Princess in the Woods

This book is best read after Princess in rags.

‘I want justice.’ Leela’s voice was polite, but her demand was firm and clear.

The arbitrator stared at Leela in disbelief. Around them, the elder men bristled, their faces dark with indignation at her insolence, while the elder women cast piteous, heavy glances in her direction. The young men and boys glared, silently rejecting her outrageous demand, while the girls were awed by her daring.

Leela drew a sharp breath, her chest tight as she waited for the elders’ response.

Even the forest seemed to hold its breath—oddly quiet today, as if mourning over the recent turmoil in the village. It was a village of the Bhel tribe with a population of fifty thousand, located at the edge of Anhilwara’s border. Tribe Sardar, Baldev, was Leela’s father. On Leela’s appeal, people gathered at central clearing.

They had expected the usual demands—a plea to upgrade village supplies, perhaps, or a proposal to mend aging infrastructure. But no one had anticipated a direct indictment against the men.

‘Princess Leela, your demand is impractical.’ One of the arbiters said. ‘How can we punish someone who has not broken any law?’

‘Then change the law,’ Leela said, coming to the point. She wasn’t stupid. She knew leaving someone or breaking their heart was not a punishable act anywhere in the world.

This discussion was difficult for her, making her already fresh wound ache with unbearable pain.

She shut her eyes for a moment, and the last six mouths flashed before her closed eyes.

The afternoon sun cast a warm glow across the patio as Leela laughed and played marbles with her younger brother, Ved. Life in their quiet village was simple and unhurried, shared alongside her parents and grandparents. Her two elder sisters, Nima and Banashree, had already married and moved to their husbands’ homes, leaving Leela as the heart of the remaining household.

Now, her own happiness felt complete. In just a few weeks, she would marry Daksh—her childhood friend. Their union had been set a decade ago, when she was just nine years old.

Their tribe performs a sacred ceremony in which a boy becomes a man. They do intense physical rites of passage to test courage, pain tolerance, and readiness for adulthood. The boys between the ages of ten and sixteen must venture into the test. They weave gloves filled with hundreds of furious taurus ants, whose stings are famously agonizing. They must wear the gloves for fifteen minutes without crying out or showing weakness. Backing off brings shame and disqualifies the young man from marrying or entering adult society. The retrial of the disqualified man was to take place next year.

Daksh passed this test in the first trial and asked in front of the entire village that he wanted Princess Leela. Leela shy away and ran into her mother’s arms.

With time, Daksh cleared the grueling trials of warriorhood as well and earned a prized appointment as a border ranger. Leela was so proud of him. He was always talented. She grew up imagining Daksh as her future husband and dreamed of spending her entire life with him in every thick and thin, tending to their hearth, birthing his children and raising them, and growing old together in the comfortable warmth of their village. But her quiet, unpretentious dream shattered the moment he returned from the city, bringing with him a polished city woman, Shela.

Their tribe had built on the foundation of tradition. Their ancient laws. These laws are absolute and must be adhered to without exception. The first time a child breaks a law in their society, even if it is minor and inconsequential, he’s made to suffer, every child. Any repeated violation of the law leads to additional shame and repercussions.

One of the laws was that girls didn’t marry outside the community. Their law simply forbade it. If she left the forest, she would be banished permanently. Men, however, had privilege for free passage—allowed to leave the forest for work and take wives from the outside world. But the outsider bride, once married, was bound to live in their Sitpur village, submitting completely to the tribe’s customs and unbending rules.

The men in the older generation rarely married outside the tribe. They were happy with their tribe’s women. But now the new generation was quite fond of delicate city girls. The city girls easily fell for tribesmen as they have quite robust bodies than city men.

Daksh married Shela in front of Leela’s eyes. Their marriage felt like a physical blow. The vows he swore to her were so easily recycled for another. She was left stranded in the wreckage of a shared dream, forced to bury her love for him. Leela attended the wedding like nothing happened. She didn’t cry. She didn’t oppose it. She didn’t ask a single question to Daksh. She kept her pain inside. She stood unaffected and congratulated them with a smile on her lips.

Ruining Leela’s life, Daksh started his married life with his city girl. They played around everywhere—patio, streets, pond—touching, kissing, embracing each other, showing their love to everyone.

Leela spent her days hunting deep in the forest to bring fresh meat to the kitchen every afternoon, helping women with harvest, and making bamboo products so her brother could sell them in the city. She never allowed herself to drown in the grief of her dead love. Daksh’s chapter was over.

But Leela had never thought that she would get an even bigger wound than this when the exact same thing happened with her friend Kajri.

‘How could he do this to me? I thought we loved each other. He forgot all his promises.’ Kajri was sobbing in Leela’s arms. ‘My mother always nagged me to learn this and that. Despite my poor eyesight, I learned hunting to support him. Yet, he chose a girl who can’t even lift a stack of timber. Leela, these men have become accustomed to city girls.’

Leela and Kajri were sitting on a hillock, watching the setting sun. It was their favorite place.

Leela watched the setting sun. She knew her friend was right. This was a second incident within six months. ‘Please, stop crying, Kajari. He is not worth it. Just forget him.’

‘I cannot…’

‘Am I not living without my suitor,’ Leela said weakly. She could understand Kajri’s pain.

‘You’re strong. You can move on. But I can’t put up with his betrayal. The arbitrator has to punish him, and if they cannot do that, then they have to let me be allowed to marry outside the tribe. Just like he did.’

‘Just because he did wrong, that doesn’t mean we do the same.’

‘Don’t lecture me. If you love me, then get that deceitful man punished.’

‘How can I punish him, Kajri. He didn’t break any law.’

Kajri laughed bitterly. ‘Yes, breaking our hearts is not a crime.’

Leela sighed, feeling compulsion.

‘You are the princess of our tribe; if you will not fight for us then who will?’

‘You know our law…’

‘I don’t care about the law. If the law is coming between the justice, then change the damn law. Either they should set us free or they should bind the freedom of men as they have bound ours.’

‘Arbitrator will not change the law because I said so.’

‘So you will not do anything… You have decided to let our tribe women suffer…’ Kajri stood up, her eyes burning with tears and rage. ‘Fine. Just sit here. I will fight alone,’ Saying so she stormed off.

Leela returned home and went to sleep without eating anything. She was also angry with the system, but what Kajri was saying was not possible. Her father would never agree to change the law.

The next day Leela woke early. She was on the patio, feeding fodder to her goat when she saw Kajri. She had two pots. She must be going to the well.

Leela stood up. ‘Kajri!’

Kajri stopped and turned to Leela.

‘Kajri, please don’t get angry with me. My pain is no different from yours. But I cannot…’

Kajri smiled. ‘It’s okay, Leela. Now you do not have to do anything because I have chosen my path. You were right, he wasn’t worth my tears.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Nothing in this world is worth my tears. I want peace now.’

‘I will see you in the evening at our favorite place,’ Leela said.

Kajri smiled again. A soft, peaceful smile. ‘I will be there.’

As Kajri had promised she was there. But lifeless. She took her life. She cut her wrist.

A pool of blood had formed around her left arm. Her lips were colorless and her face was pale from blood loss. And a cruel knife lay on her right side.

Kajri’s father stood immobile, his eyes red but dry. He was drained of tears. Kajri’s mother held her daughter’ head in her lap, looking into the distance with a vacant expression, her eyes swollen.

Leela was bent over, crying inconsolably. ‘I had told you he was not worth it... He was not worth it...’ Her brain and heart were not ready to accept that now she would never see her friend’s lively eyes. She would never hear her chatter again. Her friend was gone.

That day Leela couldn’t eat. She couldn’t sleep. Her mind was haunted by Kajri. And her last smile. She failed as a friend. She failed as a princess. She couldn’t see the pain behind Kajri’s smile. Her heart was aching with pain and guilt.

She came out of the bed and looked at the dark sky. She could feel Kajri’s spirit around her. ‘Your sacrifice will not go in vain. I will change the law. I will fulfill your wish. I hope one day you will forgive your unfortunate friend.’

And here she was, standing against the entire village, standing against the law that took her friend’s life.

She had never demanded anything. She had never raised her voice against elders. She was a quiet, submissive girl. But all her austerity shattered the moment she saw her friend’s vacant body.

Everyone gawked at Leela in stunned disbelief. The change in law?

Baldev’s face was stoic as he regarded his daughter.

Ved was the first to break the silence. ‘Didi is right. The law needs to change.’

‘Ved,’ the tribe lady and Leela’s mother, Mahua, snapped at her son. ‘Don’t talk between elders.’

Ved gritted but fell silent.

‘Leela…’ Mahua stared at her daughter warningly. ‘Enough now.’

Leela ignored her mother and remained firmly on her ground.

An arbiter scratched his brow before he said, ‘We can understand that you are in trauma, Princess. Give yourself some time and your anger will subside.’

‘Yes, this does not feel right that our princess challenges the law. This law has been followed in our tribe for centuries to retain the sense of purity of the forest people. To stay grounded to Mother Nature.’ another arbiter said.

‘Then put the burden of maintaining a sense of purity on men. We carried it enough. Now we want liberty to spend our life with whoever we want.’

‘You are liberated to choose any man from our community who is ready to take you.’

‘Why from our community? Why not from outside?’ Leela asked, her voice soft, but the question felt sharp. They all knew how this law was working. The law was crafted entirely for the benefit of men, ensuring they would never face a shortage of women. This way a man who was weak, lazy, or consumed by addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs was guaranteed a bride. The women, meanwhile, bore the quiet cruelty of the arrangement—suffer spending her entire life with the man she doesn’t like.

‘Leela, go back home,’ Mahua said, her voice scolding.

‘You have to allow us to marry outside or stop the men from doing so.’ Leela kept on her ground, unaffected by everyone’s glare.

‘We cannot change the law because you and your friend want to change it. You should simply marry someone else,’ an arbiter said calmly.

Leela looked at the young girls. ‘Are you girls not wanting a change in law?’

Everyone remained quiet. Even Kajri’s parents didn’t speak a word.

Leela sighed. She wouldn’t blame them. No one stands up for others’ problems until it becomes their own.

‘What Daksh and Gulkand did was clearly wrong,’ Ved spoke again. ‘Promising a woman protection and love and then backing out is not what a real man does. A real man always keeps his word.’

’Shut up, boy. We passed the nrupashu test and chose our women. We have the right to change our decision too.’ Gulkand, Kajri’s suitor, snapped. He didn’t have an ounce of grief on his face.

Both Daksh and Gulkand were sitting with their brittle city girls.

Daksh remained silent. He just stared at Leela, stunned with her new radical form.

‘We cannot change the law, but we can convince our sons not to marry outside,’ an arbiter with kind eyes and a generous face said.

Leela chuckled bitterly. ‘Like they will listen. Kajri literally begged Gulkand. Did he listen?’

A murmur erupted from the crowd. Some women and men agreed with Leela, but the majority were not.

Sardar Baldev cleared his throat, and the crowd fell silent. ‘We heard Princess Leela’s plea. The young men did wrong with her and her friend. But changing the law needs approval of the arbitrator three out of five and the vote of more than half of the people. And as you don’t have that majority, Princess Leela, the law will not change,’ he stated with finality, putting an end to the brawl.

‘But Baba…’

‘Enough now, Leela.’ Mahua stood up and rushed to her daughter. ‘You heard your father. Now let’s go.’ She held Leela’s bicep and dragged her away.

‘Maa, let me finish my point.’ Leela protested, but her mother’s grip was firm around her arm as she dragged her out of the clearing.

Leela extracted herself from her mother’s grip and ran off. She ran through unpaved streets laid out in an urban, well-organised living area in the form of a square grid. Their houses were made of bamboo, but were strong and sturdy.

Once she was inside the home, she rushed to her room, which she was sharing with her grandmother, Jayadevi. Her grandfather died two years ago due to old age.

‘What happened, my child?’ the old woman asked, seeing her granddaughter’s washed off face.

‘I’m leaving this tribe, Dadi ma,’ Leela muttered as she rushed to collect her stuff. She couldn’t believe nobody supported her. How could they be so cruel?

‘Have you lost your head, Leela?’ Mahua came after her daughter. She grabbed her arm and made her face her. ‘What do you think the outside world is better than this? No, Leela, the outside world is more cruel than this. Men are the same everywhere.’

‘How do you know? Have you seen the outside world?’

‘Don’t talk back to me. You’ve already embarrassed us in front of everyone.’

‘You will not understand my pain, maa. Because Baba didn’t leave you for someone else.’

‘Leela…’

‘Don’t scold her, Mahua.’ Baldev entered the home. He walked on and collected his daughter into his arms. ‘I know how much that bastard hurt my daughter. If the law hadn’t tied my hands, I would have killed him. But you don’t have to be sad, my girl.’ Baldev cupped Leela’s cheeks, making her look into his eyes. ‘I will find the best suitor for you that you will forget about him.’

Leela remained silent. They weren’t understanding. They never would. What the men had done was more than a betrayal; it was a humiliation. They had cast Leela and her friend aside like worn-out cloth. They rejected them because now they found a shiny new toy. And above all, they had no remorse for their deed.

‘Leela, my child. Nobody ever questioned our laws. Some laws are tough on men even but they didn’t ask to change them. And look at your eyes. You need some sleep. Eat something and then try to sleep.’

Leela nodded.

‘My good girl!’ Baldev kissed her daughter’s forehead and walked out with his wife.

Once they left, Ved approached his sister. ‘Didi, I will change the law. I will challenge Daksh for a duel, and if I win, they have to change the law.’

‘No, Ved, you will not be involved in this matter. I want you to focus on your learning. At this age that is your karma to do.’ Leela knew her brother was brave. He even passed the nrupashu test in the first trial. But he was still a boy. Leela didn’t want him in any trouble because of her. ‘Promise me you will not be involved in this matter. You will not fight with anyone.’

‘No, I will not promise you anything like that. Those men made you and Kajri didi cry. That Gulkand hurt Kajri didi so much that she took her life. How could I just sit back?’

Seeing her little brother’s care, Leela’s heart swelled with love, and she pulled her brother in her embrace. ‘My brother!’

‘Didi, I will not leave those bastards.’

Leela pulled back and cupped her brother’s cheeks. ‘No, Ved. Revenge can blind us. If you truly want to do something for our tribe. Then you should focus on your learning. You have to clear all the tests and reach a place where when you speak, everyone listens.’

‘Leela is right, Ved,’ Jayadevi said.

‘I will do it, didi. But…’

‘No but. No revenge. Only progress with a positive mind.’

Ved slowly nodded. His sister was the best. It was Daksh’s misfortune that he let such an amazing woman slip from his hands.

Ved held his sister’s and grandmother’s hands and led both women outside. Leela helped her mother in skinning and cleaning the meat while Mahua prepared millet rotis and soup.

An hour later, Leela shared her meal with her family. Her mother’s sweet soup warmed her belly, and she took time savoring it. This was the last time she was eating her mother’s palatable food. Her parents believed her outburst of leaving home was merely tempers flaring in the heat of the moment. But she was serious.

Leela spent the rest of the day pretending it was just another day, but it was not. It couldn’t be when her friend Kajri was not in this world. When this was her last day in this tribe.

Leela lay on the bed and rubbed her forehead. She had promised Kajri’s soul that she would change the law. She failed miserably.

She waited until her parents, grandmother, and Ved fell asleep. She quietly came out of the bed and started packing her stuff.

She prepared a small satchel with some of her clothes. And one large sack for her weapons—bow, arrows, knife, and spear.

She had made up her mind. She would leave this tribe.

She was about to step out of the room when her grandmother called her. ‘Where are you going?’

Leela froze in her place before she slowly turned around.

Jayadevi slowly sat up.

‘Dadi ma, please, don’t stop me.’

‘Don’t you think you should take my blessings before you leave?’

Leela stood dumbfounded.

Jayadevi smiled. ‘I spent my life staring at tree lines. The one I’ve never crossed but dream of every night. But now when my granddaughter is daring to do it, how could I stop her.’

Leela was too stunned to speak.

‘Go and find your happiness, my child.’

Dropping sacks on the ground, Leela ran into her grandmother’s arms and embraced her tightly.

Jayadevi wrapped her arms around Leela, stroking her back. ‘My brave daughter!’

A soft sob escaped Leela’s mouth. ‘You have to handle here, Dadi ma… Maa, Baba, Ved…’

‘Don’t worry about them. We will write to each other. Ved will come to meet you with our letters.’

Leela’s hands tightened around her grandmother. ‘I’m going to miss you, dadi ma.’ She knew she couldn’t return. This was a one-way trip.

Jayadevi pushed her back to look into her eyes. ‘You’re a princess. Don’t forget. Don’t settle for anything less than a king.’

Leela chuckled. ‘I seek change. I don’t want to run into the man’s arms and hurt myself again.’

‘Oh, my girl, but plenty of men will find you even if you’re looking for them. You’re special.’

Leela lowered her gaze, unaffected by her grandmother’s sweet words.

‘Daksh is stupid, who cannot see the difference between brass and gold,’ Jayadevi said, reading Leela’s thought. ‘Not every man is stupid. Just keep your heart open.’

Leela gave a meek smile. She touched the old woman’s feet before she embraced her beloved grandmother one last time.

‘Go, my beautiful daughter. See the world.’

‘I love you, dadi ma,’ Leela muttered and walked away.

She collected her sacks and took the first step towards her new life.

Leaving her family behind was splitting her heart. But the storm in her head wouldn’t quiet down if she stayed in this place.

She looked at the terrifying dark forest. She didn’t have any future plans, but she would survive as long as she had her bow.

Kajri, I couldn’t change the law. But I left the people who couldn’t provide you with justice.