The Aryavarta Chronicles Kaurava: Book 2 by Krishna Udayasankar Read Free Book Online Page B

are yours by divine right as soon as you’re crowned. It’s quite natural; don’t torment yourself so.’
    ‘And what do you believe, Panchali?’ he had wanted to know.
    Hesitantly she had replied, ‘I believe that these things must be earned.’
    That day, Dharma had finally understood what it was he wanted the most – one chance to earn fame and bring glory upon his line. One chance to make Partha look at him with respect, to make Panchali yearn for him as women did for warriors. It was not a matter of vanity; it was one of duty. Destiny was an instrument of divine justice; the gods never blessed men with what they did not deserve. As far as Dharma was concerned, to doubt his merit to rule was to doubt the notion of Divine Order itself. He could not let that happen. He wanted the chance to irrevocably establish that Divine Order was everything, to prove that destiny towered over them all. He wanted to prove that he deserved to be Emperor of Aryavarta.
    The need fuelling his quick, firm strides, Dharma entered the building that served as his private residence. Panchali smiled as he came in to the study. He returned the gesture with affection and a hint of desire in his eyes. Her years were yet to take a toll on her, and she had remained the shapely, attractive woman whose smouldering beauty had once drawn every king and prince in the realm to compete for her hand, the utility of having her father as an ally notwithstanding. Her dark skin reflected a golden glow from the huge bronze chandelier overhead, making her look like a fiery mirage. The silk of her red robes seemed to glide lovingly over her smooth skin, and her long hair rested in a heavy knot at the nape of her neck, highlighting the strong but graceful line of her shoulders.
    Unable to resist her proximity, Dharma ran a finger over her full lower lip and then pulled her into a passionate embrace.
    She protested, ‘Patience! There’s work to be done. Besides,’ she teased, ‘it’s a short wait till nightfall…’
    Reluctantly, Dharma let go of her and turned his attention to the scroll she handed him for his seal of assent. He frowned as he read through it. ‘What is this?’ he snapped.
    Panchali said, ‘As you can see, this is a decree removing all taxes and tolls throughout the empire on goods made by the Naga ironsmiths. The current tolls and taxes that the kings of the various nations impose are far beyond the capacity of individual ironsmiths and craftsmen. They have no choice but to sell their wares to the saamantas and vassal chieftains at a ridiculously low price, or else work as bonded labour in their forges. The vassal lords, on the other hand, can well afford to make the investment and reap the benefits tenfold, if not more. If we don’t do away with the toll, our new empire will only serve to to make rich lords richer. It doesn’t hurt the imperial treasury in any way – in fact, as a sort of inducement, we could even offer to reduce the levies we impose on these kings. The increase in charges paid by foreign merchants to the empire for the right to trade here will more than make up for any loss of revenue to us.’
    Dharma stared at the scroll as he considered Panchali’s words. He had no doubt that her simplified statement of the situation came more from her belief that he knew what she was talking about than a lack of understanding or analysis on her part. In fact, he would not be surprised if he found that she had already consulted with his advisors, even his brothers, before putting this proposal before him. Nevertheless, she had failed to see the basic problem, one that had nothing to with the wealth of the empire.
    Drawing in an irritated breath, he began, ‘You want me to remove taxes… No, wait, let me restate that. You want me to interfere in the internal affairs of one of Aryavarta’s nations, at the risk of enraging all the monarchs in the realm, so that the Nagas can defy their lords and their rightful king Takshaka, to