How Baahubali:The Conclusion should have ended

Chapter 2

Bijjala was shaken with rage upon hearing from Kattappa his inability to tackle the Kunthala soldiers and yelled “You old fool! You have brought to shame Mahishmathi’s prestige by showing that we couldn’t even tackle such an insignificant army and are yielding to their demands for our safety. Bhalla! Let us show them the horror of what they are trying to play with.” Bhalla on the other hand though was equally furious, tried to maintain his composure to analyse the situation. There were many questions arising in his mind. He asked Kattappa about the strength of Kunthala warriors and how much army would he be requiring to tackle them. Kattappa’s reply of an estimate of 500 soldiers was interrupted by Jaya Varma’s laughter. He looked at Bhalla and said “War is neither the answer nor the solution Bhalla. This old fool thinks that my army would yield if I were a captive under you. Surrender is never an option for Kunthala warriors. If it comes to defeat, they would rather kill themselves than accept it. You are not going to get the answer for what has happened nor the reason for what is about to happen.” Bhalla looked at Jaya Varma suspiciously and asked him “Why didn’t you kill yourself then? Why did you wish to be brought to Mahishmathi?”. Jaya Varma replied “I accepted my death the moment I was captured by Kattappa. However, I wished to know something before I die. Something which can be known only from Mahishmathi”. Bijjala intervened and said “How dare you think that the ruler of Mahishmathi is going to answer a scumbag like you, after committing such a grave mistake? You can seek whatever you want after we chop off your ears and gouge out your eyes”. Jaya Varma gave a resentful look towards Bijjala and said “I have been tirelessly conspiring to free Devasena from Mahishmathi, for the past 25 years. In spite of many attempts and losing many men, we were never successful. You think it was only me behind this? Why couldn’t it be an inside job? May be your spies and guards might have conspired with your enemies to plot against you. May be we managed to fool your son into believing that he would be getting the throne of Mahishmathi, if he joined hands with us in defeating you. May be the whole abduction thing is a distraction created by someone to shift your focus onto us, while they prepare for a greater war.What has happened and is about to happen is beyond my ability and your imagination.” Though Bhalla felt that Jaya Varma could be tricking them into creating some internal conflict, he couldn’t find a fitting connection for the series of events that were happening. He decided to give Jaya Varma the benefit of doubt and said “I am going to kill you anyway irrespective of the truth in your words. You can spare yourself of some misery if you honestly tell me who is it that is behind this and what is it that you would like to know from me?” Jaya Varma said “I wanted to see the reason for your downfall in spite of you being one of the most powerful and efficient rulers I know. I think I have got my answer. I see fear in the eyes of your people in place of faith and fury in the eyes of your associates who only work for pleasing you rather than working for you.” Saying this he plucked and swallowed a small tablet hanging from neck. Within moments Jaya Varma’s body turned blue and he collapsed onto the ground saying “It is lord Shiva who comes as Mahakaala or ‘time’ to destroy every fool’s belief that he could eternally control and possess everything as per his desire. Your time has come Bhalla. Every foundation you built on is going to collapse and you are not going to find support even from the very earth you stand on.” Bhalla lost his composure upon hearing this. He was fuming with anger and decided to remind everyone what he was capable of. He decided to go to battle the Kunthala warriors himself, with a battalion of his army, to personally see who was behind this. However,Jaya Varma ‘s words kept ringing in his mind. He wanted to make sure that Mahishmathi was in capable hands, to effectively manage and safeguard the kingdom, while he was gone. For the first time he felt the need to look for a trustworthy person beyond his royal worthiness, to handle the situation. He could find none other more trustworthy and experienced than Kattappa for handing over his power of attorney, inspite of Bijjala’s protests. As soon as he left the kingdom, one of Kattappa’s associate guards approached the body of Jaya Varma and tapped him slightly. Jaya Varma opened his eyes and released a pigeon with a letter tied to its legs, he had been so far holding in his pocket. A faint smile emerged across Kattappa’s face as Shivudu turned towards him who was disguised as the guard all along.