The king's first wife

Sick

So what if she had no authority in the royal family? She still had authority in the royal court. You could see it in the way she smirked as everyone stood in the sick king's bedroom. 

" Baba..." the prince was distraught as his father coughed out blood in front of him. 

It had been months since she lost everything. Or so they thought.

The king had recently been struck by a rare disease that no vaidya in the royal Court or capital could cure.
He was weak, pale. He'd lost his vigilance and bright eyes. No more could he take care of the Royal court and many issues had remained unresolved because of his absence.

The prince was supposed to be taking care of the court for him but, he wasn't able to properly focus. Every decision he tried to make was opposed by a large number of officials in his court. Any issue he tried to resolve was fought against by his ministers. He was in a state of dismay and couldn't understand how his father had managed to govern the country for so long without giving up.

He knew who was pulling the strings of those insignificant men. He knew who was behind his father's illness. And he knew what needed to be done. But he had no authority or proof to do anything.

" Sohit... Take care of the kingdom. Be a wise ruler," the same old words of the dying man fell on the princes' ears and they all sighed internally as the younger son of the king held his hand tightly
" You are not dying yet baba," he reminded the young king who could only sighed
" Every day seems like the last in my eyes. I just want to be sure that everything will be taken care of before I die-"
" Baba!" " Your highness!" They all shouted at him to shut up as it was a bad omen to speak about one's death and the king coughed out silence at his loved ones' request.
" Don't you dare talk about that!" His wife scolded him and all he did was give her a weak chuckle after which all he could do was look at her longingly 
" I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you forever," he told her his biggest regret. To not be with his wife in her old times, " I'm sorry I couldn't protect you,"
" No. All you did was protect me," the older woman got tears in her eyes as she held her husband's hand and longed for him to recover soon. But her pleas fell on deaf ears because it was not God who could save him... 

It was a cunning old woman who had no intentions to...

" You are a king. It doesn't suit you to say sorry to anyone!" she spoke up, " Your mother didn't raise you well enough. I knew you were never suited to be king!" she ranted. 

He was on his deathbed... And all she could do was talk ill about him in front of him and his family... The prince really didn't understand how his father had managed to live with that woman for so long because all he wanted to do at that moment was behead her for even thinking of such things. 

" Especially to your wife! How dare you insult my family and apologize to your wife! How dare you insult my upbringing and use those words, being the mighty king that you are! So what if you are dying? You still are the king and you need to behave like one! Even after your death, you need to be just like a king!" 
" Rani ma," his frail voice cut through her rants, " I want to speak to my sons alone," he was staring at Sohit now, with a determined yet pale face. 

His wives, daughter, son-in-law, daughters-in-law, stepmother, stepbrothers, stepsisters-in-law, nephews, their wives, their children, his own grandchildren, court officials, vaidyas, everyone was present in that room and all he wanted at that moment was to talk to his sons. 

Sohit... 

" No. This is not the time-"
" I am the king and I want to speak to my sons, in private," he ordered in the sternest voice that he could make 
" You're sick so you are going crazy now! These are your last moments and according to rituals-"
" I think you heard what the king ordered," Sohit looked at the old woman with anger in his eyes, " He wants to speak to us in private. Are you going to go against the king's order?!"
" He is on his deathbed! The next thing we will hear is him asking to ride a golden elephant!" a few of the court officials began laughing at what she said but Sohit stood his ground
" Is that how you talk to your KING!?" he shouted and glared at everyone who was laughing. Well, his death stare worked because there was pin drop silence in the room after that, " Didn't you all hear? Get out of the room now before you are escorted out! The King wants to speak to us in private!" 

The king's influence was so low in his own court that the officials had the nerve to laugh at him while was dying... 

Sohit felt hatred in his heart at that moment. 

He wasn't 21 yet but looking at the scenario, he knew that he could become the king any day now and he wanted to change things for the best. He couldn't bare seeing his father's condition and the people giggling around were just adding fuel to his already rigid anger toward them. He wasn't going to spare any of them. Nor that old woman for all she had done to him and his wife. But now that he looked at it... She hadn't only wronged him and his wife. She had wronged his son by not letting him be born in his home. She had wronged his mother too, by forcing her father into a second marriage when she conceived a daughter. She had wronged her father too by stripping half of his power in his own court. She had wronged his sister by marrying her off too soon and wronged his brother by never letting him have anything in his life. She had wronged his entire family. 

And she was going to regret messing with his family.