Nandhini made a happy twirl while humming some unknown tune in happiness, the corridors were a little dark but who cares? She is finally getting to meet Vikram after a long time. Unfortunately, all day he remains busy with his training of young soldiers and her mother has prohibited her from visiting him at night. As if Vikram can try something dirty, that man is just a sage in a warrior form.

Let the marriage be done, she will just wrap him with her saree pallu so that he remains beside her all day and night.

As Nandhini was passing the training grounds she saw something which made her skin burn on fire, her fingers fisted up in anger. There, outside the training grounds stood Vikram and Apsara, while he looked a little uncomfortable she was busy dusting some unseen, imaginative dust on his shoulder, touching his neck.

The nerve of that woman!

"Vikram." Nandhini's voice came out stiff, she managed to control her anger by looking serious as she walked near him.

The moment Vikram's eyes fell on Nandhini, he pushed Apsara's hands off him and happily took a step towards her making Apsara frown.

That's my man, bitch. Nandhini need not say those words as her eyes said them with fuming anger and Apsara shivered vissibily under Nandhini's glare.

"Nandhu!" Vikram said, with a huge smile on his face, walking happily towards her.

Nandhini smiled in content, running her hand on his thick black beard, "What is she doing here?" She asked, being as calm as possible.

And Vikram replied in a casual tone, "Oh Apsara? She requested me to teach her some defence tricks-"

"I almost forgot!" Nandhini interrupted him shouting, acting as if she just remembered something but in reality she was more than irritated to even hear her name from his mouth, " My mother is calling for you, immediately."

"At this hour?" Vikram wonders, rubbing his forehead lightly with this thumb and index finger. “Okay.” He nodded ready to leave.

Vikram was a little nervous as he turned back to Nandhini.

"And also," He hesitated a little as he bent down towards her, close to her ear, "Is it possible for you to meet me early in the morning tomorrow? You know before my training starts?"

Nandhini's eyebrows rose up in suggestiveness, moving dangerously close towards him placing her palm on his chest, “ I never knew that you were this brave to try something before our marriage?” She laughed teasing him.

And he coughed as little, trying to say that they were not alone. That Apsara was standing right behind them, So he opened his mouth to discipline her,

“For god's sake, stop being so-”

“So romantic? Unlike you? You are more than worse at-”

“Yesterday evening when I was patrolling outside the palace, I bought a ruby necklace for you.” Vikram stated proudly, indicating that he is romantic. The moment he saw that shining red necklace he knew that it was just made for his Nandhini.

“Really?” Nandhini looked shocked but soon that expression was replaced with a huge toothy smile as she nodded her head in agreement, “ Okay, I accept that you at least have a teeny tiny amount of romance left in you.”

They both laughed over their stupid jokes and soon Vikram made his way to the royal quarters to meet Rajmatha.

The moment Vikram left, Apsara felt like a helpless deer standing near a hungry lion as Nandhini’s glare was making the hair on her neck stand up in fear.

“Why don't we take a small walk, Apsara?” Nandhini forced a small smile out and Apsara just nodded as she couldn't find her voice to reject.

“What was your childhood like?” Nandhini asked, as the cool night breeze was slightly making her shiver but the night looked too beautiful to go and rest in her chambers.

Apsara opened her mouth to reply but before she could speak anything, Nandhini continued her talking, “I was a very troublesome child to deal with because if once I would decide to do something, come what may, I have to finish that task!” Nandhini laughed looking at Apsara.

And Apsara relaxed a little thinking, maybe this princess is also like Chitra, soft and naive.

“You know once, when I was around eight, my father took us kids outside the palace to show us how people work for their living.” Said Nandhini, with a huge smile on her face trying to picture her childhood. That day was her first time to step outside the palace.

“After a long walk all evening, we soon reached a temple to rest and all of a sudden I started complaining about some stinking smell. My father was furious to hear that as temples always smell divine but when my tantrums got worse my brother went to look around the area.”

“And guess what happened, Apsara!” Nandhini smiled in excitement as she turned to her.

“What happened?” Apsara asked with a fake curiosity as she listened to the high pitched voice of Nandhini and she smirked inwardly thinking, yes this princess is also stupid.

“That there was actually a trash dump yard near the temple!” Nandhini concluded her story as her expression shifted in seconds, to a stony one as she stepped close towards Apsara, “So what did you understand from this?”

In reflex, Apsara stumbled behind trying to put some distance between them, “T-that there was a dump yard behind the temple?”

At the speed of wind, Nandhini’s hand went behind Apsara’s head clutching a hand full of her hair, making Apsara steam in pain, “W-what are you doing p-princess!” She shouted, struggling to release her hair from Nandhini’s hand.

“Wrong.” Nandhini said, gritting her teeth, “ Wrong answer, the moral of the story is that I can smell trash from far away. My senses are very sharp you see.”

Nandhini made Apsara bend down to her height by pulling her hair hard, “And you are a trash! A maid informed me that you were the first person to meet bhabhi as soon as she woke up and after that day my bhaiya and bhabhi won't even look at each other!”

Apsara cried loudly as the grip on her hair was too tight, she felt as if this crazy Princess might rip her hair apart. Her hands went up to free herself but the princess had a death grip on her hair.

“You know what? The moment I get those proofs about what shit you have done, you are dead! I will see to it that you rot in those dungeons and die a painful death.”

“W-what are y-you t-talking princess?” Apsara tried to play innocent but Nandhini just scoffed seeing her act.

“Though Chitra grew up in a palace, she doesn't know how dirty the palace politics can be, so your plan worked. But how did you imagine that I will fall for such shitty plans? Remember, I will pull your teeth out and shave your head if I find you lingering around my Vikram again!” Nandhini’s low angry voice made Apsara regret her decision of even meeting Vikram tonight.

“So till then if you want to stay alive, stay away from my family.” Nandhini spoke in anger as her grip tightened on Apsara’s hair, as she brought her face close to her’s, “Especially from my Vikram! Understood?”

Apsara nodded her head, tears falling down her face in fear, “Y-yes.”

And the second Nandhin’s hand was away from her hair, she ran so fast that she almost tripped down and Nandhini folded her hands over her chest thinking, I will see your end, Apsara. Soon.

* * *

The royal hall was already filled with busy whispering ministers as Vikram walked inside and Rajmatha sat on her golden chair with the royal priest standing a step down near her.

Arjuna and Chitra were seated along with the ministers and when Rajmata saw Vikram walking inside she cleared her throat seeking the attention of everyone.

“I would like to express my thanks for everyone who made it to this meeting on such a short notice.” Rajmatha gave a graceful smile as she continued, “This is an emergency meeting as our royal priest has something important to discuss about.”

Royal priest’s usually calculate and arrange dates for some important occasions, perform yagas for the welfare of the kingdom and a few times guide the royal members in a right path but an emergency meeting at this late at night is sure a bad news.

The priest bowed his head down and made namaskar, paying his respects to his king and queen before he began his speech, “Today, when my disciples were looking over the country's future we got a bad sign, it seems like the next few years we might face a famine.”

Every minister along with Arjuna and Chitra remained shocked listening to that, a famine?

The priest took a long breath as he spoke, “ We are believing that this famine might be similar to the ones our forefathers have faced five hundred years ago.”

“That is terrible!” Claimed one minister.

“Oh god! Are we cursed again?” Whispered another minister.

“We assume that our goddess was angered during the war,” Said the priest, before the hall could fill with more speculations, “Our king was forced to remove his godly chain to save our queen and we believe that sin has triggered the anger of our goddess.”

And that sentence woke up those horrible memories from that day in Chitra as her heart ached. Her husband even went to an extent of accepting the defeat to save her, he went to an extent of leaving his position of a king for her, then how did they reach this road of separation and anger?

Her heart filled with sweet pain as she saw Arjuna shift on his throne, all of a sudden it felt like a crime to stay away from him, though she was keeping up an act of hating him, her heart cried along with him every time he left her chambers with a dejected look.

“We hereby request that our king and queen should visit the Maha Kali temple at the northern end of our extended kingdom, to offer prayers to the goddess to calm her down.”

While Chitra looked shocked, Arjuna looked confused. Something is definitely wrong, Arjuna thought.

Soon the royal meeting was concluded and all the ministers left for the night, while Rajmatha sat down on her golden chair catching her head in her hands.

"As our Priest said, Arjuna you and your wife are required to visit the temple-"

"Ma, I have a suggestion." Arjuna said, walking towards and standing in front of her.

Rajamatha Padmaja nodded her head, silently telling him to continue.

"I don't think it is good for Chitra to travel for such long distances, she has recently recovered and-"

"And what? Should I just go by myself and pray to the goddess by summoning your dead father?" Rajamatha's anger and irritation filled voice made Arjuna shut his mouth.

" And also I think your queen has got enough rest from skipping all the royal courts and this one is unavoidable." Her determined voice boomed through the empty hall.

Rajamatha stood up heaving a low breath, as she said, " This matter is not only about the goddess Arjuna, it is something much more serious and heinous."

Chitra now understood the purpose of this emergency meeting as she listened to her mother-in-law speak. The actual reason for the meeting was something else, she tactically deluded those ministers to believe something which she wanted them to remember.

"These are the letters our spies from the northern hemisphere have sent, after staying there for a couple of weeks." Her voice came out rough and stressful.

Rajamatha Padmaja handed them to her son and Arjuna's eyes widened reading the brief letter.

Chitra stepped forward and picked up another scroll lying on the wooden table, her eyes moved rapidly as she read those words, her spine shivered from reading that.

"As a prince you were able to travel across our kingdom and know the plight of our country men and now that our kingdom is extended it is your responsibility to look over those parts too. Your queen has as much responsibility as you do."

Rajamatha slowly stepped down the stage as she walked towards exit before saying, "Prepare for a travel of one month and you both should leave tomorrow so that the moonlight can guide your way."

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