A New Age

‘That’s the banner of our royal house, there’s a member of our royalty inside the carriage’ the Deb Rokkhi General said. He sounded uneasy and unsure. A golden lotus on a field of blue fluttered atop, as the carriage kept ambling towards the canopy where The King and the council waited. Alongside the carriage, rode the Shetango king on his majestic black horse, and In front of him rode a dozen horsemen each carrying his banner, a black eagle on a field of red. A long line of horsemen and carts followed the leaders. Several yards from the canopy, the procession stopped. The lead horseman took out a horn and gave a long, booming blare, followed by his booming voice announcing the king. Then he rode several yards away from the procession and stood facing the canopy. The next horseman followed him and stood beside him, then another, then another. Soon the horsemen formed a line facing the canopy. As the horsemen moved, so did the king and soon he was abreast with the line of horsemen, just then, all the horsemen dismounted in unison. The horseman nearest to the king took the rein from his king as his own horse stood motionless. The king dismounted with ease. He was a young king, it was hard to believe that he had conquered so much already. He was a handsome king, though a decade on the road and the numerous battles on the way had left a mark on him. He was dressed as a soldier and though his sword, armour, and helmet weren’t too different from the commanders, he bore an aura of nobility.

Four men stood beside the carriage, each held a pole and poles were tied with a large piece of cloth, a golden lotus on a field of blue. The cloth and the poles worked as a mobile canopy. The man in front of them held two huge, golden metal plates. Once the king had dismounted, the man banged the plates together, and a piercing, yet melodic sound reverberated across the plain. The Crown Prince stepped out of the carriage. The Deb Rokkhi General gasped, clearly he hadn’t expected such a high nobility and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. The Crown Prince was young, younger than the king, and that wasn’t the only difference. He wore a loose, flowing robe of some very delicate cloth that fluttered and flew in the breeze giving him an almost unearthly aura. On both of his arms, he wore thick, gold bangles adorned with intricate patterns and engraved with many jewels. On his forehead, he wore a thin gold chain holding a gold tablet engraved with a huge ruby, even in the shade of the canopy, the ruby glowed like a red ember. But it was his demeanour that was most contrasting. While the Shetango king had a sharp and inquisitive gaze, the Crown Prince looked dreamy and aloof. As the king and the Crown Prince started to walk towards the canopy, The King started to walk towards them and the three met halfway between the canopy and the procession. They bowed each other and then, flanking The King, they approached the canopy.

The Shetango king and the Crown Prince were ushered to the far side of the canopy where the Polemarch, the Deb Rokkhi General and their commanders stood. They knelt the moment their royalties entered the canopy. The king stopped in front of the Polemarch and extended his hand, the Polemarch kissed it with reverence. ‘Be at peace, you have done all you could’ the king said softly. ‘I have failed you, my lord’ the Dev Rokkhi General said in a heavy voice. The Crown Prince stood in front of him, his gaze floating on the horizon. After a few moments, he sighed softly and softly touched the head of the General. The Shetango king and the Crown Prince took their seats, as did The King and his council, together, they formed a circle at the centre of the canopy while the commanders from both sides stood on opposing sides of the circle. Now, some soldiers entered carrying small wooden chests. Though the chests weren’t that big, it took two soldiers to carry each—a total of twenty chests they brought. The Shetango king looked at the Crown Prince, and seeing that he was still lost on the horizon, he spoke. ‘Two hundred thousand gold pieces’ he gestured at the chests, ‘and we appreciate that you have treated our soldiers with kindness’. The King nodded. Then, there was a lull.

‘You know very well that our lord doesn’t forgive failure’. Most of the people got startled a bit; not just because of the abruptness in the lull, but most hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to speak. Even now, his eyes looked distant; but it was clear that he was addressing his General and the commanders. ‘You have served him well and for many years’ he continued in the same expressionless manner. ‘Our lord hasn’t forgotten that, but he has set a price for your failure’, the silence was sinister and breathless. ‘You and your families have been banished from our land’, though he still spoke in the same aloof manner, there was a faint tinge of sadness. The General and the commanders stood like statues, but some had tears rolling down their cheeks. Again, there was a silence.  ‘My lord, did you plead on our behalf?’ The General’s voice was heavy and shaky. Though it was only fleeting, the tinge of smile was obvious on the face of the Crown Prince, ‘What does it matter’ he said in his usual manner. ‘Your lord has forsaken them, then surely he has forsaken his lordship over them as well?’ This time, Hasi broke the silence. For the first time since meeting The King at the canopy entrance, the Crown Prince looked at someone; he looked for a long moment, then smiled, as if knowingly. ‘The lord has taken their rights and the lord has forsaken his own’. As Hasi looked at The King, he understood. ‘You can live with us, as one of us, if you wish to’ his voice was warm and assuring. Some of the commanders sighed in relief, the Deb Rokkhi General gave a short bow.

The western bank of Chandni suddenly looked bare without the ensemble of the tents. This time the soldiers had methodically dismantled the tents and had taken those along with them. The royal cavalcade had departed after midday as if they were in a hurry to move as far as possible from the place of their humiliation. Now, as the evening had dawned, they must have pitched camp somewhere beyond the horizon. Nondon Kanon too looked different. Even during the peace times only the workers and the soldiers used to live there, leaving their families in their distant villages. Now the families of the Deb Rokkhi General and the commanders had been housed there. The grownups were subdued, grieving for their fate and worrying about their future. But the young ones saw no reason not to be cheerful in such a lovely place. The intermittent and mellow chirping, shrikes, and laughter of young voices were a novelty for this place and a surreal ambience after some hellish days. But only a handful of the families would ultimately call Nondon Kanon their home. As they healed from the humiliation of exile, the misery of losing their homes, and the fear of discrimination, they would find hope and resurrect life. In the coming days, months, and years, these families would settle across the land and even dare beyond these fertile plains.

‘Some would swap our serene villages for the secluded hamlets of Jongol Mohol, while some would leave the bustle of the cityscape for the tranquil shores of Nilambori. But, most would become the exotic neighbors in Nisorgo, Nogori, and Nokkhottro.’ Labonno stopped to catch a breath as her spellbound audience waited eagerly. Now in her early youth, she had lost that wild, exuberance expression; rather, she bore the impression of river after monsoon; calm, deep, and potent.  ‘Then what happened, Choto Rani (little queen)?’ asked one of the kids, and for a moment the veil dropped as Labonno giggled like the little girl of the yesteryears. ‘While some were adept in agriculture, none had much to do with seafaring or shipbuilding; but they brought two invaluable and unique skills-metallurgy and masonry. We are building and making so many things now.’ ‘What else has happened?’ another voice inquired. Again, the little girl giggled. ‘Uff so much has happened, it will be nightfall if I keep telling you the stories’ she said in mock exasperation. The audience seemed to be alright with the notion. But Labonno had drifted off; perhaps on a boat rocking on the sea waves, or perhaps to a winding track in a mighty forest, or perhaps somewhere under the shadows of a misty mountain. ‘What’s Nondon Kanon like now?’ a girl softly asked. Labonno woke up from her dreams and smiled softly. ‘So many people live there now. We are farming the lands around it too, traders from the west, and the tribes from Subornorekha come there, and during the Winter Solstice we hold a vigil for the fallen.’ She paused for a while and when she resumed, her eyes looked dreamy, ‘But it’s still a wild place. From the battlement, you can see herds of deer roaming in the distance, and some nights you can hear the growling of a tiger or a leopard that had drifted near the settlements outside the fort. Last winter a pack of wild dogs chased me when I had wandered too far.’ She enjoyed the awestruck faces for some moments and then ruffled the hairs of those nearby.

Before anyone could ask another question, a carriage stopped and they all stood up. ‘Greetings Choto Ma’ the kids said in unison. Hasi smiled softly as she took Labonno in her arms. ‘Aw, she is leaving already, it’s just midday’ a girl moaned. Hasi smiled again and caressed Labonno’s hair, ‘Our Choto Rani will hold court tomorrow and she needs to prepare for that.’ Again, Labonno enjoyed the awestruck faces for a few moments. ‘I will come again, soon enough’ she assured, and smiled, before stepping into the carriage.