Samyukta didn"t expect that her father would give her a choice, that too a choice which is very much suitable to her heart. But she had some doubts which needed clarification. Before she gave her answer, she said, "father, what about Coronation? what about the suitors? Pinaka himself Will be an emperor... how.. " she stopped before completing the sentence.The emperor smiled and said, "I can understand your confusion, you want to say that he cannot marry into our dynasty and be your consort.. I am also thinking about a solution for this.. I don"t have an answer for this now.. coming to your coronation, it can be postponed.. regarding the suitors.. " the emperor stopped mid sentence..
The empress suddenly proposed, "you can announce that I have fallen ill and the decision to choose the prince consort has been postponed", hearing this, Samyukta smiled, her smile was so radiant that it lit up Pinaka"s heart. The emperor laughed loudly hearing this suggestion." I think there are no more doubts that the whole family is in agreement of this alliance. We will speak to Prince Deepak and Prince Surya tomorrow, now everyone, please retire, I need some time with my council"
Everyone left, even the emperess left, Samyukta asked Pinaka to accompany her to the Royal garden. There was an awkward silence between them. The emperor didn"t seek their opinion with regards to their marriage alliance. Being an elder with their best interests at heart, he has the right to decide on their behalf. Samyukta"s heart was fluttering like a hummingbird. She had b.u.t.terflies in her stomach. Pinaka forgot about all the problems he had to face ahead in the Gupta empire. He felt that with Samyukta beside him, he could wage a war against the entire world without fear.
Her presence gave him a warmth in his heart that he never felt before. He was no longer lonely, he had his companion beside him. Samyukta too felt happy that everything was falling into place. With Pinaka beside her, there is no need to fret. Regarding their future, it"s better not to think too much. They were confident that the emperor would come up with a good solution. They just needed to wait.
Pinaka extended his hand and held Samyukta"s hand. Her hand was smaller than him, it was not exactly soft as she too was a warrior, but it was softer and smaller than his hand. Holding her hand, he looked at her face, Samyukta didn"t match his gaze, she felt shy. What was happening? she was a warrior herself.. but nevertheless it was a normal reaction for a lady to feel shy. This was the first time she was so close to a man, her heart was thumping so loudly. Pinaka was nervous too, but he didn"t let go of her. He held her chin and raised her head, he looked into her beautiful eyes. He could just stare into those huge eyes forever. The love and warmth he saw there comforted him, he said, "Princess, I never thought this day would come, will you be my wife? will you marry me? "
Samyukta said, "Prince Pinaka Gupta, you need to fulfill some of my conditions, " she said playfully.. he was taken aback and asked, "order me my Princess, it will be done, "
She said, "you must promise me that you will not marry another woman apart from me, it is common for emperors and kings to have many queens and concubines, but you must belong to me alone, this is my only wish and condition," Pinaka smiled and said, "Princess, taking care of you itself is a tough job, how can I have enough time for another woman? " he playfully responded,
Samyukta smiled but extended her arm as if asking for his promise, he put his hand in hers and said, "Princess, I will only belong to you and you will only be mine," he kissed her on the forehead and hugged her. It was a beautiful evening, Samyukta was so happy and satisfied. Together they watched the sunset, the sky was painted with red, yellow and orange colors. They felt like a normal couple enjoying the common things of life.
Meanwhile the emperor set up a meeting with his council. The council consisted of his advisory board and few ministers. They didn"t understand why the emperor has called for a meeting now, post sunset, it must be something urgent. They a.s.sembled in the conference chamber and greeted the emperor. The emperor said, "Gentlemen, take your seats, I have something important to discuss. It is a huge thing and it will leave a big impact on my family as well.. " he told them the history of Pinaka, then the emperor added, "you know how sensitive the situation in the country is, there is threat from the Ghoris, they are planning to invade Hindustan from a long time, the weakest empire now in the country is the Gupta empire, though it has a glorious history, the current scenario is not so.. helping Pinaka Gupta ascend the throne will serve us two purposes, he will always have good relations with Magadha and I also propose that once he ascends the throne, Princess Samyukta be married to him, so that our alliance can stand strong in face of invaders,but the only concern is according to the rules of Magadha,if a female ascends the throne,the one marrying her should take the name of her dynasty..which would be impossible in case of Pinaka Gupta,We need a good solution for this problem.." everyone was thinking..This was a matter of great importance. With single strike, the emperor stabilised the situation, in face of threat from the invaders, it is very important to stand United. There was news pouring in that not only Ghoris, the Ghazini Dynasty and the Mangols under the rule of Chengiz Khan were planning to invade Hindustan. Though the Gupta empire was in a bad period, they have a large army which was very similar to the size of Magadha"s army. Under Pinaka"s rule, it would still flourish. But the only question was, how must they go ahead with the marriage alliance. Everyone was immersed in deep thought..