Amrendra

by Barbara G. Tarn

  He hadn't gone to the family dining room in over a month. He hadn't left his apartment in over a month. He didn't want to see anyone, but couldn't leave Rohit out. They were twins. He knew Rohit could feel his pain and his sorrow. But they couldn't read each other's mind and some things he couldn't say, not even to Rohit. Especially since Rohit called him by his new name.

  Of course only Kartik had promised to keep calling him Harish. Everybody else called him Rahul or Your Highness. Your Majesty, even, since King Daruka Dahana had passed away, both twins close to each other, Dahana first, then Daruka.

  The shadow king always goes first. He wondered if some great sorrow had killed his uncle, and then his father. He was now the shadow king, since Rohit was more fit to govern than him, but still had to attend all the High Council and Private Council sessions.

  "Rahul, you're being stubborn," Rohit said patiently. "If you don't go out of you apartment, how will you find another Kartik?"

  "There is no other," Harish said sourly. Nobody could compare to Kartik. "And I don't want to see the people who murdered him."

  Funny, he'd said it at last. He heard Rohit hold his breath for a moment.

  "Rahul, we don't know what killed him," Rohit said. "A sudden, unknown sickness the royal physician couldn't stop or prevent..."

  "He was murdered," Harish repeated somberly.

  At first, he was so upset he had let anyone see him. Even at the funeral, lords and servants had come to him, and sometimes said things that had upset him even more. Not the servants, of course, the lords who attended the High Council.

  Thus he had retired to his apartment and refused to see anyone. Only Rohit was allowed in his bedroom, Ajay wasn't allowed beyond the antechamber.

  "What makes you think Kartik was murdered?" Rohit asked cautiously.

  Harish uncurled from his position and sat. He leaned towards the bed table and took a small ivory casket, normally used for small items. It contained the rings he'd received as prince heir, a golden bracelet, a golden medallion and a small piece of parchment where he'd written his name – Harish, not Rahul – and Kartik's enclosed in a heart when he was still learning to write.

  He opened it and took a small dart the length of his middle finger that lay over the folded parchment and showed it to Rohit.

  "I found this when it was too late," he said. "The sudden sickness was a poisoned dart."

  Puzzled, Rohit took it to look more closely.

  "It's still poisoned," Harish warned. "Don't scratch yourself with it."

  "How do you know?" Rohit gave back the dart.

  "I've seen some in Akkora. The Assassins' Guild sometimes use them down there. They have blowpipes and can kill by shooting those poisoned darts from a safe distance." Harish put the dart back in the casket and closed it. "Someone hired an Akkoran assassin to kill Kartik."

  "But how do you know it's what killed Kartik?"

  "I found it on the floor and I checked his body. I found the wound on his neck, it was so tiny nobody saw it. It was a quick way to dispose of him."

  Harish could feel again the still body under his hands, the small cut that had stopped bleeding, see the strange color of Kartik's face. Unknown sickness my ass, he was killed!

  Rohit's eyes were wide in shock. "But... why?"

  "So they could offer their daughters to the poor mourning shadow king," Harish snapped, looking his brother in the eyes. "You might have welcomed him to the family, but the council never liked Kartik. And they got rid of him so they could push their daughters at me. I will not set foot in the council room while those people are there."

  "Which people?" Rohit asked.

  "Ask them. You'll know." Harish curled up again in the fetal position. "I have no proof against anyone. I'm sure you'll find who did this to me."

  Rohit hesitated, then stormed out. Harish felt strangely relieved. He was still mourning, but now that he had managed to pour out his suspicions, he felt better. He knew Rohit was a true king and would handle the matter better than him.

  ***

  Rohit was furious. He couldn't believe someone in the High Council had paid an assassin to kill Rahul's lover. Why? To weaken him, them? Was someone trying to get rid of the twin kings? And who dared?

  Rahul suspected one of the lords who had pushed his daughter after Kartik's death. Many lords had the means to pay an assassin, including his cousin Ajay. But Ajay hadn't mentioned he should marry more than Rohit did. They both knew how much Rahul loved and trusted Kartik. Besides, if Rahul married, Ajay's position might be rickety again. No, Ajay would never think of killing Kartik or getting rid of Rahul.

  Rohit was also mad at his twin who had kept his suspicions to himself for well over a month. He might not have proof, but he'd found the poisoned dart, and that was enough to start an investigation.

  He knew Rahul was deeply wounded and mourning, but he couldn't believe his twin had kept his sorrow to himself, as if he weren't aware they shared so much. Laxmi had given him twin heirs and baby girls, but after Kartik's death, he'd felt as empty and lost as Rahul was.

  Ajay read on his stern face that he was angry as soon as they met outside of the High Council room.

  "What is it, Rohit?" he asked, puzzled. "Will Rahul attend today?"

  "No, he will not attend until I throw out a few people," Rohit answered through clenched teeth.

  "What? Why?" Ajay asked, nonplussed.

  "You'll see."

  Rohit marched in and sat at the round table with Ajay at his left. The chair at his right was empty, and had been so since Kartik's death.

  Rohit watched the councilors gathered around the table, twelve men that ranged from his father's age to his own. Some had been in the council of King Daruka Dahana, others had taken the place of retired members under the request of King Rohit Rahul.

  Not that Rahul ever chose anyone, not even Kartik. Rohit knew Rahul wanted to keep his private life separated from his public life, and had succeeded for five years. Why would anyone decide to get rid of Kartik if not to push a daughter into a royal wedding?

  Rohit put his hands on the table and interlocked his fingers, staring at the polished wood to gather his thoughts.

  "My lords," he said. "Let it be known that my brother will not set foot in this room until I get rid of a few people. He has never requested anyone to join this council, but now he's asking me to remove someone, and I feel compelled to oblige him."

  He heard mutters, but didn't look up yet.

  "Which of you suggested he marry your daughter?"

  "What does this have to do with it?" Lord Durjaya asked.

  He sat right in front of Rohit, a plump nobleman who had been in the council for twenty years. He had a son, Arjun, slightly older than Rohit himself, and his daughters were all married off. But he'd always showed contempt for Kartik, even though the gypsy had always been very well-behaved in his few public appearances by Rahul's side.

  "I find it exceedingly mean to suggest to a mourning man that he marries," Rohit replied bluntly. "Lord Hitendra?" He stared at a handsome middle-aged man with black hair and eyes. "Did you suggest Rahul marry Chitrangda?"

  "No, your majesty!" the man answered, clearly startled. "It wouldn't occur to me to suggest marriage to a widower."

  Then Lord Hitendra had considered Rahul married to Kartik. Rohit had been almost sure Lord Hitendra had nothing to do with the murder. He nodded and looked past him to a bulky man with a hooked nose that he thankfully hadn't transmitted to his daughter, the fair Nalini.

  "Lord Balavan?" Rohit asked.

  The man cleared his throat and fidgeted before answering. "I admit I suggested to his majesty he consider my daughter to ease his sorrow after the passing of his lover," he said. "I had no reaction from his majesty, though."

  Of course, he was too hurt to react. Rohit nodded, his face impassive. He stared at a man on his right, another father of a marriageable daughter.

  "Lord Sudesha?"

  "What's wrong with suggesting the shadow
king marry?" Lord Sudesha exclaimed. "I mean, I don't even know why King Daruka Dahana allowed him to keep a man by his side!"

  "Because that man saved his life," Rohit said through clenched teeth. "And you had no right to suggest my brother marry without consulting me. He's the shadow king. I'm the main king. I produced the heirs to this throne. He doesn't need to breed."

  "But if you'd failed or if your twins don't survive infancy, wouldn't it be better if he bred too?" Lord Durjaya said. His contempt for Rahul was plain and Rohit narrowed his eyes.

  "If my twins don't survive, Ajay's twins will reign," he said bluntly. "That was decided by King Daruka Dahana five years ago. Ajay should have been the shadow king if we hadn't found Rahul alive and healthy."

  "Our king is a jester," Lord Durjaya muttered. "Amrendra is doomed."

  Rohit slammed his hand on the table to stop the murmurs and comments.

  "This doesn't justify murder! Who paid the Akkoran assassin to kill Kartik?"

  "What?" Even Ajay couldn't believe his ears.

  "Kartik was killed?" Lord Hitendra asked, eyes wide in shock.

  "Rahul found a poisoned dart and the wound on Kartik's body," Rohit answered.

  Lord Durjaya scoffed. "The gypsy won't be missed," he muttered.

  Rohit took a deep breath, grabbing the table with both hands. He needed to stay calm. Ajay was cursing under his breath by his side.

  "Lord Durjaya, Lord Balavan, Lord Sudesha, you are no longer needed in this room. You are discharged from the High Council. Prince Ajay will help me choose the replacements."

  "Young fool," Lord Durjaya said with contempt. "Amrendra is truly doomed now!"

  Rohit clenched his teeth and pointed at the door. The three lords rose and left.

  "I hope you know what you're doing," Ajay whispered.

  "I will find who ordered Kartik killed," Rohit replied, determined, looking the remaining councilors in the eyes. "Lord Hitendra, as the eldest of this council, do you have any suggestions?"

  Lord Hitendra straightened. "If you really think someone paid an assassin to kill your brother's husband, we will find him. Anyone in this room could afford it, and so could the dismissed councilors."

  "I could be the one," Ajay added. "I might have wanted Rahul out of the way too."

  "You're not that cunning or slimy," Rohit snapped. "What I don't understand is... why kill Kartik? Why not Rahul himself?"

  "We shall find out, Your Majesty," Lord Hitendra said, bowing his head. "I hope your brother will attend the next council and provide us with more information on what he has discovered. I wonder why he didn't bring this to our attention himself."

  "Because he said he had no proof, and he still doesn't know enough about the people of the kingdom, or even the nobles of this court," Rohit said. "I will serve justice, though. I'll find who ordered his beloved killed and why."

  ***

  Harish was up now. He'd gone to the bath chamber and allowed the barber to shave him. Another servant had brought a tray of food from the kitchen and put it on the low table of the antechamber, but he hadn't touched it yet.

  He stood on the balcony doorway, looking at the new downpour that bathed Delen in grayness. When the wind blew the right way, he could hear the sea roar on the nearby coast. If the weather gods were as upset as he was, the thunderstorm was well deserved.

  He wondered if Rohit would figure things out. Now that he'd unburdened himself of the notion of Kartik's murder, he still felt empty, but less overwhelmed. He'd always miss Kartik, but if Rohit could bring justice, he'd find a way to cope with the loss. He owed it to his twin, who had a loving family and lovely children.

  He considered visiting his nephews and nieces for a change, but maybe he should wait for Rohit to come back from the council session first.

  A commotion outside his door made him turn, puzzled. The servants were all gone, but there were still guards outside for his privacy. The door burst open and a nobleman about his age rushed in and threw himself at his feet, hugging his leg as if it were a safety line. Four guards burst in after him – two royal guards and two from some other nobleman's retinue – ready to drag him out again with apologies.

  Harish raised his malformed hand, which stopped the four armored men dead in their tracks.

  "What is it?" he asked the man attached to his leg.

  "Your Majesty, I beg you, save me," the other said, head hung, eyes closed, squeezing his leg further.

  Harish waved the guards away and they left with deep bows, closing the door behind them. The two who belonged to somebody else's personal guard glared at both him and the kneeling man.

  "You can let go now," he said as his hand fell back down to his side. "Please remind me who you are."

  The other pulled away but remained on his knees, head low. "Arjun, son of Lord Durjaya," he said.

  "Ah, yes, the council head." Harish frowned. Lord Durjaya had never liked him. Or Kartik. For whatever reason.

  He stared at the son. A handsome man with brown hair and eyes. He remembered Arjun was married with children, much like Rohit and Ajay and everybody else at the Amrendran court.

  "Who is after you?" Harish asked. "Can't your powerful father protect you?"

  "He is the one I'm begging you to protect me from," Arjun answered, head still bowed. "King Rohit dismissed him from the council this morning and it threw him into a frenzy... I have learned things I wasn't aware of and can't go through with his plans. I just can't."

  Harish suddenly remembered the colors of the other two guards that had burst into his room after Arjun. Lord Durjaya's personal guard. What had made the powerful lord send his men after his son? Harish was still puzzled by politics and nobility things, five years later. Most of their behavior he didn't understand.

  They seemed all so far removed from the rest of the world – Rohit included. But Rohit listened to him when he had something to say, the others not so much. And since he was the shadow king, he usually kept his mouth shut.

  Not this time, though. He frowned. "What are his plans?"

  "End the twin dynasty of Amrendra."

  Harish leaned on the wall and looked outside again. The thunderstorm was worsening. He smiled ruefully at the thought of how close Lord Durjaya had been to getting rid of him and Rohit.

  He went to sit by the low table and started eating. Enough moping around, he'd help Rohit discover the conspiracy that wanted both him and his twin dead.

  Arjun hadn't moved, so Harish invited him to sit with him.

  "Does your father want you on the throne?" he asked between bites. Now he was curious to know what went on in the head of the head of the council. He was ready to accept anything Arjun said without questioning it, he'd let Rohit decide if it was right or wrong.

  "At first he thought about a joint government with me and Ajay, so we could keep the double name of the king, but today he decided one king was more than enough," Arjun said, eyes low. "Ajay could have twins, or his descendants could have twins, bringing back the twins line into the royal house, so..."

  "So just you, since he's too old. Does he have supporters?"

  "Yes. Your majesty, I'm glad to see you eating again. I had come to tell you about the conspiracy hoping to shake you from your mourning. Have you seen how it affects your twin?"

  "I know it affects Rohit, but I can't help if my heart is broken."

  "Mine was broken too when I learned it was my father who caused all this sorrow. I have always admired you and Kartik, and his death has disturbed me even though I didn't really know him. But I saw how much you loved each other and I will freely admit that I had often envied you."

  Harish stared puzzled at the nobleman. He thought everybody at the Amrendran court put up with him and Kartik because King Daruka Dahana and then Rohit and Ajay had wanted them to. He wasn't aware that there were people who genuinely liked him for who he was, a shy prince with commoner's wisdom and hidden wounds only Kartik and Rohit knew about.

  "I'm touched by your admission
, and assume your envy never wished for mine or Kartik's death," he said.

  "Certainly not!" Arjun finally looked him in the eyes. "If I had known what my father had in mind, I'd have come to you immediately and warned you! When he finds out I've given out his plans, he's going to disown me and disinherit me and kick me out of my own house... but I don't care. I had to tell you."

  "Why did you come to me and not Rohit?" Harish asked. He was starting to like the nobleman.

  Arjun blushed, but didn't avert his gaze. "I have known Rohit since childhood and he never had quite the effect you have on me," he said. "You might look the same, but you're very different."

  "He's the perfect twin." Harish waved his malformed hand. "I'm the jester."

  "You are not a jester. You are a wonderful human being who wasn't as lucky as we were. You survived years of hardship and, I assume, abuse and still had the grace and strength to smile every day. Now smiles have vanished from both faces of King Rohit Rahul and it's a shame."

  "Mm." Harish sighed. "You will have to give me more time before I really smile again. Kartik was unique, and I will never forget him."

  "None of us ever will. But if there's anything I can do for you..."

  Harish stared at Arjun. Was he suggesting himself? Wasn't he married already? What was really going on?

  "I think we should talk with Rohit and Ajay," he said, looking away and finishing the food in front of him. "I don't think I can make any decision right now."

  ***

  Rohit almost couldn't believe his eyes when Rahul stepped into the great hall with Arjun. Relief flooded him. Rahul had left his room. Must be a good sign.

  The great hall was full of courtiers and noblemen, including the recently dismissed councilors, but Rahul didn't seem to mind. He made a beeline for Rohit and Ajay who sat side by side on the dais next to Rahul's empty seat.

  Murmurs followed his twin as he sauntered determinedly forward, followed by Arjun who looked worried. Rohit wondered what that was all about. Had Arjun's father said something that might compromise him? But why did Arjun go to Rahul instead of him or Ajay, whom he knew better?

  And then a courtier swiftly stepped forward to stop Rahul's march while everybody else stepped back to make room for him. Arjun screamed a warning, putting himself between Rahul and the obvious assassin who aimed straight at the shadow king. The dagger hit Arjun's shoulder, making Lord Durjaya scream, "No!"