It was a time in the past, when a prophecy was made about the princess of Hansheya kingdom that whoever she would marry, would rule the continent. The king, fearing the chaos it could ensue in the region, made attempts at containing the news within the palace.

But somehow, the news reached the crown prince of a neighboring rival kingdom, Chitrapur. As his father didn't believe in prophecies, the crown prince, Udanth convinced him that Hansheya was planning an attack on Chitrapur.

Provoked by the vines of effortless lies springing out of Udanth's mouth, the king of Chitrapur granted him his troops to attack Hansheya.

Udanth attacked Hansheya at night during a festival. He turned an aupicious and merry occasion into a defeaning chaos of screams. Hansheya fought hard, but couldn't thwart the strike. When the King realised that they would need their friends to face Chitrapur's offence, he tasked his daughter to sneak out of the palace and seek help.

Sucheta, the princess took a group of trusted soldiers to escape through a hidden tunnel.

"Are you sure, you can do this? I can not assure your safety if we are caught. Are you fine with it?" Sucheta asked Nitya, one of her maids she had rescued long ago.

"Yes." Nitya replied with unwavering confidence.

"I want you to understand that your life is as valuable as mine."

"I know, princess. But for now, protecting you is more important, in order to save others. Our allies will only help us if you ask them to. They know you. You must reach them unharmed."

"I hope we both can reach them unharmed." Sucheta gave Nitya a sincere hug, who had exchanged clothes with the princess in order to sway their enemies' attention away from Sucheta incase they were attacked on their way.

They ventured far, through the woods and thicket before they were ambushed by the soldiers of Chitrapur near a waterfall and it lead to a clash. It was evident that the enemies were convinced, without a doubt, that Nitya was the princess- her opulent attire and regal stance did the trick. The enemies out numbered them. So as planned before, Sucheta tried to escape amidst the confusion of the scuffle.
But she was hindered by a man out of nowhere. He wasn't a soldier. His lavish clothing suggested otherwise. He was Ekansh, the Chitrapur king's relative.

Seeing Sucheta in trouble, Nitya decided, in a whim, to jump off the waterfall to lure everyone out of the princess' path.

"You will never catch me alive. You can never weaken my father using me as bait." Nitya bellowed her challenge.

Then, she ran towards the edge of the waterfall cliff. As expected, the whole group of enemies rushed to stop her. But before anyone could reach her, she took the plunge. She splashed into the heavy current of water legfirst. After the thud, she couldn't feel her body or soul. It all seemed dead but somehow, even in that confusion, her body fought its way out of the water. As she came up and caught a breath, she realised that not everything was lost. She swam to the shallows and collapsed on the ground.

She hadn't even rested much for her body to respond to her again and she could see a vague figure staggering towards her. Much to her dismay and disbelief, the man with the expensive clothes had also jumped after her. He came near and slumped beside her, huffing for breath.

Nitya looked at him frustratedly.

"Oh princess. Were you brave or just foolish?" Ekansh said.

"I had no other way. How about you? You are adamant about destroying someone so bad that you don't mind jumping off a cliff." Nitya collected her body up and started punching Ekansh, sitting on his chest to knock him out of his senses.

After a few thwacks, Ekansh gripped her hands tightly to impede her. Pulling her closer, he twisted her arms behind her back. Unable to free her hands, she bit his chin ferociously. He pushed her away reflexively. She landed on the floor on her back.

He pulled out a knife from somewhere in his cloth and pressed its toned end to her neck. It was the first time he got to have a proper view of Nitya's face. Words eloped his mouth and thoughts deserted his head. He was mesmerised by whatever his eyes were seeing.

"So what's next?" Nitya asked and broke Ekansh' trance.

He cleared his throat a bit when he realised what the flow of events was and said in a forced grave voice, "Don't try such tricks with me again. If I could jump after you to catch you, I can do anything to take you to my brother. I can even break your legs."

"What do you people want from us? Have you forgotten the treaty? You can't just barge in and seize our land. Do you think Maharaja Samarthya dev will forgive you? He is the kings of kings. All the kings in this region answer to him. How dare you go against his decree?"

"The decree stands when both the parties abide by its rules. You broke it first. We will defend ourselves."

"By invading us!" Nitya scoffed. "And what are you even talking about? We never broke our promise."

"Your father was plotting to invade us."

"Nonsense."

"It's a pity that he doesn't tell you about important matters of the state."

"I know my father. He wouldn't do that. You are a liar."

"I have no business meddling with your belief system. I am here to fetch you to the crown prince. And I will do that. Stand up. We got to go."

Nitya raised up with her fuming eyes rolling at Ekansh. As she took the first step to move, she crumpled down to the arms of the ground. She realised that she had injured her right leg gravely.

"I can't walk."

"I can carry you." He bent down to pull her up.

"Don't touch me." She brushed his hands off. "It's all because of you."

"You are the one flying off a cliff."

" You cursed me. You wanted my legs to break. You even threatened me."

"Don't be stubborn. I will take you to the palace. You need treatment. Or else it will kill you slowly."

This time Nitya concurred with his point.

Ekansh carried her. "Don't try strangling my neck. I won't hesitate to cut your throat, if needed."

On the way, unbeknown to her rational self, she started admiring Ekansh' chiselled jaws. She noticed how the stubbles arranged itself on it, how his dishevelled hair fluttered in the wind, how his breath heaved his chest.

They soon, reached Ekansh' horse. He wanted them to ride to the palace. But Nitya objected. She insisted that if the horse galllops, her feet will hurt. She suggested that she would sit on the horse while Ekansh would walk. Ekansh beared with this arrangement hoping they would come across any village so that he could get her treated and fit for a quicker journey.

"You know, I am curious. What is the ground of your accusation? How did you know about the imaginary plot against your country."

"I don't know the details. But if the king says so, then it must be the truth. He is a noble king."

"Who are you again?"

"I am Ekansh. My mother was the princess of Chitrapur. After the death of my parents, the king took care of me."

"So you feel obliged..........He is the king. Isn't it his duty to take care of every one?"

"You won't understand."

"Or I would. I have a debt to pay to someone too. But I would never accompany her in her madness. I won't even let her go there herself. That's what one should be doing for someone they really care about."

"My king is not delusional. Maybe you don't know your father as you thought you did."

"What can I say to that? It's your belief versus my belief. Let the best belief win."

They found a hut on their way, and after enquiring and requesting, the people in the hut showed them the way to the local doctor's house.

"Think again. If I get treated, I will run away." Nitya said.

"How far till you injure your legs again, my princess? You should be careful with fresh injuries."

"How about I injure your leg instead. Won't the chase be fair then."

"You are a fiesty one." Ekansh couldn't help but smile broadly at her words.

She saw him brimming and her heart skipped a beat. Then, when he gave his hand to help her mount down the horse, it started thumping so aggressively that she was afraid, he would hear it. She had to rebuke and chastise herself quickly to remember what her mission was.

After the treatment, she vehememtly denied Ekansh from riding the horse along with her. She had to stall him and also she had no confidence in herself that she wouldn't fall for him completely, if they rode together.

So Ekansh was forced to walk, and they only reached the palace in the evening, after a rigorous walk of four hours.

As the news of their arrival reached the crown prince, he couldn't wait anymore and rushed towards the gate. He met Nitya halfway through the palace gardens and immediately complemented her beauty.

Ekansh was confused.

The crown prince led them to a well decorated mandap where a priest waited to perform marriage rituals.

"Come princess. Let's get married." The crown prince declared.

Nitya looked at Ekansh. Enkansh looked at her. They were equally baffled. Suddenly, without any need of deliberation, it hit Nitya that it must be all about the prophecy. Now her eyebrows arched sharp with disgust. Ekansh felt her revulsion for him but was utterly oblivious of the reason.

"You know about the prophecy. Don't you?" Nitya questioned Udanth.

"Yes. Your father tried to hush it. But I found out. I guess, I am the lucky chosen man. Now come. Marry me. And change my fate."

"So all this was to marry me?"

"Yes. What else could I have done! My father would have never approved of this marriage. This was the only way."

"So you lied to your father?"

"Yes, darling. I did it to get to you. What can you do about it? Your father is imprisoned. You have no other choice than marrying me."

All through the conversation and unveiling of secrets, Ekansh stood dazed in a pensive state.

"You destroyed many lives just to marry a princess." Nitya had tears of rage. "I don't know whether the prophecy works or not. But I am pretty sure, you don't deserve to be the leader of even a small village, let alone the ruler of the whole continent.

"Do I have to drag you to the mandap? Infront of all your people."

"You can't do that Udanth. You can't marry a woman without her consent." Ekansh said trying to placate his own anger.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Udanth lashed out at Ekansh.

"She is not the princess." A remark emerging from the people on the sidewalk astounded everyone. Someone recognised Nitya. It was someone from within the palace Nitya had seen once or twice.

"What are you saying?" Udanth asked.

"Yes. With due respect sir. She is not the princess. She is her maid, Nitya." The man claimed.

Udanth looked at Nitya.

"I am the princess. Sucheta. Why would this man say such a thing?" Nitya said.

"If you are the princess, you should know where we had met in our childhood." Udanth said.

"It was....uh...hmmm.....okay...alright, I am not the princess. You will never find her."

Seething with frenzied anger, Udanth drew his sword and raised it to strike Nitya's head down. The sword whizzed towards her with such a speed, that Nitya forgot how to dodge it.

Her head would have been segregated from her body if Ekansh hadn't acted quickly to hinder Udanth's aggression with his own sword. The two swords clanked with a spark and then a violent duel started between the two brothers. No one had the courage to intervene.

"Why are you saving her?" Udanth screeched.

"Because she is innocent." Ekansh yelled.

Grunting and bellowing, the two brothers fought, while the silent spectators gasped at the intensity of their strikes, seemingly enough to smite anyone else to smithereens.

The fight halted only when Ekansh' sword flew out of his hand.

"Let her go, Udanth." Ekansh pleaded.

"No way. She will tell me where the princess is." Udanth said.

At Udanth's signal, Ekansh was surrounded by soldiers.

"Either give up your head or the princess' whereabouts." Udanth said brandishing his sword at Nitya.

Nitya stayed tight lipped.

"Just give him what he wants." Ekansh suggested to Nitya.

"No. The princess has done so much for me." Nitya said.

"Deary. I am not going to hurt your princess. I am just going to marry her." Ekansh said.

"How is that any better?" Nitya said.

It spiked Udanth's anger so much that he dropped his sword and grabbed Nitya's neck tightly to wrangle her. She gaped and wiggled, as every second his grip became more and more rigid.

Somehow, seeing her in that condition, Ekansh felt breathless too. Without thinking of the consequences, he grabbed the sharp edge of the sword of a soldier who was stupified at Ekansh' unforeseen move and yanked it off his hand.

With fading senses, Nitya saw the vague scene of Ekansh fighting his way towards her. And just before the light went out for her, she gave a faint smile seeing Ekansh' sword resting at Udanth's shoulder.

The next time she beheld the world, she realised she was on a galloping horse, supported by two firm hands and a warm chest. She tilted a bit to look at the rider behind her. Ekansh looked back at her with assurance. Nitya rested herself in his arms with out a worry as she had never felt the breeze so gentle and calm before.