Bab 9: Crime and Punishment

The Solitary Wind Palace is built like a sieve with hundreds of windows and open archways for doors. There were only five rooms in the huge palace which had four thick walls and all other amenities of a proper shelter for man. They were the main hall, two auxiliary halls, one inner chamber deep inside the palace which was also connected to an escape tunnel, one study with a large library of palm leaf books and several other collectibles and a small palace kitchen. The main kitchen was built in a separate building close to the ground nearby along with the guard residences, the stables and other amenities.

The Solitary Wind Palace was built as a hunting palace for the king back in the dynasty of the fifth Aditya, Kamadeva. There are eight Adityas in total. They are a class of deities that are the protectors of all beings and the upholders of Dharma. The Aditya vansh nominates ten generations of kings to represent the reign of each Aditya on Earth. Currently, the seventieth generation, or the last Indra of this cycle is reigning. When the next king is appointed, the dynasty will change to the next Aditya, and the monarch will be referred to by common populace as Martanda. He will no longer be called Indra. Considering the Solitary Wind Palace was built during the reign of Kamadeva, it wasn't that old as some of the other constructions belonging to the Adityas. But it wasn't new either.

Standing anywhere in the palace, one is buffeted by endless wind, the direction of which is hard to tell. A long line of archways create optical illusions, sometimes causing one's existence feel like that of an ant, sometimes giving one the feeling of majesty because of merely standing there. The glazed tiles and the frescoed ceilings deepen the sense of elegance, while the mahshals flicker quietly at night, behind their crystal lanterns. The emptiness of this wind palace, not everyone can bear. Here only the whistling winds keep men company and the silence of the night is only alleviated by the deep reflections of the moon on lake water.

At this hour, only a few palace maids can be seen in the endless walkways and bridged balconies. Elsewhere, a group of monks were sitting with their spines straight, reciting sutras and offering their interpretations to each other in a diligent manner. The lord of the palace was once again placing thoughtful brush strokes on his ingenuous painting.

"Waaah-waaah! Let me go!" A child's wailing was suddenly heard, disrupting the tranquility of this beautiful little world. The noise was punctuated by strong and hurried footsteps of a man.

"Waah! Waah! Bad guy. Bad guy! I want to swim more. Let me go!" The shrill screaming pierced the heavens in the silent afternoon.

"I will fire you! I will have you whipped! I will have you whipped and hang you naked in the sun!"

"In the desert!" the little voice threatened dangerously, presumably talking to the owner of the flurried footsteps. "Naked in the sun, in the desert where scorpions will crawl all over you! Where they will build a scorpion nest on your little doodle!" he shouted enthusiastically.

The hurrying man felt ice attacking his special place. "My little prince, oh grandfather! Please stop wriggling. And please keep quiet for the sake of my old butt!"

Moments later, in a wide airy chamber, a loud splash was heard and a half naked eight-year old was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. He was dripping all over on the costly palace floor like a fish out of the water. Momentarily trying to get his bearings, he nearly missed that old sonorous, dignified sounding voice, "You are late by ten vighati*."

The old platoon commander's soul flew away. However, just as he had given up on life, hope came like a bolt of lightning. Or perhaps a kitten that ate stimulants.

The little wet mess at his feet suddenly came to life and flew off the ground, shouting, "Grandfather!"

"Aaaaah!" the dignified old man caught the wet ball in the air trying to keep it away with all his might. But the wet ball was simply unstoppable. If its hands can't reach, it will use its feet. Soon, his spindly legs made it to the back of the old man's waist. He only needs to relax his grip on the boy's arm pits a little and he would clamp around the tall man like a happy koala.

"Preposterous!" the old regent shouted, disgusted. "Is this how a dignified prince of the clan Aditya is supposed to behave?"

Shaking off the child's grip on his waist, he carried the boy to a table a set him down. "And what the hell are you doing wearing such priceless silk to a swim? Couldn't you take a minute to remove your dhoti?" he chided, peeling the long cloth fashioned around the child's waist like pleated trousers.

"Grandfather, grandfather! I have three stories to tell you! And they are all about the cowherd boy turned adventurer. I swear they are real too!" the kid jumped, completely oblivious to what had been just said.

"Ahh….yuck!" the old man complained when some moss got into his hands, "Did you go exploring on the lake floor again? How many times have I told you it's dirty down there? Someone. Wipe this boy down for me with a wet towel!" he shouted, tugging off the knotted undergarment as well, leaving the dignified prince butt naked in the wide open palace.

"Grandfather, it's true!" the boy jumped and clapped, his mouth like a torrent, "And you know what? The Naadi province actually fabricated parts of its history and apparently, their first chief doesn't come from the old Nagaraj, but actually, the evil goddess Kadru. She's the one who gave birth to one thousand Naga sons and is the enemy of Garuda, the eagle mount of Lord Vishnu. See! They're all liars. That's why I told father-Indra before he left for war that he should cancel their trade subsidies. Their forefathers used dishonest means to secure them in the first place! They are nothing but crafty businessmen and vendors. Their roots lie in those old caravans going from place to place in the arid lands, playing tricks and hoodwinking people to make money. Their bloodlines as well are impure, because who knows how many vagabonds and wanderers mixed with them on their journeys before they settled here?" The young boy hopped around on the table like an electric monkey, not giving any hold to the poor maid trying to towel him.

The boy's mouth was too fast that his grandfather only formed one thought before he formed twenty. "Where is your jewelry?! Why are you travelling with a bare chest like a peasant? What would the citizens think when they see you like that? Wouldn't they think our nation is so poor that the princes couldn't even afford a few pearls?!"