Inside the Royal Palace, Kingdom of Bhopal

  "But Mahamantri-"

  "Pardon me my Lord, but we haven't got much time on our hands! We cannot afford to think of other alternatives!"

  "I cannot just randomly declare myself independent! Who's to say that the Guptas don't invade in retaliation? Or the Marathas occupy it under the guise of protection? I know my forces, ministers! They pale in comparison to the said entities"

  "Sire, why do you fail to realise which direction the wind is blowing in? Awadh has mutinied and taken their nawab captive. The Rajputs have occupied Alwar and have launched brutal attacks on the Guptan fortifications. Our spies in the frontiers of the empire have already informed you of a growing resentment in the peasantry, which may burst into a rebellion anytime. The landlords of Purvanchal are already suffering the ire of their tenants, and we don't want similar circumstances to arise here."

  "The peasants," said the King, "have a point. Rains have been scanty, produce minimal and taxes oppressive. I had decided to decrease the tax on the harvest but the most sublime nobility decided against it, and now we're at an increasingly untenable situation, one which is further aggravated by the Empire imposing additional taxes."

  "Sire, don't pay heed to those pesky farmers. If they don't pay up, how will the kingdom run? If they suddenly revolt, our economy will be shattered!"

  "And so will our incomes" commented one.

  "And if we don't do something immediately, the seditious revolutionary fervour that has infected the Empire will soon afflict us, and then we would be doomed!"

  "Oh no! Not a mutiny!"

  "I don't want a commoner beating me with sticks and stones! As though he's forgotten who's the master and who's the slave!

  "Just comprehend it, my Lord! Thousands of unruly, illiterate and low-born commoners infiltrating the palace, vandalising the gold and silver, massacring your guards, harming your kith and kin, and most importantly, usurping your absolute authority! Those who have neither the graceful breeding nor the common wit to run a State will all of a sudden attempt to disrupt the peaceful flow of traditions and social customs! It will be lawless anarchy, Highness, lawless anarchy!"

  "We implore you; pray sign the treaty and break the rusty shackles of the Guptas!"

  "Yes-"

  "SILENCE! NOT A SYLLABLE ANYMORE!"

  All of a sudden, the hubbub died down.

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  All eyes were on the King. And boy was he furious, his cheeks flushing and eyes seemingly bulging out.

  "My uncle had committed the cardinal sin of heeding to the avaricious nobility and brought himself and his kingdom to ruin. It was not until his eventual death in samvat 1788(1731 AD) and the ascension of my father to the throne that the power and the prestige of the Crown were restored to their prior glory. He was a man of principles and the first servant of his people. He always sought public opinion when introducing new schemes, especially ones concerning their economic lives. He had refused to entertain the nobility, and naturally, they despised him, for he was one of the earliest advocates for taxing your race. It was not that he never faced rebellions. Why, both the peasantry and the nobility had revolted during different periods of his reign! And he had endeavoured to reach a peaceful resolution, not a murderous violent suppression! Alack! Twenty summers ago he succumbed to black fever, certainly not due to you, honourable Talwekar, threatening to abduct and murder all of his heirs!"

  Talwekar, now white-haired and feeble, mumbled something under his breath. Following his fifteen-year incarceration, he had lost his vigour and partly his mental faculties. Pity had moved the King to pardon him.

  "If my people are disgruntled and dissatisfied, I must reach out to them and listen to their tribulations. I will go in person to the frontiers and assess the situation. As for the treaty, although I have several reservations against it, seeing that relying on the Guptas for security would be akin to hitting the axe on one's feet, I give my assent to it and empower the ambassador to relay the tidings to the Marathas."

  "However, I have a feeling we will regret ever signing this pact."

  Leaving the ministers and nobles confused at this statement, the King exited the room.

  ***

  "But that's not possible!"

  "Blood and iron make anything possible, my Lord."

  "No, no! I cannot accept this!"

  "Think again, my lord. Your loyal servants are more than eager to receive your reply."

  The man looked around the room and the unsightly demeanours of incandescent soldiers disturbed him. Their spikes glittered in the sunlight and their sword made eerie clinking sounds.

  The nawab realized that he needed to act quickly lest he loses his head.

  He had been incarcerated in his fortress for over five hours. His ego had been utterly shattered, and his dignity violated many times over. The mutineers had refused to allow him to leave the Diwan-i-Khas after they came barging inside. Completely overwhelmed and at the mercy of uncouth and bloodthirsty men, he was forced to accede to their unimaginable demands, most of which infringed upon his absolute authority and the "natural order of things".

  Among other things, he had agreed to ennoble commoners, allow them to marry into the nobility, open higher administrative, judicial, and military offices to all his subjects, approve a substantial pay raise, and most importantly, under the threat of armed insurrection, concede to the imposition of absolute martial law.

  The nawab took a sip of wine from a gauntlet placed on a teak-wood table and sighed deeply. He began weighing down on his possible courses of action. To his utter consternation, none were plausible. He could invite the forces of the Emperor to liberate him, but wouldn't that further agitate his captors and accelerate his death sentence? Moreover, he wondered whether the forces would pose any considerable threat to those stationed in Lucknow.

  "I guess it would behoove me to pay lip service to these people for the time being. After all, what matters to me is keeping my head," thought he.

  "Is there anything else that you would want me to put my signature on, Sipah-i-Silar?"

  "As of now, no. We would like you to rest."

  The nawab heaved a sigh of half-hearted relief.

  As he retired into his restroom, a cloaked man, armed with a scroll, and visibly exhausted, barged into the hall.

  Perplexed at this unanticipated visit, the Commander-in-Chief enquired about his sudden visit and whence he came.

  "Nomoshkar, thaaur-moshay. Gustakhi maaf korben, gareeb-nawaz! Aami Shahnaz, ek battabahok. Kalikatar kiledar sahib aamaye pathiyechen. Tini koyite chaichen je tini sokol sena-tena niye Benarose probes koriya giyachen!"

  "Sahib, he wishes to inform you that the Governor of Bengal has arrived in Benaras with his forces."

  "KYA?!! (WHAT?!!)"

  Events were unfold

  ing faster than he had anticipated.

  "What exactly is on his mind?" wondered he.