Samsāra

Chapter Ten

Days after Rajamata welcomed her into her home with wide open arms; she had proclaimed that in the privacy of her chambers and hours later in the sabha into the faces of stunned men, women swarmed into her apartments to educate her in the 64 arts a noble lady must know. Before they came, Ajiona had been moved to another apartment, one more spacious and grand and with new maids, the old ones returning to their former duties as kitchen maids or perhaps cleaners. Pragya and Mekhala remained though but they had become reticent and refused to talk to her unless in formal subservient speak. The change stunned Ajiona and she felt she was losing the only friends she had made so far. Even Gandhari was acting different, before she was like an indulgent mother hen now she was cold and hard as a glacier but even glaciers melt. 

Ajiona knew she had embarrassed her in the presence of Rajamata Sivagami and if she were in the woman's leather sandals she would be upset too but she wanted no animosity between her and her teacher, it would be detrimental and she already had an enemy to contend with. She thinks. That day in the sabha, not all had agreed with Sivagami's decree. Half of them had bent over quickly, bowing with arms folded to accept her order; the rest had grumbled and mumbled, their murmurs rising steadily and steadily until one of them spoke, his voice climbed over all others with ire. His tone was moderately accusing and echoed the sentiments of most.
He questioned Ajiona's caste and creed, her intent, where she came from. Was she not tried as a ganika? He questioned. Are we welcoming ganikas into the royal household now? He spoke directly to Sivagami, pointedly ignoring Ajiona. She half expected the temperamental Rajamata to explode but she calmly gave her reasons.
She's a kshatrāni through and through. Did she not put her life in line to save my son? Was her honour not questioned when the shamed Khanipathi and his conspirator Kalika tried to taint it? Did she not defend her honour by cutting his fingers? Did Lord Shiva not put words into her mouth when she could not speak our tongue to defend herself again in the presence of this sabha? Did she not best a boy trained by the slave Kattapa? she paused, her large eyes gazing round the hall. Lord Shiva had spoken and who am I to turn a deaf ear? Her caste and creed or where she comes from do not matter if the gods have spoken, does it Dayananda?

The nobleman grumbled something but nonetheless bowed and when he looked up, he stared directly at her. Ajiona was surprised at the amount of hatred in the depths of those eyes. After Sivagami had called her into her chambers and warned her not to reveal where she had truly come from. The fewer people know the better. She warned.

The day after she was moved into a new apartment and more tutors swarmed in. Gandhari still maintained her usual two hours in the morning after the puja but without her usual smile. She told Ajiona in a monotone that she could now speak they would turn focus to reading and writing. It was hard to work with your teacher glaring at your bowed head but Ajiona made it and when the incense clock had burned down two hours, she gathered her books and swept out of the apartment in a huff. Her other tutors were different from each other as day and night, some were excitable, some as severe as winter, most maintained a calm professional demeanour, for instance the woman that was teaching her how to sew was a round chubby woman who loved gossip and laddus.

The woman, Aadarshini, who educated her on the rules of comportment, was as thin as a rake and as sharp as a whip, she was businesslike yet engaging. She taught her how to talk, walk and sit in the presence of men, a different way of comporting herself when only women were around. How to fish for details without giving any details about yourself. How to subtly snub princesses and noble women who are lesser than yourself and how to respect queens who are important. How to solve riddles and respond to witty remarks, how to hide insults under the veil of praise. How to talk sweetly and be engaging.

Aamaya taught her to draw, paint and decorate the ground with rangoli designs, each one for a special festival. She took pride in her work and didn't allow room for the slightest mistake. Baijanti was her dancing tutors and apart from Gandhari she was her favourite. Her least favourite, one she was sure she would hate, was Takshika, her music tutor. She rubbed on Ajiona the wrong way the instant she stepped into the room and Ajiona was certain Takshika didn't like her too. She snapped at her servants lugging in musical instruments that they almost dropped their load. After they had set it up, they wisely retreated a respectful distance while the music tutor appraised her charge and she did the same.