Matangpur was indeed a prosperous kingdom of brave warriors. But what was the source of their power? The source of their power was the Goddess residing in Matangpur.

The auspicious day had arrived. The members of the royal family and the courtiers had gathered to worship the Goddess for their victory in the upcoming war.

The priests were chanting hymns from the holy scriptures. The chief priest said to the king, "Maharaj, the auspicious hour has arrived. Please call the crown prince to come forward and perform the puja."

Rudradev came forward and slit his finger with his dagger and offered his blood to the Goddess. Then, he performed the puja.

"Jay Mahakali"

The air was filled with the sound of conch shells, drums and Sanskrit chants.

Vinayak said to Chitrasen, "Mitra, did you see my younger brother?"

Chitrasen replied, "Yes, Rajkumar. He is performing the puja and taking an oath to slit the throats of all the enemies in the war."

Vinayak smiled at him and said, "Very soon, I will be offering his head to the Goddess and you will be addressing me as Yuvraj and then finally as Maharaj."

Their conversation was not unheard by Ojaswini. Vinayak and Chitrasen were so engrossed in their conversation, that they had no idea that someone was eavesdropping on them. Vinayak turned around to see Ojaswini smiling at him. She folded her hands and said, "Pranam Bhratashree".

"Pranam," Vinayak replied.

Ojaswini looked at him and said, "Bhratashree, I can sense that you are unwell. May I know what is bothering you?" 

Vinayak said to Ojaswini, "My dear sister, my mind is restless. I think something inauspicious is going to happen. I am worried about my younger brother."

Ojaswini smiled and said, "I can understand that, being the elder brother, you are worried about your younger brother. But Bhratashree, you need not worry. Your younger brother has the blessings of Devi Kali with him. No weapon can kill him and no evil can harm him."

With a sly smile, Vinayak said, "May your words come true, Ojaswini."

(After the ceremony)

Rudradev was sitting in the royal garden with his bosom friend Sambhava. Sambhava said, "Yuvraj, the chariots are ready."

Rudradev nodded his head and said, "Sambhava, this war is very important for us. If we win this war, our people will start supporting me."

Sambhava nodded his head and said, "You are indeed right, Yuvraj. We cannot afford to lose this war. Losing this war will mean, losing the faith of the people. Rajkumar Vinayak will take advantage of this and try to convince the people and the ministers that you are not capable of ruling. In fact, I think that Rajkumar Vinayak will surely try to create problems for you during the military campaign."

Rudradev and Sambhava were talking when a maid arrived. She bowed her head and said, "Yuvraj, Rajkumari Ojaswini has invited both of you to dine with her."

Rudradev said to her, "Go and tell her we are coming."

The maid left. Rudradev said to Sambhava, "Come, let us go. Ojaswini is waiting for us."

Rudradev and Sambhava walked through the corridors of the palace. They saw Vinayak and Chitrasen walking towards them. Vinayak and Chitrasen stopped in front of them and smiled. Vinayak said, "My dear brother, may I know what brings you here?"

Rudradev said with a smirk, "Well, we are not here without any reason."

Vinayak looked at Chitrasen and then turned towards Vinayak. He said, "Of course, you are not here without any reason. If the crown prince of Matangpur has arrived here, then it must be something important. May I know the reason for your arrival?"

Rudradev smiled again and said, "Bhratashree, Ojaswini has invited me and Sambhava to dine with her. So, we were heading towards her chamber. She is waiting for us." Saying this, Rudradev walked away with Sambhava.

Vinayak kept staring at Rudradev as he walked past him. When he had gone, Vinayak said, "My dear brother, smile as much as you want. When the time comes, I will be the only one with a smiling face." 

Rudradev and Sambhava reached Ojaswini's chamber and were welcomed by her. Then they sat down to have food. Ojaswini served them, perfectly cooked meat and said, "I have cooked this myself. Have it!"

Sambhava took a bite of the meat and said, "Rajkumari, it tastes wonderful."

Ojaswini smiled at him. Rudradev took a few bites of the meat. Then, he said to Ojaswini, "You invited us today and it is not at all unusual. But I feel that you wanted to say something."

Ojaswini said, "You are right. I have called both of you to say something very important."

Sambhava said, "What is it, Rajkumari?"

Ojaswini turned serious. She said to Rudradev, "My brother is after your life. If he goes with you to fight in the war, he will create problems. We cannot take any risk. He must be stopped from accompanying you."

Sambhava said, "Even I thought about this. But Rajkumari, what can we do? How can we stop him from fighting in the war?"

Ojaswini smiled at at him and said, "Sambhava, you need not worry. I have already done something. I told Maharaj that while many of our soldiers and the crown prince of the kingdom are away, our other enemies might take advantage of the situation and attack us.  So I suggested him to give the responsibility of guarding the capital to my brother. If Maharaj gives the order, he will not be able to deny. He will have to stay in the capital and perform his duty well so that he can impress the soldiers."

Rudradev said, "You have done a wonderful job, Ojaswini."

Ojaswini said to him, "When Maharaj will give the responsibility of guarding the capital to my brother, you must look displeased. In this way, it will be easier for us to make him believe that staying in the capital is the right thing for him. But the problem is not completely solved. There might be his moles in your army and so, you will have to be very careful. A slight mistake may cost you your life and the throne."

Rudradev nodded his head.

Vinayak's chamber :

Chitrasen said to Vinayak, "Why did Rajkumari invite them to dine with her? She never invites you." 

Vinayak took a sip of wine from his cup and said, "This is not something new. I have witnessed this from childhood. She has always liked Rudradev more than me."

Chitrasen said to him, "Rajkumar, please forgive me. But there is a question that has been lingering in my mind. Why do you hate your sister?"

Vinayak laughed a little and said, "Mitra, I do not hate her. I have no reason to hate her, do I? I have only one enemy and he is Rudradev. Ojaswini, that little sister of mine, is around him all the time and certainly, I do not like this at all. But what can I do? I cannot ask her to stop meeting him. If I do so, she will cast a doubt on me."