"During the year 142 BCE, Ugrasena the king of Raiypura, a minor under the Sunga Emperor on the behest of his Emperor's orders gave his daughter princess sunanda and her handmaiden vishpala in marriage to the warlord of Audumbaras Agni parahan to a formal alliance pact." - Historical anals of Raiypura

"Koteswara the capital city was very famous for its Queen's glass arbour. It was on the 2nd floor with a hemispherical balcony, which was alone about 9600 square feet. The balcony was a work of art; the whole of it was covered in a glass dome and lush with plants and trees. The glass panels were different shades of blue from pale blue of ice to deepest of midnight sky with a radiance that outshined the palace under the sun's caress.

The glass had etchings of roses and jasmine; the balcony itself had three sandalwood trees, champaka , ketakai, parijath, roses and many different herbs . In the internal pools there were Krishna kamalam, the panels could be slid, and the central panels could be open and shut that one could star gaze in to the night sky.

The kanchavana* as it was called by the people, was one of great pride for the audumbarans. . it is said by the castle maids and guards that, in the 18 years of her marriage, the first six years, the glass arbour was broken down 10 times, most often sunanda with broken limbs or legs along with vispala equally hurt put up the structure again and again with the same design and motifs except for the last time which was done with the help of their daughters." - Gargi. An excerpt from "The Fall of Sunga Empire"

Inside the Kanchavana, Aadhya was seated on a stool and was watching with kanchpura* the comets in the sky and making adjustments to it as she observed it with its placements to the nearest stars and making notations in a sheaf of parchment with her quill; she was seventeen years old. Abhaya, like her sister, used a different kanchadrishti* to watch the comets, she was fifteen. Unlike her mother and sister, though she excelled in all learning arts, she was a warrior through and through. Aadhya was the one with the enquiring mind; Abhaya was more in tune with vishpala in character. Their tranquility was broken by sound of footsteps; a lot of them, followed by their mother's arrival. She didn't arrive alone; the members of the inner circle all bound to their line by blood oath for many generations followed her.

Together, they smelled of ashes, even after their baths; the cremation grounds always had residual smell. It had taken them five days to collect parineetha's body parts. It had been hacked in to seven major parts; Abhaya had finally located the head from a drain tunnel. Their spy had been found out.

Sunanda was suffused with cold rage. There was no expression on her face. But inside her mind it was another story altogether. Today! All those bastards and bitches will die today! Sunanda decided. She had given vishpala all the time she could spare. She will exterminate these conniving rodents, today.

18 years, five friends, four cousins, ten loyal aides, fifty soldiers and one brother that she could ill afford to lose; that's how much it had cost her and lots of pain. She would have been a great queen; she had everything right except the husband. Agni parahan was a drunken, whoring, cruel, sadistic piece of very intelligent shit.

It had taken her six years to make parahan a drug addict. She had sacrificed so many dear ones as pawns in this game of chaturanga**; the drugs which made him impotent were added in due course. The next two years, amidst the reforms in the socio economic structure of the country, she had eliminated all his allies except Mansu; and now he was back with his sister Suneethi, her maid Adani and a child claiming to be the son of parahan.

"Like hell it was his, when he had been impotent for all these years" she seethed. They had forced her hand by appearing in a public hearing. And now within a week they had smuggled nearly fifty guards inside. But it didn't end with that; for them to have penetrated this much, so fast and to be so blatant, someone, a person with lots of reach was involved; most probable scenario, sunga influence."

Her generals awaited her orders. Parineetha deserved better. Her death was a message, but unfortunately for Mansu, she was not the only spy.

"Gargi, ride to kuninda and meet the masked man; if he is who I believe him to be, give him this likitha. After helping in his endevour, you know where to come. Ranjan and Swaroopa, join Gargi!" said sunanda.

"Shylendar and kumar take your assasins, and bring me mansu's head! Burn his place. Don't spare even his dogs; let there be just ashes"

The rest of you, fall on to the pre planned strategies and improvise accordingly! Not one of those bastards should live! Vijayi bhava!#" sunanda commanded.

"hara hara mahadeva*" they all echoed and left swiftly to their destined paths.

Now sunanda and her daughters were the only ones remaining. "Aadhya are the emergency kits ready, at the tunnel?" asked sunanda. "Yes maiyaa*, they are!"She replied.

"The rafts, Abhaya? Are they ready" was sunanda's next question.

"With one to spare, maa." She said

"The sungas are coming; you know don't you, that Raiyapura has fallen? Not technically, of course but internally it's a cesspool now, and your grandfather is missing. You will receive no help from that quarter."

"Trust no one. Accept help, but always have an alternate plan. Always be together. In this fight, I do not know if I can continue my journey with you in this life; but know this; there is none more proud of you both, than me. My love for you both know no bounds ,but each must walk their own path; whatever state of life you may live from now on, live by your code of honor and rules but never forget your goal. Make your own destiny!"

"There will be a lot of unrest after this, go to Ujjain and meet the Dasi^ Nayana; she will look after you. Do not let your brains to degenerate; teach others who are worthy, what you have learnt. Visha will contact you, as soon as she can."

"Now ready your ropes climb down from the kanchavana and head to your father's chamber by traversing the outer wall with your grips and enter through the western balcony. Be wary of that maid Adani. We leave once mansu's head arrive."

It was nearly 14 nazhigais when the bright light alerted them; they could see fire raging in the distance and after a while they could smell the acrid smoke. Cries of people and hollering commands of guards who were trying to control the fire, the clamor of the horses and other animals could be heard.

An arrow with a rope whizzed through the open panels and thudded in to the sandalwood tree; two hands then appeared over the rim, Abhaya was the first to draw her sword as Shylendar heaved himself and an injured kumar inside the kanchavana . He took out mansu's head and placed it under sunanda's feet. "How many did we lose?" asked sunanda.

"A third, your majesty" replied kumar.

"Take fresh horses and provisions and leave for pancala, meet up there with Dharasudha and sit tight. Expand your group, come when you are summoned. Be true to your oath. Go now!" ordered sunanda, and took the grotesque head now etched with a permanent grimace by its hair and tucked it into her hip chain.

And so it began, the dance of fate; as the princesses readied their rope to descend, Dhumkethu fell. Sunanda smiled seeing this; at last it ends; this torment and fire of vengeance, it all ends today; for her, at least. "See you both in 5 shanams." Sunanda said as, she marched to meet her nemesis.

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Dear readers, I'm so happy to finished yet another chapter and please vote!

· Ugrasena - powerful [used by both genders]

· Sunanda - pleasant disposition [feminine gender in case of names]

· Vishpala - literally translates to strong village/settlement protector [feminine gender in case of names]

· Aadhya - first [feminine gender in case of names]

· Abhaya - one without fear [feminine gender in case of names]

· Agni parahan - agni denotes the fire god; parahan - one who kills others [male gender in case of names]

· Suneethi - good governance/ auspicious[feminine gender in case of names]

· Adani - fool/Idiot [swear word]

· Mansu - pleasant minded [used by both genders]

· Parineeta - complete [feminine gender in case of names]

· Nayana - beautiful eyes

· Dasi- slave of god; a position held by celibate women trained in cultural arts but later on were perverted to the state of prostitutes to men who ran the temple. In this case, it means an equivalent to a brothel madam

· Kancha means glass

· Kanchavana - glass forest

· Kanchadristi - glass sight Kanchapura - fictional glass instrument; these two are supposed to be ancient telescopes. It is my belief that such extensive and accurate works of astronomy by ancient Indians couldn't have been done without a telescope and just like the vimanas their making was lost with passage of time.

· Chaturanga - game of chess

· Maaiya, maathe - mother

· Visha - short form of vishpala

· Vijayi bhava - may you be victorious[A blessing]

· Har har mahadeva - every person is mahadev or I am mahadeva[war cry]

· Gargi - she is just a namesake of first woman philosopher in the world from the line of garga in ancient india, around 700 BC. [Feminine gender in case of names]

· Ranjan – delighting his parents [Male gender in case of names]

· Swaroopa – beautiful woman, truth [feminine gender in case of names]

· Shylendhar – king of mountains[Male gender in case of names]

· Kumar – son , boy generally denotes lord skanda/muruga [Male gender in case of names]

· 14 nazhigai - nazhigai ancient Indian calculation of time; 1 nazhigai =24 minutes thus 14 nazhigais ~5hours 40 minutes

· Shanam- ancient Indian calculation of time; 1 shanam =4 minutes thus 5 shanams~20 minutes.