Title: The Demon of Mysore
Chapter 2: Raghavendra
Author: NoCleverSig
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Sanctuary or its characters and ma making no profit from my playtime with them.
Chapter 2: Raghavendra
The dining hall of the great palace of Mysore was lined with red carpets and painted walls gilded with gold.
Helen Magnus sat in the middle of a very long, very Western looking, dining table. Sir Stuart Fraser seated on her right. James Watson seated to her left. Surrounding them were an eclectic mix of British administrators and their wives, most dressed in traditional Western clothing, and members of the Maharaja's court, clad in indigenous attire.
The Mysorean men wore turbans of various kinds. Each color and decoration, a distinction, Sir Fraser informed Helen, that denoted the status of the man who wore it. The younger Indian women dressed in long skirts with a half sari made of silk. Mysore was famous for its silk saris, and seeing them, Helen could understand why. The workmanship was exquisite and the colors vibrant and alive. Helen felt a tinge of jealousy thinking of her own, comparatively, drab English clothes.
But it was His Royal Highness Majaraja Krishnarya IV (Krishna) that commanded their attention. The young boy, only 11, sat at the head of the table in a chair made of gold, cushioned to provide him extra height so that he towered, just slightly, above his guests. His turban was red with gold lace and pearls, which draped down into a sash across his body. His tunic and pants were black and gold with intricate green designs. And for a child, he had a bearing and intelligence that seemed to transcend his years. He certainly looked the part of a boy king.
His mother and regent, Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana sat on his right, clad in the finest of intricate silk saris. She too had a royal bearing, but unlike her son, there was heaviness in her eyes that James had noted and Helen could see as well. Her husband, Sri Chamarajendra Wadiyar, had died of diphtheria only two years before, leaving a void in the kingdom and their lives. She had stepped in to fill that void, and from what Fraser had told Helen and James, was serving as a wise and judicious ruler. She would serve as regent until the young Maharaja came of age at 18.
The Maharaja's younger brother, Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar (Kantee), and three sisters sat near him, but it was the man to Krishna's immediate left that caught Helen's eye.
Unlike the other Mysorean men, this gentleman's clothes were simple and unadorned. He wore a white turban with no pearls or lace. His tunic and trousers were also white, making for a striking contrast with his dark, sunkissed skin. His face was clean shaven. He was younger, in his twenties, perhaps a few years younger than Helen. But his eyes…his eyes were startling, Helen thought. They were brown, so brown they might have been black except for the mesmerizing specks of yellow and gold that glimmered in them under the shimmering light of the chandeliers.
"Helen?"
Watson startled her. She realized she had been staring. Bloody hell.
"See something you like?" James said teasingly.
She sighed. "Really James, you must stop."
He laughed. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, my dear. I purely noticed the young fellow as well. He stands out from the rest, doesn't he?"
"Quite," she said simply.
James looked at her. He leaned over the table so he could see Fraser. Helen leaned back so the two men could talk. "Stuart, who is the gentleman sitting beside the Maharaja?"
Fraser looked down the table. "That's Raghavendra Rao. His Highnesses' tutor. I was going to introduce the two of you to him after dinner tonight."
"I thought you were his tutor?" Helen asked.
"Oh, I am when it comes to matters of state, foreign affairs, administration, and British law. But for everything else, particularly art, history, music, languages, and Mysorean culture, Raghavendra is his guide. And an able one at that. He's a brilliant young man. Musician, poet. Educated at Cambridge, actually."
Helen glanced back at the Maharaja's tutor. As if on cue, Raghavendra looked across the table at her and smiled, his golden brown eyes sparkling. Helen felt a blush sweep across her face and quickly looked down at her plate hoping neither Stuart nor James had noticed. Stuart hadn't. James, of course, had.
Dinner completed, Sir Fraser had arranged for a private audience for Magnus and Watson with the Maharaja in his sitting room. Joining them were Krishna's mother, the Regent, his brother Kantee, his mother's trusted secretary, Vishwanath Pashara, and the boy's tutor, Raghavendra.
The simple sitting room was as opulent as the palace itself. The Maharaja sat on a high-backed, golden chair, his mother at his right side, Raghavendra at his left. His brother and secretary sat on cushions on the floor. Magnus, Watson, and Stuart stood. Sir Fraser introduced them.
"Your Highness," Fraser said, bowing, "It is my great distinction to present to you Dr. James Watson and Dr. Helen Magnus of London, England. They are the ones I told you of. The ones of the Sanctuary."
The boy scooted up to the edge of his seat, hands gripping the golden armrests of his chair. He leaned forward.
"Dr. Magnus, Dr. Watson," he nodded to them, addressing them in English in a crisp Indian/British accent. "Sir Fraser has told me of your studies and your gathering of amazing creatures, creatures not thought to exist in the reality of this world. Is this true? Do you do such things? Have such a place?" There was excitement in his voice.
Watson looked at Helen, and inclined his head toward the boy king. Apparently she was to take the lead.
Helen took a step forward. "Your highness," she said, bowing. "What Sir Fraser tells you is true. Dr. Watson and I do study and protect creatures that exist that are, how shall I say? Exceptionable and quite unlike what most humans have ever encountered before. 'Abnormals,' we've chosen to call them. And we have created a place for them to live so that they do not harm us and we do not harm them. We call it the Sanctuary."
Krishna smiled, nodding to his mother and his tutor.
"Excellent," he said. "I asked Sir Fraser to send for you because I believe the murders that plague my people are not from a demon as they think but a beast such as the ones Sir Fraser has described. Do you agree that this is possible?" the boy asked.
Stuart had been right, Helen thought. The young king was indeed intelligent. She nodded. "Yes, your majesty. Given what Sir Fraser has told us, if the eyewitness reports are true, then Dr. Watson and I believe it is possible that a rare creature of some kind may be responsible for the murders in your kingdom."
She noticed Raghavendra frown, and she wondered what she might have said to offend him.
"What will you need to locate this creature?" his mother, the Regent, asked her eyes wary.
"Your assistance, your highness," Watson interjected. "We need to be able to interview the eyewitnesses to these murders, investigate the areas where the attacks took place, and see if there is a pattern to the crimes that have occurred."
His mother leaned over and whispered into Krishna's ear.
"With such access and assistance, do you believe you will be able to catch and kill this creature?" the young Maharaja inquired.
Helen flinched. "Catch, not kill your highness."
Raghavendra leaned forward, and looked at her intently. Krishna frowned. Secretary Pashara stood up, agitated.
"The creature, whether it is beast or man, has killed a dozen of our people!" he said in a strong, south Indian accent. "It must be tracked and killed. If you cannot do that, then your services are useless to us!"
Helen ignored Pashara, took another step forward, and appealed directly to the boy king. "Your Majesty," she said, looking him squarely in the eye. "It is our belief that all creatures, even those that are unlike us, have a place in this world and must be sheltered, protected, studied for the lessons that they can teach us. In our experience, some creatures kill not because they are violent but because their habitat has been invaded, or they are unaware of the power that they have. And those that are violent, too violent to live amongst us; we can take away and protect. That is what our Sanctuary is for. For creatures that need shelter as well as creatures that we humans need shelter from. But the right to live, the right to exist, is something that is paramount to our beliefs."
This time Raghavendra leaned over and whispered into Krishna's ear. The boy nodded.
"That is a belief I can respect, Dr. Magnus. Allowing all to live is right. Brahma created all, and his creation is to be cherished. But the killing of my people must stop. If the creature cannot be captured and taken away from my kingdom to your Sanctuary, then it must be killed. This is my command."
Helen shot a glance at Fraser. Stuart nodded. Best to stop while you're ahead, she thought.
"Certainly, your highness. We pledge to do everything within our power to stop this creature, alive if we can, but with the understanding that the protection of your people and your kingdom is paramount."
The Maharaja nodded. "Then we are agreed. Tell me Dr. Magnus, Dr. Watson? Do you speak the language of Mysore?"
Watson stepped forward. "Helen and I both speak Hindi, your highness. I also know quite a bit of Urdu. But I understand the common language of your people is Kannada, which we do not speak." Watson said.
"It is, Dr. Watson. I will have my tutor, Raghavendra, accompany you on your travels here. Rah speaks many languages and knows many things of my kingdom," the boy said proudly, gesturing toward his tutor. Raghavendra looked at Krishna and smiled. There was an obvious affection between the two of them, Helen thought.
"We would be honored to have such an esteemed escort," Helen replied, looking over at Raghavenra, who stared back at her, his golden eyes shining.
"Then it is done. You begin your work tomorrow?"
"Yes, your highness, we will," Watson said.
"And you will report your progress to his majesty and to me?" his mother prompted.
"Of course, Maharani. Daily." Sir Fraser responded.
She nodded. Krishna stood up, and the others in the room followed suit. He nodded to Magnus and Watson and left, his family and advisor following. Raghavendra, however, lingered behind. He waited until the Maharaja and his entourage had exited the room then approached Magnus and Watson, arms clasped behind his back.
"Dr. Magnus, Dr. Watson, It is my pleasure to meet you both. I am Raghavendra Rao, tutor and scholar to his majesty, Maharaja Krishna," he said in perfect English. "Sir Fraser," he said, nodding to Stuart, "has told me much of your exploits."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Watson said, extending a hand. Raghavendra took James' hand and shook it. Magnus extended her hand as well, but this time, the young man, turned it over and kissed it, bowing, his golden brown eyes looking up at her. Helen felt a rush of warmth in her stomach and swallowed hard. It was a sensation she hadn't felt since…well, since John. And frankly, it frightened her.
"I have a question for you, Dr. Magnus, before we begin our journey together." Raghavendra said.
"Please, call me Helen," she replied, considering his odd turn of phrase.
"And I am Rah."
She nodded. "Rah, what did you want to ask me?"
"What you said tonight to Krishna, that it is your belief that all creatures, even those that are unlike us, have a place in this world and must be sheltered, protected, studied for the lessons that they can teach us," he quoted her verbatim. "Is that truly your belief?"
Was he testing her? Challenging her? She wasn't sure.
"Are you asking me if I lied to the Maharaja?"
He looked at her sincerely. "I am asking if that is what is in your heart of hearts."
She paused, considering the question. "It is," she said after a moment. "It truly is."
He smiled at her, a warm, almost sensuous smile. "Helen," he said, rolling the name slowly on his tongue. He took her hand once more and kissed it. "Then it is my greatest pleasure to accompany you. Shall we begin tomorrow? We can meet in the gardens for breakfast. We will use one of Krishna's coaches, and I will take you where you and Dr. Watson want to go."
"That would be most kind," Helen answered, a bit breathless.
"Then until tomorrow. 8 a.m.?"
"8 a.m." Helen agreed. Fraser and Watson nodded their goodnights.
Watson had watched the exchange between Rah and Helen in silence, but it had left him with a very persistent notion.
This was going to be an interesting holiday. An interesting holiday indeed.