Yudhistir jumped to his feet. ‘No, My Lord! Prince Duryodhan sits on the Council by virtue of being the Heir Apparent, which is the very thing under challenge now. The time for dallying is past. Passions are high. Hastinapur awaits. The King is present. The Imperial Tribunal is here. The Council of Hundred waits outside. We do not require anyone else.’

‘But proceeding without him would ignore due process and can create complications,’ Acharya Kripa warned. ‘At least, not without a Diktat to that effect.’

Yudhistir frowned, then nodded earnestly. ‘Your Grace,’ he said, the words coming out his mouth growing increasingly bitter, ‘may I request the issuing of a Diktat so that our peaceful talks can bear some fruit?’

‘This is a disgrace!’ Shakuni declared, half-heartedly. ‘Since you are in so much of a rush to proceed, and seek to exclude members who are not Kaurava, perhaps you can word the Diktat yourself, and submit it to His Grace for his consent. Are you able to do this yourself or do you need Sahadev to aid you in this as well?’

Yudhistir shoved Sahadev’s warning hand away and said, his face as dark as the back of a stag beetle ‘‘Your Grace, may I be permitted to dictate the order in your stead? If you agree with the words, you may give it your stamp of approval.’ Without waiting for the King to accede, Yudhistir turned to the scribe seated at the low table. Ignoring Sahadev’s whispers of warning, he instructed in a clear voice: ‘Add the necessary introductions, then inscribe, Further to the ongoing negotiations before the Imperial Tribunal in the matter of the succession to the throne of Hastinapur, instituted by Sahadev Madrin, Third of His Name, let it be noted that interruptions not pertaining to the contours of the issue of partition itself, either physical or verbal, will not be floated, discussed, mentioned, argued or voiced under any circumstances. And under no occurrence of event, fortune, misfortune, deed, or misdeed, shall the ongoing proceedings be interrupted by non-Kaurava parties. Nor shall the matter be left sub-judice or abandoned by the negotiating parties till such time a mutually accepted conclusion is agreed upon by all attendant parties.’

Yudhistir turned towards the White Eagle. ‘Grandsire, I have taken care to include your promise given in the Halls of Justice as well. Is the Diktat acceptable to the King?’

‘Is it not rather verbose, Prince?’ Shakuni asked. ‘We might be here for a long time. I hope you know a King’s Diktat can only be overturned by the Council of Eight?’

Yudhistir ignored Shakuni as if he did not exist. ‘Your Grace, with your permission…’

A weary, impotent nod from the King followed. And just like that, in half a minute of haste, Yudhistir unknowingly destroyed what he had spent half his life trying to achieve.

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