Rains and rugged lands

'Do you know, I almost drowned when I was little' Labonno said in a mildly excited tone, but the reaction she drew was anything but mild. Suborna's eyes were popping out and after a few moments to gather her wit, she managed to say just 'What!'. Labonno took that as the cue to start the storytelling. 'I was about this big at that time.' she pointed to a height half of her size, 'that year our pond was thick with water-lilies, and one day I just couldn't resist the temptation to pick a few. Like I said, it was thick with flowers, but very conveniently they were just out of my reach.' By now Suborna has gathered some wit and she asked 'Where was everyone, why didn't you ask someone?' 'Oh, it was midday, so everyone was resting and I didn't want to cause any inconvenience.' she said very solemnly. Suborna's eyes popped out again, and again Labonno took the cue, 'So I was stretching and stretching, but couldn't reach any. So I went down another step and tried again, but they remained out of reach. So I tried to go down another step and slipped.' Suborna covered her mouth in shock. 'Oh yeah, I was scared too' Labonno tried to comfort her. 'I was thrashing madly but I just kept bobbing in and out of water. I tried to grab the steps but they were slippery and kept slipping out of my fingers. And the flowers which wouldn't come near me were now all over me.' Labonno finished in a sardonic tone.

Suborna remained speechless, so Labonno resumed after a pause. 'Then suddenly, something grabbed me'. Suborna swallowed hard. 'It was dragging me, but I wouldn't give up without a fight and I thrashed & kicked with all my might. But it was strong and it dragged me out of the water. Suddenly, I felt the soft and warm body of someone, I opened my eyes and saw I was in the lap of didima (the governess) and I held her with all my might.' Suborna released a big sigh of relief. 'Do you know, your didima wanted to leave after that' the king who was sitting at a distance said. 'Whaaat!' it was Labonno's turn to be shocked. The king smiled softly, 'Yeah, that night she kept crying and saying that what's the use of her staying if she can't keep an eye on you.' 'Whaaat! I would have died if she wasn't there' Labonno was aghast. 'That's what I told her too' the king said softly. 'Did your father rebuke you?' Suborna whispered. 'Nah, he just said that I have to learn swimming if I wanted to get in the water.'

The monsoon was in full swing. Labonno enjoyed the early days as the continual heavy rains had wiped away the stifling heat in days. The parched, dusty smell and the frequent dust devils were gone too and the earth now had a wet, sweet smell while the air was refreshingly cool. The trees had a good bath and now their leaves are green & lively while some of the canals & ponds which had muddy, murky water are now quickly refilling themselves with fresh water. But all these also meant that Labonno was now largely confined under the palace roof. Life was far from boring, but for someone who had only recently traveled the Subornorekha and the Jongol Mohol, this restriction was somewhat suffocating. The occasional stories from the king about his travels in the south only darkened her mood. But the king, though he was reserved by nature, was in a good spirit; things were looking up. Though it was early days, the situation in Omoraboti was improving, the southern land was showing the signs of becoming a trusted friend and not just a trading partner, and the bond with Jongol Mohol is sending its root ever deeper by the day. There were still lot many things to be done, but he didn't feel alone and desperate anymore.

'I propose we build a city here' the chief advisor pointed to a place on the eastern bank of Ruposi (pretty woman), the river marking their border with Omoraboti, on the edge of a forest. When no one interrupted or asked any question he continued, 'These lands' he dragged his finger along the hinterland of Ruposi 'is too far from both Nisorgo and Nokkhottro to be governed by either of them.' His audience nodded in agreement. 'They already have their hands pretty much full' the senapoti added, 'and their activities will only increase in the future. So, it will be prudent to take this chunk off their hands' he suggested to the king. 'Is the leopard is occupying the villa we have there' the king asked with humor. The audience laughed too. 'Not since we posted some guards and caretakers' the sochib (king's secretary) informed, 'but he doesn't sound very happy about it' he added. There was a lull as everyone waited for the king's decision or comments. 'Pick some young lads as candidates for governor and commander. They won't face any severe challenges governing this land, but they will gain valuable lessons for stiffer duties in the future' the king instructed the secretary. They discussed a few more details and it was decided that the new province will be operational after the king meets the commanders and governors of Nisorgo and Nokkhottro after the monsoon.

'So, this is your frontier' Suborna dragged her finger along the river that ran parallel with Oshru. Labonno nodded. 'What's this land like?' Suborna pointed to the space between the two rivers. 'How would I know?' Labonno said bitterly, 'This is the first time I have traveled far, previously I would only travel around our cities'. Instinctively, Suborna had surveyed her surroundings during the travels and as far as she could see the land was rugged and foreboding. True, it was the dry season and though evidently it wasn't exactly a wasteland, the land had a barren look than her side of the river. 'You are going to build settlements even in these lands!' Suborna half asked and half wondered. 'I guess so' their tutor said, 'the commander of Nisorgo will ask the king to build a garrison there.' 'How did you know!' Suborna and Labonno both said at the same time. It was strange that their tutor should know about something that was not academic. The tutor gave them a rueful smile, 'While you were away, the commander sent me with an expedition team along the Chadni (crescent)'. He shook his head remembering the hard days of his travels. Not just he was a pulp man and was totally unsuited even for normal travels, but he preferred to do his explorations among the scripts and scrolls.

'You must have had a very important role, guruji'.' The tutor didn't notice the unusual pampering tone of Suborna. 'Oh well, I had to keep a detailed account of the things we saw. That, along with the sketches by the cartographer, will give the king a fair idea about the place', the tutor said in a matter-of-fact manner. 'You wrote a script!' his students yelled in joy. The tutor put up his hands to disarm them, 'I have already given that to the king.' Labonno gave a groan of disappointment, but Suborna said in her most honeyed voice, 'Oh guruji, surely you haven't forgotten anything after such an arduous journey!' The tutor chuckled softly, 'Fine, I will tell you some stories, but don't forget to help me write about Jongol Mohol.' 'Oh guruji' Labonno said in an excited voice, 'we have heard so much about the eastern valley that you can fill this room with your scrips' she said with much animation. 'You can clearly see the Subornorekha, you can even see its snowy peaks and ridges, but you will feel like you are standing in front of a furnace' the tutor started solemnly. And in just a while they forgot about the rain; their bodies started getting scorched by the heat, their eyes started getting blazed by the sun, and their throats and lips started getting parched by dry winds.