The Queen's king |✔️

34. A tale of betrayal

The night's blue sky looked calm with a slight tint of darkness surrounding, tall green trees covered most of the view as Chitra sat under a tree staring at it. Her legs were pulled up close to her chest as she laid her head on them staring at the endless dark sky.

It would have been easy to blame someone for this situation, but how can she? At the end it's all her fault that she didn't learn any useful skills back at the palace, she should have chosen to learn some sword fighting instead of that helpless dancing.

She turned her head to see that a few metres far from her the group of bandits were partying along with their chief; Baldev. While Meenakshi sat nearby staring at her with a huge smirk on her face, she looked content with what was happening. The look on her face made Chitra's blood boil with anger, Chitra regarded her as a mother and she does this? Trying to kill her all this time?

"Even if you survive this you will definitely have to face the god's wrath one day." Chitra said, looking straight in her eyes, hoping that she would get to see the deep hatred in her eyes.

Meenakshi smiled listening to that, "God?" She laughed throwing her head forward, "I stopped believing at such but if there is really a god up there I would love to meet him."

An intense feeling of abhorrence filled Chitra as she saw Meenamma laughing and she quickly turned her head away. A lone tear slipped through her eyes wondering if this was really the woman who had raised her, the Meenamma she knew was kind and a wonderful woman, she was someone who helped her in catching butterflies even though both of them were bad it, she was someone who slept with little Chitra holding her tight when she was scared of thunders on a rainy night.

A sudden moment beside her frightened Chitra thinking it was Baldev but to a slight relief it was Meenama, she slowly sat beside her leaning her head to the rough bark of the tree looking at the sky hopelessly.

"For our old times sake I will tell you a tale." She said playing with a jade ring on her finger.

Before Chitra could reply with a rude comeback she continued with her story, "It said that one should never lie, cause once you lie you would be forced to lie a thousand more times to cover that up. This is a tale of two sisters, a tale of love and betrayal."

"A Mother's love has no end, Chitra. She would starve to death but will make sure that her child is fed. Maanika was a royal escort , she had the beauty of a heavenly celestial nymph and had a smile which was as bright as a ruby. But she was never satisfied as she has always wanted to marry one day, to have a happy married life. When time passed and years flew by, she realised that royal escorts can never have such dreams, her only duty was to satisfy the royals. So then she started to dream a happy life for her two beautiful two daughters."

Where was this story going? Chitra wonders. But she didn't interrupt as the only way that Baldev would keep his hands to himself was Meenamma being by her side.

"The two sisters fought like there was no other day, they would bang each other's head till they bleed. But Maanika knew that though they curse and fight they have an immense love for each other."

"What are their names?" Chitra said, still resting her head on her knees and her long hair was touching ground on the other side.

"The elder one was named after goddess Parvathi as Meenakshi. Maanika wished that her daughter should get a husband like lord Shiva who would destroy the world if anything ever happened to his wife, who would consider his wife as his other half. So after a year when she had another daughter she named her as Kamakshi, once again an avatar of goddess Parvathi." Saying Meenamma turned her head looking in Chitra's eyes.