The armies of two of the most powerful kingdoms took a stand against each other. The crimson army of Ashokdhar against the brown and yellow of Dharini and Shiladhika respectively. There was no stronger party. Both were equally equipped. The army was Ashokdhar was prominent but against the combined forces of both the kingdoms, there was no upper hand nor was there leverage.
Or so Vihaan thought. He climbed up his horse with his sharpened sword. His mind was neither of the battles nor was it of Aradhya. It was disputed between the two and he knew it would be riskier to play with feelings when war was at his doorstep and yet he could do only so much as to affirm himself that he should win this. He wanted to be victorious because Aradhya had done too much to his kingdom. If he even let his kingdom down now it would be nothing but ignorance.
He strode to the centre of his army with Rihit and Darsh following after him. The three took the frontline of the army while looking over the dual-coloured army before them. Rihit turned to the army which was armoured and weaponized and rose his sword as a plight. The army raised their swords back with the synchronized shouts.
On the other side of the battlefield, however, it was nothing but pure evil. Amar grimaced as he looked across to see Vihaan's army. He looked over at his own army visually comparing it to what he saw. Aagneya and Abhik stood ready with their swords.
"At last, Maharaj Aagneya... You do not know how much I have craved for this moment for the last eighteen years." Amar breathed in the tense air of the war. Aagneya did nothing but stay quiet and just look upon what was to come. He was old now. There was only so much he could do to support the army but he never gave up on trying to defend his daughter.
Abhik contemplated his choices. Was he right? Was he right in supporting someone who won't be grateful to him or his father after he sits on the throne? Nevertheless, Abhik was hell-bent on winning this battle.
"How is your sister, Abhik? Has she been taken care of?" Amar sarcastically spoke while Abhik just nodded. He sighed and met Amar's gaze with a challenge.
"Why did you need her anyway?"
"I thought this battle would be completed only with a grand sacrifice."
.  .  .  .
Aradhya awoke in a dingy room. It had a sickening smell. By the looks of it, the room was not used in decades. Nature had taken over it entirely. Aradhya rubbed her eyes with her tied up hands and somehow managed to stand on her feet which were bound by thick ropes. She stumbled and hopped until she threw open the room door and came across a really old figure sitting by a fire and cooking up porridge.
The woman turned around and Aradhya's mind wasn't able to comprehend a single thing. She fell back and sat on the muddy floor of the woods as the old woman hurried on over to her.
"Bhairavi Ma...?"
She smiled and loosened the ropes that bound Aradhya. She chuckled softly.
"You didn't expect me to be alive? I never thought so too. But I have to say I have taught you well. The ropes could not hold you in. Have something. You haven't eaten in sixteen hours."
"Why are you doing this? Why are you working with that moron?" Aradhya moved away from her mother who let out a sigh of disappointment.
"Is this about me attacking you? When was it?...seventeen years or so ago?"
"It is about everything."
"To begin with, sorry dear. Amar took me, hostage, the day you and Vihaan were wed. He threatened me. Well, initially I was scared for my life but after he went on about why he took me in...I worried about nothing but you."
"You worried about me and yet you attacked me?"
"Listen," Bhairavi pulled a piece of cloth away from her arm revealing a burn scar, "You see this? This happened after I attacked you. Amar put it on me. He heated his royal seal and shoved it onto my skin."
Aradhya took in the sight of the royal seal of Dharini imprinted onto her mother's arm. She looked up at her as she just shot her smile and covered it up.
"You...You were supposed to die that day, Aradhya. I was sent there to kill you. I worried about you because, if I hadn't done what I did that day...you would've been brutally killed by Amar's men. I failed intentionally so then after you did exactly what I wanted. You changed up the palace arrangements and defied every attack Amar plotted. But for failing to kill you all I got was a burn."
"Why am I here anyway? Let me go. I have to help Vihaan in the war."
Bhairavi smiled, "I'm afraid I cannot. Abhik has brought you here because you need to be the string that is going to tie Vihaan to his death."
"Ma, please...don't do this. He needs me. He needs to win this war. Please."
Aradhya begged Bhairavi. But her mother smiled.
"Hold still. You have things to do."
.  .  .  .
The armies shouted in unison, "Jai Chandraghanta"
Vihaan and everyone rode their steeds to their best abilities into the raging battle while the ground stood ready to be devoured by the blood. Dust rise at the stomping of the hooves and so did the cries of warriors. Many horses fell and their men did too.
Vihaan took a headstrong lead as he clashed his sword against many who came at his head. One by one, strengthened by his hate, Vihaan dropped soldiers on their death beds. His self-loathing acted as fuel to the war.
Amar smiled wickedly at Vihaan and forwarded at him. He effortlessly made Vihaan fall to the ground, who was distracted. It was a crucial situation to be distracted in. Amar too got down from his horse and grimaced.
Vihaan failed at tempering his anger and attacked. Amar dodged it and swung his blade. He cut Vihaan above his knee. Vihaan grunted in frustration.
Amar again smirked, "A little weak, are we?" He said and hit Vihaan's face with the hilt of his sword.
Vihaan staggered back. He bled from above his brows. Amar pulled his sword back again. Vihaan blocked it with his own cutlass and threw at him a sarcastic laugh.
"A little weak? Yes. But incapable? Definitely not."
He pushed Amar back and kicked him in the chest. He remembered Aradhya doing it to him. He again was filled with hate. He furrowed his brows and turned off his softer side. He went full-on power mode at Amar.
He rained assaults on him like a hurricane. Amar took a firm stance and poked his blade forward stabbing Vihaan slightly at his side. Vihaan winched and turned to his side. Amar sneered. He slashed his sword against Vihaan's back. Blood spilt out as Vihaan let out an overwhelmed wince.
"Let's see what you've got, Chakravarthy Samrath." Amar leaned in.
.  .  .  .
"It..." Rihit paused, "has been a long time, Maharaj." Rihit took it easy.
Aagneya made his raids powerful. But not enough to make Rihit pour his best. Rihit calmly dodged and parried Aagneya's attacks. He didn't want to hurt him. He was Aradhya's father, nevertheless.
"It certainly has, Senapati. It has been around eighteen years since you and your king killed my son." Aagneya attacked again.
"So what are you here for? Revenge?"
"No, I am going to bring my daughter back. I'm not going to bring Aradhya back."
Rihit struggled a bit as Aagneya used older more forgotten tricks to fight. Rihit seized his sword beneath his and looked at him with a cocked up eyebrow.
"I'm surprised. I thought you would be here for Tamasvini. But, Maharaj...what makes you think Aradhya is going to listen to you? What makes you think she's going to come back after how you treated her for nineteen years since she was born?"
Aagneya's face softened a bit. His wrinkly complexion turned calm for once.
"I don't want to be a bad father anymore. And I am pretty sure you all treated her much worse than me. Exiled her. Left her to die."
.  .  .  .
On the other side of the battlefield were two young princes who laid their everything in their swordplay.
Darsh and Abhik were straight against each other. Darsh had a hungry growl on his tongue while Abhik had a grunt. The two clashed their swords over and over again to the point where one would feel that the blades would break.
"So much for you to in after trying to kill me." Darsh lunged out of harm's way.
"Just doing my job." Abhik shoved Darsh's attack back.
"You're a bit too confident, don't you think?" Darsh again lunged at him while both of them tried their hardest to keep each other at bay.
"That is in my blood you see. My father, brother Vikram, sister Aradhya...not that I complain, but I need you to hear me out."
Darsh backed away panting and wiping his sweat off his forehead. They both stood like that on the battlefield with others fighting each other. Darsh cocked his brows.
"Why would you think I am going to listen to you? You tried to kill me."
Abhik sighed and put his sword down, "Not everything is about you, Rajkumar. Sometimes, it is about everyone else apart from you. I need your help."
ð¡ï¸
ð Hello. So the war has finally begun. What do you think will come about in the next chapters?
What do you think of Bhairavi's story? Is she going to turn out good or bad? What does Abhik have planned?
Imma let y'all wonder. (And don't mind the picture in this chapter. It is a quote that means a lot to me. Ik it has nothing to do with the story)
Until next time
With love
â¤ï¸