Devika - A journey unbound by time

30: Outing II

"Why did you ask the man to pay his debt? Why didn't you give him the medicine for free?" Veer asked Devika, once she got in the carriage. Veer had remained back to keep Dev safe.

"I couldn't have afforded giving him things for free." Devika replied calmly.

"Eh! Elder Sister, we can surely afford to spend a couple of silver coins, right?" Dev asked puzzled.

"What do you think will happen if I gave away herbs for free to that man?" Devika questioned back.

"He will be happy and be able to treat his mother." Dev replied innocently.

"No, Little Prince. Once a man receives something without having to work for it, he starts to think that it's his right to get things for free. That man would have become lazy because of that. Also once the commoners start to think that this Princess helps people get free herbs they will start begging this Princess for help whenever they need herbs regardless if they could afford it or not. And be as it may, even if the entire royal treasury was emptied, we cannot afford to give herbs to all the commoners. Hence it was necessary to emphasize that the man needs to work for the herbs. Did you understand now?" Devika asked Veer and Dev her voice grave.

Both of them nodded that they understood. Dev asked in a small voice, "Does this mean that we cannot help the commoners who cannot afford herbs for their treatment?"

"If you want to really extend your help, then as a King you would need to find the solution for all commoners. Not just one commoner. Okay?" Devika replied gently and continued, "Don't worry. I will think of something. Father will also help me."

"I also want to help." Dev said.

"When you grow up as tall as Veer, you can also help me." Devika replied smiling at him.

Soon it was time for them to have their late lunch. They were in the botanical gardens of the capital. The sky was clear and a gentle breeze was blowing so it wasn't warm. There were thousands of flowers surrounding them and the environment was filled with the sweet scent of those flowers. The garden was made by a previous King of Nala Kingdom who appreciated nature. The late King had planted dozens of varieties of flowers in the garden. They also had a special viewing area for the expensive and rare variety of flowers. Veer led them to a garden with a beautiful lake and an elegant pavillion. They had their lunch there and were resting for a bit. Prince Dev was wandering around the lake with his nanny and a couple of guards. Devika and Veer just rested in the pavillion.

"Princess... About the man in the medical store.." Veer said hesitating.

"Yes?" Devika encouraged him to talk further.

"If you wanted him to return the money he owed you by labour or other means, then why didn't you take an IOU from him?" Veer questioned.

Devika smiled lazily and replied, "Truthfully... his expression showed that he didn't want to take the herbs for free. He must have felt that it was against his dignity. Do you remember he said that he was leaving when the shopkeeper wasn't willing to give him a discount? That showed that he is a man of dignity. But even if I am wrong, do you think that the man would have enough courage to defy the royal family?"

Veer nodded before looking at the far distance, "Sometimes your thoughts and actions exceed your age Princess."

"Eh? Haven't you heard? Girls mature faster than boys." Devika answered with an awkward laugh. Veer simply nodded again and Devika patted her chest trying to calm herself down.

"Do you have any thoughts on how to help the general public get cheaper medicines?" Veer asked.

Devika's face brightened and she nodded her head fast, "I am thinking that we could set up few medical store that sells only common herbs for cheaper prices."

"Would the stores be able to make profit? Where would you get supply for the herbs? What's the margin between the cost and selling price of herbs in which the current medical shops make profit? Do you think you wouldn't have competition from the current stores?" Veer fired off questions one after other.

Devika thought about it for a while and asked him, "Then what do you suggest that should we do?"

"I don't know. Give the matter some thought before you take the decision." Veer suggested.

It was late evening by the time they reached Palace. After spending the entire day in the capital, the children were tired and hungry. At first Gayatri wanted to scold them for being late but seeing the happy yet tired look on their face, she couldn't bear to do it. After making sure that they all ate something, Gayatri sent them off to sleep and Veer went home with his Father.

Devika went to her room and laid down in the bed after having a bath. Calmly, she closed her eyes and visited the yantra. She started studying the copy of the parchment she had made in the library. She understood the method of meditation to balance the root chakra which is situated at the base of the spine. It is the foundation chakra which will help her foundation with the yantra. Concentrating on her breath, Devika assumed the position of meditation. She felt the flow of energy in her lower body and she could sense that the merging of her mind with the yantra had stabilized.

After the desired results were achieved by Devika she quickly moved to focus on the sacral chakra which is located in the lower abdomen. She could again feel the warmth of energy as it flowed in her body. Finally, she was able to see the results she was waiting for the past three years. Devika saw the room in the yantra extend to a massive proportion. It was now as big as the Palace grounds. Devika was able to feel the flow of time in the yantra now. She had kept an orange on the desk in the yantra. Pointing at the orange she moved the finger in a circle anticlockwise. To her shock, the orange started greening as if it wasn't ripe enough. She slowly moved the finger in a clockwise direction, the orange ripened and slowly moved towards over ripening stage before starting to decay.

Amazed by the ability, Devika repeated the process a few times. When she finally broke the chair because the wood grew old and brittle, she stopped with the experiment and stared at her hands in amazement. She finally had an idea on what she could do for cheaper herbs. She just had to get aid from her Father. Smiling to herself, she exoted the yantra and fell asleep to start dreaming of a better tomorrow.