Chapter 9
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"Maharaja?" she asked cautiously. He stood in front of the window, his back facing her. He turned around slowly and met her gaze. She lowered her gaze almost immediately and spoke,

"Your Highness, I have got the information you requested. Although, I didn't- they didn't mention the specifics of the number of soldiers in their ranks." With that, she handed him the scroll.

He motioned the commander to take it. The Maharaja nodded, listening to the numbers, as his Senapati read the contents. "Well, not bad," he said at last. "You passed the test, although we didn't get the total number including allies, specifics of rankings, and strength."

Roopvalli let out an internal sigh of relief, He won't be beheading me after all.

"So what's next on the list?" she asked. "Maharaja," she added with an afterthought.

"Waiting." He simply said. "Summer isn't the right time. People are more alert, they tend to be... wandering. We cannot execute our plans then. Right after the monsoon, will be the perfect timing. People in their houses, guards aloof, soldiers relaxed... They won't suspect a thing,"

"Excellent plan, Your Highness!" Roopvalli praised.

Ballaraja turned back to the window to mask his annoyance at her obvious flattery of him. Most men would be flattered in the assumption that they were honest praises. But he was not most men. He knew this was pure flattery to get on his good side. Which would not happen, ever.

"You are dismissed until you convince that husband of yours and bring him here. Send nothing but letters of your findings discreetly. Make sure your findings aren't baseless. You know what'll happen if they were..." He left the threat hanging as she excused herself and went away.

* * *

"Aim. Pull back. Shoot. Aim again. Shoot. Repeat." Suruchi listed each action as Revati performed them. She stooped talking and looked at the arrows that she'd shot. Four on the ground and one on the edge of the target board, barely holding on. She let out a sigh. "Look at the target board. You need to hit the red mark in the center. Now tell me, what do you see?"

"The red mark," Revati answered in a flash, even though she could see everything else except that one thing. She knew what would be in store for her when her trainer asked the question.

It was just like what Dronacharya had asked Arjuna and the princes when he told them to shoot the eye of the wooden bird. And what did Arjuna say? The 'eye', of course, when all the other princes said 'bird'. Drona had praised his answer and his accurate aim when he'd shot the arrow.

"Are you sure?" Suruchi questioned.

"Absolutely," Revati said, her eyes glued to the spot, and glanced at Suruchi's reaction only for a split second. Suruchi caught her gaze and she smiled smugly.

"Ugh!" Revati exclaimed, face-palming. "I shouldn't have looked!"

"That's the first rule of battle to remember for your upcoming sessions: never show any emotion or even a slight change in your face. Even something as small as the twitching of an eye. Then your opponent can read you easily. And coming back to this, concentration cannot be forced. Go take a walk around, drink some water and come back. Believe that you can do it. Don't believe that you can master it now, though."

Revati simply nodded, put down her bow and arrows, and walked down to the valley. Suruchi watched her walk off into the distance, It twists my heart every time you're around me and don't know my true identity. If I told you my secret, you'd hate me for it.

You'll know when it's the right time. And that's a long time until I know what you think of me. A lone tear threatened to fall but she held it back and turned away.

* * *

"Argh!" he yelled, smashing a vase to the wall, the pieces scattering all over. He flinched as he pulled out a sharp piece that had fastened itself into his skin. His shouts of frustration rang clear throughout the silent room. He breathed heavily, wiping the blood off of his knuckles. "She is the one. She is the greatest. She has a solution for everything, I don't! I'm the eldest but I'm nothing! She's my younger and she is everything for them!?"

"Father, why do we need to change the ways of recruitment? What's wrong with the old? I don't see any flaws or loopholes in our old structured system." He said to Raja Ram Verma, crossing arms over his chest.

"Not change," he corrected his son sternly. "Bringing back the ancient methods from our ancestral times. My smart daughter searched for books in the library. Studied them for days, considered situations, and implemented her idea." He smiled fondly, staring off into nothingness as memories of his hardworking daughter resurfaced.

"Her?" he scoffed. "You believe whatever she says, don't you? You don't even bother to listen to your son. Whatever she says is gold? And my words trash?"

"You will not speak of your own sister that way." His father voiced with a glare. Again! The same old excuse - 'she is your own sister, don't demean her.' I can bear this no longer!

"She isn't my superior!" Dipankar raised his voice, as rants poured out of his mouth recklessly. "It's always been her, when she was born, in childhood, when we were growing up, and even now. When we were younger I did not bother about that because I had to care for her and protect her. Most of the time I was away studying in gurukulas where I was not paid much attention to. But now? Now I should be the next king, the crown prince of this kingdom. Why haven't you organized my coronation by now?"

"Dipankar! You will not speak of your only younger sister, your family that way and-"

"It's all because of her isn't it?" he spat bitterly. I knew it all along, although I had a tiny spark of hope. And now none of that remains either, he thought.

"I-uh- I was going to-"

"Cut the crap, father! I know what you would want. I can't stand to be in the same room as you right now!" he spun on his heel and left, turning a deaf ear to his father's commands in the background.

"Him," he corrected. "She is his world. While I am a piece of dirt!" He roared.

"Calm down, dear husband." Roopvalli placed her hand on his shoulder.

"How can I?" his voice took on a softer note, "He has no respect, scratch that, no care for me. Even as a citizen of this kingdom. He will declare her as the ruler when he retires, and I can't stand to be humiliated by her coronation while I'm alive."

"And that's why you have me. I will help you in becoming king, only if you promise me to go along with my plan. Once it's done, we can live happily as king and queen of Vaibhavgarh. Imagine, Raja Dipankar and Rani Roopvalli of Vaibhavgarh!" she dramatized, waving her hands in the air.

"Of course. Anything my wife, anything. I promise to support you with your wonderful plan. And this is why I married you."

She bit her lip, feigning nerves. "Are you sure? What if it doesn't work?"

"Your beauty and wit, my wife, had saved me many times before. What reason would I have to doubt your ideas? What must I do?"

"Excited already..." she muttered, circling around him, her fingers brushing his shoulders. "I have a friend, a very powerful one who will help us in on this. It will take some time for the plan to succeed, but it will. But we won't be getting complete control of the kingdom. We will have to be allied with my friend's kingdom and have to support him. But he won't be needing it much as he will be the next most powerful king in the land! I mean- emperor."

"We'll be the closest allies with the next emperor, and will enjoy the luxury of royalty. The luxury of respect, control, and power! I don't mind him taking occasional decisions."

After a moment of contented silence, Dipankar cursed.

"What is it?" Roopvalli asked.

"My sister isn't as daft as to sit and watch the show. She will have the support of my father's ministers, she will surely meddle in our dreams and shatter them. What do we do to take her out of the way?"

"Oh, we'll take care of that." She smirked deviously.

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Bye, brb with another chapter next Sunday!
- Chinmayi, 14.