More Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition)

by Barbara G. Tarn

  "You mentioned you fell in love once, but Lord Kibriya kept talking about your virginity," he said, a little worried. "Did you manage to spend enough time with that guy to be intimate with him? Kiran and Uncle Raju told me there were no more virgin brides in Leland..."

  "Since Lord Kibriya became governor," she said. "That's correct. But Arjun was ambushed before he truly came to power. Lokesh was always jealous of anyone getting near me, but with Arjun he went too far."

  "So if I'd come back ten years ago, he might have killed me?" he asked, amused.

  "Probably. He never liked you. He has learned to respect you now, knowing you're better trained than he is, but he never liked seeing you around me all the time."

  "Mm, he allowed the wedding, so we're fine," he said. He squeezed her. "But you've changed the subject."

  "Don't you want to discover it for yourself?" she asked with an impish smile.

  "I'd rather know now."

  "Why? If I'm not a virgin, you'll treat me like a whore?" she challenged.

  "I don't want to hurt you."

  "You wouldn't if you tried. You're too sweet, Hrithik."

  "No, I'm not." He let her go, serious now. No matter how much he wanted her, he needed to make things clear first. "My father sent me to the monastery because I had anger issues."

  She looked puzzled. "You did?"

  "I was furious with him because he took me away from you. I refused to learn his job. I was disrespectful and was becoming violent. I hated Agharek and everything about my new life. I wanted to come back here and stay with you."

  She smiled and stepped forward, but he stepped back. He wasn't finished.

  "Since he couldn't handle me anymore, my father sent me to the monastery. I put him through two years of hell. And then the monks taught me to control my anger. The military training allowed me to channel my energies elsewhere. But when Kibriya killed Kiran, I willingly released that wild part of me I had so carefully tamed through the years. I was an animal looking for blood."

  "But you're back in control now." Her smile was gone as he looked him in the eyes.

  "I don't scare you? You're not disgusted?"

  She shook her head. "Kibriya disgusted me. I look forward to tasting your mouth."

  Hrithikesh felt the tension leave him. Enough words. It was time to unleash his passion for an act of love. Her dimpled smile welcomed him. He controlled his hunger and got into the bed beside her.

  ***

  Hrithikesh stared at his feet while the abbot sat at his desk and read the letter of Prince Yash. The abbot's office was cool, but outside the sun shone in the courtyard, and Hrithikesh could hear the sound of blunt weapons clashing and the harsh words of the teachers. It reminded him of his own training and the years spent among the monastery walls, harnessing his anger.

  The abbot put down the parchment and looked at him.

  "Do you have anything to say?" he asked.

  "I don't know what the prince said, but I have taken a life and my pole-arm was destroyed," Hrithikesh answered quickly. "I have come to bring back my other weapons and atone for breaking my oath."

  The abbot's lips twitched, and he stared some more.

  "You've come back a married man."

  "Yes, sir."

  "So your choice is final. Fatherhood."

  "Yes, sir. But sir, I..."

  "You broke your oath, I know." The abbot folded the parchment.

  "And I destroyed a magic weapon that belonged to the goddess."

  "Actually, Lord Kibriya destroyed it. That's what the prince said." The abbot patted the parchment.

  "Uh... correct. But I probably misused it anyway."

  Hrithikesh had never been good at figuring out his mentor. He wondered if he'd ever be – or look – that impassive. He still had no idea what the punishment would be, and if his offense was large or small.

  "Is your anger under control now?" the abbot asked.

  "Yes."

  "Do you love your wife?"

  "Yes, very much."

  "So how can I throw you in a cell when the king pardoned you and your wife has been appointed dressmaker to Princess Soraya? How can you honor Zindagi if you don't sleep with your wife?"

  Hrithikesh's lips trembled into a smile of hope.

  The abbot tapped his fingers on the desk, thoughtful.

  "You will come here every day for a year," he said at last. "You will teach young men to control their emotions. You will tell them how you slipped and got back to your feet."

  Hrithikesh's eyes grew wide with in wonder. He'd be a teacher where he used to be a student? What kind of punishment was that?

  "You won't get paid, of course," the abbot continued. "And when the penance is done, you will go home and be a father and a tutor of noble youths for the rest of your life. That is the will of Zindagi."

  Hrithikesh went down on his knees and touched the ground with his forehead. The abbot rose and pulled him up again, grinning from ear to ear.

  "Zindagi blesses you, Hrithikesh. May you have at least three children to replace the lost lives."

  Hrithikesh kissed the abbot's hands and left, feeling relieved – no, euphoric. Pareevash had been welcomed by Kareena and his parents, but they were moving into the servants' quarters of the royal palace, where they'd have food and shelter, and she'd be the dressmaker of the king's sister. He'd be busy at the monastery in the mornings and go back to his beloved wife in the afternoon and night. What else could he wish for? The three children to honor Zindagi sounded like a small price to pay for what he'd done.

  Pareevash welcomed him with her dimpled smile. "So, what did the abbot say?"

  "I'm free..." He took her in his arms to kiss her passionately. "But we need to have at least three children," he added.

  She giggled. "We're working on that," she whispered before kissing him back.

  The King-God of Arquon

  "All hail the King God! Long live Suresh III!"

  Suresh listened to the chants, covered from head to toe in dark silk. His subjects weren't allowed to gaze upon his face, but they worshiped him once a week in Zarquon's main temple.

  He sat perfectly still on his uncomfortable stone seat – not even a pillow to ease his back and buttocks – and waited for the high priest to end the ceremony.

  If only they knew how lonely and powerless do I feel behind my mask... Suresh felt even more trapped after his coronation. The relative freedom he'd had as a prince was completely gone. Now he couldn't show his face in public, couldn't go unattended anywhere except to the Queen's room or the Concubines Garden, and was closely watched at all times by servants and advisers, except when he retired to his private sanctum to sleep.

  His parents were dead, his sisters married off, his brother sent into priesthood and his wife still felt like a stranger, over a year after the wedding – and not only because she hadn't given birth yet. Suresh must admit he didn't like sleeping with her, but dutifully visited her apartment twice a week. He was supposed to spend his other nights in the Concubines Garden, but he didn't have any concubines yet. The leftovers from his father were too old – although one of them had seen to his sexual education a few years earlier – and none of his wife's ladies-in-waiting had yet caught his eye.

  A final hymn released him from the stone seat, and he dutifully went back to the palace in his closed carriage. The day was so hot that during the short trip Suresh sweated profusely under his silken coverings. His semi-god status meant he lived far removed from the reality of his own people. The palace itself didn't have defensive walls around it, but it was separated from the town of Zarquon by a flat plain and a river.

  Plain walls enclosed the space, with pointed arches on the main doors and most windows. Thankfully, columns and turrets made the overall shape less square, and glazed or painted tiles gave some color to the white stones. The carriage stopped in an inner courtyard and he got out.

  Since he couldn't see well through the black silk, a servant led him to his room to chan
ge for the council session. Luckily he didn't have to cover his face in the palace itself.

  He exchanged the silk for his bejeweled turban and went to the meeting, sitting on the low cushioned throne to hear the state matters of the day. First came the news from abroad: Karan of Akkora had appointed his brother Yash governor of his northern province, Leland; Roshan of Rajendra had crushed the rebellion of his general, but had been wounded in battle; Vivek of Lakeshi sent his greetings to both him and Queen Anjali, his sister.

  Suresh struggled to keep his face impassible when he heard King Vivek's letter. His marriage to Anjali of Lakeshi must mean a lot to King Vivek if he wrote directly to him instead of addressing his sister privately. Not that Suresh couldn't read between the lines. His heart beat faster in the hope there was also a private message for him.

  "The rest is for your eyes only," the Chief Adviser deposited a sealed parchment in front of him.

  Suresh wished he could snatch it and read it immediately, but nodded and tried to ignore it.

  "Anything else?" he asked.

  "Queen Ashrita of Gajendra has given birth to the heir..."

  Administrative matters took the rest of the morning, then he had a quick lunch with Anjali who was brooding.

  "Didn't your brother write to you as well?" Suresh asked, a little nervous. Vivek's letter was still in his pocket, unopened.

  "Yes," she snapped. "Jaya is pregnant. Ashrita has delivered. Laxmi has given Rohit his twin heirs. Why can't you get me pregnant?"

  "Why do you keep miscarrying my seed?" he retorted. "You can't have a god's child?"

  She scoffed. "You're not a god, Suresh, you're a man. Or you should be. Your father had twenty concubines, and you have none. You are... awkward in bed, as if you don't belong. Or you don't like me."

  "Our marriage is a political alliance, not a love match," he reminded her.

  "But have you ever been in love?" she insisted. "Did you have a lover, like Prem of Gajendra did, before meeting me?"

  Suresh pondered. It felt like a lifetime ago – his life as prince heir, with no friends and servants constantly gushing over him. No, he hadn't taken his wet-nurse's daughter as a lover like Prem had done. No, he'd never felt his heart flutter until Vivek – Anjali's brother – had stopped in Zarquon and dazzled him with his smile. Sort of.

  "No," he said at last, shrugging away the thought of his brother-in-law.

  Anjali shook her head, irritated. "When you realize you're not a semi-god, but a man, it will be too late," she muttered, glaring at him.

  I'm aware of who I am. But I can't share my real self with anyone. Which was what made him feel so worthless, in spite of the power bestowed on him.

  A theoretic power, since the council actually ruled the country and the priests led the religion. I'm just a puppet, here to sit on a stone seat or a cushioned throne, prisoner of my own duties.

  In the afternoon he exercised with his sword teacher, sat with some philosophers and finally managed to retire in a corner of the royal library to read Vivek's letter.

  Dear Suresh

  I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy. If only we weren't locked in our kingly duties, we could meet on the border for a tiger hunt without the wives. Just imagine, you and me in the jungle, hunting our prey – and then celebrating on its skin. You know you're my favorite brother-in-law, don't you? I hope you haven't forgotten what we had. I often think about it and wish we could do it again. Anjali is mad at you, but if you want, I'll come over and help you impregnate her. After all, I know how to make you hard better than her, don't I?

  Suresh stiffened a chuckle. He couldn't forget what they had. Vivek being a prince, he'd been introduced to him as soon as he'd reached the royal palace outside of Zarquon. Suresh was supposed to show him around before introducing him to his sisters, but since he was very shy, Vivek had quickly taken the lead, suggesting a mock duel under the sun and then relaxing in the pool of the bath chamber afterward.

  Thus Suresh had found himself naked in the water with the other prince who had started touching him in ways nobody had ever dared.

  "You are so sweet," Vivek had whispered before kissing him, his hand roaming between Suresh's legs.

  Aroused by Vivek's caresses, cuddled by the warm water of the pool, Suresh had allowed the other prince to impale him, spreading his own seed in the water. The forbidden pleasure had left him dreamy for the rest of Vivek's stay, who had winked at him upon departure.

  Hence Suresh had looked forward to go to the Lakeshian court – to see Vivek again, more than to meet his sisters. Just because he'd ended up marrying Anjali didn't mean he'd forgotten Vivek. He started wondering what his wicked brother-in-law would do to make him impregnate Anjali. The simple thought of Vivek's hands and lips on him made him shiver with pleasure.

  It was a doomed relationship, of course. They'd had four intense sex sessions – three in Arquon and one more in Lakeshi – then they'd had to part. Suresh had tried to enjoy women again, going back to the expert who had trained him, so he'd be able to please his bride, but he couldn't stop thinking Anjali was just Vivek's sister, not him.

  His poor wife had even asked one of her ladies-in-waiting, Vidya, to train him better, but even a younger woman couldn't arouse him as much as Vivek's caresses.

  Suresh sighed, rolling the parchment and hiding it in his pocket again.

  At dinner, Anjali suggested he take Vidya as concubine and exercise his skills with her since he wasn't going to the queen's bed. Vidya was a skilled courtesan, even Suresh could tell, but he had no intention of spending more nights out of his own room. But to keep the peace, he agreed and told Vidya to go to the Concubines Garden and wait for him.

  Then he finally retired to sleep. He put Vivek's letter in an ivory casket with the others, deciding he'd write his reply in the morning.

  He took off his turban and went to the balcony to watch the sunset, then to the bedroom to undress.

  "Need help?" Rishi emerged from the growing shadows with a grin.

  "You're my bodyguard, not my servant," he replied, amused.

  "Really?" Rishi teased, offering the night caftan.

  Suresh took it and threw it away.

  "I'm supposed to go to the Concubines Garden tonight, but I don't feel like it," he said defiantly, stepping forward. "Undress me."

  Rishi crossed his arms on his chest, with a gleaming tease in his black eyes.

  "If I'm your bodyguard, I will not undress you," he declared.

  Rishi was slightly taller than Suresh and one of their playful wrestling matches had turned into a striptease followed by a wild sex marathon. They'd been lovers since, unbeknownst to everyone.

  "Do I need to pin you to the ground?" Suresh threatened playfully.

  "It's easier if I pin you to the bed," Rishi replied before attacking.

  Laughing, Suresh allowed the older man to throw him on the bed and shower him with kisses. Rishi knew where to put his hands and mouth as well as Vivek, and Suresh was glad he'd found a substitute for his brother-in-law. He moaned with pleasure in his lover's arms, and the Concubines Garden was completely forgotten.

  **

  "He didn't visit?" Anjali insisted bluntly. She lay on the carpet and pillows of the Concubines Garden apartment with her lady-in-waiting.

  "No, my lady," Vidya answered. They'd grown up together and were more friends than a queen and her lady-in-waiting. It had been Vidya's idea to try to arouse Suresh's interest, but she had failed. And then Anjali had suggested she became a concubine, but Suresh hadn't visited her.

  "Where does he spend his nights if not with me, you or any other woman?" Anjali wondered, frustrated.

  "I heard he doesn't leave his room," Vidya said.

  "So, what does he do, pleasure himself all night?" Anjali snorted.

  "You should know better, my lady," Vidya chided. "You are a princess of Lakeshi, after all."

  Anjali stared at her, horrified.

  "You mean... he might have a man? But who?
Nobody can enter his sanctum during the night!"

  "True." Vidya paused and looked her in the eyes. "Except his personal bodyguard."

  "His... what? You think he's screwing that... man?" Anjali protested.

  "From what I have observed since we moved here, the opposite is probably the case," Vidya replied, amused.

  "Vidya!" Anjali screamed, shocked. Vidya raised her eyebrows and didn't say anything. Anjali lowered her voice. "You think the king-god of Arquon enjoys having... things... up his ass?"

  Vidya slowly nodded. "I probed him – he got hard immediately. Want me to show you how to do it?"

  "No! Gods! As if a father and brother weren't enough! Damn him, this can't be true!"

  "I believe the queen is the only person who can have unannounced access to the king's bedroom," Vidya said, thoughtful. "You should pay him a surprise visit – and then you'd know for sure if I guessed right."

  Anjali chewed her lower lip, frowning. The thought of finding her husband in bed with another man wasn't very appealing. But if she had the certainty, she could divorce him. She might have to marry his brother and he'd be dethroned, but it would serve him right.

  Anjali straightened her back and rose from the carpet with a determined expression. She rushed out of the Garden, then sauntered regally to the king's private sanctum.

  "Is the king awake?" she asked the guards. It was quite early in the morning, and there were still a couple of hours before his first meeting of the day. His personal servants hadn't arrived at his door yet – although usually Rishi, the bodyguard, came out to announce the king was ready to get out of bed.

  "I don't think so, your majesty," one of the guards answered, staring straight ahead.

  Anjali raised her chin. "Let me in, I wish to speak with him in private."

  The other guard opened the door for her without looking at her. She slid inside and heard the door soft thud. She looked at the antechamber, flooded with sunlight. Rishi was supposed to sleep there, on the carpet, but he was nowhere to be seen.