The king's first wife

Rashtrabhramanam

" Pch," she scoffed as she glared at him through her ghunghat. The princess was currently mad at her husband because he was leaving her alone. All her life, she had never spent more than 2 weeks away from him and now, he was going out to live among the common people for over 2 months. She was mad because he was not taking her along with him and she was even angrier because he asked her to personally pack all his stuff for the trip in one small pack of cloth. 

" What? What's up with your attitude today?"
" Nothing. You are as it is going. I was thinking, I'll go and visit Devar ji in his palace. I heard that his wife had a baby boy," 
" Pari!" for a second, he completely forgot that his brother was going to be traveling along with him too, and especially after hearing her tone, the prince was really provoked. 
" Ok. I won't go to meet him... How about you. Take me with you then?" 
" Only men are allowed in Rashtrabhramanam,"
" But I know that if you persist, Baba will allow me to tag along too. Please!" she grabbed his hand and arched her eyebrows begging him to let her go along with him because she wanted to see the outside world too. She had read so many books but for the past 18 years of her life, she had been living a caged life in the palace. She had never once stepped outside the palace whether it was to visit all those divine temples that the other women were allowed to visit or to hunt along with her husband or even just to go to her Mayka. Leave that, she had never even met her real parents in her entire life... She didn't even know how they looked, what they did, how they were, or even if she had siblings. 
" Pari," he used his bossy tone on her once again though, without knowing what going out of the palace really meant to her in her heart so, she pouted and took her hand back. 
" Fine! Go alone. I bet Devar ji wants me around more than you do," 

Unknown to the two rather naive in-love royals, there was someone overhearing their conversation from outside. Essentially a spy that the prince's second wife had planted to spy on them because even if the prince was done with her, she sure as heck was not done with him. She still was his wife and although she deserved to be burnt alive for having committed the sin of cheating over her husband as written in ancient books, she still was as shameless as ever from inside. She didn't care if he wanted her gone or even if he despised her, all she cared about was the throne and the power. Pari was just a naive, innocent flower in front of her that she needed to trample down, and then, according to the rules, no matter what the prince tried, he would have to make her his queen. 

" Pari?" 
" Please. I don't want to be away from you for so long!" the spy couldn't particularly see anything but by the long silence that ensued the discussion, she didn't know what to conclude on. Besides, before she could hear more, one of the guards asked her to leave quickly because it was time for the prince's time to go out for practice. Hurriedly, before any of them could catch her, she then had to run out of that place. 

" What did you find out?" plus, Aditi was pretty anxious herself. She had the guts to not even get ready to pack her stuff and leave the palace and surely, she was hoping that by the time her husband came back, he would be ready to listen to her side of things. Besides, she would already be 5 months pregnant by then... He would take mercy on her, she would make sure of it. 
" The princess wants to go on Rashtrabhramanam with the prince,"
" What?!" no-no. That would be wrong. Her plan was to silently get the princess poisoned in the palace while the prince wasn't around and then not get caught. If she were to go out with him, all Aditi's plans would be spoiled! She couldn't let that happen. 
" Don't worry. The prince won't take her along. He was absolutely against the idea," if only the maid knew that Pari's pleas had already managed to change her husband's heart and by that time, he had already gone ahead to talk his father into taking her along with him... 

" What? No. Sohit, traditionally only men are allowed outside on Rashtrabhramanam,"
" The rules can change then," 
" No. Amma will not agree with this," 
" Baba... You are the king. Not her. You can make it happen if you persist enough," and although the king was reluctant at his son's sudden request, he did want to go against his stepmother for once. He did want to feel like he was in control because as it is, while he would be gone, his younger brother would take over the responsibility to take care of the state affairs, and ever since he became king, Rani ma had never really let him have his own say in homely matters. He just for once wanted to feel like she wasn't controlling him and that was the only reason the king accepted that request. 

In the end, although he fought with the old woman over it, the decision was made. 
" Amma. I am the king and I say what happens in my Kingdom. Pari has not left this palace since she was born and for once, before Sohit takes over the throne, I want her to go out,"
" You are doing wrong, I'm telling you! Once she steps out of this palace, all her wild thoughts will be fueled! Don't you remember?! She will be the reason for a change in this Kingdom of Mewar-"
" And that change can be good too! Shubha, Malini. Take Amma out. She seems ill... It's fine if she doesn't send us off tomorrow either,"