Kaikeyi

Kaikeyi and Manthara arrive in Ayodhya, the capital of Kosala, alongside Dasharath and his retinue. Kaikeyi finds the city beautiful, with lovely flowers and landscaping around the palace. Dasharath shows her to her rooms, which are spacious and have windows overlooking the gardens. Dasharath’s first wife and radnyi Kaushalya visits Kaikeyi and offers her help, but Kaikeyi wishes to appear independent and refuses. She’s then visited by the second wife and radnyi Sumitra, who again offers help that Kaikeyi declines. When she looks at her bonds with the other radnyis in the Binding Plane, they are thin and wispy. 

She struggles to forge connections with anyone besides Dasharath, who summons her to his rooms weekly for intimacy. Kaikeyi struggles with intimacy, as she dislikes it, but Manthara advises her to feign enjoyment in order to appease Dasharath. Kaikeyi spends many hours in her room lying in bed, and Manthara accompanies her, telling her stories and even offering to practice swordplay with her. One day, months into her time in Ayodhya, Manthara insists that Kaikeyi get dressed and come with her. She takes Kaikeyi to the market, where Kaikeyi sees firsthand the mistreatment of the women by their male counterparts, particularly when a man berates a woman for giving Manthara herbal advice at his stall.