Leena alerted Pruthvi, when the knight came over to ask about their details. Thanks to Leena for being the twin of the Sharad's Princess, the knight immediately recognized her and offered to escort them to the royal chamber where they were required to go.

They stepped inside the amphitheater, now standing below the grand marble stoned archway against the gate. Their eyes enlarged, unblinking, their novelty worn off watching the gigantic, circular, open-air venue. The flooring of the stage in the middle of the theater was made of granite stones and the seat tiers were concentrically to it. There were people rushing in and out, few in grand ethnic traditional dresses and the rest in cowboy uniforms. Walking a little bit further inside, they watched the crowd, a river of people with their adrenaline pumping happiness, spreading themselves to occupy the seats in the same direction.

"This way, please," the knight said, walking in the lone pathway. Pruthvi and Leena were reluctant to follow him quickly, their eyes stuck on the lively audience. The crowd here had a life of it's own, and the flowery decoration made all around the amphitheater added an epic picture of immense excitement. There was dull ache in Pruthvi's heart, watching the happiness among the people. It was the kind of happiness that had suddenly burst out after being forcefully stuffed within them for whole two years. Only if Shashi haven't had created a terror among the people, may be Paramarashtra wouldn't be called as the country of the Forgotten Kingdoms.

"Check it out," whispered Leena, "The tree of Vrindahina."

Pruthvi followed her sight, but he couldn't watch the Holy Tree as he wanted to, for the knight kept forcing them to follow him into a door right at the corner. He just saw that there was tree in the middle of the free land, being watered by a fine number of people.

A smaller door creaked open and the knight disappeared walking through it. Pruthvi and Leena clasped their hands before they stepped in. They found themselves walking over the spiral stony steps, many lantern lit up at this closed area. It took them several minutes to reach the desired floor. The knight then turned to their left and stood near a door which seemed rather grand with all intricate design engraved on it.

"Doctor Krishant Veer, King Aghasthya and everyone else from Sharad should be waiting for you inside," said the knight, "Have a nice day."

"Thank you," said Leena brightly at the humbled knight before he walked away.

Soon they entered, both of them hesitating a bit, hearing a loud laughter sound resonating throughout the room. It was a highly sophisticated one, as large as their lobby in their academy, with all the antique furniture, and walls decorated with colorful curtains. The laughter was coming from the a group of youngsters sitting around an oak table layered with trays filled with food. The scent of the food troubled Pruthvi, his mouth watering. He never had felt this intense craving sensation ever before and it was difficult to stay put.

"Leena!"

It was Princess Lithika, sitting among the young girls, wearing eccentrically dazzling maroon costume and sparkling ornament. She stood and hurried towards her sister, with a broad smile on her face.

Pruthvi knew he was gazing and he quickly averted his eyes away from the bride to look at his girlfriend. She looked so much like Leena, that he at once imagined his own girlfriend in such grand attire. This was how she was going to look...sometime in the future,  one fine day.

"Congratulation," said Leena as the twins hugged.

"I am sorry, we couldn't inform you personally," Lithika said, "Things happened so quickly..."

"That is fine," Leena interrupted, pressing her eyes and shaking her head a little, "I think we still need time to accept each other as a family."

Pruthvi bit his tongue on Leena's quick honest remark. Lithika was slightly taken aback but she covered it with a grim smile.

"So, who is the lucky guy?" Leena asked, breaking the moment of awkwardness she created.

"Sshh! Don't let him hear you say that," Lithika said, her voice suddenly turning low, and looking back at the group, "He will not like it."

Leena frowned at her statement, and so did Pruthvi. He couldn't quite understand how Leena's question could be disrespectful to anyone.

"What do you mean?" he asked, straightforwardly.

"Prince Archit Garg!"

The three heads turned around when they were answered by an unknown person walking out of the group.

He looked a lot taller and thinner than Pruthvi, wearing a vest on a silky white shirt tugged underneath his black trousers. His sleek black shoulder length hair and self assured smile was explicitly giving him a total look of a prince.

"....is how I actually expect people to call me." He finished standing beside Lithika, placing his hands inside his pockets.

"Your Majesty," said Princess Lithika, "This is my..."

"Sister," he said, his voice husky and deep that eventually turned out one of the reason for his exceeded glamour, "Anybody in the world can say that."

He smirked at Leena. His brown eyes and strong jaw, exactly the type of the men, according to Leena, most of the girls would die for.

"Actually, I heard you are a Samagraha," he said, "How lucky you are, born in a royal family. You are not actually just a mere security symbol anymore."

Leena looked at Lithika slightly baffled at his way of speech and expecting a support from her sister. But when Lithika didn't utter a word, she gave him a deserving answer. "I don't know what according to you a Samagraha means, but I am proud to be chosen as one."

"Of course you are," he said, curtly, "You can't actually survive if you don't feel it that way. Just can't believe the Samagraha are actually so over hyped. I actually heard the grandson of King Harsh is also a Samagraha. My father is so right, Clan of Rajya is losing its honor."

Pruthvi glared at him, his blood pressure raising, hearing Lithika's suppressed laughter, yet he kept his anger in check. Now he knew why Hayden hated the clan he belonged to. Pruthvi so didn't want to get himself involved in this family talk, but his in-sensitiveness wouldn't allow him to stay calm anymore. "Did Clan of Rajya ever own an ounce of honor to lose it?"

Pruthvi never argued with his tightened fist, but he knew his words had an power packed punch. 

Archit Garg shot him a look, offended. "Who are you supposed to be?" he demanded, standing tall against Pruthvi.

Lithika immediately positioned herself in between them, trying to calm the so called Prince down.

"Actually, it's you fault," he shouted at her, coldly, "you invited them, even after my father actually told you not to. How disgraceful are they. Tell them to be in their limits, or else my knights are actually enough to throw them out."

"Oh try us!" Pruthvi shouted, thinking of his Emarald.

Archit ignored him and giving them a cold shoulder he hurriedly walked away, to join the rest of the seemingly spoiled brats. Leena held Pruthvi's hand, and shook her head indirectly asking him not to speak anymore.

"How could you!" Lithika shouted, at once, her high pitched tone hinting a row among them.

Pruthvi snapped her a look, his anger denying to subdue. Shourya's warning to stop the marriage was probably one of the reasons that was creating a negative impression on the Prince.

"You are marrying that guy?" He asked, loudly, "He is such a living, breathing, walking piece of garbage....actually!"

"You don't have to tell me....stop calling him as any other guy, he is a Prince of Narula Dynasty."

"Lithika," shouted Leena backing her boyfriend, "How can you take his side, when he is clearly insulting me, your family. I can't believe you agreed to marry him."

"Actually!" Pruthvi had to complete her statement.

"I am a Princess," she said, her eyes streaming but her voice filled with arrogance, "We are princesses, and we marry the one having an equal status such as a Prince, not anyone picked up from the streets of the village."

Pruthvi's mouth dropped, eyes popped out and his insides ready to explode with unrestrained fury. He has never seen this side of Lithika ever before. It was as if she was willing trading an insult for insult. But she wouldn't have known, how her words had deeply hurt him. That was how she thought of him, just someone without any esteem, totally unfit for her sister? In that instant, the whatever bond they had between them, shattered into glassy shards.

Leena, as well, was too shocked to retort, or may be she just didn't want to prolong this unnecessary argument. Watching over her head, Pruthvi spotted the most needed man making an appearance inside the hall. It was Doctor, signalling at Pruthvi to follow him inside. Sighing heavily in relief finding a way to end this conversation, he caught Leena's arm and pulled her with him, without even looking at Lithika anymore.

They walked past the group to reach the place where Doctor directed them to meet. They noticed the hall was even bigger with a dining area attached to it, separated only by a blue glittering curtain. Pruthvi was fuming and so was Leena. They wanted to immediately talk all the important stuff, about Shourya and his warnings, that Shashi making Pruthvi his next target but now everything seemed to have become secondary.

"Pruthvi, what is going on?" Doctor asked, sounding nervous, "When I asked you yesterday you said..."

"Academy is ruined," Pruthvi interrupted, watching Leena walk aside and sinking herself to sit in one of the chairs, completely exhausted, "Blasted, exploded...whatever! Tyrell burnt our academy. Did you know about this?"

Doctor at once stood straight, his wrinkled face hung down a little. "He destroyed our academy too?" he said, his voice quivering.

"Too?" Pruthvi asked, raising his eyebrows, and his eyes instantly pricked. He began breathing heavily to control his anger but he knew it was useless, when he felt his insides empowering with his alternate power. "So you do know something about it. Will you tell me what else you know about Tyrell before I leave for the job you made me responsible for?"

Doctor swallowed and gaped at Pruthvi for a few second. "You are angry. May be it's not the time for us to talk about it."

Pruthvi looked at Leena who was calmly wiping her eyes. His heart sank, he so wanted to know what was running inside her mind. And he just wished for Lithika's words to not to have an influence on her.

"I am hungry," he corrected, still looking at her and forcefully thinking about Shourya, "And yes, we have loads to talk."

"I will provide you with something," said Doctor. "You are early so I didn't reserve a room for you. May be we all have to adjust in..."

"It's fine," he said, in a low tired voice, "I don't care. And you know what, I just came to know that I can even live in the streets."

-x-