Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

Due to the cold weather existing all the year round, most people of Himprayag tended to have really fair skin, yellow golden hair and light eyes or at least one of these features. But the naked guy didn't seem to have any of the traits.     

"I should ask someone to look into him. What if he is an infiltrator?" Ahilya gave the reasoning to herself, shying away from the mocking voice in her head who was questioning the authenticity of her justification.     

Later that evening     

Gayatri came in as the servants removed the dishes from the informal dining room. Ahilya being an early riser, preferred eating her meals just after sunset.     

"Greeting, Princess. Would you like to go on a surprise inspection round of the barracks tonight?" Gayatri asked in a formal voice.     

This was an indication that Gayatri was seeking her appointment for something else. Since they expected Mithilesh's spies to be a part of Ahilya's personal staff, they had always been extremely careful in their communication even in Ahilya's private chambers. The excuse to do surprise checks of the grounds and barracks had been their long-standing escape-route to do something under the radar. After all, it was a well known fact that Princess Ahilya was a committed commander who took everything related to her army, seriously.     

Ahilya nodded her head and said, "Meet me at the training ground in half hour. We will start from there."     

Gayatri nodded her head respectfully and withdrew from the place.     

Vayuprastha     

Kritika waited while the attendant announced her presence in front of King Shaligram. She had deliberately not sought a prior appointment with him. The idea was to catch him off-guard. She had her poker face in place but her stomach was knotted in tension. She knew this was a big opportunity for her to register her importance in the king's eyes. But for that, he needed to believe in her and more importantly, she prayed that her information was correct.     

The attendant came and informed her that she was free to go in. Raising her head, she pasted a confident smile on her face and stepped in.     

The king was frowning as he read one of the letters in his hand.     

Throwing it down on the ground, he said irritably, "What is the point of running a business when the profit doesn't go up? Are you telling me that you have no ideas on how to improve the profitability of this sector in the coming year? Then, let me cut everyone's salaries to maintain the bottom-line. How is that?"     

The man who looked to be one of his minions, stuttered to answer but was forbidden to speak as the king raised his hand to seek silence.     

The man bowed and walked down the aisle, crossing Kritika on his way out.     

The king didn't bother hiding his expressions from her and asked, "Is there something urgent that you need, Princess? I believe Vayuprastha has given all the help that we can in setting up your business."     

Kritika continued to smile pleasantly and answered, "Raja Shaligram, I have an urgent information to give you but it is sensitive in nature. I am here to seek private audience with you. I promise you that you won't regret it. Can you be kind enough to agree to it?"     

The king looked at her speculatively. She was being her direct self but there was something different about her right now. After a moment of silence, the king gestured that the room be vacated by everyone. Barring the king, and Kritika, her loyal bodyguard also remained in the room. Before Raja Shaligram could ask about the reason for his presence, she gestured to the young guy and he started walking towards the set of instruments which were kept in the corner of the room for entertainment.     

He went and sat down on the cushioned floor and brought the sitar* on his lap. He looked up at Kritika who lifted her finger and gestured him to start playing. Within moments, the room was filled with beautiful vibrations from the musical instrument.     

Kritika quickly closed the distance between herself and the king while he looked at her quizzically.     

Reaching him, she leaned in closer and whispered, "Did you know that it is tougher to eavesdrop in a room where some sort of vibrations are being created? I don't know the science behind it but I am pretty sure about the correctness of the fact. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. I am sorry to invade your personal space but as you may have noticed, I am a touch paranoid when it comes to important matters. Maybe it stems from having to run away from one's shadows for more than 365 days or maybe I was born with it. Anyways, let's go closer to the window where I can speak a little louder without being at the risk of being overheard."     

The king had had enough.     

"I understand that you are paranoid but are you accusing my palace of not being secure enough to have a conversation?" he asked her belligerently.     

"Since I don't have the proof, I dare not say yes but please indulge me for a little longer. Like I promised, you won't regret it," she brought her palm to his forearm and led him gently towards the wide, arched windows which overlooked the sea.     

The king gazed at her warily. Princes Kritika was displaying unusual behavior, starkly different from her previous countenance. Nonetheless, he was willing to play the game for now, keeping her previous track record in mind. After all, the gems which she traded with him had been nothing less than the best in the world. As a result, he could afford to indulge her a little, for now!     

Kritika's eyes were fixed on the incoming waves. Without turning to look at the king, she started to speak. Even though the next set of sentences were spoken softly, they were nothing less than an explosion.     

*Sitar - A large, long-necked Indian lute with movable frets, played with a wire pick.