FIRM GOAL

After a long walk Vaidehi, finally, got hold of a ladder which indicated the end of the tunnel!   She made the prince stand down, climbed up the ladder and moved her hand on the tile above.  She tried to push it and after some effort managed to move it aside.    Asking the Queen to climb up first, Vaidehi took the Mashaal from the latter.  After Satyabhama had climbed up, Vaidehi handed over the Mashaal and then the prince to her.  Finally, she climbed up and placed the tile back in its place that shut the passage.         The three of them found themselves in a small structure that had two tiny rooms which were specifically built to hide from the enemy.  It was located in a forest which was not very dense and there was no fear of any attack from wild animals. 

As soon as they sat down to rest, Amritraj dozed off as he was very jaded from the tiresome journey.  Satyabhama continued to worry about the fate of her husband. 

Vaidehi spoke words of comfort, “O Queen, please do not despair.  Let us have faith in the Almighty.  Our King is a very noble and upright ruler.  Throughout his life, he has only served his subjects and thus has all their best wishes with him.  This would only benefit him and make God shower his mercy on him!”

These words gave some solace to the aggrieved heart of the Queen.  The other worry in her heart was how long they would have to stay hiding like this.  Satyabhama was well aware that after the vile Vikram won the war, he would be on the lookout for her.  Thus, till the time his uncouth intentions do not die down, did they have any choice except to stay in hiding? 

As Satyabhama raised her fears with the maid, she spoke words of reliance, “O Queen, though you would not be getting the royal treatment you used to get in the palace, I shall try to make you stay as comfortable as possible.  You just need not worry about anything.  I feel confident that someday we shall regain our lost kingdom!”

While the Prince had some disturbance during his sleep as he got nightmares about his father losing the war against Vikram, Satyabhama and Vaidehi hardly had a wink owing to the distressing events which had occurred on that fateful day.

The next day, Vaidehi took it upon herself to fetch something to eat.  All of them had gone hungry the other night!  She soon returned with some fruits and berries that grew in abundance in the forest which were very fresh and delicious.  Prince Amritraj was excited to have them and seeing him in good spirits brought a smile to the distraught faces of the Queen and Vaidehi.

As days passed by, the trio continued to live in the lonely forest.  Slowly, they got accustomed to the forest environment.  What was a matter of concern was the Queen’s health which deteriorated at intermittent intervals much to the chagrin of both Vaidehi and Amritraj.  The noble maid knew that the reason behind her Queen’s poor health was the poignant sorrow she had in her heart about the fate that may have befallen her Lord and also about their uncertain future.  She always spoke words of encouragement with the Queen and even took great care of the prince, who even at that tender age, was displaying a remarkable level of understanding and restraint in his childish pranks.    There were even times when he used to console his depressed mother that everything would be alright, and his father would return back unscathed from the enemy attack. 

When Vaidehi cautioned them to be careful while she went to in search of food in the forest, the young Prince spoke valiant words, “Do not worry about us!  I am there to take care of everything!  If any thief or animal comes through the window, I shall tear them apart with my bare hands!  Rest assured!” 

Both Satyabhama and the maid could not resist their laughter at this and used to hug him endearingly.  The Queen used to kiss his forehead and prayed to the Almighty for their wellbeing.