‘That is a matter of opinion.’

‘I am the crown prince of Ayodhya. Many will say my opinion is the truth.’

Anandmayi tapped her brother on his head. ‘And I, as the crown prince’s elder sister, have the right to shut him up any time I choose!’

‘Parvateshwar, you have not thought this through,’ said Ayurvati.

Parvateshwar smiled sadly. ‘I have not been thinking of much else in the last few months. I know the path that I must take.’

‘But will you be able to act against the living God you worship?’

‘Since there is no other choice, I must.’

‘But Lord Ram had said that we must protect our faith. The Mahadevs and the Vishnus are our living gods. How do we protect our religion if we do not fight alongside our living gods?’

‘You are confusing faith and religion. They are two completely different things.’

‘No, they are not.’

‘Yes, they are. The Sanatan Dharma is my religion. But it is not my faith. My faith is my country. My faith is Meluha. Only Meluha.’

Ayurvati sighed and looked up at the sky. She shook her head and turned back towards Parvateshwar. ‘I know how devoted you are to the Neelkanth. Can you go to war against the Lord; do you have it in your heart to even harm him?’

Parvateshwar breathed deeply, his eyes moist. ‘I will fight all who seek to harm Meluha. If Meluha must be conquered, it will be over my dead body.’

‘Parvateshwar, do you really think that the Somras is not Evil? That it should not be banned?’

‘No. I know it should be banned. I have already stopped using the Somras. I stopped using it the day Brahaspati told us about all the evil that it has been responsible for.’

‘Then why are you willing to fight to defend this halahal?’ asked Ayurvati, using an old Sanskrit term for the most potent poison in the universe.

‘But I am not defending the Somras,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘I’m defending Meluha.’

‘But the both of them are on the same side,’ said Ayurvati.

‘That is my misfortune. But defending Meluha is my life’s purpose; this is what I was born to do.’

‘Parvateshwar, Meluha is not what it used to be. You’re well aware of the fact that Emperor Daksha is no Lord Ram. You are fighting for an ideal that does not exist anymore. You are fighting for a country whose greatness lives on only in memory. You are fighting for a faith that has been corrupted beyond repair.’

‘That may be so, Ayurvati. But this is my purpose; to fight and die for Meluha.’