Aditya panicked as he held her limp body in his arms. He quickly lifted her in his arms and walked towards the river where there was much more open space and laid her on the bank. He quickly walked towards the river to fetch some water for her. His gaze fell on his hands and he was shocked to see blood on his arms. He looked back to see a small halo around her neck. He quickly fetched water in his palms and ran back to her, sprinkling it on her face, to wake her up. Tearing up a cloth of his angavastram, he tied it around her head to stop the blood flow. He glanced around to find something and found an empty coconut shell, Aditya fetched water in it and sat by her side. He tried sprinkling water on her face again, rubbing her palms to wake her up. After what felt like an eternity, Meenakshi stirred, making Aditya sit on his knees to help her up. Meenakshi tried sitting up as Aditya supported her back, helping her. A sharp pain shot through her head making Meenakshi wince. She clutched her head trying to stabilize her spinning gaze.
Aditya helped her sit comfortably, offering her water to sip. She gulped it quickly and Aditya ran to the river to fetch water again. Meenakshi slowly gained a sense of the place and what transpired between them a few moments ago. Her gaze fell on Aditya who was hurriedly walking back to her with a shell, full of water. He offered it to her and she silently took it, sipping. Aditya sat by her side and an uncomfortable silence settled between them.
"There will be a war. For justice." Aditya was the first one to break the silence. Meenakshi silently nodded. She knew she had to face his wrath and she wholeheartedly accepted it. Aditya took a deep breath and left from there. Meenakshi's eyes welled up but she refused to cry. It was her fault and now she had to bear the consequences. She slowly got up and walked back to the place where her clothes were discarded. Putting her attire on, she rode back to the palace. Sneaking into her room, she quietly laid down on her bed waiting for what tomorrow holds.
The next morning came early unlike her last night's sleep. A letter had arrived from Aditya, as the king of Krishnapura, declaring war on Vidhyanagara. This came as a shock to the king who had set on preparing for his daughter's wedding. Meenakshi came to know about the letter and she quickly dressed up to meet the king. On announcing her presence, she went inside the king's chambers, where ministers and commanders were discussing the reasons and plan of action. Seeing her here, the king looked at her with a questioning gaze. She silently looked at the ministers asking for a private interaction. Raja Harshavardhan gestured to his ministers and they left the chambers greeting both of them.
"What happened?" He asked, being pissed for hearing such bad news in the morning.
"I heard about the war." She told.
"Yeah, there is no reason mentioned and they are just waging a war. What is this?" He spoke, his voice rising a few octaves higher. "Do you have anything to do with it?" He added, making her eyes snap to his. Hurt reflected in her eyes as she heard her father accusing her. But again this wasn't something new to her but it somehow hurt her every time she heard it. Before he could change his words or handle the situation she spoke up.
"I am here to inform you that I shall be leading this war." She said, her posture bowed.
"No, you will not. I won't allow this to happen." He said, pacing in the room, worrying about his future and his daughter's.
"My kingdom needs me Rajaji and I have to be there for it. I am sorry for being a disappointment, but I assure you, I will try my best to not disappoint you anymore." Saying so she left the room offering her pranams to the king.
Chitrama had heard the news of her getting ready for the battlefield and she rushed to Meenakshi's chambers. Seeing her getting ready in her armor and shield, she rushed towards her and stood in front of her. "You are not going there. I am not going to send you." Chitrama broke into tears as she spoke.
"No ma. Don't cry. My kingdom needs me Ma, and I have to be there for it." Meenakshi spoke softly, wiping Chitrama's tears.
"No Meena, please listen to me. Don't go there. Please. We have others who can fight this battle for us. Please Meenakshi. Don't go dear." Chitrama held her hand trying to stop her. Meenakshi smiled softly and made her sit on her bed. She kneeled in front of Chitrama and held her palms in hers.
"Ma." She called. Chitrama's face was held low as she tried to hide her tears. Meenakshi lifted her chin making her meet her gaze. "Ma, please ma. Don't cry. I cannot be at peace knowing that my mother is crying."
"Then don't go." Chitrama immediately added.
"Ma, please don't stop me. IâI have a different feeling about this Ma. Everything will be better. Everything is going to fall in place ma. Everyone will be happy. Rajaji, Ranisa, Yuvraj, everyone. I shallâI shall also be free Ma." Meenakshi spoke, her words held a happiness that felt as if she had achieved everything in her life. She spoke as if she knew what would happen and she was very happy.
"Meena. Meena." Chitrama shook her out of her lost expression. She could not comprehend her happiness in a positive way. Even more, her gut was telling her that something bad was going to happen.
"Yes ma." Meenakshi snapped out of her reverie.
"What are you thinking so much? And what are you trying to say?" She asked. Meenakshi just smiled and shook her head. As she heard the war bell, she quickly got up and geared herself up. Tucking her dagger and sword, she walked towards Chitrama and touched her feet seeking her blessings. "Chiranjeevi bhava." She blessed her. Her gaze continued to follow Meenakshi until she lost sight of her.
**********
Shit, what's going to happen now?
I am scared.