he decided to run away with her, leave everything behind.
Leonard shut his eyes in painful reminiscence. He still heard the echoes of her raging shouts that night. He remembered her turning on him in anger. He remembered her finding out the truth of things, and breaking down. He remembered the tired, pained words she spoke to him with such bitterness that he could not bear it. He had to do something. He could not let the beautiful person who shone brighter than any in his eyes be consumed by rage, bitterness and betrayal. And so they ran away. They ran far, far away.
That was the best thing they could have done. Leonard himself began loosening up. He learnt that value of self indulgence. He learnt what it was like to dedicate oneself to not public good, but the good of a person who mattered to him more than anything selfishly.
And Marian? She was still healing. She needed a lot more love than what only he could provide her with. She needed people who she could trust. She needed to be able to understand and accept. In the end, she was but a sheltered child brought up like a pawn upon the board of politics. She needed to grow up to be able to make a stand on her own in this scary world.
Him, Marian, Karma; what a group they were! Tied by the red strings of fate together, even though they were all worlds apart in their origin. He wondered who else would they be meeting. Where would their paths take them?
'Ah, I suppose the blowing wind will sweep us along like leaves upon a dusty road!’
For now, there was a tournament to look forward to!