Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

"Greetings to Rani Samyukta. My father sends his wishes for your good health and Chandragarh's prosperity," Mithilesh was a paragon of humility as he stood in front of the queen of Chandragarh.     

He was well aware of the influence of Chandragarh in this region. Even though Saptsindhu was a stronger country in terms of military prowess, both geographically and economically, Chandragarh had all the advantages in its favour. The presence of Chandragarh had managed to keep the ambitions of Saptsindhu in check during the past decades else the smaller countries would have been under attack by the big bully long ago.     

Due to its unique governing structure and people friendly policies, the per capita income of Chandragarh was quite high versus the other countries. Also, since the education program was run and sponsored by the royal palace, everyone had received basic knowledge and skills. That made the Chandragarh population an asset both in the country and outside.     

When Mithilesh became the king, he was going to adapt many of these policies. As for now, he needed to convince the plain looking queen about his proposal.     

She may look simple on the surface but was known to be no less than her counterparts when it came to shrewdness and foresight. It won't be as easy to get her to agree to his plan as it had been with the Vayuprastha king. Mithilesh had chosen to come here first instead of going to Saptsindhu.     

It may seem like that he had done so because of geographical convenience. Vayuprastha was the farthest from Himprayag, then came Chandragarh and finally Saptsindhu, which was its adjoining neighbor. But Mithilesh chose to come here because he was well aware that King Amrendra would agree to his plan the minute he got to know that Chandragarh had given the nod for it. For one, Saptsindhu's ambition was not hidden from anyone in the region. But more importantly, Raja Amrendra couldn't tolerate being left behind by Rani Samyukta in even the smallest thing.     

This meant if Mithilesh managed to get the queen's go ahead, he would have the Himprayag throne waiting for him when he returned.     

Vayuprastha     

Raji Shaligram was still irritated about the deal with the Himprayag prince and had been snapping at everyone since then.     

Princess Kritika lounged in the beautiful room which she had been allocated at the palace. She had just been informed that a new set of quarters had been arranged for her outside the palace, so she needed to move out soon. She, of course, had heard about it through her sources before the news came to her officially. But she had no intentions of moving out!     

Even though it had been mere weeks since Kritika entered the palace, she had started building up her network inside the walls of this place. She simply loved the vibe of Vayuprastha. A pure capitalist kingdom, it had its evils but she would take greed over male chauvinism any single day.     

None of the men in Vayuprastha were in the habit of beating their chest in order to prove their superiority in front of another. During the past year, she had seen the faces of many Saptsindhu men while on the run from the royal guards. These common men weren't much different from her tyrant father or her absentia brother. The sense of superiority which ran in their blood had nothing to do with their social status, their wealth or lack of it, or their level of education. It was simply a sense of entitlement!     

She had sworn to herself that she would die rather than bow down to any man henceforth.     

Even though the king of Vayuprastha was middle aged and not very good looking, she had decided to set her eyes on him. She wanted to convert her business partnership into something more powerful, enough for her to have protection against the tirade of her father.     

Even though he hadn't flexed his power yet, she knew someday soon, he would be sending his force to take her away from this place.     

Nothing could protect her except a title. She had tried to find out all that she could about the king from the sources in the palace but the information had been not very constructive. He had multiple queens and concubines, each one more beautiful than the other. In order for her to stand out, she needed to be useful enough for him beyond a pretty face or a mere business partner.     

It was purely by chance that she got to know about his deal signing with the prince of Himprayag. And that got her thinking. Maybe she could use this as an opportunity!     

Himprayag     

Bela shared her observations and experience of the past few days of living in Himprayag with Shaurya.     

"I am not sure how will I be able to impress the princess, Guruji," he started slowly.     

At her questioning look, he continued, "From what I understand, they have great military capabilities and she herself is the best of the lot. My warrior skillsets don't qualify to be worthy of even entering their lair. How am I supposed to leave an impression?"     

Bela smiled at his insecure countenance. This was her first time seeing him so unsure.     

She started, "Why did you assume that you have to showcase your physical strength. There are many ways to charm a woman. Don't you know that intelligence and quick thinking can dazzle a person much faster than hitting the arrow on the bull's eye. And if I am not wrong, you seem to be pretty good at using your silver tongue. Don't worry. You need to have faith in yourself and more than that, believe in the seniors who are asking you to take up this task."     

Shaurya looked at her with a sheepish expression and nodded.