Theavanam, South border of Lambodara

Not being the loudest or the most prominent Minister of Housing and Local Govern, Ranganathan's absence in the procession never mattered nor noticed. Keeping a low profile and maintaining close to no camaraderie with other royal household members was an advantage. His reticence had provided him the enclosure he needed to slip away from the convoy heading to Mount Gaja.

A smile stretched across his lips, his eyes finding calmness in the foliage sheltering them from the afternoon sun and from the smell of wet moss as the chariot shook excessively from effect of going through the potholes on the tracks. They had left the procession a couple of days ago, he had to be somewhere else in order to keep his plan going.

Crossing the thick jungle with short breaks in between for the horses, Ranganathan and Udumban reached a clearing at the border of Lambodara. A building made of timber with two-storey high stood with the tall and thick trees framed the back of the timber house. Chitra Athitigrha, the name was written on a piece of plank in charcoal. Rows of rare jungle flowers called Alinasita of Theavanam, in the shades of the sea greeted them in full bloom as cheerful as Ranganathan. The master and his servant disembarked from the chariot and headed to the guesthouse.

"Good evening, noble sir. My name is Kannapan, I am pleased to welcome you to our humble guesthouse. We have comfortable rooms for each of you, sire. Would you like to have a look?" A lean man in his early thirties greeted and offered their available service.

"You are newly employed?" Ranganathan asked.

"Yes, noble sir. It's been a month."

Ranganathan surveyed the interior of the clean and pristine guesthouse. A simple abode with fancy decorations on its wall coming from various part of the nation, a long corridor leading to many rooms and a staircase to the floor above. Smell of roasted spices wafted in the air; he inhaled the spice infused air and a smile spread on his lips. It has been quite some time since the last he visited the cottage and had the food prepared by the excellent cook as the owner, Chitramala.

"Chitramala, isn't here?" asked Ranganathan eager to see the lady after months.

"Devi Chitramala is in the kitchen, sire. I'll send for her immediately. May I show you the room?" Kannapan guided Ranganathan to a room on the second floor. "Enjoy your stay, sire."

Ranganathan merely nodded and said, "Tell Chitramala that Ranganathan is here and arrange another room for him." He gestured to Udumban standing next to the guesthouse receptionist and closed the door.

"Smart boy," muttered Ranganathan as he ambled around the room. It was one of the biggest rooms available in the cottage and has been specifically altered for men like him—nobles.

Precisely, the same room where he spent hours planning for the downfall of the land which should have been his to rule. This had been the place where he found solace, many years ago. Memories of the past rekindled as he lay on the enormous bed, the soft cotton sheet sent him a reminder, the future will be kinder to him. He tried to fight against it but the past was worth paying a visit, he thought. As he closed his eyes, he allowed the past to flood him with memories.

His heart ached as he ran away from the palace as far as his now bruised feet could take him. He crossed kingdoms and thick jungle aimlessly heading towards the west. Forty days on foot through the jungle with no proper food nor shelter, he grew weaker. Forcing himself to stay alive with the remaining strength, he wobbled for another few days taking quick naps in between and finally stumbled upon a cottage after forty-seven days in the middle of the jungle, Theavanam. Pleading for mercy the family of six took him in their house and gave him a place to stay and food to eat without expecting anything in return.

There, he met Chitramala, the eldest among the four children with aged and sick parents, who was also the sole breadwinner for the family. Ranganathan learnt that she cooks for a nearby inn and that they pay her a good sum of money. Throughout his stay Chitramala's commitment and devotion towards her family amazed him. She had also cared for his basic needs and tended his wounds without asking for any returns.

Slowly and steadily, Ranganathan fell in love with Chitramala for her kind heart and for she never questioned about him. She always respected him and gave him enough space to recuperate and come out of his terrible past. Not only did she let him in her house, she had also got him a job in the same inn she worked.

The runaway prince felt important and special when she begun to share her dreams with him without knowing him and with every passing day, they got closer to each other. Two years had gone by since he had encountered Chitramala's house and lived with her family. He had also shared Chitramala's responsibility and got her two sisters married and sent her younger brother to a gurukul for studies.

Only after settling her responsibilities, Ranganathan shared about the events that took place in the palace and the injustice happened to him, the news infuriated her. His embarrassment felt as if it happened to her. The devoted lover couldn't calm herself for Ranganathan had to face so much only because the throne was entitled to him and snatched away.

"We should get it back, Ranga," she stated after days of observing silence.

"The throne? How?"

"We need to plan. We should either get it or destroyed it," she said with resolute which boosted Ranganathan further.

The memories of the past faded away as soft touches fell on his chest bringing him back to the present. The familiar touch on his arms sent wave of tingle in his body as he felt a light peck on his cheek. "Chitra, I missed you," he whispered. The one he could recognise even with his eyes closed, his comfort and love.

They laid in each other's embrace for a long time before Chitramala tore away. "I have brought something of your favourite," she said and fetch a small carrier in which she had stored his favourite dish made of pumpkin.

"Oh, you knew I would come?" He asked savouring the taste of the delicious food fed by her.

"I wait for you every day," her thin lips stretched adding beauty to her oval face.

"I can't wait to bring you back with me, Chitra. We will need to get our plan going this time. I can't hold Alli from executing her plan any longer." Ranganathan set the carrier on the table and held her hand.

"I get it, she wants to take her revenge and that they are our enemy first. We need to take the first move and strike at the right time. But the right time will come to us through Alli. You don't worry, Ranga. Everything will fall into place," assured Chitramala.

He nodded in agreement however he still had the fear of failing. Putting up a smile on his face, he filled her in about the happenings in Durja and the preparation that took place for the Vinayagar Chaturthi.

Her eyes never left Ranganathan's whenever he shares anything although it doesn't concern her or their plan. The respect and involvement she showed to him have been the most attractive aspect of her. Ranganathan vowed to the Lord he prays; he would give her the life she deserves. Chitramala deserves to be the queen; his queen and the day wasn't far, the day they would defeat Kavish and take her hand in marriage.

Her soft palm rested on his cheek, breaking his train of thoughts, she enquired about his journey and shared some idea on gaining the Maharaja Shijay's aid on a personal level.

"Gaining his trust will help us in the future. We wouldn't need Alli's order for him to send armies after that," Chitramala emphasized.

"You are right. I'll work on gaining the Maharaja's trust."

"I heard there are people scheming against Shijay in his city and manage to get some names and also places where you can get information. Find out and make use of the opportunity."

Ranganathan yawned as she continued about plans and schemes. "Will you only keep talking about others and not pay attention to me? I have been literally away from you for a year. Don't you think I deserve at least a little of you?" he pulled her to him not giving her a chance to move away.

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Sikva, capital city of Kavish

The sandstone tower in Sikva called the Aker, was one of the highest in the city. Above the spiralling stairs sat the enormous City Control Centre, a functionality tower to watch over the city and its guards' performance and maintaining smooth traffic sometimes to locate the escaping criminals and accidents. There were seven Aker tower in the city, Parthiban had forcefully dragged Nakshathra with him one morning after a watching her sullen face for three days straight.

Ever since they had returned to the palace, Nakshathra had been quiet and since then confined in her room. The brothers had noted it during their travel back and assumed her to be fine once they get back to Sikva. Alas, it turned worst. Her quietness and moody presences even had the king grow concern over her and had ordered his sons to check on her.

"What's troubling you?" He sat next to her at corner where Nakshathra had once turned it into a mini library for her. The bright and airy Aker centre was one of the few regular places of Nakshathra and she has similar spaces made in each of the brothers' workplaces.

Parthiban glanced some old manuscripts scattered on the desk before her. Some of which were their grandmother's he identified among many other authors' works, he picked one and skimmed through. Achi, their grandmother had a love for stories since she was young and had recorded thousands of them in her ninety years of living. Her fondness of writing had given Nakshathra the luxury of reading and possessing most of her works. His younger sister adored their grandmother and her work whereas the rest of the siblings weren't into stories at all but he admired the involvement Nakshathra had in fictions.

Nakshathra gave herself a few seconds to process her response while debating if she should tell her brother or not on what disturbed her. What would happen if she tells and what if she doesn't? Her mind calculated. For the former, Parthiban might run an investigation with Guru Agathiyan to find out the reason behind the persuasion which might put the honourable physician in shame. As for the latter, she might have to endure all the headache on her own and her quietness might worry the people around her even more. Her mind settled for the latter but her heart betrayed at the nick of the moment.

"It's Achi's story that is troubling me," she begun with the believe that one of their grandmother's stories can shoulder her trouble without causing trouble. "It is a story of two families, one family is after the other's life. The families had mutual friends who were upset to see them fight every other day. So, they gathered and discussed within themselves on how to dissolve the problem between the families. They came up with a solution—marriage alliance." Nakshathra took a glance at her brother from the corner of her eyes, nothing but concentration.

"They spoke to the boy's family first. After several rounds of discussion, they finally agreed. Then they went to the girl's family and did the same. Although they hesitated, for the respect they have towards the mutual friends, the family agreed. What do you think about it, Parthi?" She asked with anticipation. A solution from her brother was something she might need to ease her mind.

"An alliance? Sounds nice and might be workable too but there can be an underlying problem. What if the marriage is just a trick to cause further problem to either of the family? It could be the boy's family torturing the girl or the other way around," mused Parthiban. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Abuse? To show they still hold grudge on the other family? That's terrible. What do I do?" Nakshathra mumbled as she sees herself in the similar situation.

"Why do you need to do anything? It's just a story, Nakshathra." Parthiban observed his stress-looking sister. "Don't invest yourself too much in such stories. You have even troubled father by being too quiet and confined," he chuckled trying to ease whatever that was tensing her.

She nodded realising she was giving too much hint on a personal level. "I'm sorry, I have been into these stories too much but I'll be fine. Just need some time," she flashed a fake smile did not convince Parthiban.

"You better be or if there is anything wrong, tell us and we will help you as much as we can, alright." He caressed her dark hair bounded in a knot.

She bowed low mockingly taking his words as an order and walked across the room to the other end. Almost a quarter of the city was clearly visible and one can tell the state of a particular path is either congested or packed. But all she saw was a mess, in her head. More weight fell on Nakshathra's shoulder as she recalled Parthiban's list of possible ways the alliance could go wrong and she see herself on the receiving end. The consequence might be too much to handle. Why Agathiyan wants her to throw herself into the lion's den when everyone including him knows it's a risk? They are already after her family! What would they do to her if she agrees for the marriage in exchange of her captivated people?

She zoned out into deep contemplation and other possibilities to avoid the alliance.

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