Devputra

Devi

Sunlight made its way past the curtains and lighted the chambers of the crown-princess of Devaloka, Rajakumari Devi Arya. The servants were busy in the hallways preparing the breakfast and the baths for each member of the royal family. Devi rose from her bed gently. She was used to the sounds of commotion among the servants. Her feet touched the floor that was tiled with elaborate designs. Her lose hair stretched till her waist. She grabbed her thick black hair into a bunch and passed two fingers through them, dividing her hair into three parts. She began braiding her hair.

'Moksha! Is the water ready?' Devi called out to her.

'Yes, Rajakumari! I also left a stick from a neem tree on the table!'

'Thank you so much, Moksha! I was tired of brushing my teeth with fingers.'

Devi got off her bed and took the stick and some herbal tooth powder. On the table lay a bracelet made of pearls and moonstones. Devi picked it up and wore it with a smile, remembering how she got it. She walked into the bathing chamber and finished her daily chores.
When she walked out of the bathing chamber, her hair was tied into a neat bun with jasmine flowers adorning the periphery, a head-locket hung on her forehead right above the bindi, she wore a red cotton sari with golden borders, and a gorgeous diamond necklace embellished her neck. Kohl highlighted her beautiful almond eyes and her arms carried the burden of several bangles of gold and red colours. Her precious bracelet was safely tucked into one of the folds of her sari that she converted into a pouch. One of her maids, Maya, lifted the tail of Devi's sari and covered half her head. Devi disliked this, her mother and she had to mostly do this when they were not in their private chambers as a part of the tradition. She could barely see what lay ahead of her and most of the time required her maids to guide the way.

'Rajakumari, the pooja does not begin until the second pahar. It is still the first. Is there anything you would like to do before going to the temple?' Moksha asked.

'We shall go to the bazaar.'

'But Rajakumariji, the bazaar will be very crowded and unsafe for you. You do not have the time to disguise-'

'That was not a suggestion, Moksha. It was an order.'

'As you wish, Rajakumari.'

So they took the royal 'palki' to the largest bazaar in the kingdom of Devaloka. Everywhere they went, people shouted, ‘Rajakumari ki jay (All hail the princess)!' Devi got off the palki and walked to a shop that sold flowers, coconuts, and betel leaves. She bought a basket of flowers and a coconut and paid the shopkeeper generously with gold coins called panna. All this while her maids were trailing Devi like ducklings following their mother.

'Moksha, how much time do we have?' Devi asked.

'Plenty, Rajakumari.'

'I wish to walk to the temple from here.'

'But-'

'No buts, Moksha.'

And so they began their journey to the temple on foot. It was about half an hour away. They had to pass by several alleys and busy roads. At one point, it got so crowded that the maids or the guards were unable to spot the princess. Such opportunities don't present themselves often. Several people want to sit on the throne and call themselves the Devputra. Devi, on the other hand, was content that the maids and the guards were away from her. Her father was being too impractical. She was perfectly capable of handling herself. And that is when she saw it, a glint of silver, at the corner of her eye. She made a quick turn and her hands simultaneously reached for the dagger hidden under her sari. The man had a knife in his hand that he swayed at her. It had missed her by an inch but Devi was quick. She revealed her dagger and passed it through his neck. Blood oozed out of the deadly wound she had made. It dripped and fell on her hand and with every drop of blood that fell on her, the man's life slowly left him.

'May your soul rest in peace.' Devi muttered under her breath.

When the maids and guards reached her, they were horrified. People around Devi were panicking.

'Dharam, I want you to investigate who this man is.' Devi ordered one of the guards. 'And Maya, find me some water to wash off this blood. I cannot enter the temple with blood on me.'

As soon as Devi washed off the blood, they continued their journey. No one had ever witnessed the crown princess using any kind of weaponry and now her little secret was out for public display. But that bothered Devi the least. This man had shown no sign of being from any of the groups that feared the rule of a woman. Who was he and who had sent him? As several thoughts came to her mind, she barely realized that they had reached their destination. They were finally at the entrance to the temple of Goddess Durga. The moment Devi lifted her right leg and crossed the threshold, her mother came running to her with tears in her eyes.

'Devi! You're alive, my child! They told us you were attacked but we received no information after that. You are not hurt, are you? Are there any wounds?'
The Queen of Devaloka, Maharani Lekha Arya (maiden name, Mannan), is just as beautiful as Devi. There were a few signs of old age on her face but otherwise, she is a gorgeous lady, a lady of honour and respect. She is not only a spectacular support to her husband, Maharaja Bhuvaneshwar but also a wonderful mother. To Devi, she is the only parent that she has. Bhuvaneshwar barely talked to her, he only gave everyone orders and if they were not followed there were severe punishments given. She and her mother had both fallen victim to his punishments in the past for not carrying out her father's commands.

'No, Mother. I am absolutely fine. He was killed even before he could lay a finger on me.' Devi replied calmly.

Tears still streamed out of Lekha's eyes. 'Who was he?'

'I have asked Dharam to investigate. He wasn't from one of the woman-hater groups, he was trying to kill me with a knife. Had it been them, there would have been several men with sophisticated weaponry surrounding me. Hopefully, time will tell.'

'Hmm...'

'Speaking of time, is it not the time for the pooja to begin. We should not keep Ma Durga waiting.'

Lekha was still lost in her thoughts but Devi managed to drag her into the temple. In front of her lay the deity of a brave and ferocious Goddess Durga with three pairs of hands holding several weapons and a lotus while one pair held a trident that passed through the chest of the demon Mahishasura. Garlands of flowers adorned the Goddess's neck and chest, her expression showed rage and disgust at the demon. Several fruits and other offerings were lined up close to her leg, and next to these offerings sat the Devputra, Bhuvaneshwar Arya. His hands joined, legs crossed and head towards the floor, he looked like he was surrendering to the Goddess but Devi knew better. He had never trusted in the gods of Hinduism, all he cared about was the good name he got from his subjects which would subsequently create a profit in business and trade. Devi never considered herself an Arya who are primarily rich businessmen, she was more of a Mannan, brave and courageous. She drew inspiration from the Goddess and admired her.

Devi sat cross-legged next to her father and her mother, next to her. They all closed their eyes and joined their hands. The priest began his mantras. He first invoked the presence of the elephant-headed god, Ganesha, and then he went on to chant the Durga Chalisa. The pooja went on and the aarti was completed. The offerings that were eatables were offered to everyone in the temple as prasad. The royal family rose to their feet to feed the temple elephant. Devi was given a big ball of elephant-food covered with banana leaf and was asked to serve the elephant first. She happily obliged and offered the elephant his treat.

'What is his name?' she asked stroking the trunk of the elephant.

'It is Gaja.' A small girl replied from behind. She was about half the height of Devi and her hair was loose and all over the place. She wore a white kurti with a white dhoti underneath it.

'And what is your name?' Devi asked, smiling at the little girl.

'Gomathi.' She replied, shyly.

'Where are your parents?'

'I don't have parents. I live with my uncle.'

'Oh. Where is your-'

'Enough of this nonsense!' Bhuvaneshwar shouted.

Gomathi ran and hid behind Gaja.

'I have had enough of you and your stupid ways, Devi! You are the crown-princess, the successor to my throne! You should not have gone out in the public like that! What if the man had managed to do what he intended?'

'Then I would have died in peace, glad that I would never have to face you again.' Devi snapped. Everyone around her gasped. Even Bhuvaneshwar was shocked at Devi's response.

‘You need to learn how to behave in front of the Devputra.' Bhuvaneshwar said grabbing Devi by her hair. Devi smiled.

'You think this can threaten me, father. I just killed the man who tried to kill me, I am very much capable of kicking anyone who dares to threaten me, including you, in the ass. After all, I am your daughter.'

Every single person in the temple crowded around the two of them. Everyone was watching.

'This is not over, Devi. This pooja was to pray for your swayamvar. It will be held in two weeks and if you try to do anything stupid, which I am sure you will, that will be the end of you.' Bhuvaneshwar whispered into his daughter's ears.

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