Pavalanageri, Shoolin

There was a part in the palace of Pavalanageri, hidden behind three rows of tall gargantuan sized palm trees. A place distant from the main palace, it was deprived of any existence of humans but it gave shelter to the beings with wings during the day and night. Behind the untamed shrubs between the giant trees, stood a large derelict building of a once grand manor.

Oblivious of his track on an afternoon post lunch walk, Ranganathan had wandered around the palace garden and had stumbled upon rows of trees on the west side of the palace boundary. Gigantic in size, he foots it to take a closer look at the trees and found trails of once a pathway made of large rocks leading further beyond the shrubs. Curious about the neglected part of the palace, he followed the trail to an abandoned old manor guarded by tall wild grasses. Traces of exotic plants of sorts had him wonder who the dweller of the manor once was and why it had been left unattended.

However, his inquisitiveness on the derelict building was snatched by a pigeon cooing. Perched on the short stone wall, the white bird with a blue collar waited for him with a note. A wide grin tore on his face at the sight of the familiar bird with a note he had been waiting for weeks.

"Ah! What a surprise?" He gently held the pigeon and untied the note. "Stay here, little fellow," he placed it back on the wall.

The youngest princess of Kavish is missing. Search scouts had been sent around the kingdom to look for her. The palace is agitated with the disappearance.

As he read through the message, the smile on his face shrunk and lines of disconcert marred on his forehead and more lines formed at the ends of his mouth as he pursed his lips. It was a news he did not anticipate and it was a news he shouldn't be bothered either but it did. He should have been happy or be pleased with the news. Wasn't it what he wanted, a devastated Heramba family?

He sure did but the news of Nakshathra's disappearance stuck in his head like an endless loop with questions he had no answer. How did she go untraceable? Who would harm her? Did Alli executed something I didn't know? Where did she go? How will she be? Ranganathan's thought flow was a surprise to himself.

He had fallen into a mixed of feelings to which he couldn't explain. Was he concerned of her? Concern of the man's daughter he so badly wanted to take revenge? Concern of the princess he wanted to use to destroy the kingdom he hated?

Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his temple. Was it because of the afternoon heat or the anxiousness of his missing not-so-loved-niece? Was it out of concern of her safety or fear of unaccomplished mission without her?

"Huh!" He threw away the small chit somewhere into the heap of grass nearby.

He was lost, unable to find the real need in his life. For the first time in many years, he questioned himself if what he was doing was worth it. Was Nakshathra truly dear to him without him realising it?

Ranganathan rubbed his hand over his face, wiping away the foreign feel of closeness. "This isn't me. This isn't me. Come to your sense!" He slapped his cheeks, waking him up from an uncertain dream of concern.

"Are you alright?" A voice he had come familiar with asked as dry leaves crushed under the person's weight. "And what are you doing so far from the main palace?"

Maharaja Shijay squatted next to Ranganathan who had slid down against the short-wall from the shock at his reaction to the message he had received. The former laid a hand on Ranganathan's shoulder, squeezed gently as an assurance of his support.

"I'm sorry, Maharaja. I was just walking and lost my way here." Ranganathan pulled himself up on his feet with the support of the wall behind him.

"Oh." Shijay's voice flattened as he eyed the old derelict manor. "We should get back now." He helped his friend out of the palm tree boundary. Once they were out, Shijay heaved a sigh of relieve as if the neglected place suffocated him.

"Are you alright?" It was Ranganathan who had asked this time eyeing Shijay's discomfort.

"Yes, I am." He puffed his chest and stretched his lips wide.

Ranganathan did not buy his confident answer however decided to slide it with another question instead. "Mind I ask, why is this place neglected? Especially when it's within the palace boundary?"

Shijay wafted his hand in the air, admonishing to answer it with an excuse. "Ah, it's a story for another day. You are in a mess. Come get yourself cleaned." Shijay almost dragged Ranganathan with him to the palace before he could ask more questioned on the old manor.

Yet the swiftness of him waddling behind Shijay had him forget of the old manor and resumed to self-doubt his own intention. Did he truly desire to ruined the Heramba family or was it a decision made on an impulse of the moment? Why Nakshathra's disappearance affected him this much?

Will I be able to pull it off?

*-*-*-*-*-*

Yalin, Durja

Dhruva slipped silently into the management camp when the relief workers and volunteers were called in for a quick meeting with the young prince. Maintaining a low profile, Dhruva chose to stay at the back of the group while his brother and other officers took the front spot. He wasn't directly invited to the meeting but saw the need to be present nonetheless for various reasons. One was to avoid talks of young brother avoiding the older one and if happened, it wouldn't be healthy and might cause disorder in Yalin.

The possible cause of disorder from an act of carelessness could lead to much of an image and emotional damage. He had seen it enough to not have it repeated. Flashes of images of one such horrific incident resurfaced at the mere thought. He shut his eyes tight to break those images but they persisted beyond his restrain.

He was nine when the new queen, Kumudhavalli brought him and her two-year-old first born to a temple consecration built in her hometown, Kshay on the South of Durja. The town's pride, Queen Kumudhavalli was invited as the guest of honour for the consecration as a mark of congratulating her and to carry the word of her visitation around to garner more visitors across the country. They undoubtedly left the palace in a calm and joyous ambience.

Dhruva could swear on anything to prove his new mother had wholeheartedly wanted him to accompany her to the consecration until he was left alone in a place, he knew no one. The entire temple felt as if it was closing in on him, crushing him in silence. Panic stricken, he ran frantically calling for his mother, the guards who accompanied them, the ladies-in-waiting but there were none. His relentless cry had gained the locals' attention. They later found he was the prince of Durja.

The knowledge had them burst into fury towards the queen. The locals were enraged with the royal party for leaving the young boy in a place unknown to him under no one's supervision. They were infuriated with the new queen for being careless and questioned her responsibility as the queen, one who many considered her as the new mother of the nation. It was the mayor of Kshay who took him in and helped him with the necessities while they waited for authorities to take him back.

The anger of the locals magnified on the queen as the number of days stretched since he was left alone. No one from the queen's party return to retrieve him from them, no one came to look for him. The nine-year-old grew impatient, the unfamiliarity of the locals and they constant conversation centring him was gnawing upon the little boy. The head of Kshay noticed his uneasiness and ordered for a small troop to be readied to leave for Mahina.

The situation worsens at the palace when city dwellers learnt of Dhruva's missing. They all pointed finger on the new queen. Blamed her for her negligence, hated her for her fake display of affection on the late queen's son and ignored her for a long time. The queen suffered for close to a year before people slowly forgotten why they were angry with her but the queen never did. She channelled her anger towards the young prince. Dhruva was shunned and kept away from the family for good except for the exterior display.

Taken away into the past, Dhruva realised the meeting was over as one by one started leaving the tent. The process was accompanied by the buzz of talks among each other that he did not notice his brother next to him.

"What are you doing back here?" Prithvi's voice popped behind Dhruva.

"Oh, you scared me." A hand flew to his chest with a shake of his head. A short lap of silence later, Dhruva unsealed his lips. "I came late, so it seemed better to not disturb the meeting with my late entry," Dhruva said.

"Even so, you should be at the front. You are the crown prince so act like one." Prithivi brushed the lint sticking out of his tunic as he sauntered his way out leaving his brother surprised.

Dhruva was left in a moment of daze watching his brother act the way he did. The night was quite remarkable, it had to be the first in his life to hear Prithvi casually yet apathetically reminding him of his role.

"I'll keep that in mind," he muttered, recalling their first flat conversation on the first day of his arrival when he had asked Prithvi, how he was faring.

"I'm doing well," Prithvi seemed too disordered in his thoughts, he looked around for a bit. "I should get going. There's some work that needs my attention," he said and left with a curtsy bow. Prithvi took off further into the construction site as if he never had any conversation.

Their conversation was short but a start nonetheless, he thought back then. "And today it progressed a little more," he beamed and made his way to where the village folks had gathered to share their gratitude with all.

*-*-*-*-*

Sikva, the capital city of Kavish

By the dawn's early light, two horses galloped towards the palace gate. Despite four guards stood with their swords drawn out blocking the way, the riders showed no sign of halting. As the distance between the riders and the guards reduced, the guards made way for the riders while they stared with wide eye.

Shortly after the riders entered the palace, the news reached the king and his family who was in the mid of their routine morning prayers. Flabbergasted with the news, the Herambas left their prayers to be completed by the temple priest and rushed to the private court to meet the two riders.

The riders, one dressed as the palace guard stood a few feet behind the other who was dressed in a modest cotton fabric saree. While one looked like the guard he was, the other looked anything but a princess. Nakshathra although appeared weak and pale, she greeted her family members with the brightest smile of hers. From her mother to her cousins, everyone welcomed her with teary eyes and big hugs.

Amidst the many teary eyes looking at her, one particular pair of eyes caught her attention. The eyes that have always shown anger, disapproval, disappointment and embarrassment had tears, happy tears for her. She walked past the joyous crowd and halted before her father with her own watery eyes blurring her vision.

"This might sound wrong but why do I feel good to see you cry," Nakshathra commented with a laugh as her tears cascaded down her cheeks while she wiped off her father's.

The private court burst into a fit of laughter before the king silenced them. "You find it funny to have tormented your family with your disappearance?" Bavaneswaran snapped although not in his usual cold tone.

"It wasn't like I did it on purpose. It's just that goodwill thought backfired me in a way. I was injured and had a concussion. I was under treatment all this while."

Gasps echoed in the room; each one threw their concerns on her physical conditions. Her brothers were loudest of them all.

"I am fine now."

"Where did you get your treatment?" Nakul asked. His cleaned shaved face had facial hair now and so did for the other two of her brothers, she noticed.

"In Gupagam Forest. The forest dwellers helped me recover."

Another round of gasps echoed but this time it was even more surprised and loud. Everyone knew of the rumours spread regarding the Yamilva tribe yet her returning alive was a proof that the tribe was indeed portrayed in the bad light. Nakshathra spent half of her day explaining to them what happened and how she ended up with a concussion. The revelation only made her family furious of her impulsive action.

"Had I not gone to safe the man, I wouldn't know who was exactly behind this," she clenched the end of her saree hung on her shoulder, tight. "And I have also decided what to do to stop the disappearance of our people of happening again."

"What do you mean?", "What are you doing to do?" Her father and brothers questioned her all at once.

Nakshathra took a moment to read each one of their faces, they all displayed one emotion in variations. Concern, fear and disapproval.

"I'm going to Durja to find the woman and put an end to this madness." Her silvery voice boomed across the private court.

*-*-*-*-*-*