Let's Stay Together

Chapter 5

Devyani's house bustled with people. Relatives and friends kept arriving at their doorstep to congratulate the brides. Her parents had appointed extra maids to help Devyani and Dhanusree get ready for their special day. They drew them perfumed and medicated baths to improve their nerves. They scrubbed and exfoliated every inch of their body almost succeeding in making their skin shine like diamonds.

Their wedding clothes were custom made by special weavers from a neighbouring province. The weavers had claimed that wearing the clothes they had weaved would make any bride look like a goddess. And they both certainly did feel like goddesses. They had been made to wear identical pieces of gold jewellery adorned with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. It was their father's wish that both his daughters take an exactly similar trousseau to their marital home so that neither one of them feel lesser than the other. Their hair was ornamented with tiny golden combs and beautiful flowers from their garden.

Some ceremonial rites were performed before they left their house in a palanquin, to go to temple where they were getting married. Their mother cried uncontrollably causing them to weep too. They did not know when they would be able to visit home again.

Devyani rested her head against the opening of the palanquin she was seated in and stared vacantly at the scenery outside. Her mind was occupied by various thoughts. She was very well aware of her previous groom's reputation and had conditioned her mind to accept her fate but she did not know anything about the new groom, Indrajith. She had questioned her mother about him but her mother did not seem to know much about him nor did her most of her maids who were more informed than the royal spies. She hoped with all her heart that he was a good man who did not mind her disability and would treat her with respect and love.

Dhanusree, on the other hand was very excited, she was glad that she was getting married and that too to a member of the royal family. According to her, she was the luckiest girl alive on earth. Like Devyani, she did not really know much about the man she was getting married to but she was sure her husband would be a brave, honest and kind man. She already liked the sound of his name. Balarama. Bala. She tried to voice out his name multiple times but she was too shy to even utter a few syllables of his name. She already felt connected to him in a strange way.

It was a good day. It was neither too hot nor too humid. The royal priests had deemed the day as an auspicious one for their weddings. So both the families had decided to conduct the wedding at Devyani's ancestral temple, giving the grooms' family an ample opportunity to explore the brides' hometown as well as examine the the wealth and lineage of the brides' family.

The palanquin bearers placed their palanquin gently outside the temple. Some maids helped the brides out of their palanquin. Once they were safely outside, they were made to stand behind their Male relatives who were to greet and welcome the grooms into the temple by washing their feet.

Devyani waited patiently behind her uncles and father while Dhanusree could not help but stand on her toes to get a better look at the grooms. The grooms were standing at the head of the party. Both of them looked handsome.‌ As she was straining to get a better look. The seemingly younger brother locked his eyes with Dhanusree and squinted at her curiously. Blushing she quickly hid behind her father, cursing herself for looking like a fool in front of her soon to be husband.
This was not how she wished to make her first impression on her husband.