The Impure - Part 1

The Impure - Pilot:

It was an unusually quiet day in the otherwise heavy rainfall region of India. She was running with all her might. Winds blowing her hair lightly, it was a pleasant day, after 5 days of continuous rain. The ground was wet, and it made running very difficult, but she ran, with all her strength.

There were at least 20 soldiers behind her, trying to catch her and bring her to the king. She knew it would be the end, she didn't know what had happened to her family, but all she could remember were her father’s words,”Ananya, run and don’t look back if you get caught, that will be the end of our legacy. Protect yourself, protect our legacy.”

Soldiers were nearing, she felt tired and could hear her heartbeats. As she turned back to look at the soldiers, she stumbled upon a rock and was about to fall. She closed her eyes, and let her body fall. Suddenly, she felt warm, protected, somebody had wrapped up his arms around her and protected her from falling.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw a soldier carrying her. He was not a normal soldier, he wore a different kind of clothes and looked like a leader. He had a muscular built, very tall with tough posterior. His face was not very comforting, a scar running through his face, and he had a certain kind of arrogance around him.

Now, she felt scared, a sudden chill ran down her spine, she did not fall on the ground but fell in the hands of the Commander of the army. She wanted to fight, but could hardly move and slowly her eyes started closing.

He stood there silently, holding her in his arms. All he knew was his duty, and the words of his king, ”Capture the traitor, and bring her to me.” All his life, Commander Vikram Singh had always fought battles, killed his enemies ruthlessly. Some said he was ice cold, did not have a heart, and would never ever smile. His loyalty was towards his king, and he could give his own life for the king.

As he was holding Ananya in his arms, he felt a sense of pride that finally they had managed to catch the traitor after 2 whole days of relentless searching. But, he also felt strange, something he had never felt before. He realized he did not let go off her. Never had a woman, ever come this close to him. She had a fair complexion, perfectly shaped nose and lips, she had lustrous black hair, which went until her waist. Vikram found himself, getting drawn towards Ananya. Her beauty was beyond compare, and he felt his arms more tightly around her.

“Commander, we should take her to the King, this girl has betrayed the king and made us wander for 2 days.”, the soldiers had now reached.

For some reason, all he could feel was a sense of protecting her from the world, all he could hear was, her slow breathing.

The Impure - 2:

“I had expected this from you, I knew I could count on my Commander to resolve any situation. The girl that you brought in, will be executed in 3months time from now. Until then, it’s your responsibility to see that she does not escape again. She is very cunning, so be careful, she had escaped twice before and this time I don’t want to take any chance”, said the king to Vikram.

“Maharaj(My Lord) can I ask you something, if it does not dishonor you in any way?” “Vikram, you are like my son, you can ask me anything, it would never disrespect me.” “Why have we captured her, you mentioned that she betrayed you, what has she done?”. The king turned serious, he had never had to answer anything to Vikram in all these years. He would cut any person into half, at just his orders. But today, he saw a little doubt in his eyes and sympathy for the girl.

“Do you believe me, my son? Do you think I would always do good for the kingdom?”

“Of course Maharaj, I have never doubted your intentions. I just did not understand what would a girl do any harm to our kingdom.”

“Vikram, I understand your concern, but she is not an innocent woman. She is far more vicious than any normal person in our kingdom. So believe me, and do not look for any answers.”

“Yes Maharaj”, he said and left the courtroom.

He had heard his lord, but something inside him kept telling him to find out more. He was restless, he had never felt more curious in his life. He couldn’t sleep and laid down on his bed with his open eyes. The moment he closed his eyes, he went back to the time he caught her, in his arms, her hair blowing softly with the wind. Few days went past, he tried hard to forget about the moment. He never went to see her again, appointed Kaivalya his trusted soldier to give all updates.

One night, he was exhausted from all days work and closed his eyes to get some rest. He saw Ananya running, and 50 odd soldiers trying to catch her. He immediately opened his eyes, he was scared, he did not know what was happening, how could one person affect him so much. He had started dreaming about her.

After giving up on sleep, he took a troll near the kitchen, wanting to find something to eat. As he was walking past the hallway, he saw a woman walking fast towards the main door, she looked scared. “Amah(old female servant), what happened, why are you scared? ” She immediately recognized the Commander and started speaking vaguely. “Senapati(Commander), that girl, she is….” He couldn’t understand, “Amah, be calm and tell me what's wrong?”

“Your soldiers, Kaivalya and others, they don’t have good intentions, they are going to do wrong, no no, horrible things with that girl. I overheard them talking. I know she is a traitor, but she is a woman, please save her Senapati.”

His eyes were filled with rage, his heart was beating loudly. He ran towards the room where she had been kept. As soon as he entered the room, his eyes were wide open, he stopped at the door.

Ananya, was bravely fighting the three men that had come to attack her. She had pulled the sword from one of the men and attacked them, two men were already on the floor. She had attacked them but made sure not to kill them. The way she moved her sword, made him realize she was not using it for the first time.

She attacked Kaivalya on the arm and he screamed out of pain. Vikram started moving towards her, she turned and stopped him with her sword, but did not attack him. She stopped and lowered her sword.

“Senapati, this girl, she was trying to escape, and when we tried to stop her, she attacked us.”, said Kaivalya while lying on the floor.

“That’s completely wrong, these men, they attacked me, they were, they were trying to….”, she stopped, she couldn’t speak.

Vikram calmly responded ”What my men have done is beyond forgiveness. This kingdom respects women, and I cannot even tell you how ashamed I am right now. I beg your forgiveness on behalf of my men, and I shall see to it that they are severely punished for this act.”

“Senapati, she is lying…”, said Kaivalya but Vikram looked at Kaivalya with rage in his eyes. He understood there was no use arguing, he had known Vikram for a few years now and knew he was not going to listen. After hearing all the commotion, some soldiers had already entered the room. Vikram ordered his men to capture Kaivalya and the other two and put them in jail.

Ananya came to Senapati and spoke, “I am not weak, I only surrendered because the king sent 50 soldiers to catch hold of one girl. Ask your petty king to send his men one by one and we will see who wins.”

Vikram spoke calmly, “Too much of arrogance is not good, the soldiers you fought were not even strong enough to fight in a war. They are merely helpers. The king has a great army, and their strength has kept this kingdom safe and won many battles.”

Ananya felt a little embarrassed and lowered her eyes. Vikram continued, “I would still like to say something, I wish all women in this kingdom knew how to defend themselves. You have the strength and skill to kill an enemy, I admire this quality. Sorry again for what you had to face.”

Ananya’s face lit up, she felt happy but did not smile or express anything. She knew he is also her enemy, and he was the one to capture her. Vikram started to go out when he suddenly stopped and looked back at her. She had started fixing her hair, which got ruffled during the fight. She sensed someone was looking and stopped to find out. She saw Vikram looking at her, but this dint feels wrong, it was not sympathy either. Vikram felt shy and immediately walked away. She realized something was happening, she couldn’t resist and smiled a little.

The Impure - 3:

She lay there is a pool of blood, unable to speak. “Ananya…”, shouted Vikram, scared of what had happened. He searched and looked for her everywhere. The dense jungle and heavy rain made it difficult for him to see, but he kept searching. She could hear him, but couldn’t speak, she could hardly breathe, her breathing had become slow, she knew the end was close. Her body had stopped moving, and her breathing had almost stopped, Vikram saw a glimpse somewhere in the woods and ran towards it. There he saw Ananya, lifeless, he lifted her head and started calling out, “Ananya, wake up…”

“Vikram, son, what happened”, he woke up to see his mother standing at his bedside looking worried.

“Son, what happened, did you see a dream? You were shouting, Ananya..who is Ananya?”

Vikram realized it was a dream, he had killed many people during battles but did not understand this guilt inside him. He was very sad and hugged his mother. It was not the first time that his mother had seen him like that. He felt a deep sense of reality and had always tried to help other people. This side of his was only visible to her mother, everyone else thought he was cold-blooded and ruthless. Vikram liked to keep it that way, he never wanted anyone to find out about his vulnerability.

“Son, if there is something troubling you, please talk to me.”

“That girl we captured, Ananya, King says she is a traitor. She will be executed after 3 months. But I don’t know why I feel something is wrong. She is being wrongly punished. She is a normal girl of this kingdom, I cant see someone like her getting executed.”, said Vikram in a low voice.

“Son, I understand your pain, you have always felt for the common man. And why wouldn’t you, after all, who is your mother? I serve the queen, that’s why I stay in the palace, otherwise, I am also a normal person, and so are you. The king was kind enough to give you this position.”, she paused.

“Some things in life are beyond yours and my understanding, son. Try not to question his decisions. By the way, do you know who the girl is, her family, her father?”

“No mother, nothing except her name. I wish I had never met her. I can’t sleep, or rest, I keep having nightmares.”, he lowered his head and hid his face with his palms.

The mother was now worried, what he was feeling was not entirely guilt, she wanted to find out more. She signaled her son to sleep and went back to her room.

“These rains, I can never get used to it.” Said the queen to Kunta(Vikram’s mother). “Maharani(queen) this is so common here, I love these rains now.”

“Yes yes, I know, but I can’t go out in the backyard, sit at home all the time.”, said queen in a complaining tone. “I don’t know how that traitor is staying in that room, there is no bed, just one carpet. The window there is always broken. Anyway, she deserves it.”

Vikram wanted to go see Ananya, he had not met her since that day, just looked at her at times. He slowly walked towards the room and tried to silently open the door. When he looked inside he saw Ananya standing at the window. She was getting wet because the rain was coming inside through the broken window.

He panicked and entered the room in a rush. “Why are you standing at the window? You will fall ill if you get wet. I will send someone to repair the broken window.”

“Why so much mercy for a prisoner, Commander? I am going to be executed anyway, how does it matter if I die today?”, she replied sarcastically, completely ignoring his care.

“My king has given your responsibility to me, to keep you safe until 3 months.”, said Vikram nervously, he knew it was his wish to keep her safe and protect her in any way.

“I am kept in a room, not a prison. I have been given food three times a day. I am allowed to bathe, and given two fresh pairs of clothes. If I am going to be executed, why wait for 3 months, why not now? Have you thought about this, Commander? Do you know why I am here? You seem like a good man, you probably don’t know your king’s intention. I am Brahman(Priest) Kumbha’s daughter, my father has been living in this kingdom all his life. What have I done than to be a prisoner? Do you know anything at all?”

Vikram was extremely quiet, he did not what to say. He had no answers, in fact, he was looking for answers himself and did not want to think about it. He walked away and closed the door behind. 

The Impure - 4:

“Mother, she is Brahman Kumbha’s daughter, what do you know about her, why is she not in prison-like others? Please mother if you know anything tells me.” Vikram spoke, he spoke so fast, he had to catch his breath.

“Relax son, I spoke to the queen, I asked her about the girl. Brahman Kumbha and his family are one of the most powerful ones in our kingdom. It is said they have such purity in their blood than if they bless a king, he becomes powerful, and gains the trust of his people. Kumbha’s family served the kings of the kingdom for several generations. But Kumbha was greedy, he started asking for money and gold in return for his blessings. The king did not like this behavior and ordered his men to summon him and bring him here so he could make him understand his true duty. When King’s soldiers went to summon him, his daughter Ananya killed them all and escaped. Rumors are that she is going to marry the son of Maharaja Brihma Singh, our neighboring kingdom so she could become the queen. She was doing all this on according to her father's plan. The king has been keeping her alive for 3 months, so they could find his father who had also eloped. The king might pardon them both if they seek forgiveness.”

Vikram sat down, he couldn’t believe such things were happening. He felt disgusted because he was caring for a person with such ulterior motives. He swore to never ever look at her again. But her thoughts always kept haunting him, he kept himself busy and tried to never be in the palace.

One night, as he was returning to his home, he saw his soldiers waiting for him.

“Commander, we have come to you for something urgent. Forgive us for summoning you this late.”

He recognized these were the soldiers that were responsible for taking care of Ananya. “What is the matter?”

“Commander, the traitor, she had not been eating anything from 2 days. At this rate, she does not survive another 5 days. What do we do?”

Vikram felt a sudden rage and signaled his men to walk with him to the palace.

“I heard you have not been eating anything, may I suggest you co-operate, for your own benefit.”

“Or what? You are going to kill me?”

Vikram reached her and came very close to her, his eyes were filled with anger. She was startled and took several steps back and leaned at the wall. He came close to her, “I will shove the food down your throat if I had to, to keep you alive.”

Ananya could not believe her eyes, she had thought of this man as a good human being. “I don’t believe this, everybody in this rotten palace is the same, why would I think you were different.”

“I'm not different, and yes everybody in the palace is bad, only you are pure, right. That’s why you want to become a queen and betray your own people, your own kingdom with your filthy father.”, Vikram said in an angry tone.

Ananya was filled with anger, she pushed him hard, so he could be as far away from her,” Hope you find out the truth very soon, because another word that you speak about me or my family, you will regret it. I know, and I know because you are a pure soul, you have been misguided.”

She came close to him, held his hand and closed her eyes. She murmured something, with her eyes still closed and chanted mantras. “I pray you to learn the truth, but when you do, your action is something I can’t control. You will have a difficult choice to make.”

Vikram had become silent, all his rage was over, something inside him said, she was innocent, and that the truth is yet to unfold. He turned to walk away when she held his hand. All the emotions that Vikram had buried inside himself started emerging once again. “What’s your name? I know you as Senapati but never knew your name. If you find me honest, I would like to know your name. It’s good to know there is one person in this kingdom who is strong and humble, and truly cares about the common man.”, she said and let go off his hand.

Vikram did not look back and walked away. He came out and closed his eyes, he banged his fist against the wall. The physical pain might overpower the heartache and the confusion in his mind. There was no use, he was a soldier, small physical pains would do no harm.

Few days passed by, he never stopped thinking about his encounters with Ananya, he knew what he was feeling much more than sympathy. He never spoke to his mother about this incident. All he wanted to do, was be close to her, see her smile, just once. Things were never going to be the same.

The Impure - 5:

“Maharani.. ”, he said and bowed down and closed his palms to do Namaste(Indian greeting to show respect). “Son, you don’t have to do all this in front of me, you know you are like my son. Tell me what can this mother do for you?’’

“I was looking for Maharaja(King), do you know where he is?”, Vikram said in a soft tone. “I think he went to talk to Panditji(Priest). You might find him there.”

Vikram was annoyed, he had never liked the Pandit, he found the Pandit to be a wicked man, and the king had done various bad things under his influence. He reached Pandit’s room and saw the King there, as always he started walking away to stand at a distance, so he did not overhear anything.

“The girl has to die, my lord, she is the only daughter of the brahman, you will get all the power and the legacy ends here. No one else will be able to misuse their power.”, said the Pandit.

Vikram had stopped at the door, on hearing about the girl. He had heard everything, his body was trembling, his hands had become numb.

“Panditji, I understand, but I don’t want to kill an innocent girl, can we find any other way? If there is no other way, then I will order her execution. The power I gain will be used for this kingdom, I know that, but I want to save the girl. Her family has served us for a long time now. I also know other kingdoms could misuse her power.” said the king looking helpless.

Vikram was standing behind the wall, his face had no expressions. He could not move, he had finally understood the truth. “She is innocent, she is not a traitor…”, he murmured to himself. He started walking fast, very fast, and finally reached where Ananya was kept.

He flung opened the door and stood there to look at her. She turned around to find Vikram standing and looking at her, she had hidden a broken piece of glass with her and removed that from under her mat. She pointed the glass at Vikram, she thought her worst fear had come true. Vikram kept walking towards her, she wanted to attack, but could not move. He held her hand and pointed the glass piece at his chest. “You have every right to pierce this into me.” He said, with determination.

She lowered the piece, looking confused, wanting to know what had happened. Vikram moved close to her, held her through her waist and pulled her close to him. “Vikram…” he said in a soft tone. Happiness filled her heart, she understood that he knew, he learned the truth. He slid his fingers all through her face, looked deep into her eyes. She felt nervous, the warmth of his breath, his arms around her, made her feel protected. He pulled her more close, he brought his lips towards hers. She had never ever come this close to a man before. Never had she required a man to protect her, but today she wanted his arms around her.

He moved away suddenly as if something had struck him. He started walking away, and she kept looking at him. There was a smile on her face, she felt shy, she had always fought with men or blessed them, but no one had ever touched her heart.

Vikram went to Panditji, he was alone now, the king had already left. Vikram held his collar, and lifted him in the air, “What did you say to the king about the girl, tell me the truth?” Panditji struggled to find the ground and signaled Vikram to leave him.

Vikram left him down and made him sit on a chair. “Tell me Panditji, what is the truth, or else you will be gone out if this kingdom and no one will ever be able to find you.”

Panditji took a long breath, calmed himself and said, “What I told the king is the truth. Ananya is the only daughter of the Brahman Kumbha. A girl has been born in the family after 40 years, she inherits all the power of her ancestors. The prophecy says, that if a girl is born in the family, she will attain a lot of power of different kinds. Her blessing helps people heal, but if she is given as a sacrifice, the person who performs the ritual will attain all that power. Brahman knew the prophecy but never told anything to the king, I had come to this kingdom seeking help. The king was kind enough to give me a place in the palace. I told him about the prophecy, and if any other kingdom comes to know of this, they will attack us. So I advised the king to sacrifice her, and end the legacy.”

Vikram had heard each word with the utmost attention. “If any of what you are saying is false, I swear Panditji, I will kill you without thinking.” “Go ahead, and ask the girl, she knows everything.” Said Panditji and left. 

The Impure - 6:

“We can take her help, Maharaj,” said Kunta. “I think you are right, I will summon the girl.”

Maharani had fallen ill, she had a fever that had not come down, in spite of all treatments. Maharaj was worried, never had she fallen this ill. He had confessed to her the real reason behind killing the girl, and from that day Maharani had been very quiet, she had been feeling guilty and tried to convince the king, but it was all useless.

“Vikram”, the king had come to Vikram’s room. “Maharaj, why dint you summon me, why did you come here?’’

“I am worried Vikram, Maharani is not getting better, she needs help.”

“Maharaj, order me, what can I do? I would go to any lengths to get her help.” Said Vikram with confidence.

“Ananya, she can help, she has the power of healing. I am not sure, but she might be able to help. But I know she won't listen to me, I ordered her execution.” Said the king with eyes on the ground.

Vikram knew the truth, but he did not want the king to know he knew.

“Maharaj, I will convince her, leave that to me.”

Maharaj smiled, patted his back and left.

Vikram had not met her from the day, he was looking for ways to save her. He did not want to see her until he had something concrete. But this time he had to, he didn't have any option.

“I want to request you something if it does not disrespect you.” Said Vikram in a low voice, and his head down.

“What does the great commander have to ask of me, a mere common person.” She teased him.

“Maharani is not well, she has been ill and her situation does not seem to improve.”

“Why has the king not come to me, does he think I will ask my freedom in the bargain?” she said with a certain arrogance.

“I am asking you as a favor to me, please do what you were meant to do. Your freedom is my responsibility, I will help you get out even if you agree or not.” Said Vikram with his head held high.

She signaled him to take her to Maharani.

Maharani was laying on the bed, she was in the worse of the situations, and Ananya in spite of everything felt bad for her. She took her hand and closed her eyes. She took the wet cloth from the bedside, chanted mantras, and placed the cloth on her forehead.

“I will need some time with Maharani, the fever is not common, it requires much more efforts. Can I ask everyone to leave please.” Said Ananya in a calm manner.

She continued, “If you don’t trust me, just let amah stay here, but I need everyone else to leave, I beg your pardon my lord, but you too.” she pointed to Vikram’s mother.

King asked everyone to leave the room, he signaled Vikram to meet him outside. “Stay here and keep an eye on her, I don’t trust her. So stay here, and be alert.”

Vikram nodded his head and fixed his eyes on Ananya.

“Amah, don’t look at me like I am a traitor, I haven’t done anything.” Said Ananya irritably.

“I know you haven’t, the queen told me everything. I am just looking at you because I feel guilty. My son is the commander, he captured you. Trust me, he has not slept for a single day, he has been thinking about you, and feeling guilty.” Said Kunta in a low voice.

“Amah, if you believe I am innocent, pray that I am able to do what is right. I don’t know my destiny, but I have full faith in my protector.” She looked at the door, she knew Vikram was standing there, looking at her. He saw her looking and moved away, he had not been able to look her in the eyes.

After several hours, Ananya finally came out and turned to the Commander,” She is sleeping, but she should feel much better after waking up. The fever has gone down, but she needs some more rest, at least for a few days.”

“You have done a big favor for me, thank you. I owe this to you.” Said Vikram.

“I dint do it for you, this is my duty, I have been doing this all my life. I just wish your king understood the importance of keeping such people alive.”

“He will understand, let’s go to your room.”

Maharani had recovered well, she was healthy again, and everything was back to normal again. She took a promise from the king,” Maharaj, I want the girl to stay in a comfortable room, you can keep her locked, but she will be treated as a family member. I don’t know what you are going to do with her, but I want to show her my gratitude. Until her execution, make her feel comfortable.” Maharaja agreed and asked Vikram to move her into a guest room. “Vikram moves her to Mehman Nivas(guest room), and I want you to keep an eye on her at all times. You must also stay in the palace.” The thought of being close to her scared him, he knew if he stayed nearby, he would get more attached to her. He just wanted her freedom and then promise to never see her again.

The Impure - 7:

She tried to walk as slowly as she could, without making any sound. She had tricked the maid and managed to keep the door open. It was the perfect time to escape, late in the night and everybody was asleep. She managed to slowly get to the hallway, and suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, she couldn’t let go off him. She struggled to escape, but he had held her tightly and closed her mouth with his palm.

He pushed her on the bed in her room, she turned behind and saw Vikram catching a breath.

“This is the most foolish thing you have done, did you think you would escape because it is night time. There are more guards on the gate than you could ever imagine. If we could escape like this, I have the keys, here take these.” Vikram angrily threw the keys towards her.

She sat on the bed upset, feeling helpless and did not say a word. Seeing her in this situation made his heartache.

“I am trying very hard, please don’t make it more difficult, Ananya.” This is the first time he had called her by name. She looked at him with surprise, “Why would you, a devotee of the king, help me escape. I know you feel guilty, but going against the king’s wishes, and not fulfilling your own duty. Why would you that, do you think I am that naïve? I am sorry I can’t believe you.”

“It's okay if you don't trust me, I haven’t given you any reasons to believe me. But I will die trying.”

She was listening to him intently, she had felt a certain warmth with him as if he would protect her with his life.

It had been a long time, that she had felt like this. She moved towards him and asked, “Do you believe in prophecies?”

“What do you mean?” Vikram looked surprised.

“Do you believe that there is someone, at some point of time, who wrote in a book about a certain clan, and predicted future.”

He was now listening very carefully, “I am a soldier, I haven’t read many books honestly. I am not even aware of prophecies or rituals. For me, my king’s command and my people’s safety is the most important.”

Ananya was somewhat happy with the answer, “Well, it is believed that people from my clan are gifted, it is said that any girl born in the clan, possesses great power and mysterious energies. Well, in my family, there was a girl born after almost 40 years, and unfortunately, that is me.”

Vikram nodded, “I knew some of this, Panditji told me, he also mentioned that if the King sacrificed you in a ritual, he will attain great powers and will be able to protect his kingdom from all enemies.”

“Do you honestly believe this, I do have some gifts, but there is nothing mysterious about it. I have studied medicine, I have done the research for many years now. I have the ability to heal one’s mind and body, but not because I was born in this family. Yes, my family helped me understand the basic principles of medicine and guided me, but I have grown to study more. By killing me, there is nothing your king will achieve, in fact, he will be losing a person who can save lives. I hope you understand this much and don’t be fooled by what the Pandit says.”

“Look, I cannot advise the king on anything. But I know he will do the right thing. I won’t let anything happen to you, I owe it to myself. I have taken an oath to protect the common man, and I will do so.”

Vikram was looking away, waiting for her to say something. She leaned forward, stood close to him, rest her head on his chest. She put her arms around his waist and held him tight.

He was overwhelmed, he did not expect this. Every inch of his body felt a sensation, blood rushed through his veins. He did not know of this emotion, he was scared, he wanted to hold her too, he brought his hand to hug her, but retrieved it back. He stood there, not knowing what to do. She moved away, her eyes down, she looked embarrassed and nervously put her hair behind her ear.

Vikram started walking fast, and left the room, he ran towards his place. He sat on his bed thinking about what had happened.

“Maharaj..” Vikram came to Maharaj and bowed down and folded his hands in a namaste. “Come on, sit here, I am in a very good mood today. ” Vikram sat down and started speaking slowly, “Maharaj, is there any other way, is it necessary to kill her. You know who I am talking about?”

“Vikram, you know she is a traitor, why would you want to spare her life?”

“Maharaj, I beg your forgiveness, I overheard you and Panditji talking, I know everything,” Vikram said with his head down.

“I see, that’s why you have been protecting her, I understand son. If there was a way, be sure I will be the first one to consider it. Don’t worry son, I will be true to my throne.”

Vikram was very happy, he had a smile on his face.

The king had realized something grave had happened. He had to avert any unnecessary situation. 

The Impure - 8:

“Where is a father? Hope he had escaped the soldiers, hope he is alright. I don’t know how to find out, I feel so helpless.” Ananya was thinking hard now, her father had told her to escape, but she did not know what had happened to her father. The poor man had always helped everyone, cured many people, performed many rituals, and what did he get in return? She was feeling very agitated and was determined to find out.

“Amah, can you ask the Commander to come and meet me?” Ananya was asking the maid who came to help her with everything. “I will try, we don’t see him that often, so I am not sure.” She answered with no interest. Anaya was very skeptical of this approach, but she could not do anything else.

She had waited for 2 days to see Vikram, but there was no response. It was almost night time, she took a bath and changed in her nightclothes. As soon as she came out, she heard a knock on the door.

“May I come in?” Vikram said in low voice, he was taking care to not wake anyone up. She felt happy, after a long wait she could finally get some answers. “Yes please”, she also whispered.

“Amah said you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yes, I am sorry to trouble you, but there is something I wanted to know, please consider this as a reward for curing Maharani,” Ananya said hurriedly.

He was now listening intently.

“I want to know where my father is? If he has been captured or did something happen to her?”

Vikram understood her anxiety, he also loved his mother deeply. He replied to her in a serious tone, “He escaped, we tried to look for him for many days but could not find him. Maharaja called back his troops, after a week of searching. Sorry, that’s all I know.”

Ananya did not know how to feel, she felt glad he had escaped, but also she also did not know where he is, or is he safe. She looked sad and sat down on the bed, her emotions took control of her. Her eyes were red and filled with tears that she tried to hold back. But after a while, they rolled down her eyes, and she started to cry profusely.

Vikram had not seen her cry in all this while, she was a strong and brave girl and did not cry easily, but her father was her weakness. He could not see her in this situation, and nor could he abandon her at this moment. He gathered all his courage and sat down next to her. He brought his arms around her and struggled to hold her in an appropriate manner, which won’t be offensive to her. She immediately felt the warmth and buried her head in his chest.

After a while, she felt a bit better, and she realized that she had been there for quite a while, and her tears had made his clothes wet.

“Sorry, I didn't realize and…”, she felt short of words.

“Its fine, I must leave now, it’s too late. You must get some rest.” Vikram stood up in a hurried manner, avoiding any sort of conversation.

He left the room and locked the door carefully. There was so much sadness in his heart, that he was not ready to go to sleep. “What can I do to save her, oh God, please show me away.” 

The Impure - 9:

There was a knock on the door in the wee hours of the morning. Ananya was confused, no one usually shows up this early to her room. “Please come in”, she said in a low tone.

Maharani walked in, with two maids, and a big bag. “Sorry to have disturbed you at this hour.”

“Its fine Maharani, what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Well, its Diwali(Indian festival) today, and I wanted you to be a part of the pooja(rituals) and the celebrations. So I have brought you some good clothes, jewelry and some shringar(makeup). Please accept this, I would be very happy to see you there.”

“Why would you want a traitor to come to your celebrations?” asked Ananya confused.

Maharani smiled, she did not even feel bad, “Look, I am Maharaja’s wife, so I have to support him in all his decisions, but that does not mean I agree with him at all times. Especially in your case, I don’t believe sacrificing you will do him any good. But unfortunately, I could not talk him out of it. Least I can do is, make your stay here comfortable. Please if you believe a word I said, do come. I will be looking forward to seeing you with all of us.”

Ananya felt the honesty in her words, she knew Maharani was good at heart. After a long time, she had felt the warmth of another woman. She never knew her own mother, she passed away when Ananya was 2, so she never had a female figure in her life. After meeting Maharani, she felt a kind of comfort and happiness that you feel when a mother is around. She had tears in her eyes and was also smiling at the same time.

Vikram was busy in all the security arrangements since it was festival time, common people were allowed inside the palace premises, where there are food arrangements and clothes distribution. He had not gone inside the palace even once.

Ananya got ready, she looked in the mirror and smiled. She knew she was beautiful, but today she felt like a princess and was falling in love with herself. She was escorted by four guards to the venue, was made to stand a little away from the royal crowd. Maharani walked to her, smeared some kajal(kohl) from her eyes and put a little dot behind Ananya’s ears(This is done in Indian tradition to ward off any evil spirits). She smiled at Ananya and then joined the crowd.

The Pooja was over, and the feast had begun, Vikram was nowhere in the palace. Ananya was busy searching for him, for some unknown reasons she wanted Vikram to look at her once. She was getting a little frustrated since she would be soon sent back to her room.

After a little while, she saw Vikram entering the palace, she felt excitement in her heart. But she was in one corner, and it would be so difficult to spot her. She was now getting very impatient and suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Ananya, right, I am Maharani’s sister’s daughter Ketki. She told me, you have a gift of curing any illness. I want to know something, is it fine to ask.” Ananya nodded, and Ketki started explaining.

In the meanwhile, Vikram was busy giving instructions to the guards inside the palace. He had not expected Ananya to be in the palace, but he suddenly saw her at one corner. Well, she was hard to miss, in spite of all the royal crowd with their extravaganza, she was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl in the entire palace.

Vikram walked a bit towards her, but still far away, and had a good look. He was stunned, she looked ravishing in a silk saree, light jewelry, her wavy hair tied in a neat bun, kohl eyes, and a bindi on her forehead. He couldn’t take his eyes off her and subconsciously started moving to a place where he could get a better look. Ananya was busy talking to Ketki but felt some prying eyes. She turned to look, and it was Vikram. She saw him starring at her and felt a nervous excitement.

Vikram had to leave now, but his eyes were fixated on her. He reluctantly left the palace and went on with his duties, but he could never get the image of her out of his mind.

After the entire day of managing the crowd, arranging food services, maintaining discipline Vikram came back to the palace. He knew the celebrations must have been over, and Ananya must be in her room. But to his surprise, when he entered the palace, he saw Ananya surrounded by a number of people. She looked exhausted but beautiful as ever.

“Amah, why are there still so many people in the palace, and what is Ananya doing here?” Vikram asked one of the maids.

“Beta(son), what should I say, everyone has been approaching her with various issues they have been facing and medicine questions. Some have headaches, some backaches, and Ananya has been trying to cure them, or suggest home remedies. I need to collect her clothes and jewelry and help her out, but she is still here, and I am so sleepy beta. What to do?”

“Its okay Amah, you go to sleep, I will escort her safely to her room, and you can collect everything tomorrow morning, I am sure Maharani will not mind.”, Vikram reassured to Amah. She smiled broadly and left.

He waited patiently until Ananya attended to all the people around her. He kept looking at her and admiring the beauty God had created, the beauty of mind and body. “I wish I could be with her, but I am so ugly, and a mere commander, She deserves so much better…”, Vikram spoke to himself.

She was now done with all the consulting and had the guards were now by her side ready to escort her.

“You all can leave, I will escort her.” The guards obeyed the orders and left, and they both started walking towards her room.

“So, how was the celebration?”, Vikram asked Ananya.

“Well, honestly, it seemed like a medical camp to me.” Said Ananya jokingly, and they both started laughing.

“I understand, I and you were sailing in the same boat today. Anyway, I wanted to tell you something, if you won't get offended.” Vikram asked Ananya.

“Ok, please go ahead”, answered Ananya in a curious voice.

“You look very beautiful today.” Said Vikram in a shy manner.

Ananya smiled, the compliment was so genuine, that she could never be offended. “Thank you”, she blushed.

They reached her room, and Ananya immediately sat down and drank a whole glass of water in one breath. “Sorry, all this healing has taken a toll over me, I am so exhausted. Do you know where Amah is? She is supposed to help me with my clothes and hair.”

“She was very tired, I sent her to sleep, but you can give her the things tomorrow.”

“Well, I need help with my hairpins, and the gajra(flowers in the hair). Would you help me that? Do you know how to unpin a gajra?” asked Ananya playfully.

“I can try, how hard can it be?” Vikram answered proudly, I have fought wars, what can be so difficult, he thought.

He started removing the pins from her hair. “Vikram, slowly, you are hurting me.”

He immediately withdrew his hand, “I am so sorry, I don’t know how to…”

Ananya laughed mischievously, Vikram was feeling frustrated but continued to remove the pins. As soon as he removed the pins and the gajra, Ananya flung open her hair, she looked even more beautiful now. He now looked deep into her eyes, Ananya realized this and turned towards him. Vikram brought himself close to her, she placed her hand on his cheek, the wind was blowing slowly, and everything was quiet. Vikram carefully placed his hand on her waist, he wanted her to know what she means to him, for her to look into his eyes and feel the love he has in his heart.

They had spent the night together. This had started a series of eating together, spending hours talking about each other’s childhood, about kingdoms and medicine. Vikram kept spending the nights with her, and this was all coming to his mother’s notice. She was worried about him, and his relationship with the Maharaja. She was now devising a plan to protect her son.

The Impure- 10:

“Vikram, my son, please come in.”, said Maharaja. He had called him to his chambers for something important.

“I got a messenger today, that Manipur is going to be attacked, by an enemy. Now they being an ally have called for our help. I want you to take our troops there, and join them, they have been very supportive. You may have to leave immediately.”

“But Maharaja, going to Manipur may take months, and we don’t know how much time I would have to be there if there is a battle. Sending your Senapati to another state, isn’t this put our kingdom in danger? Who will guard our kingdom here? I can send our second in Commander, Aditya Singh, I am sure he can take care of the situation.”

“Vikram, Manipur is our oldest ally, I cannot trust anyone for this task, we need to reach there fast so that we can support them. You have traveled that route so many times, I know you will reach there in no time.”

Vikram could say no further, “I will prepare our troops and leave the day after tomorrow.” He started leaving but stopped and turned back, “Maharaja, Ananya will be safe right, as you promised.”

“I will do justice to my throne, don’t worry Vikram, prepare for your travel.”

“Ananya, I need to leave for Manipur”, said Vikram with sadness in his voice.

“When do you have to leave, why do you have to go and how long will you be gone?” she asked with concern.

“Manipur is impending an attack and have asked for help. I will be gone for a couple of months.”

“Attack? That sounds scary. Will you be okay? And you know, my verdict is in one month.”

“I am not concerned about myself, I have fought many battles. And about your verdict, Maharaja has told me, we will do the right thing.”

“Really, do you believe what he says? He will execute me the minute you leave. How can you possibly think he will spare me”, Ananya was filled with anger.

“Ananya, please trust me, I have spent my entire life with this man. He won’t do anything wrong to me or for that matter to anyone.”

Ananya was not convinced at all, but she did not want to stop Vikram from his duty.

It was the day Vikram had to leave, he had prepared all his troops and made a strategy for the battle. But he was sad, he did not want to leave, for the first time in his life he had been so happy. In spite of what he told Ananya, he had his doubts on Maharaja’s intentions, but he was helpless, he had never felt this way ever.

“Ananya, please don’t worry, I am sure everything will be just fine. I will be back before you know.”

“Take good care of yourself”, Ananya said with a heavy heart. Vikram had expected her to show a lot of emotions, but she was unusually quiet.

Vikram left for his travel with sadness and a heap of worries.

It had been a week since Vikram left, Ananya was depressed. The one thing that gave her happiness in this difficult time was taken away from her. All she could do was see days turn into nights. But today was different, she had been called by Maharaja in the courtroom.

As she entered the courtroom, she started feeling an unknown fear. It looked like some ritual was about to happen in this place. She knew the day had come, all the promises that Maharaja had made to Vikram were false. But she had a plan, she always had one.

“Sorry beta, I have to do this, it's for our kingdom”, Maharaja started to speak, but Ananya interrupted.

“Maharaja, before you proceed, I would like to ask Pandjitji something.” Maharaja was curious, he nodded.

“Panditji, the prophecy says, the girl born in the clan was pure. Her purity is why, she had so many gifts, and by sacrificing her, the king will get higher powers. Isn’t that true?”

Panditji was shocked, why was she repeating the prophecy at this point. “Yes, of course, that’s why I have arranged this ritual.”

“I am sorry Maharaja, I am not fit for your ritual. I am not sure, I have a child inside me.”

The entire courtroom was quiet, Maharaja and Panditji were silent. They had not expected this.

“Maharaja, please call Amah, I am sure this girl is lying.”, said Panditji in an angry voice.

Maharaja was stunned, he signaled to take Ananya to Amah. After a while, Amah walked in with her, and announced, “Maharaja, she is saying the truth, she is carrying.”

Everybody in the room could not believe what they were hearing. Maharaja was furious, “Who is the father of this child? It has to be someone from the palace. Tell me, girl, who is this man?”

“I will never tell you that, you can cut me into pieces.” Answered Ananya in a firm voice.

“Maharaja, let me read about the prophecy again. There might be a way out”, said Panditji in an uncertain manner. “I just need some time, until then, don’t let her free.”

Ananya was disappointed, she thought this was her way out. But she was relieved that this had bought her some time.

The Impure - 11:

Vikram and his troops were crossing the jungles of Cherrapunji, when he ran into one of his old friend, the commander of Kakinada, another strong ally of his kingdom. “Vikram, what a delight? It's an honor to meet you again. I always remember the battles we fought together, all those old times. Where are you headed now?”

Vikram smiled and answered, “Yes, great times, I am headed to Manipur. They are under attack, and have asked for help.”

“Are you sure Vikram, I have just returned from Manipur, we were there along with our Trade minister to discuss some deals, and all seems to be fine. It is very strange that they could be under attack in such a short while. Well, its no harm visiting anyway.”

Vikram was now alert, he was thinking hard. It all started coming to him at once, he knew this was a plan. A chill ran down his spine, Anaya is in danger. He immediately summoned his troop leader, “You will lead the army to Manipur, if there is a battle, follow our strategy. If you need help, send a messenger. I am going back to the palace.” He quickly left his troops and started his journey back.

There was a knock at Ananya’s door at midnight. She was scared, it had been only a couple of hours, it was not possible that Panditji might have found an answer.

The door flung open, it was Vikram’s mother. She came into the room hurriedly and locked the door behind. “Whose child is this?”, she asked angrily. “I don’t want to tell anyone, but maybe you should know. It is Vikram’s.”

“When amah told us about the child, I somehow knew this. I tried so hard to protect my son. But I still don’t believe you, I will talk to my son and only then believe you. Until then, you have to escape this place. I will help you now, I will take you along with me, and then you can escape through the kitchen. After leaving here, go to the Narmada, my sister who lives nearby. She is very respected, her house will not be searched.”

Ananya was listening intently, “Why should I believe you, and how do I know this is not another trap?”

“Look, girl, I have no interest in saving you. In fact, I was the one who asked Maharaja to send my son to Manipur, there is no battle, it was all made up. Maharani got to know that you are carrying a child, and she wants to save you. My son also wants to save you, and if I do not do anything, he will be heartbroken. So don’t think for a second that I am doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I have always disliked you, you brought sorrow in my son’s life.”

Ananya was confused and angry at all the viciousness, but inspite of that, her words made sense, and what other option did she have anyway. She agreed to go with her, after all, she herself was dishonest. She had never fallen in love with Vikram, how could she? Vikram had captured her and brought her to the Maharaja. She was only pretending because she knew somehow Vikram had started liking her. She wanted to bear a child so she could twist things her way.

“Here, take this dupatta(scarf), and cover your head. I will help you until the kitchen, but after that, you are on your own. Remember, to go to Narmada’s place, I will let you know the directions.”

They both left the room and slowly walked towards the kitchen.

“Just run straight towards the gate and follow my directions to reach Narmada’s place. Be safe, and take care of the child.”

Ananya ran towards the gate, she saw Vikram’s mother close the kitchen gate. She remembered the directions very well, but this was her chance to break free of everything, of everyone. She ran to the other direction and vanished in the woods.