Chapter Fifty-Six: Mysore - Keiran's Chaos with Akshi and Shreya
The morning after Murudeshwara, Jay woke to find Keiran already dressed and bouncing on the bed.
"MAMMA! WAKE UP! TODAY IS MYSORE! AKSHI SAID! SHREYA SAID! WE'RE GOING TO A PALACE!"
Jay groaned, pulling the pillow over her head. "Baby, it's six in the morning."
"PALACE WON'T WAIT!"
Keifer emerged from his pillow, looking wrecked. "The palace has existed for centuries. It can wait two more hours."
"NO! REX SAYS WE GO NOW!"
Rex, held aloft, seemed to glare at them with button eyes.
Jay sighed, sitting up. "Fine. We're going. But you're carrying Rex the whole way."
"REX HAPPY!"
---
The drive to Mysore took a few hours.
Keiran sat between Akshi and Shreya, who had somehow become his favorite people on the trip. They'd been teaching him Kannada words, and he was absorbing them like a sponge.
"Akshi! Shreya! Teach more!"
"OKAY! Say 'Namaskara'—that's hello!"
"NAMA-SKARA!"
"CLOSE ENOUGH!"
Shreya laughed. "Say 'Hege iddeera?'—that's how are you?"
"HE-GE ID-DEERA!"
"PERFECT!"
Jay watched from the seat behind, amazed. "He's actually learning."
C.N. leaned over. "He's three. He's a sponge."
"A very loud sponge."
"The loudest."
---
They arrived at Mysore Palace in the late morning.
The palace rose before them—massive, beautiful, a blend of Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles. It was overwhelming in the best way.
Percy's jaw dropped. "OKAY. THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE EVER SEEN."
"You said that at the Taj."
"TAJ WAS THEN! THIS IS NOW!"
Chethan nodded vigorously. "I've been here like five times and it still gets me EVERY TIME!"
Akshi was already dragging Shreya toward the entrance. "COME ON! KEIRAN NEEDS TO SEE THE INSIDE!"
Keiran ran after them, Rex bouncing in his hand. "WAIT FOR ME!"
---
The inside was even more spectacular than the outside.
Intricate carvings. Stained glass ceilings. Mosaics and paintings and gold leaf everywhere. The Durbar Hall alone made everyone stop and stare.
Percy spun in circles. "I'M IN A FAIRYTALE!"
Honey grabbed his arm. "Babe, you're going to knock something over."
"I CAN'T HELP IT! IT'S TOO BEAUTIFUL!"
Mithun, calm as always, observed. "The palace was originally built in the 14th century. This version is from 1912, after a fire destroyed the old one."
C.N. nodded approvingly. "The restoration is incredible."
"Karnataka's pride."
---
Akshi and Shreya had taken full charge of Keiran.
They lifted him up to see through the stained glass. They explained the paintings in simple words. They let him "help" take photos with Akshi's phone.
Keiran was in heaven.
"Akshi! Shreya! Look! PRETTY!"
"That's the goddess Lakshmi, Keiran!"
"REX LIKES HER!"
Shreya laughed. "Rex has good taste!"
"REX ALWAYS HAS GOOD TASTE!"
---
The chaos started in the Armoury Gallery.
Keiran spotted the collection of weapons—swords, daggers, guns, armor—and his eyes went wide.
"AKSHI! SHREYA! WEAPONS!"
"Those are from the kings who lived here, Keiran!"
"REX WANTS TO FIGHT!"
"Rex can't fight! He's a dinosaur!"
"REX IS BRAVE DINOSAUR!"
He grabbed a (thankfully fake) decorative sword from a display and ran around, Rex held high, making battle sounds.
"HI-YAH! HI-YAH! REX PROTECTS THE PALACE!"
Akshi chased him. "KEIRAN! PUT THAT BACK!"
"NEVER! REX SAYS WE DEFEND!"
Shreya was laughing too hard to help.
---
Jay appeared, hands on hips. "Keiran Jasper Jean Watson."
He froze mid-battle-cry.
"Mamma?"
"Put. The sword. Back."
"But Rex—"
"Rex can defend with words. Not with weapons."
Keiran considered this. Then he turned to Rex. "Rex, you heard Mamma. Words only."
Rex seemed to nod.
He put the sword back.
Akshi stared. "How did you DO that?"
"Mother magic."
"I need to learn mother magic."
---
The chaos continued in the next room.
Keiran discovered the mirrored walls and immediately started making faces at himself.
"AKSHI! SHREYA! LOOK! MANY KEIRANS!"
He ran from mirror to mirror, counting himself.
"ONE KEIRAN! TWO KEIRANS! THREE KEIRANS! SO MANY KEIRANS!"
Akshi joined him. "AND MANY AKSHIS!"
Shreya followed. "AND MANY SHREYAS!"
Soon all three were running through the mirrored gallery, counting their reflections, laughing hysterically.
Tourists stared. Security guards looked concerned.
Jay watched from the doorway. "I've created monsters."
C.N. appeared beside her. "You've created a three-year-old with an army of hyperactive babysitters."
"Same thing."
"Exactly."
---
They found a quiet garden outside the palace for lunch.
Keiran was still buzzing, but food helped.
Akshi sat beside him, helping with his lunch. "Keiran, what's your favorite thing in India so far?"
He thought hard. "SNOW! In Kashmir!"
"Good answer!"
"And elephants! And temples! And—" He looked at Akshi and Shreya. "AND YOU! And Rex! And everyone!"
Shreya clutched her heart. "He's too cute. It's illegal."
Akshi nodded. "We're keeping him."
"You can't keep him."
"We're TRYING."
---
Shreya's phone buzzed. She glanced at it, then grinned.
"OKAY! Surprise time!"
Akshi perked up. "SURPRISE?"
"Mit hun just texted. He and Chethan arranged something special for tonight!"
"What kind of special?"
"The kind with FOOD and MUSIC and—" She lowered her voice. "—TRADITIONAL DANCING!"
Akshi gasped. "KEIRAN! WE'RE GOING TO SEE DANCING TONIGHT!"
Keiran's eyes went wide. "REX WANTS TO DANCE TOO!"
"Rex can dance with us!"
"REX HAPPY!"
---
After lunch, they explored the rest of the palace complex.
The temples inside. The gardens. The marriage pavilion with its beautiful columns.
Keiran held Akshi and Shreya's hands, swinging between them.
"THIS IS THE BEST DAY!"
"You said that yesterday!"
"EVERY DAY IS BEST DAY!"
Shreya looked at Akshi. "He's like Percy, but tiny."
"Percy in training."
"The world isn't ready."
---
They stopped at a stall selling toys.
Keiran spotted a tiny stuffed elephant. "MAMMA! LOOK! BABY ELEPHANT!"
Jay walked over. "You already have Rex."
"Rex needs FRIEND! Elephant can be Rex's friend!"
She looked at the price. It was reasonable.
"Fine. But you're carrying both."
"REX AND ELEPHANT! BEST FRIENDS!"
He named the elephant "Ganesha" because Shreya told him that was the elephant god's name.
"Ganesha and Rex! UNSTOPPABLE!"
---
As the sun began to set, they gathered at the palace again.
The light made the palace glow—gold and pink and orange.
Percy was emotional. "I don't want to leave."
"We have more days."
"I KNOW BUT THIS PLACE—" He gestured vaguely. "—IT'S MAGIC."
Chethan nodded. "Mysore magic."
Akshi and Shreya sat with Keiran on the grass, pointing out clouds that looked like animals.
"That one looks like Rex!"
"WHERE?"
"Right there!"
Keiran squinted. "THAT'S REX! REX IN THE SKY!"
Rex, in his hand, seemed to approve.
---
Jay sat with Keifer, watching their son with his new friends.
"He's having the time of his life."
"The best time."
"Akshi and Shreya are good with him."
"Natural."
She leaned into him. "I love our life."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Keiran ran over, Ganesha in one hand, Rex in the other. "MAMMA! PAPPA! AKSHI AND SHREYA SAY TONIGHT WE DANCE!"
"Tonight we dance?"
"YES! AND REX DANCES! AND GANESHA DANCES! EVERYONE DANCES!"
Jay laughed. "Then we'd better get ready to dance."
"REX READY!"
---
That night, Mithun and Chethan's surprise was unveiled.
A traditional Karnataka dance performance—with music, colorful costumes, and enough energy to keep even Keiran entertained.
Keiran sat between Akshi and Shreya, eyes wide, occasionally attempting to mimic the moves.
"AKSHI! LOOK! THEY'RE SPINNING!"
"I SEE!"
"CAN WE SPIN?"
"LATER! AFTER THE SHOW!"
"REX WANTS TO SPIN NOW!"
"REX CAN WAIT!"
---
After the performance, there was food.
Lots of food.
A traditional Mysore feast—dosas, idlis, vadas, biryani, and enough sweets to send Percy into a coma.
Percy was in heaven. "I'M NEVER LEAVING KARNATAKA!"
"You said that yesterday about Murudeshwara."
"MURUDESHWARA WAS THEN! THIS IS NOW!"
Chethan piled more food on his plate. "You need to try the Mysore Pak! It's a local sweet!"
Percy tried it. His eyes rolled back in his head. "I'VE FOUND GOD."
"It's just sugar."
"BLASPHEMY! THIS IS DIVINE INTERVENTION!"
---
Keiran fell asleep halfway through dinner, face in his kheer.
Akshi and Shreya carefully extracted him, laying him on a nearby couch with Rex and Ganesha on either side.
"He's perfect," Shreya whispered.
"The most perfect," Akshi agreed.
They sat guard, watching him sleep.
Jay found them there. "You two are good with him."
"We love him," Akshi said simply. "He's like a tiny brother."
Shreya nodded. "The best tiny brother."
Jay sat beside them. "Thank you. For today. For all of it."
"Thank YOU for letting us be part of this."
"This trip. This family. This chaos." Akshi grinned. "Best thing that ever happened to us."
---
Keifer appeared, pulling Jay away gently.
"Let them guard. We need sleep."
She looked back at Akshi and Shreya, still watching over Keiran.
"Our family keeps growing."
"It does."
"Is that okay?"
He kissed her forehead. "It's more than okay. It's perfect."
She smiled.
Perfect.
---
End of Chapter Fifty-Six