Chapter 22.  Courtroom Dramatics - II

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"The queen's role is important but limited to the palace and internal court. This is defense and security of the nation, your highness…" The minister of war said.

"What roles are you referring to?" A bold voice interrupted the court.

Sumin's ears perked up, he knew whose voice was that. A gentle smile appeared on his lips hearing her snarky words.

The minister of war was stunned just like the entire court he gulped when he saw the queen entering the courtroom.

Sumin watched the queen from the corner of his eyes as she walked past him.

Dressed in her casual attire which was totally opposite from the one Jwala wore at the meet and greet ceremony.

She wore slim trousers and full sleeve, calf-length circle skirt-like tunic in dark red color that was cinched at the waist with a belt from which her sword and dagger were hanging. She wasn't wearing fancy jewelry except for thick golden arms and wristbands. Her hair was pulled in a serpent-like braid swinging at her hips and her confident walk made the room fall silent. Her custom-made juttis made a sharp clink sound with every step she took toward the throne.

(Jutti- closed-toe half-shoe-like footwear made out of leather with decorative ornate embroidery.)

Mitra walked at a two steps distance from Jwala with the same seriousness on her face, she was also dressed in all-black attire, similar to her queen's but without any decorative designs or jewelry, only her sword and dagger.

Queen-mother watched the commotion and the reaction of the courtroom to Jwala's presence. The slow tapping of her fingers on a small wooden table stopped as soon as she heard Jwala's voice, she didn't like it.

"It is rude to talk behind my back…" Jwala said and dragged her eyes through the ministers who had been enthusiastically promoting to use of the Maythene troops without her knowledge. "… your Highness." She added after resting her eyes on Maan as she stopped right in front of the throne.

Sumin was never into the word politics or the theatrics that happened in the courtroom but this time he was guilty of being invested in the drama that was about to unfold.

The royal advisor came forward, "Your Highness, there is a…"

"Know your place." Her voice was stern but her eyes were still on Maan.

The royal advisor took a step back, taking his original place, embarrassed in front of the court.

The ministers looked at each other, dumbfounded by the crisp slap of her words.

Jwala had said that in response to the royal advisor's action but her eyes were on Maan and before that, she had given the warning glare to the entire court, they were confused about who was the actual target of those words.

Meanwhile, Maan was also experiencing confusion as well as humiliation. But he chose to ignore it and said, "The capital is in urgent need of skilled forces that can keep the city safe."

Although Jwala wasn't happy with how she got the news, however, she was listening.

"My queen, there is a group of very skilled thieves that is active since last month. The civil security department needs the help of skilled forces urgently."

"So, the royal court decided to put my troops to use without my knowledge?!"

"The court was discussing before consulting the queen," Maan said.

"Consulting…" she scoffed inwardly. "This is Hanna's preparedness in the face of urgency?"

She turned around to see the minister of defense and the minister of war, "What if I had sent them back already? Then what would have been your suggestion?"

The ministers lowered their faces to avoid looking at her to hide that neither cared about security and preparedness.

Sumin could feel the intense atmosphere, the only person to target the king openly as well as the ministers including his father. For some reason, he was enjoying this, maybe because he had always wanted to call these people out for their lack of dutifulness and carelessness towards the Hannians.

The royal advisor again came forward but this time asked for permission before speaking.

After getting approval from Jwala, the royal advisor told the reasons why the royal guards or military cannot be deployed for now. At last, he added, "It is the duty of the great king and queen to ensure the well-being of Hanna and its people. A queen must put her nation first." he stared at her, a clear reflection of resentment.

'Wouldn't you like that…' she thought.

"I do care about my… kingdoms, royal advisor." She said putting emphasis on 'kingdoms' making it clear that it is Hanna that belonged to her not the other way around.

"Hanna and its people are blessed to have such a queen," Maan said to prevent himself from fading into the background. He needed to show Jwala that he was on her side.

Jwala glanced at Maan and nodded, "Inspector general, do you agree with the royal advisor's suggestion?"

"Yes, your highness," Sumin answered in a confident and composed voice, body stretched in the attention position and eyes looking straight ahead. "We are in urgent need to secure the city. Until the military arrives at Shaom(the Capital city of Hanna) from the base, the assistance from the Maythene troops will be of great help to the civil security department. It will be a learning experience to work with such skilled and brave soldiers."

Maan was monitoring Jwala's expressions intently. He could see that she was satisfied with the way Sumin had made his request. 'She is going to agree.' He was sure of it.

"I will grant your request, Inspector General." Jwala was pleased with the way he had put his need into words. "You shall have the assistance of the Maythene troops. Prepare for their arrival."

Sumin bowed to the queen and left immediately to do his job.

Jwala turned to the royal advisor, "I cannot care for my people if I have no knowledge of what is happening in Hanna."

She continued as she faced the king, "I shall be provided with the written account of everything that the royal court discusses and decides along with the past accounts, to properly care for my 'nation' and its people. Yes?"

"Yes, my queen." Maan agreed readily. He could not have asked for more- an impartial party to scare the leftist and rightists from committing any fraud, his wish had been granted. His authority and power were just for the name but Jwala was someone they could not sideline or dismiss, 'It's your time to be scared' he thought while suppressing his joy because he couldn't wait to watch his oppressors break in sweat every time they try to pull a trick.

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The calm night befell on the palace's royal premise, the moon proudly ventured into the sky and the cool breeze from the lotus lake carried the subtle enchanting fragrance with it.

Maan patiently waited in the detached palace with a fancy dinner laid out in front of him. The calm night was especially tantalizing for him since the morning royal assembly turned out to upset the queen.

He wanted to know how much had changed between them. He had been waiting for a while, previously with a light drink that he had to drink alone then with the dinner which was now getting cold and there was still no news from the queen.

A maid entered the room and asked his permission to replace the now cold dinner with hot and freshly made food.

At the same time, another maid arrived to inform that the queen was occupied and would be accompanying the king.

"Occupied with what?" Maan sighed, got up, and walked out of the detached palace as his white robe dragged behind him.

His attendants followed behind him as he strode towards the queen's residence.

Maan entered the queen's residence and heard the loud clanking of the metal, again and again. As he walked further and further into the premise the sound got louder, it was the sound of swords that he could now see.

Jwala and Mitra were engaged in a duel and the maids and court ladies were watching, awestruck. The queen's personal maids were cheering while the palace's court ladies were still processing the view in front of them. The queen's and Mitra's questionable clothes, their unladylike behavior, and obviously the aggressive attacks of the sword.

Mitra and Jwala both had a wrap-cloth tightly wrapped around their torso covering their shoulders and whole torso and wore a white dhoti* wrapped around both legs making it look like baggy trousers, a more flexible and leisurely attire for training and physical activities.

(Dhoti* - a long piece of more versatile garment that can be worn by wrapping it around the waist like pants or skirts.)

"Your Highness!" Arin saw Maan and bowed to him, scandalized as she noticed him staring at the queen who was busy in aggressive sparring.

The rest of the court ladies followed suit by bowing to Maan but the reaction from Bano and her peers was different. They hurriedly came forward, barricading the king's way to keep him and his attendants from seeing the queen and Mitra.

Maan was taken aback as was Arin.

"This is outrageous!" Arin thought, trying her best to signal Bano to behave accordingly. But Bano being Bano was busy glaring at the king.

Maan realized his mistake and gestured for his attendants to leave the premises since there were eunuchs too among his attendants.

"I was told men are not allowed in the queen's residence," Jwala said from behind the Bano's maid barricade. Jwala's face was visible to Maan given that Bano was a short height woman.

As he had expected, she appeared to be upset. "That is for strangers, not the queen's husband."

"Strangers…" she nodded. "I thought it was to protect the queen's privacy… Do not arrive unannounced and with strange men next time."

Arin gave another defeated sigh remembering the queen-mother's warning. 'I will be kicked out soon.' She thought.

Maan's jaw clenched, he was glad that at least his attendants weren't there to witness this. "I came to invite you for dinner, my queen."

"I will have to decline. I am going to be occupied for a while." she answered without delay. "enjoy your meal."

She said and resumed her sparring.

Maan grounded his teeth and walked out hiding the embarrassment. He knew she was back to being hostile but the reason was still a mystery to him. "The incident in the courtroom wasn't big enough to blow up his alliance with her. I was considerate and thoughtful, and I showed my support but still, she is upset. What might be the reason?" he thought as he walked out of the premises.

Once Maan was gone, Jwala said while sparring, "What happens here must stay here. If a single word gets out, ever, so shall you all." Jwala warned as she took her stance for defense.

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