Devika - A journey unbound by time

17: Promises

After a particularly exhausting morning session of warrior training, Devika had her head buried in the books of medicine and was studying diligently when her Aunt, Gayatri, entered the chambers.

"Princess Aunt!" Devika greeted her.

"What are you doing Little Princess?" Gayatri asked her.

"I was just studying. Is there something you wanted, Aunt?" Devika questioned.

"Yes, Little Princess... Your Father...he.." Gayatri was hesitating a lot. Her expression revealed that she was worried on some matter.

"What is it Aunt?" Devika asked again.

"Little one... Before we came to know of the culprit behind your Mother's death, your Father had something to drive him. He had a goal to fulfill and he made that goal his mission of lifetime. However, now that the goal is completed, one can see that the King is getting listless. He needs some purpose again. He needs something to drive him. I think Little Princess that you should have a talk with him. Try to spend some quality time with him so that he gets distracted from his loneliness." Gayatri explained.

'Hmm.. it seems that my Father is really being listless and distracted. General Abhay also mentioned that Father had stopped coming for morning exercise routine. He needs someone in his life. I know that I won't be with him forever. Maybe if he agrees to marry again...' Devika thought but outwardly she just nodded in agreement and said, "Will you accompany me Aunt? I have a plan to distract him from his melancholy."

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Devika approached her Father's chambers, when a guard stopped her and said, "Little Princess, are you looking for His Majesty?"

When she nodded, he continued, "His Majesty is not in his chambers."

"Is my Father in his study?" Devika asked.

"No. Little Princess, His Majesty has taken to relaxing in the Queen's chambers." the guard replied.

"Oh." Devika said in an non committal tone.

She made her way to the Queen's chamber. Stepping inside she saw that her Father was sitting in front of the window, staring at the world outside.

"Father." Devika called out softly.

He jerked a bit as if rousing from his sleep. Nanda turned to see his daughter running towards him. Devika saw that his eyes were unfocused. He seemed to look through her instead of at her. There was a beard growing on his face and his hair was in disarray as if he had dragged his hand through them many times. The room was a bit dark and so was the atmosphere in the room. The painting of her mother laid on the bed. No one had made the bed in days. Devika frowned at this appearance of her father. She had already lost her mother and she was not ready to lose her father as well.

Devika quickly held his large hand in both of hers and said, "Father, didn't you promise me something few days ago? Why aren't you fulfilling your promise? Father, you said that we, as the royal family of Nala Kingdom, have some value attached to our words. Did you forget about your promise?" She tried to make him recall his promise to her mother.

King Nanda almost jolted as he stood from his seat. He could remember the day his wife had died, almost as if it happened yesterday. He remembered his promise to her; to move on and try to fall in love again. He remembered his wife saying, "Promise me my love. Promise me that you would take care of Devika and not let her get hurt. Promise me that you will move on with your life, that you will fall in love and get married."

Looking at the painting of his wife he thought, 'I don't know how I will find love again my darling. But I will try to be happy, for the sake of fulfilling your promise and for our daughter. I have to see many things. I have to see our Little Princess get married. I have to play with our grandchildren. When I will finally meet you in Heaven, I will tell you all about her. Thank you my dear, for giving me our daughter.' Patting her head, King Nanda walked out of the room, holding the hand of his daughter.

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Devika almost dragged Nanda outside. Gayatri was waiting for both of them with a couple of carriages and a platoon of soldiers.

"What is all this?" Nanda asked them surprised at the preparations.

"Father, did you forget? You had promised me and Aunt that you would take us on a family outing. The preparations are all done by Aunt and you just need to accompany us. Come on. Let's go." Devika said.

"Okay okay, slow down. Little Princess, where are we going?" Nanda asked.

"We will be visiting our palace on the western hills. There are beautiful and scenic places that one could visit nearby. We can stay for a couple of days and enjoy ourselves." Devika said.

"Eh? But what about the work? I can't let the work suffer." Nanda commented.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Everything will be looked after by Prime Minister Rana. We will be accompanied by two platoons of the soldiers who will be led by General Abhay. There are hidden guards spread throughout the road. They will be in position before we reach and scout the area for any potential danger. We have asked two royal physicians to accompany us as well as two royal chefs. The palace has an around the clock staff and message has been sent informing them of our arrival. By the time we reach there, the dinner will be ready. We can relax for the night and start sightseeing from tomorrow." Gayatri informed Nanda.

"And what about your training?" Nanda asked Devika.

"General Abhay is accompanying us and Guruji has already given me a set if books to read before the next test." Devika said.

King Nanda sighed helplessly and smiled at his daughter trying to pull him towards the carriages. He picked up Devika and put her in one of the carriages and then climbed inside himself. He had to admit that Gayatri had done all arrangements properly. There was food and water containers inside the carriage. Although he knew that his work had suffered for the past few days, he was pleased to spend some time with his family. He saw Gayatri getting into another carriage and thought about how she was the epitome of selflessness. Gayatri always behaved properly, she had given up on her marriage and stayed behind in Nala Kingdom to take care of Devika.

After the death of his Queen, Devika and the kingdom had needed a woman at the helm. Even Nanda himself was drowning in sadness. At such a crucial time, Gayatri had stood with them leaving behind her happiness and comfort. She had cared for them day after day. And Nanda had allowed her to sacrifice her happiness for his selfishness. His in-laws,the royal family of Kuru Kingdom had suggested that he marry Gayatri after the demise of their elder daughter. Before Nanda could reject them, Gayatri had stood and told them to stop. She had angered them by doing this. He knew the things done by Gayatri for his family and his kingdom couldn't ever be returned to her.

Nanda made the decision to make sure that Gayatri marries to someone worthy of her. Now that his wife was no longer with them and his in-laws were angry with Gayatri, the responsibility to ensure Gayatri's happiness fell on him. He smiled to himself and looked outside the window of the carriage at the passing scenery. Nanda felt as if he still had things to do and achieve and all the thoughts of loneliness fell away from him.

He observed his daughter, looking out from the other side of carriage. She was chatting with Veer, the son of his best friend. Veer was riding a horse and he stayed right beside their carriage. A thought slipped into his mind as he saw them interacting but he knew that Devika was still a child. Nanda shook his head amused at himself and looked forward waiting for the new chapter of his life.