Chapter 16 Kundar

The horses were running continuously. They had stopped only twice to drink some water. If they kept going at this pace, they would reach Kundar by noon.

Sattu had very little practice riding a horse, so his thighs and back started aching. Poor Raga would try to walk along with the horses by sticking out his tongue, but sometimes he would get left behind, then Sattu would request Rupak to slow down the speed of the horses.

The sun had started to shine brightly now, but since most of the way was through the forests, the heat did not bother them too much.

Throughout the journey, Vidhan's body was burning with excitement and anger. He was completely cut off from the surrounding environment. He kept thinking throughout the journey, 'What punishment should I give to Sudas? If I give him the death penalty, then the promise I had given to Guru Kan of not taking revenge will be broken.... I will cut off both his hands. He will remain disabled throughout his life and will be dependent on others for food as well. But he has no dearth of servants. I will cut off both his hands and feet. Despite being well-equipped, he will crave pleasures. No-no, this will not give peace to my heart. I will kill his family members in front of his eyes. No-no, what is the fault of his family members in his deeds? I will make him blind. He will not be able to see with his own eyes the pleasures for which he has destroyed the lives of others.... No-no, this will not give satisfaction either.In this way, Vidhan kept thinking of many ways to punish Sudas, but he was not satisfied even once.

He remembered his promise of not taking revenge, but every time his mind argued with him that he was not taking revenge, he was merely punishing him. It was a continuous tussle. His inner mind expressed its anger: Wow, you logician! Feelings do not change by wearing the cloak of logic; you will never be satisfied because revenge is never satisfied.While thinking about Sudas, the depth of his breathing and the temperature of his brain increased; his throat soon became dry. Sattu understood his condition, so he did not try to talk to Vidhan.

In a short while they were standing in front of the city gate of Kundar's capital. That gate, which was twice as high as a normal tree, was made of stones. There was no door in it, only a doorframe.

As if they were not afraid of anyone's attack and that gate was just a symbol of the capital's boundary. On the left and right of the gate, as far as the eye could see, there were military camps made of stones at some distance. Most of them were covered by vegetation. After reaching a certain distance from the gate, the entire army stopped.

Rupak signaled the horseman carrying the luggage at the back. That soldier got down from the horse and took out a flag, mounted it on his spear, and stood in the front, waving it. After a few moments, some horsemen came out from behind the gate and entered the capital with them.They were lodged in the rest house behind the intelligence department.

There were two rooms in the building, which were interconnected. Mahavira, Rupak, and Anuj were staying in one room and Vidhan and Sattu in the other. Sattu was disappointed because he had hoped that he would be given a grand welcome, flowers would be showered on him, the crowd would be eager to see him, and there would be arrangements for perfumed water for bathing and different types of sweets would be available, but here only sweet cold drink was given.

....….

Today there was unprecedented peace in Kundar's royal court. Today the seating arrangement was also different. On normal days Maharaj Chakradhar used to deliver justice, but today the culprit was related to the royal family. It was a matter of impeachment. Three judges were sitting on the left side of Maharaj and three on his right. It was necessary for at least three judges to agree on the king's justice. All six judges looked alike, with long white hair, white beards, and the same age; the only difference was in height.

In the middle of the assembly, Crown Prince Sudas was standing like a prisoner.

Today his fate will be decided and he will be punished for all of his crimes.