The smile on Bhaskaracharya's face dropped instantly as he heard Eshaan's words.
His arms, which had been wrapped around Eshaan a moment ago, with pride in his eyes, fell back to his sides and his eyes lost its shine.
"What did you say?" Bhaskaracharya couldn't believe that Eshaan took such a dangerous decision.
"I said I am not leaving Ujjayini, Acharya." Eshaan didn't lower his gaze and his eyes stayed glued to Bhaskaracharya's eyes. "Not until I attain what I came for."
"You just said you were going to the royal court."
"I am still saying, I will go to the royal court."
"Then why did you say that earlier?" Bhaskaracharya's voice has now reached the top and it rang against the corridor stones. "First you tell me you are going to leave the Vedha Shala, now you are saying you will not leave Ujjayini, and answer the royal charter?"
Eshaan took a breath. "Acharya, I have been given an opportunity to learn from the king himself, you told me I was meant to be great, a unifier, a conqueror. Then, shouldn't I accept his majesty's call and learn from him."
"Eshaan, you are just eleven my child, you are not of age."
"I am not going yet, Acharya. Trust me on this. I won't go, not until I am thirteen."
Bhaskaracharya stared at Eshaan for a long time, and his expression changed gradually from anger to tired and then eventually to disappointment.
"Do you understand what you are saying?"
"I do, but I don't know if I am choosing the correct thing." Eshaan admitted, and his honesty surprised even himself. "I don't understand any of it Acharya. Whatever you told me, whatever his majesty wants of me, whatever Acharya Kripa saw in me. But, I understand what opportunity I would be abandoning if I left tonight, and that is enough for me to not run away."
"Courage and recklessness often look identical to the man who possesses them," Bhaskaracharya said quietly.
"I am saying this again, you are only eleven years old, and you have years to develop yourself into a fine being. I don't understand why are you risking your future by involving in politics right now."
Eshaan didn't have a clean answer to that. He stood there instead, letting the silence stretch, because for once he understood that reaching for a clever reply would only prove his Acharya's point for him.
"If his majesty truly wants me by his side," Eshaan said finally after thinking for a while, "then he will have to wait."
"What?"
"I am going to the palace to ask for time until I reach of age, Acharya. As I said earlier, I will be twelve in a few months, then in around a year and a half later, I will be of age."
He continued, "I want to properly finish my formal education under your's and Lilavati's tutelage. That way, I wouldn't upset his majesty and get enough time to atleast reach my primary goal of learning under you."
Bhaskaracharya's eyes narrowed, he again misjudged this child's intelligence. He now understood that Eshaan knows what he is doing and his majesty, King Vindhyavarman will gladly accept his request.
"I never considered this as an option and I think this would be the best course of action. I will also have a year and a half to make preparations for Eshaan to leave if I sense danger even after his coming of age." Bhaskaracharya thought.
"What happened Acharya, everything okay?" Eshaan inquired.
For the first time since the smile dropped from Bhaskaracharya's face, his face lit again after considering Eshaan's plan.
"You argue like a man twice your age," He answered. "It unsettles me every time you do it."
"Can I take this as your approval, Acharya?"
"I might have to write a letter to his majesty from my side as well. But, we can work this out." Bhaskaracharya assured. "Go to your dormitory, Eshaan. I have work to do tonight, and remember we will be negotiating with his majesty, day after tomorrow. So be ready for it."
"Of course, Acharya." Eshaan bowed and touched Bhaskaracharya's feet before leaving for his dormitory.
As planned, Eshaan and Bhaskaracharya left for the palace two days after their conversation. The sky over Ujjayini was clearer than it had been in weeks, as though the city itself had decided to put on its best face for the occasion.
Eshaan walked half a step behind Bhaskaracharya, dressed in the plainest good clothes the Vedha Shala could offer him, aware of every eye that turned toward them as they crossed the market road. Word about the royal charter had already spread, and now, the people bowed their heads as the two of them passed, murmuring something to each other under their breath.
Eshaan didn't look at any of them directly. He kept his eyes forward, on the white stone gates of the royal palace rising slowly larger with every step, and tried not to let his hands shake.
"Nervous?" Bhaskaracharya asked, without turning his head.
"No, Acharya."
"You're a poor liar for someone who could plan out things so well."
Eshaan kept his silence.
The guards at the outer gate recognized Bhaskaracharya on sight and let them through without question, though their eyes lingered a moment too long on Eshaan. They were led through two courtyards, then a long colonnaded hall lined with carved pillars, before finally reaching the doors of the main court itself, Eshaan noticed that it was a different route to the same court that he had visited a few weeks prior.
The Sabha was already half full when they entered.
Eshaan still recognised the courtroom from his last visit, the pale bars of sun cutting across the polished floor, the same raised seat at the far end where King Vindhyavarman sat, plainly dressed as before, his greying beard catching the light. A familiar setting should have calmed Eshaan a bit but, it did the opposite, it made him more nervous than the first time.
Divakar Joshi stood near the front of the assembled courtiers, in the same place he had stood the first time, his hands folded before him in an attitude of perfect patience that Eshaan had already learned not to trust.
Above, the carved screen ran along the gallery as it had before. Eshaan didn't let his eyes climb to it immediately, though he was aware, in the edge of his vision, that it wasn't empty.
Bhaskaracharya bowed low before the throne, and Eshaan followed a half-step behind, exactly as he had the first time.
"Acharya." Vindhyavarman's voice carried the same dry warmth Eshaan remembered. "I received a prior notice that you will be visiting the court with Eshaan, but I didn't think it would be with a request, it's written all over your face."
"Your Majesty sees more than I intended to show."
"His Majesty always does," Divakar corrected, rather smoothly. "It is, I must confess, a part of what makes serving him such a lesson."
The king's eyes flicked toward Divakar for a bare moment, something almost weary in them, before returning to Bhaskaracharya. "Speak, Acharya. What has brought you and your remarkable pupil back to my hall without sending a reply to my charter?"
Bhaskaracharya inclined his head. "Your Majesty's Raja-Shasana honours Eshaan beyond what either of us expected. He does not refuse it, nor does he ask to be released from it."
"Then what does he want?" Divakar again interrupted.
Bhaskaracharya looked at Divakar before looking back at the king, "He asks only for time, until he comes of age at thirteen. He wishes to complete his formal education under my roof, so that he enters your service prepared rather than half finished."
For a moment, the king said nothing. His eyes moved past Bhaskaracharya, settling on Eshaan directly with the same assessing look that he remembered.
"A year and a half," Vindhyavarman started slowly. "You dare ask a king to wait a year and a half for a citizen he has already summoned for the nation?" Vindhyavarman's tone went from slow to booming as he finished the last word.
"I do, Your Majesty."
"Bold, for a boy to ask for such a thing from me." A smile crept up Vindhyavarman's face, but didn't hold up for more than a few seconds.
"Tell me why I should grant it, in your own words this time, and not your Acharya's."
Eshaan felt every eye in the hall settle on him again, the way they had the first time, but his fear that had come with all the attention was now manageable as he was getting comfortable in this tense environment as the time passed.
"Your majesty, the things that peeked your interest in me are the things that came from getting educated under my guru, Bhaskaracharya and his daughter, Devi Lilavati."
Eshaan smartly took a pause before continuing to let the fact settle into Vindhyavarman, "If I enter your service today, I may not bring the skills and knowledge that I could bring you in a year and a half. I am not asking you to release me from the duty you have abided me by but, I am asking you to let me become someone worth what you've imagined me to be."
Divakar Joshi didn't wait for the king to respond. "It's a pretty argument, your majesty. But, it is only to think of a way to get rid of your charter." His voice slid across the hall, heard by every ear present in the court.
"But consider what precedent it sets. If a boy of eleven may reshape the terms of a royal charter by asking sweetly enough, every petitioner who leaves this hall today will wonder what he might have gained by asking sweetly himself."
"It is not sweetness Amatya." Bhaskaracharya argue with an edge in his voice. "It is logical, practical and above all, it is what's best for Eshaan's growth."
Divakar's jaw tightened as he felt his pride hurt, once again by Bhaskaracharya and his dumb pupil.
Before Divakar could recover and say something in reply, King Vindhyavarman spoke. "It is true what Acharya said. I want to take Eshaan under my wing, and not only him, anyone with great talents is welcomed in my service, and that is the reason why I want what's best for Eshaan's growth. And Eshaan's explanation is also at point."
A ripple of murmurs erupted in the court, amusement, discomfort, expectations, every emotion could be felt by Eshaan as the words of his majesty reached the courtesans.
"Your majesty," Divakar tried again, more careful with his words than before. "even granting the boy's cleverness, and as you said growth, don't you think he would grow more while being here, with all the tutors, and marshals, and whatever superior resources of our kingdom present in the castle itself?"
Vindhyavarman remained quiet for a long time, his eyes moved between Eshaan and Bhaskaracharya, and then, briefly upward, towards the gallery screen, where sat his wife and daughter.
"I am certain." The king finally said, "That I do want Eshaan to be under me. But, everyone in my kingdom is free to live and as human beings, we have a free will that even Mahadev himself respects. So, little Eshaan here does have control over his decisions. And as he respected my summons and my wishes, I will certainly respect his and grant him a year and a half, no less, no more to fulfil whatever he had left."
Bhaskaracharya and Eshaan both let out a sigh of relief as the king's words settled over the court. The whole court fell silent, and almost everyone had a newfound respect for their already revered King. Only Divakar Joshi and his aide were unhappy with how Vindhyavarman dealt with this matter, and Divakar was clenching his fists in anger.
"Thank you, Your majesty." Eshaan bowed low.
"Do not thank me yet." The king's tone stayed light. "There is but, one condition, and I would have you both hear it before you leave my hall today."
Bhaskaracharya went still again, and Eshaan started sweating from his forehead and palms.
"During this year and a half," Vindhyavarman continued, "you remain, in every formal sense, a student of the Vedha Shala. But on occasions of my own choosing, you will also come to me privately, and accompany me."
"May I ask why, Your Majesty?" Bhaskaracharya questioned with folded hands.
"You don't need to fold your hands, Acharya. I respect you. But, I must beg your pardon as I cannot yet reveal the matter to you. I just wish to talk to Eshaan, and see his growth with my own eyes."
Vindhyavarman's gaze then settled on Eshaan directly, "Do you accept these terms?"
"As you command, Your Majesty." Eshaan answered and bowed a third time.
"Good." Vindhyavarman settled back, and the ordinary murmur of the court began.
"Then we are agreed. Acharya, you may—"
A small door at the far end of the hall opened before King Vindhyavarman could finish. A messenger dressed in black entered the court and directly rushed to the king and whispered something in his ears. King Vindhyavarman's expression turned serious as his gaze shifted between Eshaan and the messenger. Eshaan stood their patiently with Bhaskaracharya.
"Eshaan, you must come with me right away. I have to show you something." Vindhyavarman ordered as the messenger left the hall from the same gate.
Eshaan looked toward Bhaskaracharya and he nodded in approval. The king stood up and left the hall with Eshaan in a hurry.
"The court is now dismissed for the day, please start dispersing." The Raja-Pratihara who was tasked with announcements, announced and, soon the whole court dispersed chattering along the way.
The Raja-Pratihara then approached Bhaskaracharya and said, "His Majesty has some urgent work that requires Eshaan's attention. He has requested that you allow Eshaan to remain here for the time being. He will personally see that Eshaan is sent back to the Vedha Shala once the matter is settled."
Bhaskaracharya nodded after hearing the explanation, then left the court and returned to the Vedha Shala.
Eshaan followed the king through a narrow door behind the throne that he hadn't even noticed was there until it opened. Vindhyavarman didn't slow his pace to explain anything, and Eshaan had to lengthen his own stride twice just to stay a step behind him.
"Your Majesty," Eshaan tried, once they'd left the main hall far behind, "what has happened?"
Vindhyavarman didn't answer immediately. His jaw stayed set, his eyes fixed somewhere ahead that Eshaan couldn't yet see, and the silence that followed told Eshaan more than any answer could have. Whatever this was, it wasn't a simple matter.
They passed through two more corridors, each one narrower and quieter than the last, until the sound of the dispersing court had faded away behind them completely. The guards that had trailed them from the Sabha peeled away one by one at each turning, until only a single man remained, walking a respectful distance behind, his hand resting easily on the hilt of his sword.
Finally, they reached a small door at the end of a passage lit by a single hanging lamp. Vindhyavarman stopped before it, turned to the last guard, and ordered, "Wait outside, Watch that no one enters."
The guard bowed and took his place beside the door without a word.
The king pushed it open himself.
Inside was not the grand chamber Eshaan had half expected. It was a modest room, plain compared to the rest of the palace Eshaan had seen so far, lined with shelves of scrolls and a single low table in its centre, lit by lamps burning low.
And there, standing beside the table, was a woman who looked like she had been waiting there for some time.
Eshaan startled, half a step behind the king, his instincts told him that this woman was dangerous.
Vindhyavarman didn't look surprised to see her. If anything, his shoulders eased slightly at the sight of her, though the wariness in his eyes didn't fully leave. "You said it was urgent."
"It is, Your majesty." Her voice was calm and unhurried, like she was used to talking to Vindhyavarman this way.
Her attention shifted towards Eshaan as she studied the boy standing in front of her. "So, this is the boy."
Eshaan felt something tighten in his chest at those words. He didn't know this woman, never met her, but, she knows him somehow.
"You know me?" Asked a startled Eshaan.
"Oh, I don't but I do." She didn't quite answered.
"What do you mean?"
"Vidhya," Vindhyavarman interrupted, and his voice was very serious. "You haven't come to my palace in a decade. But, a few days ago, you came here and asked me to bring him to you, why?"
Eshaan couldn't hold his expression as it was of shock and wariness. While Vidhya's eyes moved from Vindhyavarman to Eshaan and a smile appeared on her face.
"I cannot tell you that,"
"Why? I have the right to know, I am the king, I am responsible for this child."
"Do not forget who helped you gain independence from the suzerainty of the Solankis." Vidhya warned.
Eshaan went completely blank, he remembered vaguely reading about King Vindhyavarman Paramara of Malwa who fought for his independence from the Solanki rule but, was it with the help from an outside force?
"Can we not discuss those events of past here?"
Vidhya completely ignored Vindhyavarman as her gazed shifted to Eshaan once more.
"Your Majesty, could you leave us alone for a moment? There is something I need to discuss with him." Vidhya gestured towards Eshaan.
Vindhyavarman studied her for a moment before giving a silent nod. Without another word, he left the chamber and closed the door behind him. Vidhya waited until his footsteps faded before walking over to the door herself. She tested the latch once, then again, making certain it was properly secured. Only after she was satisfied did she turn back towards Eshaan.
"My name is Vidhya," she greeted. "I have been looking for you since a very important thing vanished from our protectorate, and I met a certain someone who knew you and led me to you."
"What are you saying, Devi. I don't know anyone nor do I know you."
"I have come here on behalf of my society, to meet you." Vidhya said and grabbed Eshaan's wrist.
She began tracing the unusual birthmark on Eshaan's wrist. Suddenly, she knelt before him and bowed, curling her right hand into a fist and pressing them against her chest. This gesture shocked Eshaan.
Vidhya slowly rose to her feet and looked at Eshaan once more, her expression finally giving way to relief.
"You have returned at last."