Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

A narrow S-shaped space took Shaurya in and he felt his body mould around the contours of the cave. There was just enough space for his limbs to fit in. He didn't waste any time in swimming up towards the surface. Bringing his face out, he opened his mouth to gulp in shallow breaths. It smelled like rotten eggs in here, and the odour was really strong, enough to make someone gag but he couldn't care less about it. He kept taking in lungful of air until he felt his oxygen deprived mind starting to function again.     

It was pitch dark in the cave and he didn't intend to stick around for much longer. Taking another deep breath, he dived back into the water and started looking for the exit which would take him to the other side. He had been told to prepare for staying in the cave for a couple of minutes but it didn't take him more than a few seconds to slither out of the smooth, scaly cave.     

Before he could stop his momentum, it flushed him out into a bigger body of water.     

Brr!     

From really hot water to really cold. His body was shocked but his mind was overjoyed. He had made it. He turned around to feel the opening with his hands but couldn't place it. The exit mouth was covered with a tap shaped rock which kept its entrance well hidden. He shook his head at the wonders of nature before swimming to the surface. Shaurya raised his head cautiously only upto his eye level to check if it was safe to swim to the river bank. He had arrived in Saptsindhu!     

Capital     

"Any news?" Prithvi was with his parallel network of spies who had gathered at the same place where he interrogated that businessman few weeks back.     

There was the leader of rag pickers and sweepers, the boss of all drinking places, and the head pimp who was in and out of most of the big brothels in the capital of Chandragarh.     

"We have checked as extensively as we could but no one recognizes or remembers them being here in the recent month," said those gathered, collectively.     

They were referring to the two sketches which Prithvi had drawn multiple copies of, from his memory and shared with his network.     

"So, you mean to say that neither of these guys has drunk, or visited the girls or walked in the streets, basically you mean to say that they haven't come to the capital, correct?" Prithvi said, his brows drawing together in displeasure.     

He didn't mean to doubt his people's efficiency but it was tough to believe that a conspiracy was brewing against Chandragarh and these key players had not been to the capital till now. It was, of course, possible that they may have chosen to stay away or missed being recognised on the basis of the sketches. But he was getting frustrated. He needed to know what were the enemy's plans. How else would he start a counter mission otherwise? Something told him that the clock was ticking.     

After the businessman, there had been a couple of more cases where people were caught as being an agent of the enemy and acting on their behest. But these people didn't know much either except for their immediate orders which amounted to nothing, just like those poor people in the Eastern zilla. It was apparent to him that they were being used blatantly but the larger purpose was not clear. It was as if, everyone was being primed for something, but WHAT?     

He ran a frustrated hand through his long tresses and dispersed the meeting.     

Vayuprastha     

Raja Shaligram was enjoying a private concert being given by a new musician. He was a young lad but extremely proficient in playing the Sitar*. His fingers nearly flew on the heavy instrument while playing Raag Bageshree* with ease.     

"Excellent, absolutely mesmerizing. You are hired," the king lavished praises on the young performer, while the musician bowed deeply in front of him.     

Raja Shaligram was a connoisseur of all things fine in life, whether it was music, art, love, food or sex. He invested heavily in finding new talents from across the countries and hired them to perform in his various establishments, keeping in mind the visitors' tastes. His country's economy was heavily dependent upon tourism and he took his role as a host very seriously.     

Right then, a beautiful attendant came and whispered something in his ear, making his smile widen further.     

"Bring them in with all the attention reserved for a state head. Set them up in KamalMahal*. I will come there in a bit," he instructed.     

The maid bowed and went away.     

Half hour later     

Raja Shaligram strode in to the beautiful suite leisurely but came to a halt when he saw his guests dust laden, and dressed in rags. The couple seemed to have not even had a bath in the past few days, going by the smell in the room and the condition of their limbs. He had been expecting the Saptsindhu king's daughter to be not in her best condition but this was a bit beyond his imagination.     

Before he could form the appropriate words to address her, Kritika spoke up. Even though her mouth was unwashed, the voice which came out, carried the right amount of haughtiness and culture.     

*Sitar – Plucked stringed instrument, originally from Indian subcontinent     

*Raag Bageshree - Bageshri is a Hindustani classical raga. It is a popular raga of the late night, which is meant to depict the emotion of a woman waiting for reunion with her lover.     

*KamalMahal – A palace with lotus design or overlooking a lotus pond.