Matangpur, the kingdom known for its riches and the magnificent temple of Goddess Matangi, was not without enemies. There were many rival kingdoms. Many wars were fought and the boundaries were expanded. The enemies never dared to step inside the kingdom. It was all because of the fierce warriors of Matangpur.

The royal palace was a splendid one. It housed the most beautiful ladies of the kingdom.

One such beauty was Princess Ojaswini. She was the daughter of Jaydrath. Jaydrath was the younger brother of King Jayadev, the ruler of Matangpur. Jaydrath was the Prime Minister of the kingdom.

Who said that beautiful maidens are always as delicate as rose petals? Ojaswini was as mysterious as the bottom of the deep blue sea. No one knew what was within. She wore her arrogance like a jewel. She spoke with a strange calmness which was enough to make a person shiver. She moved her sword so swiftly, that in most of the cases, it was practically invisible to her opponents.

It was a fine day in Matangpur. The king was sitting in the courtroom with all the other officials.

The defence minister started to say, "With the due permission of Maharaj, I would like to bring an important matter into notice in this court."

"Proceed," the king replied.

The defense minister continued, "Maharaj, our spies in the kingdom of Pratapnagar have noticed the building of new forts in the boundaries of the kingdom. New soldiers are being recruited and a road is also being constructed through the forest which leads to our kingdom."

The crown prince Rudradev said to him, "That is indeed a matter of great concern. Is there any other message?"

"There is no other message, Yuvraj," the minister replied. Looking at the courtiers and the king, he said, "But our spies are expected to report soon. Pratapnagar has a rather small army. We do not need to worry about that."

Ojaswini, who had been maintaining silence till this moment, spoke up, "We do not need a Brahmastra to kill a bird. But if the bird turns out to be Jatayu, our decision will prove to be a disastrous one. Under an able commander, even an army of monkeys can ruin the city of gold, whose ruler caused terror even among the Devas."

A hush fell over the court. Rudradev looked at Ojaswini and smiled. It was evident that no one except Rudradev had understood the true meaning behind her words. While the ministers were looking at each other with visible confusion, Rudradev decided to break the silence.

"I agree," Rudradev said. 

Everyone had their eyes on Rudradev. They were eager to know what Ojaswini had intended to say.

Rudradev continued, "Even though Pratapnagar is a small kingdom, we should not underestimate them. We should prepare for a sudden attack on Pratapnagar or else, they might face a bigger threat in the future."

The king announced, "That will certainly be the right thing to do. Senapati! Prepare our army for a war."

"As you command, Maharaj," the commander-in-chief of the army said, folding his hands.

The king turned to Rudradev and said, "Yuvraj, I want you to take the responsibility of this war."

"It will be my pleasure, Maharaj," Rudradev replied.

Addressing the court, the defence minister said, "We are really very fortunate to have a wise princess like Rajkumari Ojaswini."

"Very fortunate indeed!" all the courtiers said in unison.

Then the king sent for the royal priest and asked him to look for an auspicious day to wage war on Pratapnagar. The royal priest had his paraphernalia brought to him and then, started looking for an auspicious day. After some time, he said enthusiastically, "Maharaj, the auspicious date is exactly after 15 days. Next week, we need to perform a pooja for our victory in the war."

The king said to the crown prince, "Rudradev, this time you are going to command the army. So I want you to perform the pooja."

"As you command, Maharaj," Rudradev said.

The court was dismissed and the courtiers started walking away. Ojaswini was walking towards her chamber when Rudradev went to her and said, "Everyone was mesmerized after listening to you. No one could figure out what you were trying to say. You love to make others solve riddles, don't you?"

Ojaswini smiled arrogantly. She looked at Rudradev who was standing just a few inches away and said, "Not everyone is clever like you. I just don't want them to forget it. If they know that you are superior to them, only then you will be able to rule over them with ease."

Rudradev smiled after listening to those words. Ojaswini turned around and headed towards her chamber.

When Ojaswini reached her chamber, someone was already present there and waiting for her. It was her chief maid Parnalekha.

Parnalekha and Ojaswini were born on the same day. She was the daughter of a palace maid. The maid had no family and seldom spoke about her birthplace. She died shortly after giving birth, but not before naming her daughter ‘Parnalekha’.

On that particular day, the whole kingdom rejoiced. And not just one, but two girls were born, who were destined to write the future of the kingdom.

Parnalekha was very clever. She had learnt to read and use weapons along with Ojaswini. She was Ojaswini's most trusted companion and was always ready to do anything for the princess, even if it meant her death.

Ojaswini saw Parnalekha and smiled at her. Parnalekha bowed to pay her respects and said, "All the ministers were talking about you, Rajkumari. They wondered how you manage to say such complicated things every time."

Ojaswini replied, "They just could not handle the trauma of not being able to comprehend my words everytime. "

The princess walked towards the balcony and looked at the distant river. She said, "Very often, black sheep graze in the royal courts. I can smell one in our court too. I just need to find out who it is and then, I will fix him without any mess."

Parnalekha walked towards the princess who was still looking at the river. She whispered into the princess' ears, "Mantri Janmejaya goes to the river bank to meet someone every night."

Ojaswini smiled at her.