Mahina, capital city of Durja

Plink. Plink. Plink.

The water from a crack on the ceiling drop one after the other, the only sound heard in the one of the secret dungeons in Mahina. Alli's special prisons made for her secret captives.

She sat on a well-crafted large wooden chair, a similar design of the throne chair present in the court room. Although she would one day take over the throne, today she felt like a queen who had made her one step towards victory.

Victorious smile adored her face hidden behind the scarf. The smooth wooden armrest allowed her to go back and forth with her palm with ease. Alli jubilantly picked up a sack and threw it to the two men stood before her.

One of them caught it with a loud clinking noise.

"Gold coins. For the job well done." Alli acknowledged them loud and clear, to be heard by the prisoners in the cell.

"I'm delighted to hear that the PRINCESS OF KAVISH now lay burnt in a pity state. What a disastrous moment would have been for the Heramba family? Oh, I wish I could witness their sorrow." Alli mocked as she paced to the cells.

Murmurs among the prisoners grew into a buzz, they were all baffled at Alli's pleasure in hurting someone. For once since they were captured, they had forgotten of their own plight and were concern of their princess. Each one had their own share of memories with the youngest Heramba who have had interactions together.

"Worried for your princess?" she asked, sarcastically. "Don't be, I'll let you know when she is dead." Alli burst into a fit of devilish laughter.

As much as she loved to hear of Nakshathra's death, she knew that wouldn't happen. Somehow, they would bring her back alive with the help of those expert physicians but certainly the princess has to live with scars that will be too hideous to see. What a pain will it be for the little girl and her family? Alli triumphantly ambled herself to the end of the dungeon, away from the guards and prison cells.

"No pain of yours will ever be greater than mine. I'll see to it that everyone in the family suffers with nowhere to go," vowed Alli to revenge her father's death and to fulfil her long-time desire which laid buried under that very land.

She steered her attention back to the two men she had hired. "Both of you, make sure you speak nothing of this to anyone nor do you try to be smart with me. Don't you forget that your families are still in my custody." Alli's menacing stare had them drop their heads down helplessly.

Alli considered herself the most fortunate person, for she had stroke by luck twice. First the hidden tunnel to the unused watch tower, which wasn't much of a use now and second the discovery of Varhinsas. Pure luck. For her the existence of Varhinsas was only limited to folklore as she refused to accept such people exist in real. She often heard their stories through Brinda when she narrated it to the little Dhruva. When her soldiers told her of their discovery, Alli was aghast. Her perception changed when the caught Varhinsas were forced to display their abilities before her.

She had kept them under lock and key till she figured a way to use them which she did eventually.

"Can we meet our families, devi?" Asked one of the two men, pleading.

"I'm afraid it's not possible for now. I still have more work for you. Off you go, now." The lady ordered her guards to keep an eye on them. They were equally dangerous and precious for her to lose them.

After a long journey back to the palace, she was greeted with a pigeon in her chamber. Her tiredness flew off in a whisk. Discarding her shawl covering her face, she quickly reached for the bird. A note was tied to its leg, a much-anticipated news from Kavish.

As she read line by line, the smile on her face slowly faded. She crushed the note in her hand and glared at her reflection which seemed to laugh at her plans. Want to bring the princess of Kavish to Durja? How about she getting married off to some other prince? Alli pushed an oil lamp with a great force resulting to a loud clung against the floor.

"No! They cannot get away. The princess has to be here at any cost. Be it the life of prince Abhimanyu," seethed Alli with a distressing gaze on the burning note she had thrown in the fallen oil lamp.

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Outside the Border of Kavish

As they approached closer to the huge gate at the border, the uneasiness within the prince of Durja grew deeper. He clutched the reins tighter as his heart beat heavily with the growing distance between him and the city. At the gate, Dhruva took a last glance at the city far from view with a disturbing mind.

Parthiban vaguely knew the reason however; he doubted if Dhruva's quietness were a sign of genuine or a heartbreak for a failed mission. Although the signs and encounters gave positive opinions on Dhruva, the prince of Kavish did not want to trust himself just yet.

An hour later with Viswa on the lead, they found the settlement Dhruva's Yujyagana had erected. The unpleasant smell of the smoke from the put off bonfire filled the air. They arrived with teary eyes and coughs. "What on earth did you use for the fire?" Viswa yelled between coughs as soon as he jumped down from his horse.

"Uh, wood," Maruthan the always frowning Yujyagana answered with an intense scowl. Both of them stared at each other without word, before Maruthan marched pass him to welcome his prince to their temporary abode. After the brief welcome, Dhruva and Parthiban was escorted to the fugitives who claimed themselves to be citizens of Kavish.

The prince of Kavish along with prince of Durja spent close to four hours in verification and extraction of information on the history of their disappearance. Parthiban came in prepared with all needed data to match their claimed; from their ancestor's name, the identities of their far relatives to the latest purchase, they or their family made before they were taken away. Dhruva was spellbound at how much details Parthiban's team had collected from the family and how useful it had been to them to claim their right as Kavishians.

The long hours of interrogation came to an end with a promise from the prince of Kavish, they would return home with him the next day. The twelve Kavishians poured their heartfelt gratitude to the Dhruva and blessed him with long life.

As night fall, Dhruva and Parthiban tore away from the noisy and bickering troop after their simple dinner for a private chat. Parthiban watched as Dhruva took the flint from one of his Yujyagana and lit the fire for them both. The prince of Kavish had concluded that Dhruva was true to his words. He maintained the peace while they were in Kavish and handed over the citizens safely except for one who had died due to lack of health aid on their way. In short, he was happy to have had the chance to meet the prince of Durja.

"Thank you for bringing my people back safely, Yuvaraja Dhruva." Parthiban had his hands joined together as a sign of gratitude to the man seated before him.

"Please don't thank me. It is, in fact my duty to bring them to you. Our families might have a reason to hate each other but the people by no means are entitled to suffer. I promise to work on finding all of them and bring them back to their families." He stared at the crackling wood. "I am truly sorry for all the pain the people have endured because of someone from my country." Dhruva dropped his head unable to meet Parthiban's gaze. Helpless and guilty, he took it on himself for the despair Durja had caused for Kavish.

"It will be unfair to hate everyone for one- or two-persons evil deeds. You have again and again proved yourself as a noble man with noble intention. I am indeed lucky to be able to know you better in this journey." Parthiban picked up a long stick from the ground and drew patterns on the sand as he spoke. "As for bringing back the missing people, it is adequate we work together. As you must have heard the men said they were being brought out of Durja. Which means not all who are missing are kept in Durja, we will need to find them together." He gave an assuring nod and a smile.

The noise in the camp receded gradually as one by one retired for the day. Viswa had come to the princes to refill their water pitcher and made sure they were well served before he hit the sack. Parthiban scanned around for any guards on the watch near them. Satisfied with the needed privacy, he asked, "Why did you decide to leave Sikva in hasty?"

Dhruva was caught off guard, he did not anticipate to be questioned for his early departure. After a long silence, Dhruva answered, "It is best I am far from Kavish. I fear my present may call for trouble and I desire none of it." Parthiban understood the underlying meaning, he in fact caught well on what exactly was in Dhruva's mind.

"It's all about alliance, Dhruva. Nothing can go wrong with the right ally and right intention," Parthiban replied almost surprising himself.

It can be no more a denial, Dhruva had impressed Parthiban with his humbleness, honesty, dedication and respect. In the particular moment, Parthiban had even considered to talk with his brothers on an alliance which would bind Dhruva and Nakshathra in a marital knot. If they were to compare Dhruva and Abhimanyu, the former had better traits of keeping their sister happy than the latter. All of it would be a huge process but before anything, he needed one last confirmation from the prince.

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