'O king, your gifts are absolutely generous, but even so, it's you who have enchanted me most' the queen said. The king looked utterly embarrassed and just managed a timid smile. 'Now come on dear, don't be shy, tell us what your heart desires'. The king thought deeply for some moments, then said 'We don't even know for how many ages we have lived side by side without knowing the existence of the other. Now that the curtain is lifted, it's only fair that we keep mingling. We have only met and it will take a while to know each other.' The king stopped for a moment, 'With familiarity, will come solidarity' he concluded. 'Very true, very true' the queen said earnestly, 'We even wander around the forest just to get a feel of our surroundings'. 'But you still haven't said what your heart desires, dear' the queen was coy. The king smiled too. 'I like to invite you and the council to my country. Also, I seek your permission to station a company of my men for a year.' There were murmurings around the hall but the king continued calmly, 'They will live and work with you and they will share your hardship and happiness, only then the knowing will be meaningful' he concluded.
The hall immediately filled up with soft whispering. The queen stared intently at the king for some moments, then she looked around the hall and said 'Well, don't just gossip among yourself, speak what you have in your minds.' The hall went quiet for a while before a chieftain blurted out 'How would we know his people don't have bad intentions?' There was an awkward silence, the king remained calm but the queen appeared bored. 'You fear a group of men in the middle of your own forest, yet, you don't fear about sending your queen and council to a land you don't even know' She sounded bored too. There was another lull. 'What is your opinion' she asked the oldest man in the circle. The old man combed his beard with his fingers for a while, when he spoke his voice was feeble but clear 'It's true, now there would be comings and goings' he paused for a bit, 'unless we shut the door on them'. After another pause he gestured outside the hall 'We wouldn't have all this unless you sent him, he pointed to the chieftain, to explore' he finished. Slowly, a steady stream of questions and suggestions started to pour in.
Suborna who had sat quietly and discreetly till then, whispered something to the queen. 'Why don't you ask that yourself dear' the queen said loudly. She got a glaring look but that didn't wipe out her smile. Suborna gave up and went back to her previous self, bowing down and quiet. But she realized that the entire hall is still waiting and she mumbled 'Would you accept our men in your land too.' Again, the whole room broke into murmurs. The king watched her intently for a few moments, and then he thought deeply for some more moments. 'We would be honored if you grace us with your presence' he said finally. The effect was stunning; the murmurs died instantly, Suborna sat bolt upright with her eyes protruding in shock, and the queen was watching him with curiosity. 'Now, now, why would you make such an audacious offer' she chimed. 'Surely you are not going to consider it' the chieftain who had voiced suspicion about the king's men shouted. 'Quiet' the queen's voice cracked like a whip and everyone went quiet. 'Though I wish you live another hundred years, we know very well that our people will outlast ourselves. Isn't it wise that the future queen has a fair idea about the people she will be dealing with?' The king was calm as you like.
The queen was in deep thought when the commander coughed softly. All the eyes turned to him. 'Ah, the shy one' the queen said merrily. 'Why not I stay here during the tenure of her majesty's visit to our land' he addressed the king who nodded. 'Oow, that's so generous of you Commander of the...now surely dear have a name of your own' she said affectionately. 'Mittro (friend)' the commander said softly. 'Oow, what a sweet name' the merry voice rang, 'But Mita, won't you miss your family' she asked. 'I intend to bring them here as well' came the polite reply. The queen looked stunned and she went into deep contemplation. 'Oh dear' she said after a while, 'Isn't it high time for lunch' Then she added to the king, 'I think our wits will work better with our bellies full'. Her suggestion was greeted with overwhelming consensus. The meal was wholesome and hearty, but the assembly didn't reconvene. The masses went about minding their chores while the others rested or chatted leisurely. In the afternoon the chieftain offered the king to show him around and they along with the commander and the governor strolled around Polash Nogor. Meanwhile, the queen held her council. The meeting had finished by the time the king returned around evening. 'Let's not discuss any business until morning' the queen proposed to the king. As the king agreed, she added 'But surely the king wouldn't mind chatting with us' She gestured to the chieftains and elders. And so, they talked, for hours into the night.
That night the queen sat silently beside Suborna's bed and gently caressed her hair and the would-be queen silently wept. 'You know, I would have objected right there if I didn't know that you are eager to go' she said softly. Suborna sniffed softly. The queen smiled softly. 'You were always the explorer, I can't even remember how many times we had to bring you back from wandering into the forest or the river bank when you were a toddler.' She reminisced those fond memories and smiled to herself. 'Hell, I was even planning to send you instead of Chotu to find a place for our new bosoti'. Suborna remained silent, she kept weeping in silence, but she pulled in the queen's other hand and locked her fingers with hers. 'That king surprised us all, didn't he! Sneaky bugger' she chuckled happily. Suborna got up in a flash, threw her arms around the queen, and started to sob audibly. The queen held her with all her might and kept caressing her hair. It took a while for Suborna to calm down, and her voice was all teary when she said 'I will miss you so much'. Dadima chuckled softly, she kept caressing Suborna's hair and she sounded rather jolly when she said 'Oh dear, I will miss you too, but what I will miss even more is if you miss this adventure of a lifetime.' She paused for a while, then added 'I would have traveled with you if I weren't so old.' 'You aren't old' Suborna said with mild irritation. The queen chuckled happily 'Oh, I'm old enough not to tag along with a young princess.'
'It was evening when we boarded the ship and we sailed immediately, the oarsmen tirelessly rowed and rowed. I stood by the railing, and although soon it was dark enough not to see anything, I knew my land was there, my land that was fast drifting away.' Suborna wiped off the tears from Labonno's cheeks and held her silently for a while. 'I stayed there all night, no one had the nerve to ask me to go inside. When it became cold, the king wrapped a blanket around me. They too spent the night on the deck.' Suborna chuckled a bit, 'Oh, I have caused so much trouble for them'. It was still pretty dark when they reached Nokkhottro, a few stars were still faintly burning in the sky, as were the torches in harbor. Someone blew a horn from the ship and after a while came a reply from the port. The king, the commander, and the governor talked among themselves for a while, and then the king asked Suborna 'Do you want to rest a while here or you rather start for the capital right away.' 'How long will it take?' Suborna asked. 'With breaks, we can reach there around the afternoon if we start now.' The king informed. 'And we started right away. The horses would gallop for an hour, then slow down to a trot for a couple of hours, and then rest for an hour. We had two breaks on the road before we arrived here.'
'And I have been all tired, sad, and lonely until you woke me up'.
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