Guards quickly intervened to take down the assassin, while Rohit, Ajay and Lord Durjaya rushed near Arjun who had collapsed in Rahul's arms.
"Might be a poisoned blade, call the royal physician!" Rahul ordered with surprising coldness.
The man who couldn't save Kartik was soon by Arjun's side, tending and cleaning the wound. Rohit could hear Lord Durjaya curse under his breath as he watched, glaring at his son and calling him a fool.
The royal guard had made a circle around the fallen nobleman, allowing him to breathe and the doctor to take care of him. Rohit ordered the people to disperse and the great hall was empty by the time the doctor said Arjun could be safely moved to his bed.
"Not his bed, mine," Rahul said, determined. "Take him to my apartment."
"Why?" Lord Durjaya was red with outrage. Arjun was passed out and couldn't comment.
"Because I want him to survive so he can repeat to my brother what he told me," Rahul replied, staring at Lord Durjaya. "That's why he was following me, we were going to reveal your plan to Rohit and Ajay."
Rohit felt proud of his twin, then his words registered. "What plan?" he asked bluntly.
"He wants us dead." Rahul looked at him, waving at the plump lord with his malformed hand. "And since it's taking me too long to die of heartbreak, I guess he decided to be more direct." He looked at the assassin that lay on the marble floor in a pool of his own blood. Of course he wasn't going to let himself be captured alive. "I bet he has a blowpipe somewhere on him," Rahul whispered, frowning.
"Search him," Rohit ordered the guards. Sure enough the blowpipe was hidden in the folds of the assassin's clothes, along with more knives and the noose. "So we found who killed Kartik," Rohit said. "And he just tried to kill you as well." He looked at Rahul. "What did you discover?"
"Lord Durjaya plans to put Arjun in our place," Rahul said. "He isn't alone, and Arjun hadn't named his accomplices yet. That's why I want him to survive and tell us who supported his father's claim."
"You slimy toad!" Ajay screamed, furious. "How dare you attempt to take the lives of the Amrendran royal family! When I think in what high esteem my father held you..."
Lord Durjaya scoffed. "Dahana trusted me more than his own twin," he said. "After the young god left our court, things started going wrong for us. Dahana had only you, and Daruka had... him." Rahul didn't react to the obvious contempt in the lord's voice. "I was the one who sneaked in the nursery and took away the sickly, imperfect baby to give you," he pointed his finger at Ajay, "a chance to be on the throne!"
"Pity he survived and we found him," Rohit commented, sarcastic. "You should have accepted his return, like we all did. Including Ajay and his father."
Ajay nodded, still scowling at Lord Durjaya. Rahul was quiet now, as if expecting Rohit to make the final decision.
"Is that why we now have three kings instead of two?" Lord Durjaya retorted. "I wasn't the only one who thought the twin kings were doomed. We hoped that by killing Kartik, Rahul would die of heartbreak, and you'd soon follow suit, since you are so attached to each other. But then you kicked us out of the council and we had to do something. If only my stupid son hadn't interfered..."
"Arjun saved my life," Rahul said. "I will save his. I know he has family..."
"Arranged marriage," Ajay said quickly. "I doubt he ever loved his wife."
"You were the only one who had the one you loved by your side," Rohit told Rahul tenderly. "We married out of duty, and you know where my heart was at the time."
Rahul nodded, serious. The Gallian mercenaries had been killed in border skirmishes throughout the years, Gaia first, then Kenuwee and their men. It was all Amrendrans guarding the borders now.
"Please do take my son to your bed and abuse him as much as you can. He doesn't deserve to hold my family name," Lord Durjaya said with contempt. "I disown him and will pass the family name to his son."
"I'm not taking him to my bed, I only want him to recover from the wound in a safe place," Rahul snapped.
"And you won't have anything to pass on, since you're now stripped of all your titles and belongings," Rohit added. "You, and your accomplices. Please tell us their names and they will be taken care of."
"I will never tell you." Lord Durjaya scowled at them. "And eventually someone will kill you all."
***
Harish saw Arjun stir, thus he went to sit on the edge of the bed, like Rohit had done with him the previous morning.
He hadn't slept much after the arrest of Lord Durjaya, but it wasn't the loss of Kartik that had kept him awake. He had laid down listening to Arjun's breathing and thinking back to the confrontation with Lord Durjaya in the great hall. His lack of a wife had put Rohit in danger as much as himself.
Arjun opened his eyes and focused on him. "Your Majesty..."
"I'm fine," Harish said. "Thank you for risking your life to protect me."
"I was afraid my father would try to force your hand..."
"Your father was arrested. He refuses to tell who his accomplices are. Did he tell you before you came to me? Otherwise Rohit will have him tortured before someone else hires another assassin to kill us."
"Yes, I know their names." Arjun tried to sit, but Harish put a hand on his chest to keep him down.
"Wait here, I'll fetch Rohit. You're still weak, and I'd rather know you're here safe than wandering the corridors of the palace."
Arjun nodded.
Harish went to Rohit's apartment and knocked. His twin was up and still lingered with his wife, but as soon as he saw him, he let her go.
"Did Arjun come to?"
Harish nodded and greeted Laxmi who now looked worried. Rohit quickly kissed her and they headed back for Harish's bedroom. Arjun gave them the names and Rohit frowned. Harish wasn't sure he knew them all, and he didn't care.
"Thank you, Arjun," Rohit said before leaving. "You can go back to your palace, your father has been dispossessed by royal decree."
Harish and Arjun watched him leave. Again Arjun sat, ready to leave, with his bandaged shoulder and naked torso. Harish had never noticed how handsome Arjun was.
"No rush to leave," he said. "You're still weak."
Arjun stood. He was slightly taller than Harish, much like Kartik had been.
"I better go, Your Majesty. Before I do something I might regret."
Harish stared at those brown eyes and recognized what was behind them. His lips slowly curved into a smile.
"I know desire when I see it, Arjun. Please stay."
"I can't take Kartik's place!" Arjun's eyes widened in panic.
"I'm willing to give you a chance," Harish replied. "As long as you call me Harish."
"Harish?" Arjun was puzzled. "Why?"
Harish shrugged. "Let's call it a pet name." He stepped forward and put his arms around Arjun's neck. "Will you stay?"
Arjun opened and closed his mouth. Harish pressed his body against him and felt Arjun's hands on his waist. Arjun couldn't look away, and had trouble breathing.
Harish kissed him. It wasn't Kartik's mouth, but it wasn't a lustful rich man either. Maybe he should marry out of duty like Rohit, Ajay and Arjun himself. And maybe Arjun would come to his bed every now and then. And they could be more than friends and share secrets...
Arjun tasted good. Harish pulled back and smiled at his shocked face.
"Isn't that what you had in mind?" he asked.
Arjun blushed. "Yes, sort of... I wasn't hoping..."
Harish let him go. "We'll have to explore this thing. Do you think I should marry?"
"Not if you don't want to."
"But you did. I can do it too. I know how to sleep with women. As long as I have a handsome man to go back to every now and then..."
Arjun stepped forward and took him in his arms. "You're very tempting, Your Majesty."
"Please, call me Harish..."
***
Rohit slept surprisingly well for the first time in over a month, in spite of having removed three councilo
rs and arrested one of them. Rahul must feel better after the previous day. Things were going to be all right.
Rahul called him to say Arjun was awake and ready to give the names of his father's accomplices, so after hearing the thankfully short list, Rohit went to look for Ajay. They had more arrests to make, and a few trials.
Five lords were involved in the conspiracy to get rid of the twin kings. It took all morning to convict them, and Rahul and Arjun didn't show up. Arjun was wounded and wasn't supposed to attend, but Rahul was surprisingly missing again.
As meal time approached, Rohit excused himself from Ajay and went to check on his brother. He found Rahul asleep in Arjun's arms. Both were naked, except for the bandage on Arjun's shoulder. Rohit smiled. Rahul was definitely recovering from the loss of Kartik.
He sat on the edge of the bed and shook his twin awake.
"Rahul, will you come down to eat?"
"Ah, yes, give me a moment," Rahul answered sleepily, not moving from the warm embrace. Arjun awoke too, but didn't move. "I've been thinking you should find me a wife."
"What? Why?" Rohit asked, puzzled.
"Because it's best for the kingdom. I don't want another conspiracy to get rid of us because I sleep with a man. So if you can find me a suitable wife, I'll dutifully do like you or Arjun."
"I see. And what about Arjun?"
Rahul turned to glance at his lover. "I'm not sure we can keep meeting..."
"Rahul, this palace is big, and so is his. I'm sure you can find places to do what you need to do," Rohit said, trying not to burst out laughing. He looked at Arjun. "You never showed any inclination for me, Arjun."
"You might look the same, but you're not the same," Arjun replied with a half-smile. "He taught me there are other ways besides just doing what your father tells you to do."
"Yes, my twin is a little unruly." Rohit stared fondly at Rahul. "Fine, I will find you a bride. What do you think of Chitrangda? Lord Hitendra's daughter?"
Rahul stared puzzled at Arjun. Of course he had no idea who he was talking about. Arjun nodded.
"She's lovely and she'll look good by your side," he said.
"Fine, if she agrees, I'll have her," Rahul said with a little shrug. "Can you ask her father?"
Rohit smiled. "I will. See you downstairs."
He rose and left. In the antechamber he heard Arjun ask, "Why does he call you Rahul?"
"Hush," Rahul replied. "I told you, that's a pet name for special ones."
Rohit smiled. Kartik, and now Arjun. Rahul still wanted to be called Harish. Rohit wondered if Rahul would ask his wife to call him Harish as well, but he doubted it. Must be some kind of love name for him.
Before heading for the private dining room, he went back to the great hall where people still lingered after the morning trial. Lord Hitendra was still there and had been joined by his wife and daughter, Chitrangda.
Chitrangda had been a good friend of his sister Kareena and had welcomed Laxmi of Lakeshi at the Amrendran court when Rohit had married her. She got along fine also with Nisha of Rajendra, Ajay's wife. She'd be perfect for Rahul.
"A word with you?" Rohit said, stopping by Lord Hitendra. "My brother seems keen on taking a wife after this mess of a conspiracy. I was wondering if Chitrangda would like to marry Rahul." He looked at her lovely face and saw her gasp in surprise.
"Your Majesty... King Rohit has changed his mind?" Lord Hitendra asked, puzzled.
"Obviously the loss of Kartik and the danger he put us all in made him see clearer," Rohit replied. "Chitrangda will have to put up with Arjun, like Laxmi and Nisha put up with the fact that I'm inseparable from my cousin Ajay..."
Of course he didn't sleep with Ajay, but he knew Chitrangda was smart enough to understand what had actually happened.
She smiled. "I will be honored to marry your twin, your majesty," she said with a curtsy.
"Good, this is settled, then! The announcement will be made after the meal."
Rohit headed for the family table feeling elated. Everything was finally all right.
***
"Thank you for agreeing to marry me," Harish said after the betrothal banquet, holding Chitrangda's hands. He had trusted Rohit and Arjun and they had chosen a lovely woman for him. But he felt the need to be completely honest with her, since she was a stranger. "I look forward to getting to know you better. I thought I'd introduce myself to you first..."
"You don't need to say anything," she replied. They sat in a gazebo in the palace gardens and the sun shone on Delen again after the previous days thunderstorms. The garden was still quite wet and the flowers all in bloom after the showers. "I know quite a lot about you."
"From who?" he asked, skeptical.
"Rohit, Ajay, Nisha, Laxmi..." She had a beautiful, impish smile. "And even something from Arjun. We grew up together – not with the foreign princesses, but with Rohit, Ajay and Arjun."
"And what did they tell you about me?" Harish felt amused now. Had Arjun already given away their secret?
"That you truly loved Kartik and were heartbroken when he died. I'm glad you decided to move on. I know you will always miss him and you'll need two people instead of one to fill the void."
"My, aren't we smart, my lady Chitrangda?" He grinned. "Why didn't Rohit or Arjun tell me how smart you are?"
"Because you didn't ask?" she replied with her dazzling smile.
"True." He nodded.
He hadn't asked anything about her, because he trusted his twin. He hadn't asked Arjun, because he didn't think he could learn anything about his prospective bride, and still wanted to keep the two things separate.
Arjun for Harish and Chitrangda for Rahul. Eventually he'd manage to patch up the two, but now it was too early still. He felt empty when he thought about Kartik. His betrothed was right, he'd need two people instead of one from now on, to fill the void Kartik had left behind.
"Do you know why your brother chose me?" she asked. He shook his head. "Because I'm not a princess."
"Right. If we have children, even twins, they won't threaten Ajay and Nisha's position!"
"Exactly. The edict of King Daruka Dahana about this succession still stands."
"Good." He felt relieved. He hadn't thought that his move would hurt Ajay. Obviously Rohit was aware of the problem and had solved it. "You grew up with my twin and my cousin – were you ever interested in either of them?"
"No, but Prince Ajay seduced my elder sister Chandra when Prince Rohit went looking for a bride," she answered, amused. "She had to be content with marrying Lord Balavan's son. You know, Nalini's father?"
Harish only knew he was one of the arrested lords, who had suggested he marry his daughter at Kartik's funeral.
"Is there anything else that you'd like to know about me?" he asked. Rohit or Ajay couldn't have told her everything!
"Actually, yes." She squeezed his fingers. She had never looked repulsed by his malformed hand and was holding it exactly like the other one. "I was wondering if you knew your way around women."
"Ah... yes, I do." He squeezed back. "Didn't Rohit tell you I was a jester?"
"Yes."
"And a prostitute?"
"No, he didn't tell me that part."
"Well, then, Master Zahin started selling my body when I was in my teens. That's what ticked off Kartik and the reason he took me away from the itinerant circus. He had enough of watching me be pimped out to lustful rich men and women."
Her brown eyes had widened in shock at the story, but then she relaxed and smiled again.
"Good. We're all set to live happily ever after, then," she said. "I'll make sure Arjun's wife doesn't bother you with useless jealousy... Although she's wary of other women, she probably wouldn't consider a man her rival..."
"My lady!" He feigned incredulity at her statement, then both burst out laughing.
Harish liked her. He knew how Rohit felt about Laxmi now. Not the passion, but something more permanent.
He took Chitrangda in his arms and
kissed her. They'd be all right – all of them.
Acknowledgments
A very special thanks to Camila for her thoughtful comments on the whole story. Sorry I couldn't please you better with The King-God of Arquon!
Thank you Lyn Worthen for the editing.
***
About the author
Barbara G.Tarn had an intense life in the Middle Ages that stuck with her through the centuries. She prefers swords to guns, long gowns to mini-skirts, and even though she buried the warrior woman, she deplores the death of knights in shining chainmail. She likes to think her condo apartment is a medieval castle, unfortunately lacking a dungeon to throw noisy neighbors and naughty colleagues in. Also known as the Lady with the Unicorns, these days she prefers to add a touch of fantasy to all her stories, past and present – when she’s not wandering in her fantasy world of Silvery Earth or in her Star Minds futuristic universe. She’s a writer, sometimes artist, mostly a world-creator and story-teller – stories comprise shorts, novels and graphic novels. Her novella “The Hooded Man” has received an Honorable Mention at the Writers of the Future contest. Used to multiple projects (a graphic novel is always on the side of the prose), she writes, draws, ignores her day job and blogs at: http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com
For more info on the series or other titles of Unicorn Productions, go to http://www.unicornproductionsbooks.com/
Did you love Amrendra? Then you should read The Hooded Man by Barbara G.Tarn!
Going home after fifteen years can be surprising...A young man heads back to his hometown to his beloved and finds a cruel governor ruling the city. But now he has secret skills to help him overcome.A Silvery Earth novella.
Read more at Barbara G.Tarn’s site.
Also by Barbara G.Tarn
Future Earth Chronicles
Across Continents (Future Earth Chronicles Book 3)
Amrendra Page 8
