STORYMIRROR

Bharath Kumar

Action Classics Thriller

4  

Bharath Kumar

Action Classics Thriller

Queen of Trikala

Queen of Trikala

13 mins
28



Prince of Trikala, Bheema, set out to hunt a tiger in the forest. His charioteer pulled the reigns and whipped the two horses ruthlessly. The innocent horses galloped through the dense foliage, which unfolded the thorny bushes, which did not offer any compassion to them. Bheema heard the roar of a tiger that was approaching opposite their chariot. He stood erect aiming his arrow at the ferocious tiger with confidence oozing through his body. The charioteer lost his balance and couldn't manoeuvre the chariot in the right direction. Bheema lost his balance and was thrown out of the chariot. His weapon was tossed out of his hands, thereby making him vulnerable. The charioteer fell aside. The horses were dead scared seeing the tiger; they picked up speed in a state of delirium and escaped from the scene. Bheema hurled expletives at the unconscious charioteer whose mistake had cost him the kill. The tiger was now on the verge of pouncing at the prince. Suddenly, an arrow hit the tiger which tranquilized the beast. Bheema heaved a sigh of relief. His heart had skipped a beat the moment the tiger confronted him eye to eye. Ram, a tribal man had saved the prince from the mouth of death. 

"Thank you for saving my life. You deserve a chance to meet my father," Bheema said.

Rama was quite surprised to see the deserted look of the city. There were no common people at Trikala. Only sentries who worked for the king stayed in the city. 


Bheema had asked Rama to drive his chariot to the kingdom to which the latter obliged. Even the unconscious man was taken back to the kingdom. King Rudresha and Queen Yamuna sat on their thrones, respectively. They were quite perplexed to see a tribal man accompanying the prince. 

"Who is this intruder? The king raised his voice.

"He is my saviour. I was on the brink of getting killed by a monstrous tiger courtesy of Rana's mistake. Thanks to Rama, I am still breathing alive."

The king and queen lost their temper upon hearing the negligence of the charioteer. Rudresha rose from his throne. He gestured for one of his soldiers to get him a bow, and he asked the other to sprinkle water on the unconscious man. The unconscious charioteer opened his eyes and could quickly deduce the gravity of the situation. "I apologize my Lord. I lost control of the chariot. I won't repeat this mistake. Please spare me."

His pleadings fell on deaf ears as the king tossed a rain of bullets that tore through his chest, rendering him motionless. 

"It is hereby confirmed that Rama will be the charioteer of my son Bheema hereafter," Queen Yamuna proclaimed. 


Bheema felt the urge to hunt humans. No ordinary men or women were permitted to enter the city of Trikala. Anybody who broke the law died at the hands of the prince. Rama drove the chariot while Bheema stood at the back equipped with a mighty bow. His eyes scrolled left to right to scrutinize any movement of humans. His flowing beard, gleaming smile and sturdy physique reflected his confident demeanour. He always had the back of his father which fuelled his courage and confidence. While the horses galloped further, the prince happened to see an old man who was struggling to walk. He had donned baggy clothes and was quite old enough, which prevented him from walking with ease. Bheema broke into wicked laughter since he was desperately waiting to hunt a human being. He lifted his bow, picked an arrow and aimed at the old man without any remorse. The aimed missile tore through the chest of the old man who fell thud on the ground. Rama pursed his lips. 

"I just hit the bull's eye," Bheema gave a pat on his own back. 

"You are truly a perfect hunter," Rama reinforced his pride. 

"I love hunting humans and animals. After all, I am the prince who is soon to become the king of Paneri."

Rama looked perplexed, unable to discern the statement that he just made.

King of Paneri or Trikala?


Being the friend of Bheema allowed Rama to learn the administration of the kingdom. He used to silently observe the king, queen and prince, who were busy with their administration duties. He also learnt that the king was not only the ruler of Trikala but also the head of Paneri which was located adjacent to Trikala. Common men and women existed in Paneri but not in Trikala. The festival of lights, Diwali, blossomed in the city of Trikala. Every year, the festival was celebrated with aplomb. This year was no different. The sumptuous meals were prepared for all the sentries and the ministers in the kingdom. Bheema, as usual, could not conceal his desire to hunt. He took permission from his mother making a promise that he would return before the grand lunch. The celebrations went in full swing. Rama drove the chariot towards the forest cutting through the myriad of lush green trees. Bheema scanned around, smelling for prey. The branches of some trees extended menacingly, thereby obstructing the movement of the chariot, but the charioteer was skilled enough to circumnavigate those extended branches. The prince looked a little frustrated since he could not zero in on any animal. Eventually, his ears perked up when he heard the sound emanating from a nearby river. He asked Rama to navigate the chariot towards the edge of the river. He saw a gorgeous tribal woman who was slurping water from the river. 

"I can't miss this prey," he was smitten by her beauty. 

"When I give you a cue, you need to fire an arrow at her," he ordered. 

He slowly descended from the chariot and sneaked from behind to embrace her. The tribal woman had no idea about the prince approaching her from behind; she went about quenching her thirst. Out of nowhere, he embraced her from behind. 

"Who are you?" she felt uncomfortable. 

He began to forcefully disrobe her to exacerbate her woes. It was quite clear that he had lost his mind and was unable to conceal his lust. Rama deduced the gravity of the situation, which was outraging the modesty of an innocent woman. He couldn't refrain from taking action. He picked up the bow in exasperation and fired a missile, which hit the back of the prince, whose eyes widened in disbelief. The panting tribal woman folded her hands into a namaste, being grateful for his actions before she disappeared out of sight. Rama bombarded Bheema's body with a heap of bullets thereby ending his story once and for all. The king and the queen had no inkling about their son's death. They had arranged sumptuous meals for everyone to commemorate the festival of lights. All the sentries and the ministers ate food to their heart's content. Queen Yamuna wondered why her son did not come back yet. In a sudden turn of events, all the sentries and ministers coughed up blood, which was an indication of a poison being mixed with food. The situation spiralled out of control since everybody except the king and the queen had consumed the poisoned food. Rama drove back the chariot towards the kingdom.

"Where is my son?" Yamuna rebuked sternly.

"Your son is missing," Rama said.

A wave of apprehension washed over the couple's faces. 

"What do you mean he is missing?" The king fumed.

Rama picked up the dead body of Bheema and placed it in front of his parents.

The double whammy of losing his courtiers and also his son did not go down well with the king who roared in anger. 

"I won't spare the one who created this mayhem," he vowed. 

Queen Yamuna could not grapple with the sudden death of her son. She sobbed incessantly while his husband was gripped by a seething anger. 

"How dare you not protect my son," his anger had hit the booking point. 

Rama seemed to be amused by his words. 

"I killed your son who breached the law and tried to rape a woman," he said.

"He can do whatever he wants. Who permitted you to kill him? I am not going to spare you even for a minute," he picked up a bow and a

imed an arrow.

Rama evaded the bullet by a whisker.

"Jhansi is the queen of Trikala," he said.

The astounding words sent shivers down the spine of both the king and the queen. 

"Who are you?" the king asked with sweat mopping his forehead. 

The tribal men and women assembled behind Rama. 

"I will give you two options. The first option is to work as our slaves. The second option is to fight with us. Which option do you choose?" 

The deja vu hit them hard as the actions of the past gripped them in its clutches. 


Twenty-two years back:

Shiva and Jhansi ruled the city of Trikala as king and queen respectively. The people of the city commended their valour and meticulous administration skills. Thanks to their benevolence, the people of the city never faced any financial hurdles. Jhansi gave birth to a baby named Rama. On the day of Diwali, all the people of the city were to be served meals which was a tradition followed since time immemorial. The minister Bhadra was entrusted to handle the Diwali duties. Little did they know that something ominous was cooking. The couple looked gorgeous in their glittering attires and they sought the blessings of people. Their happiness seemed to be short-lived thanks to the well-crafted conspiracy which was to unfold in some time. People of all ages thronged to the kingdom to have a peaceful meal. The hospitality rendered to them was immaculate. The well-orchestrated plan was unveiled as the people who ate sumptuous meals coughed up blood. Someone had mixed poison in the food intentionally. The king and the queen could not believe their eyes as they saw people succumbing to the poison effects on their bodies. Auspicious Diwali was now punctuated with inauspicious deaths. The death rattled across the city with its macabre dance. Out of nowhere, the king Rudresha, the queen Yamuna, and the soldiers from the neighbouring Paneri city materialized at the spot which sparked a plethora of questions in the mind of Trikala rulers. They had no soldiers to fight as the neighbouring rulers roared delightedly. Things had begun to spiral out of control as the neighbouring king put forth two options for them to choose from.

"Either work as slaves in our kingdom or else get ready to fight with us. There is no third option," Rudresha was clear in his stance. 

"Never do we choose to work as slaves under your barbaric reign," Jhansi retorted. 

"Then you have chosen the second option which is to fight. The city of Trikala will no longer be in your grasp. We are going to make this our territory," Yamuna broke into hysterical laughter. 

"Who poisoned the food?" Shiva blistered in anger.

"Didn't you notice the mole in your group? It is none other than your minister Bhadra."

The king and the queen could not believe their ears. They could not forgive the minister for his betrayal. In a jiffy, he materialized next to the enemy king with a smirk on his countenance. 

"I am sorry for the disservice," he sniggered.

The hostile atmosphere promised a macabre scene which the king could quickly deduce. He asked the queen to escape with the child while he fought with the bastards alone. His gallant efforts needed appreciation since he valiantly took on the enemy all alone. Jhansi reluctantly climbed onto the chariot along with her baby son since she had the onus to protect him who was to be the next king of Trikala. The numbers game got the better of the king. Bhadra, who was waiting for the perfect time, appeared out of nowhere and stabbed the king from behind, deriving sadistic pleasure. Despite being seriously injured, the king did not give up. He continued to fight, reflecting his tremendous resilience in the face of adversity. Eventually, they stabbed him from multiple directions without showing an iota of compassion. He fell on the mud of Trikala with his heartbeats threatening to stop. 

"Jai Lord Shiva!!" he prayed before closing his eyes forever. 

"Chase the queen. Do not let her escape from the confines of the city. We need her at any cost," Yamuna passed out an order. 

Some sentries hopped on the horses and some others jumped onto the chariots to chase the queen Jhansi. 

Jhansi saw her baby bouncing furiously on the saddle but she had no other choice but to whip the horses to move ahead. She had no time to rest. 

She heard her enemies who were desperate to keep pace with her. Jhansi whipped her horses harder so that they could pick up the pace. An arrow whizzed past her ears and she survived barely by the skin of her teeth. It was a one vs all situation. She did not worry about her life but was desperate to save her son's life at any cost. Suddenly, an arrow took her off guard coercing her to lose the balance. She hurt her leg in the process. Despite going through unbearable pain, she got back to her feet and continued to propel ahead exhibiting her extraordinary perseverance. Eventually, she managed to take a detour evading the prying eyes of her enemies. She looked exhausted, but the voice of her baby kept her vigilant. She knew that she could not survive longer so she handed over her son to the fisherman and begged him to make her son physically and mentally strong enough so that he could come back and reclaim the throne that they never lost. The fisherman felt bad looking at the plight of the queen but he agreed to bring her promise to reality. Jhansi had to fend for herself alone in the forest. The sleeping hormones propagated and she retired to sleep. The stream of sun rays scourged her face as she slowly opened her eyes. Her luck had decided to commit suicide. The enemy sentries had engulfed her. The wicked laughter from Rudresha and Yamuna reverberated across the forest. 

"I had underestimated your capabilities but you are very clever and brave," Rudresha said.

The queen quickly barged at the sentries using her combative skills to subdue them. Something seemed to have possessed her, which reinforced her strength, sending the enemy into disarray. Yamuna sneaked from behind and stabbed Jhansi like a coward. The disorganised sentries quickly caught hold of her, not allowing her to even move a step ahead. Yamuna used her combative skills on a helpless queen who looked bloodied now on the verge of dying. The king picked up his bow and aimed three arrows that cut through the neck of Jhansi to render her a brutal death. The fisherman rowed the boat furiously and reached the other side of the river. The thought of the dastardly attack made on the queen sent shivers down his spine. His only job was to make Rama a powerful force that would one day come as a storm to end the hegemony of Rudresha and his wife in the city of Trikala. As Rama grew to be a powerful youngster, he set out to take revenge. He deliberately hurled mud at the charioteer, which made him lose balance, thereby allowing him to save the prince, Bheema. It was he who poisoned the food which killed the barbarians of the city.


Present:

"My mother fought like a warrior and you guys fought like cowards. Jhansi's son is here to reclaim the throne. I am not a coward to use my weapon against a woman, unlike you," he pointed his finger at the king, who hung his head in shame.

All tribal women pounced on the queen tearing her apart with her body pumping the blood out. Rama took the matter into his own hands to kill the king in the same manner as he did to his mother to end their tyranny once and for all.

"You barbarians betrayed my parents and I have avenged your barbaric murder."

Rama allowed the tribal people to stay in the city of Trikala. Since he had learnt administration duties, the people of Paneri chose him as their king following his sensational victory over Rudresha. Happiness and peace were perpetuated across both cities, which was a testament to Rama's incredible administration. 



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