"Life is beautiful not because of the things we see or do,
But because of the people we meet."

    Years scrolled down the Earth in a cheerful tune. The days were blissful. The heavenly pleasure grossed everywhere . Meanwhile, two decades  flipped by, after the Earth was graced was graced by it's guardians. Harvests soured, power uproared and poverty diminished, with the advent of two skilled administrators in both province. Their youth spluttered the vibrant adulthood in the entire kingdom of Aryabhat. Mines were dug deep, minerals and metals excavated, oils extracted and traded to Egyptian civilisations through silk routes. Communication was still an newly initiated activity. 

Dravida

"Mrinal, Don't go over there. It's dangerous to hunt a lion, darling. Listen to me !" Prince Roop shouted his lungs out but for his stubborn sister everything went into deaf ears.

"Bhai sa, Let me go. Please. I love hunting lions, please." Mrinal replied though it not at all sounded like a request.

" Mrin, Are you fine? From when did you start asking me for my permissions?" Roop said knowing well about his sister's childish antics.

"What do you say, should I go or not?" Mrinal questioned smiling sheepishly.

" As if you follow my orders ever !" Roop stated, twitching his lips.

" I will try to follow today, Bhai sa." She again nudged him, showing him his cutest voice.

" Ok then, Let's go home." Roop retorted.

"As though I will listen. Well, I also need to go for the arrangements of my music exhibition. Follow me. We will hunt later." Mrinal teased her brother and ran away from him in the speed of a lightening, her mirths muttering and musing liveliness around.

"What a stubborn girl, she is !" Roop exclaimed

Though she was a girl, she loved to dress as a warrior. It wasn't her fault, since her childhood her parents made sure to make her as capable as her brothers. She was getting trained as a warrior, at the age, when girls of the kingdoms used to play with dolls and learn cullinary skills. In addition to being a Veda Scholar, she had imaginable defending skills though she wasn't as strong as her brothers in attacking.

She was a true warrior and a beautiful lady at heart, the exact replica of her late mother. She was the most beautiful princess in the whole world with those dense dark brown coloured hair cascading down like waterfall, eyes of hazel brown sparkling with joy and spirit in a silvery charm, plump pink lips, whitish and creamy skin as if buttered cotton, a smooth slender neck, those thin muscled limbs and long arms. Indeed, she was the treasured masterpiece of Dravida.

Adorned in the paste of turmeric, sandalwood, rose and castor oil and various essential oils, she sat in the wooden bath-tub surrounded by the durlava, rose, cinnamom and jasmine scented water.

Shifting her body up into a little elevated seat near the bath tub, she sat gracefully claded in a white cotton fabric with those blue miniature floral handwork, one of the reason Dravida was renowned for. The crafts and handloom was cruxed from the land of Dravida.

Cotton, though not as expensive as silk or muslin, was worn widely throughout Aryavart, because of the comfort it gave the person wearing it, and ease in draping it. A silver ware filled with saffron milk was dropped slowly on her, through her tresses flickering through her long black lashes and even toned body curves.

After a soothing minute, water was poured on her to get rid of the milk's oily touch and dairy smell with turmeric and rose petal flooded water. Wiping the water droplets of her arms and limbs, the maids of the palace took their leave completing their hour-long lepan-snana padhati, or smearing paste and bath ritual.

The sound of the wet cloth resonated as the princess, stood up with her curls dancing happily covering her exposed back and the knot of the cloth around the back of her neck. Walking above the grassy garden, she uplifted a copper pot, containing water smelling of sandalwood and the tiny petals of yellow marigold floating on its surface. Facing the Sun God with her eyes closed, her stretched hands tilted the pot, offering water to Sun God in the hope of a happening and blissful day, as her lips kept chanting the verses from upanishad -

Namah Suryaya Shantaya Sarvaroga Nivaarine
Ayu rarogya maisvairyam dehi devah jagatpate||
Aadhitya Hrudhaya Punyam Sarva Sathru Vinaasanam
Jayaavaham Jabe nithyam Akshayam Paramam Shivam ||
Om Hraam Hreem Hraum Sah Suryay Namah||

The Mantra means, ‘O! Lord Surya, ruler of the universe, you are the remover of all diseases, the repository of peace. I bow to you and please bless your devotees with long life, health, and wealth. O the gracious heart of Lord Sun, please rid me of my enemies. Make me successful everyday, O the the exact replica of Lord Siva. "

Though the last two lines didn't mean anything, still they believed that these syllabus were to be used to evoke Sun God, through his appraisal. Dravida was the land of spirituality, something Aryanka never possessed. They called it a stupidity, but as the saying goes, Faith and hope can make a dead alive. The belief of the Dravidians was too stubborn to be modified, let alone shoved apart.

No wonder, Mrinal was religious and a believer of the supreme power of Lord and karma.

Completing her additional chores, she dressed herself in her long hand woven blouse and a heavily embroidered skirt of royal golden and red threads with a dupatta dangling by her left arm, spread over a metre distance as she walked. A heavy gold necklace covered the outlines of her red blouse, bordered in golden balls, and her hair piece hovered over the centre of her forehead. Placing the crown over her head, across the headpiece, she looked like the Queen, she was.

The maids attached the gold and silver anklets with the balls of different colours, that jingled all the way. With that, she hurriedly nudged her white elephant to move as she placed herself on it's silk cloth furnished back.

The elephant trodded ahead to reach the kala Bhawan with its mighty steps, flapping its long ears, moving his head once in a while.

Aryanka

The province was relishing its youthful days being in the company of Prince Harshvardhan and his brother Somnath.

Prince Harshvardhan was a legendary warrior with incompetable skills in archery and sword fighting, his long and dense ravelling jet black hair made him more worthy of a glimpse. He was immensely skilled in music, especially in string instruments like Veena. His music had the therapeutic power to heal the injured and tempt the tigers too. It was known, that he had tamed a tiger and a cobra, those never harmed any man in the palace, unless and until they thought of giving them sort signs of danger or caution.

Elsewhere, Somnath was a handsome prince with average fighting skills and highest level of arrogance and ego, brimming in his heart. He was good upfront his family, disguising his crafted and sly character.

" Som, Let's return to the palace, or else we will be punished for sneaking out of the palace to visit market." Harshvardhan tried to make Somnath understand but everything in vain.

" Bhai, You know I love Gulaab jamuns from here . Please, let me eat." Somnath was tried to please Harshvardhan with his signature childish pout. He knew once caught, he would be free but his brother only had to endure the punishment. That could include two days in prison or no food for a day.

"Do you know, Som ? I heard, that there will be an art exhibition in the borders of Aryanka and Dravida. I really want to go there. So, can we?" It was now Harsh's turn to please Som because even after being the crown prince, his father has banned him to move outside of the Aryanka borders. Her never tried to deny to follow it too. But, today he was just two mile away from the borderline, so this thing struck his brain. Maybe, he could find the reason of no integration between these two provinces.

Harsh had a mind of diplomat, he knew if peace is instilled between these two most powerful provinces of Aryavart, no other territory could ever dare to even eye this nation. He proposed this many a times in the darbaar, i.e court too. But, his father had enough of a mountain like ego to let the enemity aside and forward a hand for amicability between the provinces.

Hence, only Som can help him out to reach there without being noticed. And, maybe gather some knowledge how the people of other side are and why are they hated so deep by his province men?

" Do you realise what you are blabbering about? Just ridiculous, I don't want to die soon out of my father's ferocious wrath." Som said with a pale face because he knew well, what will happen if he does that because he knew that the princess of Dravida is only one, who's hosting of the art exhibition. And, them meeting Aryankan princes would be dramatically dangerous.

But Harsh was adamant to reach over there.

" Ok, no need to take much trouble . I will just go back and inform Queen mother about your so-called outings with me to the market, that too sneaking out of the palace in the mid of night." Harsh said smiling devilishly, making Som choke while eating.

Som wandered his head around all the punishments he will be heaped with, once everyone, especially his mother comes to know about his midnight ventures. Maybe, few beatings in belt or fasting for a few days. That's a bad idea. By the way, if I take bhai there, who would recognise us ?

"No please brother , why are you so determined to get me beaten up from Dajiraj? Ok I will take you over there." Som sighed helplessly as he had no options other than listening to his brother.

Dravida

Prince Harshvardhan and Prince Somnath started their tiring journey and reached there after 3 hours of continuous horse riding. The horse ran with a great pace, matching well with their energy and overlapping his beats of heart with theirs.

Finally they reached the 'Kala Bhawan', the music exhibition set up by Mrinal.

Harshvardhan was mesmerised by the unique decorations. The walls painted in grease and the hues of fragrant flowers. The figures of men dancing in circles and laying burnt bricks for making houses were in the yellow and red walls, while musical tunes blended in the atmosphere. He went inside leaving behind Som in an isolated place and took the deserted veena in his hand, that placed on an empty pavement and started playing the strings with his whole heart, with least care of the world around him.
Unintentionally, his breath- hitching music caught Mrinal's attention and she, in turn accompanied the music tune with her anklet's jingling sound. Being a folk dancer, she was well trained in dance forms too.

Both of them unknowingly guided each other in a non-verbal, silent heart- to- heart talk, where music was the cupid. The match was surely made in heaven and that was too obvious for the onlookers, though the destination of their meet was unknown to all.

After they wrapped up the peice of majestic music, that sung out of the Veena, Harsh's eyes searched for the one, who accompanied him in the long run pouring realistic and powerpacked emotions to his lifeless set of octaves.

That was when, his eyes landed on the beauty seated beside him, he was swept away to a dreamland and the only thought that crossed his mind and touched his soul was that they were made for each other.

Though, love wasn't a feeling he knew before or believed, still he was deep sunken in the height of the ocean of love, that too at her single glimpse and he knew well, his only saviour to rescue him out of this height was she.

Mrinal P.O.V

     I was chattering with my Samyukt bhai sa, when a certain someone sparkled goosebumps on my skin by playing a masterpeice in Veena, which seemed more like Raag Darbari.

It was tremendously wonderful. I couldn't help, but stroll in the direction of the music, where my feet took me effortlessly.

I stood still there and heard the tune unfolding as that mysteryman's long polished fingers tangled and untangled with the strings of my Veena. I took my dreamy time to admire the beauty of the man playing the music, he was exceptionally breath- taking. The way his red emerald ring gleamed amidst the hall, reflecting on the yellow walls by the incidented sunrays was a sight to sore eyes. His black long hairs rested on his shoulder giving him an aura of dominance. The golden artwork on his green long kurta, seemed like a long coat as the triangled cut of the kurta, gave a wide view of his sturdy muscular chest.

He was in the attire of a warrior with thick leather boots and leather hand patches covering his triceps, over the green kurta. A red tilak adorned his forehead while a chain of beaded gem stones, dangled on his turban as an up-faced parabola.

My eyes closed in their own accord, as I sat beside him completely indulging myself in the soothing voice of the music and my anklets started to dance along with his music in his company.

It was coming to an end as the music took its high notes to reach its fullest scale and later after several rounds of soft ringings, it started to faded and eventually ended. Leaving everyone highly enchanted and tantalised, that could be assumed with the intensity of the thunderclaps.

He started to open his eyes and the next second, his eyes fell on me. His eyes were of electric blue, that were pulling me into them. He surely was a prince. His attire, his attributes and his orbs, everything had a stamp of royality in them.

His eyes had a great depth and was an typhoon of emotions, brimming with love and devotion towards me. I was awe- struck.

I broke the contact of our eyes. I ran out, unable to unmystify the unknown knotted emotions that were taking their birth inside me.

Out of no where, he came running towards me and hugged me tightly. I was a puddle of bewilderment. Neither I knew him, nor his name. But, I took him in my arms out of an impulsive reflex. There was no hesitation, it just happened naturally in the spur of the events.

I came out of my trance with the sudden shaking by Roop bhai sa, who came with two princes. Seeing the mystery-man again, I inhaled a puff of air inside, and blew off. I rebuked myself for dreaming of us hugging each other, as I knew hugging male person expect those of family was a sin for dravidian girls. And, I wasn't any girl, I am the Queen of this province.

" Mrin, these two are Harshvardhan and Somnath. They wanted to meet the organiser of this exhibition." Roop bhai sa told me, laughing heartily.

" And my dear guests, she is Queen Mrinal of Dravida and the organiser of the music exhibition." Roop bhai introduced me to them.

They were looking at me with adoration and I too gratefully  complimented Harsh's talent of Veena playing. We talked for a while and they left the exhibition later.

Though, I had an urge to ask about where they came from, I refrained myself letting my mind win the battle between my heart and mind.

I travelled back to the dravidian castle, laying my body over the elephant as the swinging motion of his body as he walked caressed my mind, full of thoughts. My thoughts were still struck to that mystery man, whose name was known to me now.

Harshvardhan !

Indeed, like the meaning of his name, he filled me with happiness or harsha. I always longed for someone, who could console me through his eyes and take my loneliness away with his words, and I found my solace in him.

I never know, if we will meet again soon enough or not, but I really wish to have him only for me. I want to unravel him, by his side and gather all his love for me.

A drop of tear dribbled out of my charcoal black winged eyes, as the thought of not finding him again touched me. I clutched the veena in my hands tightly against my chest. For the first time, I found someone, who could match my eyes and skills, and I wouldn't let him free, when I had my eyes on him now. Call me selfish or possessive, it isn't something I care about.

In ease, I unbuckled my sword out of her hilt and slashed the two wooden arrows with pointed iron heads shot towards me. The third arrow passed infront of my left eye diagonally, and that was my cue to stand up and face the danger.

I stood on the rough and paled blue back of my elephant. I kissed the crown of the elephant's head as my body had formed an inverted V-shape. I stepped my left leg it's head and stretched my right one towards its back. I lifted the curved bow and stretched the three arrows, applying force on my right thumb and index finger, I stretched the elastic rubber thread along with the arrows' body. I heard the shuffle of the leaves, and adjusted my arrows.

The elephant left out a growl as the three arrows launched in the direction, I focused. Three thud sounds erupted by my side, as three masked men fell off the tree branches. I didn't fail to notice the emblem of our enemy kingdom in their costumes.

I jumped off the elephant and tied the hands of the three men in the rope, that earlier tied on the seat placed on the elephant's back. Tying their hands with the rope, I attached the rope end in a hook dangling by the elephant's back.

I nudged the elephant, tapping its back with my legs, and in the next moment screams vibrated all around as the humongous speed of the slowly running elephant dragged them along, thwacking them onto each and every rocks and gravels on the way.

That was easy shot !

____________

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Biswa ❤️