All the King's horses Princess Magnolia was not happy. One could tell she was not so happy since she was clutching hair by the handful. Clutching the hair of her messenger that is. "WINTERTONNN!!!!" the scream reverberated along the long corridors of Brittania's First Castle. Berdam Winterton was the Lead Courtier in the Court of Sullivan the Brave, King of Brittania. Lead Courtier was a post that he had held since so long that some people even whispered that he was as old as the holy Hippogriff[1]. Some even said he WAS the hippogriff. Berdam never budged a muscle against such rumors, he even nudged them a lil from time to time - after all who would want to disturb such a nice aura thing going where one is compared to a very hippogriff. And right then Berdam was feeling much akin to a well fed hippogriff, well fed with good news that is. If anything else, THAT should take care of it, he mused as he jiggled a Likith[2] in his hand. Berdam considered himself a good man, even with a sense of humor. After all one who has just signed a death warrant and a gift to the same person has to have a sense of humor. The Likith twirled like a top in his hand as his mind's gears went on overdrive. Alas - the thinkers of the world are never at peace, never for a long time at any rate, and the door to his study opened with a loud crash, and the Likith slipped from his hand. Berdam was a man disposed to calmness. His eyes amusedly followed the Likith as it rolled on the floor to the feet of the intruder. Berdam also thought of himself as an extremely considerate soul. One who contributes to the soup kitchens and drops a penny in a beggar's bowl so to speak. But then, some beggars come in silk and rich linen and one has to drop more than a penny in their bowl he mused. He took in the princess' distraught appearance and the blue Lik Roll[3], indicating an urgent message that has been delivered at extremely short notice. "Of what service can I be to ye, Oh Princess?" the good man Berdam asked. "This is all your fault Berdam... I verily wonder why my Father keeps you alive at all, forget keeping you the Lead Courtier." the Princess spat in fury, and threw the Lik roll at him as she stormed out. Berdam was impassive. Or if one was discerning enough, even slightly amused. He squinted at the Lik roll on the floor, the seal of the Karzai at the end was clearly visible. He didnt need to look at the roll to know its contents of course. The Karzai had done the needful, the wheels had started a-turning. Humming a tune, he calmly picked up his Likith from the floor... Veerya Suriva would not be counted among the happiest of men at that particular instant. Sure, his was a prosperous kingdom, he had a daughter known for her genteelness and beauty, and most important of all, he had his wise Prathirbhan - his trusted Prime Minister, known far and beyond for his sagacity. Verily, all is milk and honey with the Suriva kingdom - an observer would justly conclude, yet the good King Veerya was not exactly in a honeyed mood. Which was understandable when one factors in that it is not everyday that one faces a gargantuan problem before the Kingdom that threatens its very existence. But even that wouldnt have caused more than a furrow in his copious brow as the fact that Prathirbhan himself was at a loss as to what to do... Till then the King had the sort of generous all-encompassing view towards sundry debilitating crises facing the Kingdom, as a well-fed man would have towards a sundry buzzing mosquito. Just more fodder for the good Prime Minister's grey cells was his general refrain vis-a-vis such crises. He always had the utmost confidence that the trusty Prathirban could devour any niggly groundshattering crisis or two before lunch and be all ready for supper if need be. But now... The King came out of his reverie and gloomily surveyed his Court with a baleful eye, willing at least one of the treasury-burdening courtiers to demonstrate his usefulness. But the courtiers were all maintaining a judicious aint-looking-at-you-in-the-eye position. The King twitched a lip. He considered himself a reasonable man, a man with compassion so to speak. Compassion towards the poor unused scepter to his side that is. He toyed briefly with the idea of switching a courtier or two with the scepter but with gargantuan will power, he decided against it. After all, there was no telling what the obese hardskinneds might inflict on his beloved scepter. "Harken" a voice piped up, indicating a desire to open speech. Finally. As he turned towards the voice to his left, his gloominess returned. Twas his daughter Princess Manjula. Perhaps she intended to talk the Mosira to death - he thought, brightening for a moment, but one look at the hardened face of the Mosira culled that thought out in an instant. The good king clutched his scepter for moral support. The only thing in the universe that was truly a guaranteed support was his scepter, he thought morosely. There was much a man could be forced to take so to speak - A Mosira[4] from the Karzai Kingdom of the west, with a message from the karzai himself demanding a debilitating reparation payment for damages caused by mercenaries that the Karzai alleged were sent by the Suriva court. A much renowned Prime Minister, with almost a fabled aura to his sagacity, blissfully sitting in his comfortable silk cushion, and irresponsibly not churning out solutions as usual. AND a jumping daughter who wanted to interfere in court matters always. There were limits to what any man - with or without a handy scepter - should be made to take he thought, as he mulled once more on switching a nearby courtier or two for cathartic effect. "Harken" the princess piped up again. The King grunted. He never should have instructed Prathirban to take up the training of the Princess Manjula. The blackguard had filled his petite daughter with grandiose notions of achieving the levels of intellect and control of Prathirbhan himself. Perhaps he should get her married off soon or something... Mulling darkly on the sins of his Prime Minister Prathirban, he looked up to give him an eyeful, when he discerned a nod from the fellow. There it was - a clear nodding. The rascal was trying to sleep on him amidst a crisis was he, thought the King in fury for a moment, when the Prime Minister looked him in the eye AND nodded again. "Harken" the voice piped up again, with more than a passing trace of shrillness and pique in it. The good King was an intelligent man, with a quickish grasp on the fundamentals of any situation so to speak. And inspite of his headache, he could perceive, albeit vaguely, that the only way he could stop this madness of nodding Prime Ministers and shrill daughters going "harken" every other instant, was to allow the Princess to speak. He waved his hand regally indicating permission to speak, and leaned heavily on his scepter, the entire weight of the Kingdom on his solitary shoulders, mulling sadly how sin-filled his past Karma must be. The Princess Manjula felt a surge of excitement shooting up her spine. All that backbreaking mental and physical training under the wise Prathirban's supervision should come verily in handy, she thought as she walked to the Mosira. If she could pull this off... She walked up to where the petitioner was standing, and looked at him in the eye for a good many seconds. As Prathirban had taught her, there is nothing that a person can stand worse than a silent staring in the eye. But such aphorisms apply to normal and mundane people. Not to hard and seasoned Mosiras. He blinked nary an eyelid as he stared back impassively. "So Mosira", the Princess started, " the Karzai is asking for reparations of 20 cartloads of gold, and 50 cartloads of muslin - for the damages caused by some mercenaries in your Kingdom?" "Yes me lady" said the Mosira. A man of few words, was our Mosira. "And if we dont pay this, we incur the wrath of the Karzai Senah[6] - the dreaded army of the Karzai kingdom yes?" "Yes me lady" came the stolid reply. And judging from the gloomy looks of the King and Prathirban, the Karzai Senah was not something one played Sacr Dandi[5] with. The princess squinted an eye at the Mosira. Being a princess was grossly overvalued she thought. Not only did she have to suffer backbreaking training under the relentless Prathirban, suffer the chauvinism of her father, and be so very lonely as she could no longer even stand the company of her intellectually vapid playmates, she had to - ah the injustice of this world - she had to prove herself in such trying circumstances involving a messenger, a Mosira, from the Karzai Kingdom itself. She wished she had a mirror that she could look at herself, at her poise at that particular moment. Resisting the impulse to wring her hands, she just squinted at the Mosira. "The Suriva Kingdom refuses to pay this reparation oh Mosira" she said in a voice that was shrill and quiet at the same time. The whole court hushed at the powerful statement. The King almost jumped up from his throne. Egad, he thought, this was the worst day ever. He shut his eyes tightly hoping that it was all a dream, that he was asleep, that Prathirban was abusy at this very instant solving all those pesky problems facing the Kingdom. But the gloomy scene in front didnt change when he opened his eyes. He took a deep breath. Darn that Prathirban for teaching wrong things to... Aha - there was a barely discernable nod from the Prime Minister, there it was again... ah Prathirban was approving of this... The King felt he had got a new lease of life so to speak, he couldnt verily understand what was going on, but if that blackguard Prathirban approved... "Go ahead daughter..." the King boomed, and nodded in satisfaction. If there was one thing the good King was proud of, it was his booming voice. Nothing like a nice baritone to set terror and fear into the hearts of one's enemies so to speak. True, he was in his court and not amongst his enemies, but a lil terror and fear among his fat assed courtiers wouldnt harm either. And then there was the Mosira too... The Princess bowed to the King, and continued - "And as a gesture of our goodwill, I shall accompany you to meet the Karzai as an ambassador of the Suriva Kingdom" The smile faded from the King's face in a jiffy. And as always, when faced with such stressful scenarios, he did what many a Suriva royalty had done - he turned to Prathirban with a raised eyebrow. The Prime Minister was apparently enjoying the proceedings. He was deep into his nodding habit again. The Prime Minister was seemingly approving of what appeared to the King's honest and good eyes as unbridled tomfoolery. But then, if there was one thing about Veerya Suriva, it was leadership. And leadership demanded trust. And trust demanded that you listen to half loony nodding Prime Ministers. Leaning heavily on his scepter, the King made his decision. Nodding his assent, he said in his booming baritone - "So be it - Manjula Suriva, my daughter, Crown Princess of the Suriva Kingdom, shall accompany the Mosira along with her retinue, to act as an ambassador in my name, to discuss this potentially thorny issue with the Karzai himself. Am sure her negotiation talents shall ensure that an amicable solution definitely comes about..." Truth be told he was not sure at all, he could understand nary an undercurrent streaking across his court like there was no morrow, on top of which he had a splitting headache - but just then the Prime Minister looked at the King in the eye and smiled his trademark Prathirban confident smile. Veerya was a simple man, and that confident smile was all it took to make him a happy man again. Another man who was happy right then was Berdam Winterton. He felt like God right then truth be told. Soon, soon... Berdam was a simple man in many ways, all he ever wanted was a full belly, ready drink in the mug, a warm bed - and UNlimited power. Chuckling at his little joke he mused that one cannot really find a greater pleasure than watching helpless puppets dance as you move the strings. Smoothing out the Lik roll in front, he started to write out the message... "The ride wasnt bumpy I hope, melady" said the Karzai, helping the Princess get down from the palanquin, and kissing her hand. The Karzai, King of West Asia, was a lean and gaunt man, with sharp angular features that somehow gave him the appearance of an irked man. Much akin to a majistrate in a bad mood, and a bad bout of indigestion to go with it... Few people were able to sustain his sharp and steady stare before bowing their eyes down... Alighting, the Princess looked around at the grand welcome the Karzai had organized. Was she was here in response to an ultimatum or a friendly invitation? A Pita for the Karzai's thoughts, the Princess mused as she smiled and shook hands with all the courtiers of the Karzai Council. Biting her lips slightly, she hoped that the equations hadnt changed, that she shall not have to reformulate her action plans... One person who didnt feel that he had to reformulate his action plans was Prathirban. Coming so far to an alien land, an ostensibly hostile land at that, and without one's standard retinue - these were things that anybody else would have balked at, nay laughed at. But then, that is why they would be an 'anybody else' and not a wily Prathirban... Smiling with his characteristic twinkling eyes, he concluded his speech before the dumbfounded heir who felt she had no choice but to accept what this stranger, who went by the name of Prathirban, was saying, "And that is why Your Highness, you should do as I ask..." Berdam twirled the Likith in his hand as he listened to the quaint troubles of the Karzai. "Berdam, the woman came as you had said - but she balks at the idea of signing any treaty without the advice of that blasted Prathirban... says she needs to consult him, that she needs more time. The witch might have already sent out messengers for all we know... Perhaps we should go to the next phase..." "Patience Karzai, Patience" Berdam interrupted as he watched the veins distend on the Karzai's forehead. It reminded him of the steaming wisp of royalty back home - Magnolia - and he suppressed a smile. Ah - the vain and dissipated Royalty - the same everywhere... Whatever would happen to them without the Berdams and Prathirbans of the world he mused. "Dear Karzai - Her messengers shall not reach the Suriva Kingdom. I believe they are perusing the scenic environs of our sea floor as we speak." The demeanour of the Karzai calmed albeit by an atom's width. "She shall succumb to your charms within a day or two - perhaps mine too eh? As the mediator of this dispute of yours, or should one say - ours - I believe I have a certain modicum of - shall we say - persuasability eh?" Berdam smiled. "We should leave the option of the next phase - armed conflict - to the last, my friend..." The Karzai eyed the Lead Courtier of Brittania with silent eyes. If not for the carrot of finally getting hold of the Suriva Kingdom, he would have killed the smiling hyena with his bare hands. Only that juicy carrot - and the potential sword of Brittania's retribution held his anger... Princess Manjula was adept at holding her anger - Prathirban was not known for light training - but she mused that Winterton was pushing her to the limit so to speak. Three whole days - and now this... If there was one thing that dainty princesses hated it was - a court choc a bloc with fat balding sedentarists. Well - that too - but basically having to speak in front of hard faced plotting people, twice in the same week really took the wind out of the sails of a dainty princess so to speak. If the Mosira wasnt bad enough, and all these negotiations of the past few days, this debate took the Halwak[8] so to speak. "Princess Manjula, the Karzai Court's patience is not unlimited. We must tell you that a decision has to be made by this week. A non aggression treaty against the Karzai Kingdom, coupled with joint Senah[6] exercises is the logical road to eventual peace and prosperity in Middle Earth. I really dont see why..." "Karzai - " interrupted Berdam," perhaps I should try to convince our sceptical princess. You see, my princess..." "Are you sure you SEE dear Berdam?" came a shrill voice from the Court doors. Berdam turned with shocked alarm. No it couldnt be... "Berdam Winterton - you are under arrest for treason." thundered Magnolia, the Crown Princess of Brittania, as she strode regally into the court. Manjula, watching the drama unravel was shocked to see a smiling Prathirban follow behind. Prathirban, a man of few words, continued - "AND dear Karzai - so are you. Your army-chief has surrendered, the armies of Brittania and Suriva are on the shores of the kingdom, alert as a fork prong as we speak" Manjula just remained open-mouthed as Prathirban walked up to her, and rubbed her shoulders. "Hopefully you didnt have too rough a time Princess..." he said smiling his enigmatic smile. "We.. we.. are all done here?" was all the Princess could manage. "Indeed my princess, we only need to sign a couple of treaties..." Prathirban said. Bowing to the approaching Crown princess of Brittania, he set upon the good job of introducing to each other the unwitting pieces of an intercontinental intrigue... "This, melady, is Crown Princess of Brittania, Magnolia, and this here, melady, is Manjula..." Veerya was a simple sorta man - with simple wants. He didnt have many qualms about life - well if one doesnt count his sad winning record in Chezranj[7] that is. But right then, the good King was anything BUT his usual self of warmth and sunshine towards humanity. But truth be told, he wasnt exactly angry either. After all, any warm blooded King who, without moving a muscle becomes many times more powerful in the morning than he was when he had gone to sleep the previous day wouldnt exactly be a picture of rancor. True - the Suriva Kingdom was big earlier too, but now it had the fealty of the vast West Asian kingdom of the Karzai himself. The reason for the lack of the usual Veerya good humor was the fact that, despite being suddenly the King of a large empire, the good King was a trifle fuzzy on the why's and the how's of the situation. By the time he had came to know of it, an entire battalion of the Suriva army had already reached the capital of the Karzai Kingdom. His first reaction was an immediate anger at the Prime Minister and the army chief for going to the point of mobilizing his army without his very permission. He had felt betrayed and angry that none of the men surrounding him had thought fit to tell him - the KING - about such petty matters as declaring war on a vastly superior army and Kingdom. But the very next day he got news of a coup, followed by the safe and casualty-less return of the Suriva army and Manjula. Apparently the Karzai had been just arrested, according to the code of Suriva warfare, but had committed suicide in the dungeons. How the Karzai got arrested was a mystery that he was waiting for that blackguard Prathirban to come and unravel. He even heard vague stories of how the Brittania Kingdom had got involved AGAINST the Karzai, even though apparently their lead courtier had been deputed to work WITH the Karzai. And to make matters worse, the Princess had not spoken a word since she had come back. She almost seemed glum on such a joyous occasion. And amidst such trying circumstances, the Prime Minister had vanished from the face of the earth. Darned irresponsible of the old fellow the King mused. In fact, the KIng would have been positively worried if not for the Lik Roll that the Princess had wordlessly handed over on her arrival. Twas from Prathirban, and asked for a leave of seven days before he could attend the Suriva Court. It also apologized for the secretive mobilization of the army - apparently there were spies in the Court that needed to be weeded out. There were two other Lik Rolls - one a treaty between the Brittania kingdom and the Suriva Kingdom, promising mutual non-aggression. And the other, a declaration proclaiming him - Veerya Suriva - to be the regent-in-charge of the Karzai's West Asian Kingdom. Veerya couldnt wait till Prathirban arrived from wherever the blackguard was hiding... Oh Goddd - how she hated it when he acted all smug and dandy like that. And true to form, the fellow was spouting wise sayings to the dozen. "One who puts her hand in the fire in the hope of getting warm faster, risks the loss of the said hand yes?" Cockier than usual, was the Prime Minister. "Indeed, it is by observing the fire, and staying the appropriate distance from it, that one can get the most out of it yes?" Normally Veerya would just smile and nod when Prathirban got into one of his 'sayings' moods, whilst spending his thought cycles on more pressing matters like the menu for lunch that day, or even more important - the menu for supper... But this time, he was intrigued a trifle, by the rapid coloring of the Princess' cheeks. He tried to correlate fire and hands and the Princess, but his head ached from lack of nutrition. With gargantuan force of will, he removed his attention from listening for the lunch bell, and focussed on the problem at hand, and could immediately percieve what was to be done... "Prathirban - amplify my friend, amplify..." The Prime Minister bowed and flashing a small smile at the Princess started - "My good King - it all started a few months ago, with the Lead Courtier of Brittania, Berdam Winterton, contacting the Princess secretly with a proposition." The King looked at the Princess incredulously. "Would you care to explain the terms of the proposition my Princess?" Prathirban asked innocently. When the Princess continued to remain glum and downcast, the Prime Minister continued, "He wanted to follow secretive unorthodox channels to put down the Karzai Kingdom. Unorthodox channels since neither the King Sullivan nor yourself have exhibited any desire to take on the Karzai, and have preferred peace always. What the wily fellow suggested was a coup against the Karzai, and for that he needed the help of the Suriva Kingdom - and who better than our beautiful princess?" The princess remained quiet. "In return for following his plan, the Suriva kingdom would get the fealty of the West Asian Kingdom, while all he asked was an annual treaty to the Brittania kingdom." "The plan was for Berdam to send mercenaries to the Karzai Kingdom, make sure blame is put on the Suriva Kingdom, and make sure a Mosira is dispatched to our Court." "Upon which our Princess was to trot daintily all the way to the Karzai kingdom, the cover being to act as an ambassador, the ostensible purpose being to be a part of the coup. After the coup, the Princess would then ride home in victory, with a veritable kingdom in her hands. Berdam in turn would go back to Brittania with an annual treaty in hand - one that would deepen the Brittania coffers considerably, as also his position in the Brittania Court." "Unfortunately for the Princess, the wily Berdam had worked out a similar plan with Karzai, of first making sure the Princess comes to the Karzai Kingdom as an ambassador, coaxing her to sign a non-aggression pact in the interests of peace, and then or even otherwise, delivering the final assault with the combined might of the Karzai Senah[6] and the Brittania army, catching the Surivas unawares so to speak. Unfortunately for the Karzai, Berdam was even wilier. He intended neither the Karzai nor the Princess to gain from this. He had got himself sent to the Karzai Court as an ambassador, after having made the Karzai send an inflammatory message to King Sullivan initially itself... He intended to carry out the coup with the Karzai and take over so to speak. AND he intended to coax the princess into signing a non-aggression pact with him, and use the combined might of the Surivas and the Karzai to force the hand of King Sullivan. My dear King, he aspired to the very throne of Brittania itself." whispered the Prime Minister. The King spared a glance at his remorse-stricken daughter, when a question struck him - "And what pray were you doing these seven days after the coup, Oh Prathirban?" The Prime Minister smiled enigmatically. "I was solving a mystery that has been eating me since my childhood your majesty." "I was curious whether the fabled Holy Hippogriff of Brittania existed or not..." "AND?" asked the King Veerya, whose formidable list of virtues excluded any lack of curiosity. "And I found this my lord" said the Prime Minister quietly. "What...?" the King almost shouted, eaten with curiosity. ... King Prathirban, the Emperor of Middle Earth - comprising Brittania, West Asia and the Suriva Kingdoms - was known far and wide as a wise man. An old wise man to be exact. Verily - he had been the emperor for so long that people had only a dim recollection of when exactly his reign started. Indeed, some said he was as old as the holy hippogriff. Some even said he WAS the holy hippogriff. FOOTNOTES - [1] Hippogriff - A legendary creature. Considered holy by some. Not believed to exist by most. Rumors exist of sightings from time to time in the mountains of Brittania. [2] Likith - a document inscribing tool. [3] Lik Roll - a document, generally a message. [4] Mosira - a petitioner, one who argues out a case on his or somebody else's behalf before the royal court. [5] Sacr Dandi - a game of sticks and stones, played generally by children. [6] Senah - army. [7] Chezranj - a game involving a chequered board and stones. Played by royalty. [8] Halwak - sweet porridge. A dessert.