The clashing of the swords and the grunt of the warriors filled the air of the arena.
Aradhya clashed her sword against Vikram's as he efficiently blocked it.
"Wow. You've really grown little brother." Aradhya smirked as she pushed him back and swung her sword at her side.
"I can't tell if that was sarcasm or not," Vikram replied before jumping out of Aradhya's blade's way. He flung his blade at her as she put hers in between Vikram's cutlass and her throat. The force brought her to her knees and Vikram's face lit up.
"I made you kneel." He smiled as Aradhya strained under his gruesome pressure. She rolled her eyes and swept her feet across, toppling Vikram to his back. She stood up swinging her sword at her side again.
"Remind me. What was step one?" Aradhya started while blowing a strand of hair off her face. Vikram tried to stand back up only to find his scruff merely scraping against the edge of Aradhya's sword.
"Never celebrate too early."
Aradhya smiled and forwarded her hand to him, pulling him up on his feet. Vikram dejectedly dusted his clothes.
"I'll get you next time."
"Can't wait for it. But I do have to acknowledge the fact that you...have not improved."
"Please. I know I have improved...have I actually not?"
"I was just messing with you. You have improved quite a bit. So, what are you going to do now?"
The two exited the arena and walked through the hallways of the palace. Through the long hallways towards a dingy part of the palace.
"Will you come to the fair at the kingdom capital?" Vikram asked.
"I don't think I should interrupt your meeting with pretty ladies of the kingdom," Aradhya explained.
"That's not why I'm going. I just want to check the state of the people of the kingdom. I want to know what happens in the kingdom on a normal basis."
"You'll be a great king, Vikram."
"You think so?"
"Don't make me say it again."
Both of them stood before a door in the unkempt part of the palace. Vikram sighed.
"It still infuriates me that you live so far away from us."
"Well, that is what the Maharaj Aagneya wants. I can't possibly say anything to that."
"But still..."
"Please, Vikram. Not every day. You should be going, father will be waiting for you in the courtroom. And do tell me everything that happens at the fair."
"Will do."
Aradhya stepped into her room while the scent of jasmine hit her. Her mediocre room with a mattress, a huge bookshelf and a window sill was now pleasantly draped in the sweetness of jasmine and rose. Aradhya's eyes shot towards an elevated platform on which a considerably huge idol of Krishna resided and a woman seemingly in her fifties sat stringing flowers into a garland. Aradhya smiled and dropped her sword.
"Bhairavi Ma"
The woman at the idol turned, setting down the garland. Her wrinkled face showed so much beauty and her smile was enough to light up the whole room. Aradhya embraced her, burying her face in Bhairavi's shoulder. Bhairavi caressed her hair and planted a kiss on Aradhya's temple.
"Well, it's only been three months, dear" Bhairavi stated pulling away from the hug.
"It is not like I have so many friends that I forget about you. You and Vikram are the only ones who at least care about me." Aradhya sighed.
"You know, you should stop with the gloom and start living with what your truth is."
"The truth is that I'm a concubine's daughter."
"The truth is that you are a princess. The daughter of Maharaj Aagneya."
"But that isn't what people see in me, Ma"
Bhairavi cupped Aradhya's face and spoke, "People see what they want to see. And what they want to see never really has anything to do with the truth. I'm not saying that you aren't a concubine's daughter, I'm just saying that it isn't the whole truth."
Aradhya sniffled slightly, "What would mother have said if she were here?"
"She would've told you to stop sulking and get out."
Aradhya chuckled. Bhairavi dusted the mud off the area of her shoulder.
"Go take a bath. I'll go out for a while," Bhairavi said while pulling a sack over her shoulder, "And don't forget to put the garland on the idol."
. . . .
Maharaj Aagneya sat on his throne in the courtroom, his queens sitting by either side. A board of ministers sat along the courtroom, each one with a serious gaze on their face. The Mahamatya stood up and bowed down to the king.
"Maharaj, we are in gruesome danger. Our kingdom has been losing its prominence among the other kingdoms. If it continues, many great kingdoms like Ashokdhar and Dharini kingdom might attack us."
"Maharaj, the cavalry and the soldiers of our army are decreasing either due to death or old age. With this pathetic sum of army we won't stand a chance against such huge kingdoms," Senapati stated after abruptly standing up.
"I'm sorry to say this Maharaj, but the economic strength of the kingdom has also gone downhill. From what the spies say, a common discontentment is filling up the hearts of the people. The kingdom treasury is affected too." The finance minister started.
A frustrating silence filled the courtroom as all that Aagneya heard was the deteriorating state of his kingdom. Aagneya's brows drew together. Worry was evident in his eyes. He glanced at both of his queens who did nothing but drop their heads. Aagneya sighed and looked at the Mahamatya.
"What is your opinion on the matter, Mahamatya?" he asked evident dismay in his tone. The Mahamatya stood up again and bowed to the king.
"In my opinion, our kingdom's misfortune started the moment that heathen gave birth to a child of yours, nineteen years ago. However, we thank the lords, that child of yours wasn't a boy." The Mahamatya went on with his words, which sent shivers of rage down Aagneya's spine. The woman he once loved was now called a heathen in his very court. Aagneya rose his hand stopping the Mahamatya from uttering any more fallacies about Aradhya or her mother.
"I asked you your opinion on solving the matter, Mahamatya, not about how it happened. No one here is interested in knowing your opinion on my misdeeds." Aagneya uttered sternness and anger fueling his words.
The Mahamatya bowed in apology and cleared his throat once more, "Maharaj I suggest an alliance with a kingdom. It can really help our standing," he continued, "an alliance with a powerful kingdom."
Aagneya's mind stopped for a second as he ran the words of the Mahamatya in his head.
Powerful kingdoms.
The imagery of his cruelty and inhumaneness played in front of him. His greed was the one that brought him to this state and his arrogance was that which worsened it. His mind was drawn and drawn to the kingdom. Kingdom of sheer opulence and power. Kingdom of gold. Kingdom with the best people of every kind. Kingdom led by the boy, whose father he had slain.
"I apologize for the intrusion, Maharaj, but I would like to place a proposal before you." Maharani Chaya shot up, pulling Aagneya out of his troubled mind.
Aagneya hesitantly nodded, knowing about Chaya's evilness.
"Maharaj, I agree with Mahamatya that an alliance would be of the best interest to our kingdom," she spoke, "and I believe that a marital alliance is the strongest alliance of them all. Our daughter, Tamasvini, is already of age. And if her being wed means good to our kingdom, I'm sure she won't have any problems."
The whole board of ministers almost immediately gave their consent, not leaving any other way for Aagneya to walk on. Frustrated, Aagneya stood up.
"Fine, we will propose a marital alliance but to which kingdom? That will be announced later. The court is adjourned for the day."
. . . .
Maharani Chaya and her daughter Tamasvini sat in her room. Chaya looked out the window to stare at the cities bustling and Tamasvini staring at nothing, thinking about her wedding. Tamasvini huffed.
"Ma, is there any information on who I'm supposed to marry? Because if it isn't anyone from a rich, powerful kingdom, I'm not marrying him." Tamasvini vaguely stated as Chaya turned away from the window.
"Why would I marry you off to a powerless kingdom? Why would the king desperate for his kingdom's survival marry you to a kingdom which can be easily crushed by two mighty standing ones?" Chaya stated as she walked along the room with strides filled with morale. Evil morale.
"What do you mean?" Tamasvini asked.
"Well, a really powerful, rising kingdom. Enough to meet your every desire. Grand rooms, filled treasury, and almost a hundred servants under you." Chaya admitted.
"Why do I feel like you've already done something? You haven't done anything bad though, right?" Tamasvini blabbered.
"Well, have I?" Chaya smirked and walked out of the room, leaving Tamasvini disgustingly content with her words.
. . . .
Vikram barged into Aradhya's room, beaming and happy. Aradhya sat in her seat braiding her hair and staring at her brother's insanity.
"What is up with you these days..." She mumbled before turning to her mirror. Vikram threw in a couple of dances. He walked over to Aradhya and sat in front of her obstructing her view of the mirror.
"You know what happened at the court?" He asked almost too excited given the fact that it was his sister getting married.
"How would I know? I wasn't there." Aradhya uniterestedly spoke pulling the last of her hair into the braid.
"Tamasvini is to be wed." Vikram almost squealed. Aradhya was taken aback for a brief moment thinking about how Tamasvini was still young to be wed and then regained herself after knowing that it was common for princesses to be married at seventeen while common ladies are sent off at fifteen.
"Finally, that witch will be out of the kingdom. You will have no troubles." Vikram said and soon enough, earned a blow on his head.
"She's your sister, you moron." Aradhya glared. Vikram glared back. Seriously. He stood up.
"So you're happy for her?" He asked.
"Of course, I am. Why would I not be?"
"When are you going to learn, Aradhya? She is not going to return the kindness or whatever you show her. She's done horrible things to you."
"It is fine, there isn't going to be any difference between me and her if I stoop to her level of thinking. "
Vikram stood in silence not knowing how to answer back o her but he knew one thing for sure he didn't want Aradhya to become Tamasvini.
Aradhya sighed and turned to her mirror again, putting her nath.
"Who is she getting married to?"
Vikram groaned a bit at Aradhya's concern on the matter. "It isn't decided yet. Father and the ministers are talking about it."
Aradhya just nodded while running kohl along her eye. Vikram looked around for a while, finding nothing else to say. He cleared his throat.
"I'll leave now. I have to go to the fair."
"Alright. But tell me the news about Tamasvini's groom once you hear about it."
"Will do."
. . . .
At the end of the evening, Maharaj Aagneya called all the members of the family to his large, luxurious chambers. Aadrika stood beside him bouncing her three-month-old tot on her shoulders while Chaya and Tamasvini grew restless. The family waited for Vikram to show up.
And on cue, Vikram entered the room with Aradhya following right behind, her hands fiddling with one another and her face showing evident signs of discomfort.
Chaya and Tamasvini threw a disgusted look at her face and turned to Aagneya. Aadrika mildly smiled at Aradhya not giving a hint of it to anyone else.
"Vikram, why would you bring this heathen here?" Maharani Chaya asked eyeing Aradhya.
"Oh, mother, maybe because Maharaj ordered me to do so," Vikram replied a sarcastic smile spreading through his lips.
As Chaya and all others shot their eyes at Aagneya, he barely cleared his throat. Everyone wondered why Aagneya, who never even called Aradhya by her name, out of the blue, invited her to an important discussion.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did invite...her. She is a part of the royal family and I am obligated to share sensitive information with her." He sternly spoke.
Aradhya almost spoke back as she heard her father say, "obliged" but she didn't. Vikram shot a glance at Aagneya which almost seemed like a glare. But Aagneya being his father couldn't say anything against him.
"Why are we all here?" Tamasvini questioned.
"I have called you all to declare the prince Tamasvini is going to be wedded to. But if Tamasvini doesn't want to marry him, I will have no objection." He said as all of the other members simply nodded.
"So the person Tamasvini is marrying is...Rajkumar Amar of the Dharini kingdom."
Aradhya's eyes shot up from her feet. Turmoil rose in her heart and a lump formed in her throat. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because of her vicinity with him.
With Rajkumar Amar of the Dharini kingdom.
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