Chapter Text
They were in love. They were cloyingly, blindly, disgustingly in love. It was unbearable. Bijjaladeva paced the length of his room. Mekhala was his friend, his almost-sister, his playtime warmate, his strategist, his foil... his, his, his. He knew that his mother had considered marrying them, but it was very apparent this was not their match. They were friends, and they could be even cousins, but it would never be a marriage between them. He gave her his whole hearted wishes on her upcoming wedding, he was truly happy for her happiness- he merely resented that it was to that overgrown teenager Vikramadeva.
Sembiyan Mahadevi had called for a family dinner on the rooftop. He made his way up, forsaking his formal clothes and jewelry for the simple plain cotton dhoti and a passably clean towel. As he climbed the stairs, Mekhala came crashing into him from behind. He shouted out, grasping onto the frames for stability, but on seeing her excited face all annoyance that had risen instantly vanished. "Ammadi, slowly", he suggested in his softest voice. It was a tone no one would hear, his real gentleness and affection. "Move, old man, can't you see I'm running?" she squealed and picked up her skirts again and rushed to the terraces. With an honest smile, Biju picked up his pace and followed.
They raced, spinning around the landings and pushing each other out of the way in their oldest game. He had never lost yet, she had never cried yet. He loved that frankness in his 'Kalai. She did not play beneath her power, but she would face defeat with a straight face and congratulate the winner. He wished there were more girls like her in his world. It was turning out to be yet another replay as he pulled ahead and wondered what pithy line he would declare from the finish line, when he tripped and as he came crashing down, saw the strong feet with silver anklets running ahead of him. "Catch up, you senile man!" she shouted from the next landing. He sat up, brushing away the dust and shaking his shoulders, wondering how he had tripped.
Vikramadeva peeked out from behind a pillar on the landing, grinning nervously and winking.
Bijjaladeva felt jealousy and rage building up in his heart. It was their game, their fight, their moments. How dare this dimwit trick his way into it? He did not mind losing, he felt more enraged that an outsider had wormed his way into his only real friendship and now had the audacity to wink at him... Bijjaladeva stood up with fury clouding his vision, only knowing that his fist was rising to meet this trickster's body-
prince, lineage, disown, Matha Ghosha, danger, Sembiyan - a whirlwind of thoughts ran through his head as he desperately tried to think if he had to stop his hand-
It was with total confusion that he found his fist closing on Vikramadeva's back, and he gaped in confusion as he tried to make sense of his position. Vikramadeva hugged him even tighter, laughing in his ear.
"...knew this would be the way! After all, brothers do play and fight every now and then, don't they, Anna?" Vikramadeva pulled back, holding his elder brother at an arm's length. Bijjaladeva looked at the full-bodied grin in his enemy's eyes, and arranged his face hastily into a smirk.
"Brothers also play-fight, don't you know?" He crushed the boy into a tight hold and punched his biceps and laughed, dragging him up the stairs.
Sembiyan Mahadevi reached for her husband's hand and smiled at him, nodding her head to the melee of youngsters on the rooftop. Squeals of laughter and flying ends of clothes lit up beautifully in the moonlight. "Our very own happy little family!" she exclaimed at him.
"All of us here, laughing and eating happily- how so very nice this is!" He answered.
"All of us, yes!" She rejoiced, eyes glancing at Balaraman standing on the north corner, one of the eight guards that stood watch on them. She glanced back at her husband who was gazing adoringly at her.
"What is it, darling Queen? You seemed distracted for a minute there."
She smiled sadly. "I was once like this, young and carefree, running about with my girl friends... It's nice to look on these children now and remember those days." She nestled her head in his shoulders, sighing. Sembiyan Mahadevi knew how to conceal a thought with another truth.