The Ocean's Own by Nandini Sengupta

Author:Nandini Sengupta
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Published: 2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

‘You’re getting better at this, Majesty,’ said Angai grudgingly. ‘I should never have agreed to teach you.’

I spun around, blocking her stick and swayed out of reach of her hissing metal whip.

‘Don’t fret,’ I told her. ‘This will likely be our last lesson.’

Angai stopped mid-spin and turned to face me. ‘You will not force me to leave for Kanchi, will you?’

‘We have no choice,’ I said. ‘My men and I are leaving Mathura. Since you are our responsibility, I have to make sure you are safely on your way back before we leave.’

‘You are leaving?’ she asked, clearly surprised.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Home is calling out. Pataliputra. Mother. Datta.’

‘In that order?’ she asked. And then, realizing her mistake, she dropped her gaze. ‘I am sorry. That was impertinent of me.’

I shrugged lightly. ‘No matter. It’s no secret where my priorities lie. For me, Pataliputra will always come first.’

That slight tilt of the head again, as if she half-agreed but then not quite.

‘And your wife,’ she asked. ‘She doesn’t mind?’

‘Not at all. Datta knows what her role as empress demands.’

‘I wish I could meet her,’ said Angai, suddenly. ‘I think we could become friends.’

‘Datta? But she’s nothing like you,’ I said, remembering the fragile tear-stained smile that bid me goodbye three months ago. ‘She’s small and sweet. And she’s no warrior. I mean she’s learnt swordplay and can pick up a weapon if need be, but it’s only a life skill to her. What she loves most is her nest. That’s why I call her my little tailor bird.’

The severity of Angai’s expression dissolved into a disarming smile, one that showed off a dimple. ‘Tailor bird?’

‘She builds a nest,’ I said, ‘with leaves and twigs. Even when the rain soaks through and the wind threatens to blow it away, she doesn’t give up. No matter how scared she is, she will still hang on, tail up, sewing together a home she thinks will keep her own safe.’

‘A strong woman then,’ said Angai, listening rapt.

‘She tries to be, I think,’ I said. ‘Like my mother.’

‘You look up to your mother, Kumardevi?’

‘My father looked up to her too,’ I said. ‘She’s my shield. She doesn’t crack easily. She can take any number of blows to protect her own. But she doesn’t suffer indolence. With her, I can never be anything less than the best of me.’

For a while neither of us spoke. Then Angai said, ‘You are blessed, Majesty. You have beside you two exceptional women. As for Queen Datta, I think you’re mistaken. I know I have never met her, but I think in many ways she’s very much like your mother.’

She trailed off and then continued. ‘You see, not all strength needs to be wielded by a sword. Not all victories come with a drum roll.’

‘When you are an emperor, you need the sword. And the drumroll,’ I grinned.

Angai smiled. ‘True. But not everything that is won by the sword can be held by the sword too. You may not understand it now, but someday you will.

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