To Love A Murderer | ✔

02 | Justice Offered

As her hands were bound with chains, she was somewhat grateful that they had allowed her the opportunity to clean up. She readjusted her position, standing tall and proud as she almost always did. That was one of the first lessons she had learnt as a child.

Stand tall and with grace, and half of your opponents will be intimidated.

At an order from an officer, the guards took their positions beside her, and she was led from the prison into sunlight. Her sight readjusted almost automatically, and she was greeted with the purest place that she had ever set foot in.

Lilavati's footsteps halted, as her head hung down and her breath hitched ever so slightly.

I don't deserve to set foot in such a place as this.

One of the guards poked her and she continued to move almost mechanically, her eyes wide as she took in the sight.

Butterflies flitted here and there in the air, from flower to wildflower. Children played openly in the lush, verdant fields, their laughter ringing in her ears. Though she could not see the sea, she could hear its rhythmic rushing against the coast, and she could imagine a wide, open body of water, greater than anything she had ever known, sparkling in the sun with a song in its movement.

Every plant, rock and stone seemed to be emanating a sweet joy, rejoicing to have its place in this holy land. Every small thing, from the tiniest insect to the very people seemed to chant one name that she had always clung onto in the worst of times. There was an unspoken melody in the air that melded with the song of the sea and the joy of the land, and she felt a burst of ecstatic bliss bloom like a flower in her heart, and tears rolled unbidden down her countenance.

"Why does she cry now? Does she repent?" The almost too soft murmur from the guard beside her caught her ear barely.

"What does it matter if she repents now? Dvarakadhisha will give her the punishment she deserves, nothing less and nothing more."

"But repentance matters to DevakiNandana, doesn't it? It is said and well known that he has the uncanny ability to look into other's minds and discern their wills. If this woman truly does shed tears of penitence, he will know."

She straightened her posture again as she noticed people on the roads pausing to stare at her, and the whispers that were breaking through the crowds.

They walked for a long while, the scenery changing from open fields to the main city, and they walked through the bazaar and she felt a smile slip on her face at the calls of greetings coming from different directions, invoking the name of her lord. Gems were spread on the grounds where also laid pots and flowers, hawkers calling out their fares. There was the occasional sound of an instrument being played and the jingling of anklets as women and their children moved about, safe and secure.

Finally, they entered the justice halls, and she had to pause to take in the sheer beauty of the complex. On the walls were ornate carvings of Yama DharmaRaja and his court, Maharaaja RamaChandra of Ayodhya with his consort Maharaani Sita Jaanaki and Deva Shanishchara, the lord of Karma. Upon the ceilings were detailed paintings of the Devas and Asuras in various poses.

Upon the great ornate open doors that led to the court, was carved a quote in a script she found hard to parse—though it would make sense that the quote was in Samskruta.

"Stop staring, woman! Do not make the court wait any longer!"

She was shoved in, moved to a side room.

Suddenly, a loud voice spoke, "This case is declared closed by the unanimous agreement of the court. Varnika, have we any more cases before us?"

She could not hear much of the following conversation, and rather turned her attention inwards, calming her heart and breathing deeply. She would stand tall and receive her punishment with grace.