The prisoner of sand castle

1 The prisoner of sand castle
FROM
The prisoner of sand castle

Dyuti stood on the beach, staring at the horizon. Gusts of winds blowing her deep chestnut hair, left open to dry. She had to keep them in a tight bun to avoid nuisance caused by their bulk.

All she could see was raging, churning ocean. The entire island was surrounded by small hills and rocks for miles. The elders said that those small hills were actually high mountains that rose from the ocean bed. So were those rocks, so maneuvering ships or boats amongst those death traps was not a welcome choice for sailors.

So no ship ventured this way. She came here every day, and waited for one to show up. She longed to know how the people outside their island were. But till date there was no luck! She was eighteen years old now, that is what Papa and mama has told her but she has not seen any other human being than the small community of their village.

To her misery, they all were old. Some have died in the past, rest were slowly inching towards that day, what will happen to her then? OK she has been trained well by the elders, she will survive on her own in that tiny beautiful island, but was that her destiny to live a desolate life in an island alone? She hoped and prayed not!

They never went out of the island, there was no arrangement for that either, no boat or canoe or anything that will carry them to other islands. She was not unhappy here. But sometimes she wondered about the world outside that island.

How were the people of that world?

“They are no good Dyuti.” Papa has told her, again and again, every time she has asked the question. “They were not good… that is why we took our shelter in this island. We are happier here than we ever were there!

She knew they were not their parents. They have only brought her up.
They have told her that story too.

It was eighteen years and few months ago. They have settled down in this island a decade or so earlier than that day and were devout monks and nuns.

That morning broke after an exceptionally turbulent night.

Their teacher, the oldest monk of the island was in the temple on the top of the highest hill, offering prayers to sun God when he saw someone on the beach.

They quickly went to her. She was pregnant, almost dead. Her mother! Dyuti was still in her womb. Her mother lived only a month or so, she died giving birth to her.

Her mother told them a story that sounded unreal but was true. That story for the sake of this story will stay secret for the time being, and the wicked author will reveal when she deems the timing to be perfect.

Dyuti’s mother tied them with a vow of silence and handed Dyuti over to them, telling them some special things about her. They swore that they will protect her till her father comes for her.

Dyuti’s mother assured them that he will find her out when he returns from the war.

But these were not known to Dyuti. They thought it will be wise to let the child live without burden of too much knowledge. That may rob her off her childhood innocence and happiness. That was a mistake!

So Dyuti grew up knowing her mother was a victim of ship-wreck. She died giving birth to Dyuti. She handed Dyuti over to the monks and she was being brought up by them.

She was a very beautiful girl. Too much salt water and breeze has tanned her skin completely but one could guess that she was very fair as a child. Her eyes were huge, her mouth small and her hair was beautiful! Wavy and voluptuous! Even though she was not allowed to let it grow too much, because it was impossible to manage still that was the first thing that drew anyone’s eyes when they looked at her. No matter how hard her guardians tried it always tumbled down her waist, and they have to keep it secured in a bun, almost all the time to let the child move around easily. When she opened that bun they cascaded down like waterfall mesmerizing the viewers.

It seemed Dyuti had some invisible connection to storms.

That night when the storm raged her foster parents were reminded of the night when Dyuti’s mother entered their lives. Morning came and they became busy, cleaning up the debris left by the storm.

Dyuti headed for the beach after helping them for a while, that girl was so attached to the ocean that her foster parents called her sea turtle.

She did not return.

When she failed to show up for the lunch her foster father went looking for her, there was no sign of her, he looked everywhere, the island was not that big but there was no sign of her.

They combed the island but the girl was nowhere.

They realized the thing that her mother has warned them against has happened. She has fallen in the hands of her father’s enemies.

They gathered in a hall, discussing, trying to find a way to find her and bring her back.

Meantime Dyuti was standing on the deck of a huge ship, heading further away from the island. She was watching the activities on the ship with awe-struck eyes.

A handsome man was standing by her with a big smile on his face.
People like us, experienced in human ways will instantly certify that man as a shrewd man but Dyuti was too innocent to know anything about such men. All she has seen was the very best of human nature. Her selfless guardians, who willingly decided to spend their lives away from material world.

When she came to the beach on the morning she met this man. He was sitting on a rock, holding his head.

Dyuti was surprised and absolutely delighted. To her innocent eyes he was a handsome young man, her age! Well he was in his mid-thirties but that again was beyond Dyuti’s grasps, her companions were all white-haired and wrinkled.

“Are you alright?” She has asked. Then a barrage of question has followed, who he was, where he was from, how could he reach there….

The man has told her that he was a prince, who was thrown overboard. His ship is waiting outside the choppy water, but he is too tired to row back to there.

“Let us go and call my family members. They will help you.” She has assured him but he could not wait, he was scared that his shipmates will desert him.

“Row me there I will make arrangements of sending you back!” He has promised her. Her innocent mind failed to understand that has he been thrown overboard he might not have a sturdy boat, that was lying on the beach. If the sailors could lower it for him then they would have come down and picked him up!

She was too naïve to worldly ways and nibbled the bait and rowed him to the ship.

“It is so beautiful!” she has gushed. The men and women on the ship were so beautifully dressed! The people in her village wore simple clothes, most of them had two or three sets of clothes, cotton ones.

Here the people were dazzling in their attires, behaviors and jewelries. She stood on the deck gawking at them as they smiled at her and engaged her in chitchats. She failed to notice that the ship was moving and her companion was missing.

By the time she realized the island has vanished in the distance.

“Don’t worry, we will return in this path, I will go with you myself and hand you over to your parents little girl.” The stranger has promised her when she finally located him after an hour or so.

The ship has reached a port in a few days.

“Come! You have come this far, I have to show you my palace!” The man has coaxed her into a carriage. The carriage went further into the land for days.
Then it reached a small fort on the top of a hill.

She followed him into a court.

“Here is your prisoner!” The rogue has bowed to the man sitting on a throne.

“I will be leaving now your Highness! Can I collect my rewards?”

The man on the throne has gestured to another man. Her escort followed that man and vanished from Dyuti’s life.

Dyuti stood there knowing that she was tricked into coming here but did not have any inkling why.

Two women showed up from behind a curtained door, they looked more muscular then the sentries of the court.

“Take her inside and keep an eye on her.” The king has ordered.

The women led her through the curtained door, the soft velvet curtain brushed her body as she passed by, sending a feeling of pleasure.

She was exhausted.

The women took her to a room and asked her to take shower, there was water stored in drums. That was a little too much for Dyuti but she guessed she will have to obey these women. So, the girl who splashed in ocean for hours tried her best to manage with a drum full of water.

A new set of clothes were lying on the bed for her. The women were not in the room but the only door to the room was closed. She tried to open it but it did not opened, that meant it was locked from outside.

She wore the dress and went to the window. It was beautiful outside. The trees, flowers, birds, animals all were different from her island. The women came a little later and left her some food and water.

She fell asleep after eating.

When she woke up it was late at night. The place sounded so silent… it was scary! The never ceasing sound of ocean back in her home was so soothing!
Here all she could hear was some night creatures calling out once in a while.
Tears started to roll down her cheek. What will she do now! How will she return home?
Next morning the women brought a few set of clothes for her. Very beautiful ones! She has never worn anything like it back in the island, but that meant nothing to her. All that mattered to her was freedom and she could see no chances at present.

They used to take her for a stroll in the evening, in the palace garden that made her realize that it was almost impossible to escape.

The palace was thronged with guards.

She did not know that these arrangements were for her. She was the thing they were to keep inside the palace, even at the cost of their lives!

Days started to pass. Away from the salty breeze of ocean Dyuti started getting her original colour back, after a year the residents of the palace started calling her fairy without wings.

She was the prettiest girl in the fort, there was no doubt about it, even though she wore no ornaments or other accessories to enhance her beauty yet her sheer beauty outshone every one.

With every passing day it started to grow like moon reaching towards full.

That morning when she woke up to another dreary day in her prison she knew not that everything was about to change!

Ripudaman descended from his horse, both horse and rider were covered with dust and sand. It was hard to tell who was more tired or dirty. He handed over the rein to the stable boy and headed for the court.

Heaven only knows what that old croon was doing here, so far away from the capital, right in the middle of desert, it took him a fortnight to reach here, and among that fortnight seven dreadful day and night were in the middle of desert. All he has seen was sand dunes rising and falling. He has not come across a single caravan, forget about villages!

Good for his horse and him when his royal highness shifted here he dug a trail of wells for his cavalry and courtiers on his way. They provided the directions and water for Ripudaman. Ripudaman truly wondered why King Ashokvardhan was so desperate or eager to pass months here, leaving his capital at the mercy of courtiers. They ruled his kingdom and he passed his time hundreds of miles away from his capital.

He entered the court.

The king was sitting on his throne, handful of local nobles were sitting there with him, apparently doing nothing, a singer was singing something and a dancer was showing her expertise to nonchalant King but quite interested courtiers.

He bowed.

The king gestured and the court fell silent.

“What brought you here young man?” the king looked at him.

“Your Highness!” he bowed again, he knew that the king had sky high ego and they all had to keep their heads low or else he knew how to chop them off without flinching his eyes once, he did not regretted a bit killing anyone, that included his own father and first wife.

“Your friend Vajrasen has invited you to his kingdom for the Holi, he has insisted again and again that you go there and meet him, stay with him for some time. He has left this letter with us. He could not come here because he said he was too old to suffer desert sun but he will wait impatiently for you.”
Ashokvardhan read the letter and nodded.

“Well young man, your punishment is you will have to stay here till I return, these old men won’t be able to handle the delicate situation here! Now my dear men I must leave and prepare for the journey. Ripudaman will stay here as my representative. I know he is young but he is well versed in the ways of the capital and how things work there.”

He got up and left for the harem.

Next morning a huge procession including the king and his concubines left for the capital, leaving behind a sulking Ripudaman.

What was he supposed to do in this place, in the middle of nowhere? The hustle bustle and 70 percent of the population of that small fort left with Ashokvardhan.

He went to the garden and sat down under a tree, easel and brush in his hand.
That was one of his hobbies and often kept him cheerful in situations like this one.

“What are you doing?” a voice sweeter than a songbird startled him. He thought all the women of harem has left, he turned and bowed to the beauty standing in front of him now. This was voluntary, came on instinct because for a second he thought a Goddess has come down on earth.

Then he noticed her simplicity and realized that she was not a concubine or wealthy woman, even though she was far more beautiful than any of them and a purebred aristocrat, of far nobler birth than the King of this castle.

“I am painting my lady.” Ripudaman smiled. The girl looked at his handsome face and smiled back.

“Dyuti, come inside!” A harsh female voice ordered from a building nearby the girl quickly retreated and vanished inside. One of the female guards we already know about showed up in the garden and started walking towards him.

“You are not allowed here!” she said gruffly.

“Sorry!” he said without feeling least apologetic, “I did not know that.” She may think that she was a big cheese but Ripudaman could hire or buy a dozen like her.

The woman shrugged and answered in the same gruff manner, apparently that was how she spoke in normal tone.

“You are the guy from capital, right? You were not supposed to know! No one is allowed to enter this garden! The guard will get his due. He was supposed to be sitting at the gate or his corpse was supposed to be lying there!” the woman sounded ominous.

He felt sorry for the guard.

Without wasting much time he picked up his things and started walking towards the garden gate, before taking his final turn he turned and saw Dyuti standing in one of the windows, looking at him. He smiled and she smiled back.

Her innocent smile and heavenly beauty robbed his heart. He has seen women some of whom were most probably far more beautiful than Dyuti, but there was an inner light in Dyuti which those women lacked. That light made her shine like sun and moon. He was bewitched.

He met the guard on his way back his miserable expression told Ripudaman that the poor fellow was aware of his impending doom. Next morning he met the guard on another gate. Apparently his duty has been changed.

“Who is that girl” He asked.

“We don’t know sir, but no man or woman is allowed inside that garden, other than those two women who guard her and the king. Well, the king never went in there but those women always shadow her, so she must be someone very important.”

“Maybe the king is planning to marry her and keeping her hidden from his concubines and queens, so they don’t kill her!” The guard expressed his own opinion.

“That might be the reason but then why are his concubines here? They too can be dangerous for her! “ Ripudaman asked.

“When she was brought here the concubines were already here the king on the other hand came only a day before she did and stayed. Anyway the king needs some company so why will be send them all back to capital for just one girl? As far as I know he is yet to corrupt that girl, he never comes to this palace day or night! Those two women are loyal to king only, and they can kill a dozen men, which they won’t need to do because king has left an army of his best soldiers here to guard that one girl! Can you believe it?”

“You talk too much soldier!” Ripudaman warned him before walking away.
Ripudaman went to the roof of the building nearest to that part of the garden and settled down with his painting gears.

He made arrangements cleverly, so that he could see the garden but no one could see him from anywhere, including the guard towers.

Within a few days he realized that Dyuti passed most of the time in garden, and those two women always kept watch on her.

Apart from that he realized one more thing. They will rather kill her but won’t allow her to escape. They had bows of poison darts with them, too many for a single prey!

But Dyuti displayed no sign of restlessness or desire to escape. Apparently she has given in to her condition. Who was she! Why was this arrangement made for keeping a single captive was the question that kept bothering Ripudaman.
He started digging around but could find any answer and with every passing day he was falling more and more in love with Dyuti.

He wandered around the desert like a fakir, thinking about her. Then one evening he stumbled upon a gypsy camp. A group of gypsies passing through the desert, stopped there to perform and earn something.

He sat down by the fire listening to their beautiful music.

“To get her you will have to get her away from that monster king.” A woman’s voice startled him. An old gypsy woman was sitting right next to him, looking at him. Her eyes were mesmerizing, very dark and the flickering light of fire was making them look even more mysterious.

“What are you talking about?” he cleared his voice, not yet ready to give in to soothsaying and palm reading.

“I am talking about the lovely prisoner of castle you love!” The woman smiled.

“You have been following me?” he asked gruffly, knowing very well that she was not doing any such thing. Most probably she really was clairvoyant.

“You know I am not young man!” the woman answered calmly. “Now listen to me! Your beloved will die if you don’t rescue her! If you want I will help you but you will have to pay them.” The woman said.

He looked at her but saw no sign of trickery or evil on her face. He consented and she took him to a tent. He had a long discussion with the gypsies inside that camp.

“The rest is in your hand- win her love and make her come with you. Hurry! The monster will return soon and if he does it will be too late!” The woman said before bidding him goodbye.

When a lover desperately wants to be with his beloved, rare things can stop him, fate was with him. One of the king’s chosen guards that he left behind to guard his precious treasure was Ripudaman’s childhood friend Chandramohan.

When Chandramohan came to know about his friend’s condition he promised help. He started summoning the two guards in his room as frequently as he could manage on one pretext or other. Once they were there he kept them both there for longest possible time.

The women walked into his trap because he offered them lots of best quality drinks and the service of his selected five- as their replacement to guard Dyuti, one of them was Ripudaman in disguise. They were to guard Dyuti as her actually guards splurged themselves into wine and other delicacies! There was no reason for them to suspect that Chandramohan was playing matchmaker.

They just did not imagine that anyone will have guts enough to invite Ashokvardhan’s fury. Everyone in the fort knew that no one was to flitter near Dyuti- she was Ashokvardhan’s property- alive or dead.

Four stayed on the gate guarding while Ripudaman entered the garden to woo his beloved.

The women did not get a inkling about the things that were brewing inside the garden, a deep love! A love so deep that Ripudaman was ready to give up his life to rescue Dyuti. He knew if he got caught Ashokvardhan will ensure the most horrible death for him. But that fear has long evaporated from his mind.

Chandramohan has already confirmed Ripudaman’s suspicion that Dyuti’s guards will rather kill her than let her escape, such was the order from Ashokvardhan to them. They always had poison darts in their possession.

Finally the day came, a gypsy band showed up in the castle gate in evening, they asked for permission to perform, the soldiers gave them the permission after the deadly duo consented. There was no harm in little dancing and singing. After all they were outside the fort gate. Night turned into morning.

A mysterious woman showed up at the gate of the garden at dawn with a basket of trinkets, she engaged the guard for a few minutes, in those minutes two men slipped out of the garden gate.

They quietly reached the fort gate where the gypsies were waiting, performing tricks for entertainment. They mingled in the group and the whole group disappeared in the desert after an hour.

Five or six hours later a maid raised alarm, both the guards were lying dead in the harem, Dyuti has vanished.

The entire garrison marched out to the desert but there was no sign of the escaped prisoner. It seemed that the desert has swallowed the group. It did not took them long to understand that she has fled with Ripudaman and Chandramohan.

Chandramohan knew the king will kill him for his failure to guard the girl. He was too shrewd to not understand that Dyuti won’t walk out with a stranger. Never again! And for the couple to know each other Chandramohan’s involvement will be quite a possibility. The king will certainly dig out the fact that Chandramohan was the only one intimate to Ripudaman. Actually too intimate for his neck! So he joined his friend and his beloved as they fled.

Message was sent to the king and the guards started preparing themselves for his wrath. Most ran away from the castle, crossed the border and scattered in neighbouring countries hoping Ashokvardhan won’t be able to catch them.

As for the escapees the gypsies has made an agreement to lead them to the next kingdom through a secret path through desert, and a week’s sailing in ocean. The secret path was just a few minutes distance from the fort. That was why the army failed to catch them.

All three of them stayed disguised as men. They did not know how much the gypsies have guessed but they were not interested in making them confidantes. As for the gypsies they apparently were only interested in the huge remuneration they were to receive after they smuggle the trio to a safe place.

They reached the ocean shore a week later. A ship was waiting for the small group of gypsies that were to accompany them to the new country.

“We will reach there the day after tomorrow.” The leader of the gypsy band told them four days later.

As if to prove him wrong a fleet of ships appeared in the ocean! Blocking their path to escape from all sides!

“They are Ashokvardhan’s ships.” Ripudaman muttered. His face lost all colours. He felt sorry for his friend and the gypsies. He knew very well what was coming next.

Dyuti looked at his blanched face and reached out for his hand. “Don’t be sad. I will rather die with you than live with him.”

“I am sorry my love.” He whispered. “I so believed that we will be able to escape! Now he will kill not only me but everyone else in the ship, he won’t spare the small children, women!”

A drop of tear rolled down Dyuti’s cheek into the ocean.

A ripple went through the entire ocean, as if a volcano has exploded under the ocean. It threw the fleet of Ashokvardhan’s ship away further away from the gypsy ship. It on the other hand was almost untouched by the turbulence. Only swayed a bit by the violent tremor!

A chariot came out of the water, pulled by dolphins. A man was standing, holding the reins. He was a replica of Dyuti, only his hair was all white.

“My child!” he whispered, his eyes filled with tear. “I thought I have lost you too!”

A dozen or so chariots showed up around him, “Take care of them!” the king gestured towards Ashokvardhan’s fleet. “If that monster is there capture him and bring him to me.”

“Come to me my child.” He reached out for Dyuti but the way she glanced at Ripudaman and Chandramohan exposed her heart to him.

“So my child has made true friends in human world.” The old king smiled naughtily. “Come along young men! You are my daughter’s guest.”

“Thank you for saving my daughter my dear friends.” The king bowed to the gypsy leader.

They in return bowed to the king. Slowly the ship changed its shape under them and became one of the chariots, without the dolphins.

King climbed the chariot and it took them all to a nearby island. They sat down on the beach. After leaving them in the island the chariot left for battleground.

“We can breathe in air and water. Our civilization has always been under ocean, long before our counterpart grew on land.” The king said.

“Ashokvardhan’s guru (teacher) was a sorcerer and he could make very short trips to our country, he told Ashokvardhan the stories of our immense wealth and he went crazy.”

“He came to our kingdom as a guest and molested a lady from our family, and was justly punished. He was supposed to stay in the prison till he changed his ways but his teacher rescued him.”

“He captured Dyuti’s mother as leverage against my wrath. She was carrying Dyuti. He dumped her on that island and brought his entire fleet to build a barricade around it. He did not know that a group of monks were living there. He thought that it will be the perfect prison for my wife. Back then we were not expert in warfare. So a vicious war raged on for decades. He kept that island out of everyone’s reach.”

“That is why you never saw anyone else in the ocean Dyuti. Finally we succeeded in driving them away from ocean surface. But before escaping to main land he had Dyuti stolen from the people who were protecting her.”

“When Dyuti’s mother handed her over to her guardians she gave them the magical power to protect her and the island too. Ashokvardhan would have died if he touched the soil of that island, her guardians had enough power to destroy entire army. Had she not been tricked out of the island, that monster would never have succeeded! He needed someone to lure her out of that island. He did that well!”

“When I went to the island to get my daughter her guardians told me what has happened, I started looking for her, and finally succeeded into finding her. It was our good fortune that you too were trying to get her away from there and she loved you.”

“Ashokvardhan kept her away from ocean because he knew we won’t be able to fight his trained army in land, our leverage was ocean water. Apart from that we grow weaker if we stay away from ocean. So starting a war on land would have been suicidal, futile!” The king said. “So we had to use tact, cunning. I picked up my best groups and they scattered all over Ashokvardhan’s kingdom.”

“He was planning to sacrifice her on a very auspicious moment, to a very powerful demon. That would have given him the power to breathe in water like us. That moment was two more years away.”

“Yes we made that arrangement of Holi invitation, one of us convinced his friend to invite him over for Holi with promises of heaven on earth, a promise we knew that lecher won’t miss!” the king chuckled, “That band of gypsies are my best soldiers. That old woman is my sister.”

“Thank you for saving and returning my daughter to me!” he held Ripudaman’s hand. “I will never be able to settle your debt.”

He laughed when he noticed the disappointment on his and Dyuti’s face.

“I won’t steal your love from you!” He said. “I will build your castle on an island near our country, so that she stays safe for the rest of her life with you! We may look for a suitable bride for your friend too, or if he wants my men will take him to another country, but I will request you to stay near me, I want to see my daughter and grandkids every day!”