❝In time, even the sharpest of thorns will become soft.❞

Bridgett Devoue
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THE sunlight slipped through the vast balconies, spilling onto the cool marble walkway. The queen walked through the buzzing hallways filled with the chatters of the handmaidens who were walking and laughing in groups, the guards who were patrolling the castle and some courtiers, who were walking through the eventful hallways to go to their respective jobs.

Akira was currently making her way to the training grounds to check up on the army which was training for upcoming war against Ekam nagar under the surveillance of Aziza and Veer. They had been training for quite a while and the queen was to ensure that everything had occurred smoothly.

"Maharani" A voice stopped the queen in her tracks and she turned around to find the source of voice.

The source of the voice – Yuvraj Kartik – was leaning against a marble column, a subtle smirk was etched onto his features. The sunlight highlighted his features as he smiled at the sovereign in front of him.

Akira mentally sighed, briefly closing her eyes before answering, "Yes Yuvraj? How may I help you this fine day?"

"Good morning to you too." He muttered with an unfaltering smile as he propelled himself from the pillar, almost slipping a little but standing upright in the end.

Akira wanted to shake her head at his childish acts but composed herself as Kartik walked towards her. The queen placed a light hand on her sword as she eyed his movements slyly. She waited for him to speak up but he didn't.

She looked at the Yuvraj with slight curio before finally breaking the unwanted silence and walking away, "If you have nothing to say then I think I should be making my way to the training grounds. I have rather important things to look after than staring at your uneventful face."

"No, no." His eyes widened slightly as he walked quickly to catch up with her. He planned out his words as he walked beside her, "I mean, yes. Yes, I do have something to say."

"Then speak." Akira retaliated harshly, not even sparing him a glance. Her gaze was fixed at the pathway ahead.

She could notice he was taken aback by her harsh tone but gained his confidence back quick enough. 

"Right..." Kartik muttered, regaining his lost confidence as he looked at her regal composure, "I was wondering if you would have dinner tonight."

Akira stopped in her tracks and looked at the man – who had also been forced to stop with her - with a slightly irritated look. She put a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "What do you think Yuvraj? Would I have dinner tonight or not?"

Kartik bit the insides of his cheeks as he looked at the exasperated figure before him and rephrased, "I mean I know that you will have dinner tonight. But I was wondering if, we could" He paused, and gestured between them, "-if we could have dinner together?"

She could see his charm faltering – slightly but surely - and she was forced to think why someone who seemed so prepared and ready was confused now.

Had he not expected to stay alive for more than twelve hours? Had he not planned his next moves the way he had yesterday? Or was this part of his play – to act vulnerable and try to charm her? Questions swarmed her head as she tried to figure the man beside her but she tried not to think too much of it. He would be dead in a few days anyways, she was sure.

Akira put on a phony smile and clasped her hands, putting an end to her train of thoughts, "Well you are in luck because I have prepared a welcoming feast for you tonight."

A faint smile graced his physiognomy as she continued, "Everyone will be there - Shree, Veer, Maa, Aziza... you know the lot."

And the smile faded from his features for a moment but he put it back on just as quickly, "Oh, everyone?"

"Yes," She answered back coldly, the smile fading away, "I will see you in the dining hall at sundown."

He nodded slowly and ran a hand through his hair, messing his already untamed hair, "Okay... I just thought-"

Akira interrupted him, already put on edge due to his habit of running his hands through his hair and smirking at everything, "Yuvraj I have a very busy schedule and lot of work left to be done, can we do-" She gestured between them similarly to how he had, "whatever this is later?"

He looked taken aback but didn't dare to contradict her, "Yes, sure."

"Goodbye Yuvra-"

He cut her off with a genuine smile, "You can call me Kartik."

The Maharani looked away, her features were marked with indifference, "Goodbye Yuvraj."

"Goodbye." His tone sounded defeated as he turned around and left.

---

Akira walked into the training ground where the harsh glare from the sun illuminated the swords and bows which were being used by the hoards of soldiers. In one corner, Aziza fought Veer, both of them giving a tough fight and neither of them ready to quite give up.

Akira walked over to the pair, her anklet chiming over the distracting noise of the warriors. As the queen reached them, Veer took a moment to look over to his sister and Aziza took the opportunity to disarm him as he fell to the ground with an groan. 

"So, how are things going?" The queen ignored her fallen brother and asked the commander. She casted a quick glance behind her, at the army which was preparing relentlessly under the heat.

Aziza wiped off the beads of sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand and panted slightly as she lent a hand to Veer, "It's going great. The way our army has been preparing? I'm pretty sure we will win the war with minimal casualties."

Akira gave a smile and nodded, "That's great." She looked over to her brother, who was busy dusting his clothes, "Veer."

"Yes?" He replied, dropping the sword to the ground - which went down with a loud clamor - for no reason whatsoever.

"What is the status of the weapons I asked to be made?" Akira asked, briefly eyeing the sword which was lying on the dust-coated earth.

"More than one-third of them have arrived and I believe the rest of them would most probably arrive in a day and a half or so." He shrugged, not giving his words much thought.

"Amazing." Akira nodded towards the sword on the ground, "Now pick up that sword and put it back where you took it from."

Veer groaned, "Do I have to? Also, does nobody care to ask if it hurt when I fell down?"

"Did it hurt?" Aziza's faint voice reached their ears but they all ignored it.

Akira shot him a teasing glare and he picked the sword up and walked over to a rack where all the spare swords were kept.

"I hate you so much for making me work." He muttered as he made his way back to his original position.

The queen hit the back of his brother's head, "Be respectful, I'm older than you. Kids do not fight with adults." 

"Shut up Akira, you're barely older than me." Her brother managed to mutter when someone walked from behind.

"Akira" Shree addressed her friend, "I have some news to share." She said with a slight nod referring to the letter sent by her yesterday.

"Veer, how about you go take a look at our soldiers there? Make sure they are training properly." Akira excused her brother and waited until he was at quite a distance.

"So?" Aziza asked, her foot tapping against the ground impatiently, as she looked away from where Veer stood, "What did you find out?"

"Aki was right," A slight smile appeared on her face, "the man is definitely suspicious."

None of the friends said anything for a while as suspense hung heavy in the air. After a while, Aziza broke the irksome silence with an agitated tone, "Dear Shree, are you going to continue or...?"

Shree rolled her eyes, "I am obviously going to continue. So, as Akira said" Shree gestured to the monarch, "I sent a letter to Kirtipuram asking if their Yuvraj had perhaps come here to discuss his marriage with Akira and they answered back."

The queen raised an eyebrow as she looked at her friend who was rather enjoying keeping the other two in the dark, "And?"

"And..." Shree continued, dragging the word, "they said that he hadn't. Their Yuvraj in still in their kingdom."

The queen wasn't shocked, she had suspected him when he had first arrived. All three of them fell in silence yet again which was only breached by Aziza breaking out in laughter, stunning the other two in the process, "So lover boy is an imposter?" She shook her head while laughing, "What an idiot."

"Don't laugh on the soon-to-be dead Aziza. Where are your manners?" Shree punched Aziza on her arm even though a slight smirk was plastered to her face. It indicating that she too was enjoying the news just as much as the commander.

Aziza put on a fake hurt expression as she rubbed her arm where Shree had hit her, "All I am saying is, does he have a death wish? I mean who in God's name lies without even planning an alibi? It's like jumping right off a cliff when you know you're going to break your neck and die."

Shree and Aziza broke into laughter yet again which stood out against the stern ambiance of the training grounds but Akira just stared at them with a stone-cold expression, "That's enough, you two."

"Alright, alright" Shree put a hand on her chest, their laughter now dying out, "So why is 'lover boy' here?"

Aziza took the opportunity to hit Shree back on her arm, "Isn't it obvious, you dumb-head?" The commander general looked at the queen, her expression turning harsh even though a smile was still settled on her lips, "Lover boy is here to spy on us."

Shree too looked at the sovereign, "So what is our plan of action now?" She further looked at the Aziza and then back to the queen, "I mean if he is here to spy on us then we should go and cut his head off right away. Before he found out more than what's good for us, shouldn't we?"

The two girls looked at Akira with apprehension. The queen looked deep in her thoughts as they stood there wordlessly. The only noise was of metal clashing against metal, a few cries escaping the soldiers' mouths and instructions given by Veer in the tense ambiance.

The queen looked back at the corridor situated far away, where she had struck a conversation with the crowned prince today and an indifferent sigh left her lips, "He will be dead soon enough, you both don't need to worry about that."

Solemnity infiltrated the atmosphere as Aziza asked with a confused voice, "What's going on in your head, Aki?"

Akira looked back at them both silently for a second. Then, "I'm going to beat the Yuvraj at his own game." A smirk laced the queen's lips, contradicting the intense determination in her eyes.

The two girls exchanged confused glances among themselves as the queen excused herself, "Don't think too much about it, you two. It's all going to start make sense in a while."

The most important question was that 'Who had sent him here?' He surely couldn't have been foolish enough to sign his own death certificate. And the queen was hell-bound on finding out who had sent him here even if it meant sparing the man for a few days and pretending to fall for him.

"He wants me to win me over, for us to fall in love?" The monarch asked rhetorically.

"Then we'll fall in love."

---
A/N - So Akira here is trying to 'pretend' to fall in love with is Kartik.
We'll see how that goes.

Stay safe, commit crimes but don't get caught ♥️
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