A beautiful laughter echoed in his ears, and Kabir narrowed his eyes, looking around.
"Did you hear that?" He asked his best friend, Yashvir, the crown Prince of Kalang.
"Hear what?" Yashvir asked, frowning.
"I think I heard a girl laughing," Kabir replied, trying to listen closely.
"It's probably your destiny laughing at you," Yashvir smirked. "You're the son of the King's most trusted soldier, and here you are, stuck with me as a hunting buddy."
"Tch," Kabir rolled his eyes. "I'm here by choice. And secondly, I really heard someone laughing."
"A girl?" Yashvir raised an eyebrow. "Out here in the forest, at this time of the day? You're going mad."
"No, I'm not," Kabir waved him off. He heard a faint scream, and now he stood up, his hand on his sword. "There is definitely some girl around here. I think she's in trouble."
"Yeah, but we're not in father's territory right now, so it isn't someone from your Kingdom. You don't have any obligations to protect her," Yashvir pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kabir nodded, sitting back down.
But this time, Yashvir heard the girl.
"Okay," he said, standing up. "I heard it too. What kind of girl comes into the forest at this time of the day? It's getting dark."
"A stupid girl, I'm guessing," Kabir replied, standing up as well.
"Or a brave one," Yashvir frowned, before he started walking. "The sound came from this direction, come on," he picked up his pace.
"Why are we following it?" Kabir asked, running behind him.
"I wanna see who it is," Yashvir replied.
"Stop!" They heard her again, and this time they could decipher her words. It was followed by a series of giggles, as well as the sound of water splashing.
"I think there's a girl at the pond," Kabir said, noticing how Yashvir and slowed down.
Yashvir did not reply, too enchanted by the beautiful voice. He continued walking toward the pond, and stopped behind a tree, tilting his head to take a peek at the girl.
There were a number of women, all dressed in plain, dull clothes, but their faces were shining in happiness as they splashed water on each other. Yashvir narrowed his eyes to look more closely, and as one of them moved to the side, his eyes set on the source of the voice he had been hearing.
As soon as he laid his eyes on her, Yashvir's mouth parted in pure fascination.
A young girl, who looked only a few years younger than him, was sitting on the bank of the pond, with her feet dipped into the water, and her pink lehenga flared out around her. Her dark brown hair reached her waist in beautiful waves, while her brown skin gleamed in the faint sunlight. Her lehenga was plain, but the blouse was decorated with beautiful gold embroidery. She was not wearing any jewellery except large jhumkay (traditional Indian earrings), and a golden waist-chain around her bare waist. Despite the simplicity, Yashvir could tell that she was indeed a Princess, and seeing how the women around her were all dressed, he knew instantly that they were her maids.
But what was a Princess doing at a pond? And that too, without the safety of a soldier accompanying her?
"Neharika!" The Princess shouted, before bending down and splashing water onto one of the maids. Neharika laughed, before splashing water back at her, as the Princess tightly closed her eyes, and covered her face with her beautiful, delicate hands. She had a huge smile on her face, and he could only see one emotion in her eyes - pure happiness.
"How long are you going to stand here?" Kabir asked, tapping him on his shoulder, snapping Yashvir out of the enchantment that Princess had cast on him.
"Shut up," Yashvir waved him off. "I wanna take a closer look at her."
"Oh," Kabir smirked. "So you like her?"
"Tch, just move aside," he pushed Kabir away and ran to hide behind another tree, one that was closer to the Princess. In his yearning to look at her properly, Yashvir did not hide himself well, and one of the maids standing away from the pond saw him. Her eyes widened in fear, and she instantly covered the Princess with a shawl, making Yashvir scowl.
The girl realized something was wrong, and she frowned, turning to his direction. Her eyes met with Yashvir's, and the previous bliss in them morphed into anger. Knowing that he had been exposed, Yashvir stepped out into the open, crossing his arms. The Princess quickly stood up and stepped away from the water, slipping on her shoes, as she held her shawl tightly around herself.
"Who are you?" She scowled at him.
"That's not the question," Yashvir shook his head. "The question is, who is the beauty in front of me?"
The girl narrowed her eyes, the fire of rage burning in her gaze. But Yashvir was unfazed by her glare. If anything, he found it amusing. His lips tugged upwards into a smirk, and he took a few steps forward, making the girl widen her eyes and step back.
"Stay where you are!" She ordered him, and he obliged. "How dare you enter this part of the forest? Everyone in Adibar knows this area is only to be visited by the royal family, or their servants. So how dare you defy the King's orders?" She asked, her tone affirmative and firm.
"Well, pardon me, Princess, but you're the one who made me do it," Yashvir replied, shrugging. The girl did not miss the glint of mischief in his eye, and it only made her blood boil.
"I made you do it? And how do you know I'm the Princess? No commoner in Adibar has ever seen my face," she replied.
"Any man with brains could tell. Your Royalty reflects in the way you talk, the way you carry yourself. Pure elegance," Yashvir replied, his eyes raking down to her body. "And it was, by the way, your melodious laughter and giggles that drew me here."
"So you heard a woman laughing, and could not mind your own business?" She mocked.
"That woman was also screaming and yelling. I thought you may need my help. Besides, what is a Princess doing out in the open at this time of the day? Beauty like yours belongs inside the safety of your Palace. Where are your soldiers?" Yashvir asked.
"How dare you question Rajkumari (Princess) Ahankara?" One of the maids, Neharika, spoke up.
Yashvir did not bother to look at her, his gaze stuck on the Princess.
"Ahankara," he repeated her name softly. "The one with pride. A fitting name for a beautiful Princess like yourself."
Ahankara remained silent, studying him carefully. He looked like a commoner by his attire, but there was something about him that said otherwise. By now she was sure that he wasn't from Adibar, or he would never have dared to disrespect her like that. Or openly sound misogynistic in front of her. He was an outsider. But there was more to him. Her eyes fell on his sword, and she noticed the hilt, as well as the pommel. It had a logo she recognized, but she did not remember where she had seen it.
"So you're the King's daughter?" Yashvir asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.
"I am not going to answer any of your questions. For your sake, I suggest you leave us alone right now. Or my brother will have your head, " she threatened.
"So your brother is the King then," Yashvir nodded, completely ignoring her warning. "Adibar... Maharaja Karan Singh, is it?" He mused.
"You are disrespecting the Princess's honour, young lad! There will be huge consequences for your misbehaviour!" Neharika warned this time.
Yashvir rolled his eyes, already tired of people trying to order him around. He was not used to it, and he never would be. He was the crown Prince of Kalang, after all.
"I am Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Yashvir Rathore of the Kingdom of Kalang, so I suggest, you do not try to teach me manners," he announced, glancing at Neharika. Instantly, all the maids' eyes widened, and they bent their heads down in respect. Everyone knew about him. His Kingdom was the strongest Kingdom in the whole of Bharat, and Yashvir himself was known to be the fiercest warrior history had ever seen. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face seeing their reactions, but it was quickly replaced with a frown when he saw no fear, nor respect, in Ahankara's eyes.
"Forgive me, Yuvraj! I had no inten-"
"You only answer to me, Neharika," Ahankara cut her off. "You do not have to apologize to any outsider unless I tell you to," she said politely.
Yashvir raised an eyebrow at her, while Ahankara stared back at him silently. Now that Yashvir had revealed his identity, Kabir decided to come out of hiding as well.
"And who would you be?" Ahankara asked, a bored look on her face.
"I am Kabir," he smiled at her. "Son of the King's most trusted soldier."
"Welcome to Adibar," Ahankara nodded. "So what brings you here?" She asked, her eyes back on Yashvir.
"You."
- - - - - -
"Welcome to Adibar," Ahankara nodded. "So what brings you here?" She asked, her eyes back on Yashvir."You," Yashvir replied, taking another step in her direction. This time she remained rooted to her spot, since she did not want to seem intimidated by his supposed 'greatness'."Forgive me, Yuvraj, but flirting with a Princess does not fit someone of your status," Ahankara replied, and gasps escaped the mouths of most her maids. They looked at Yashvir in fear, scared that he would be offended, but Yashvir only smiled in response."There is a very real difference between being honest, and flirting, Ahankara," Yashvir replied, and Ahankara's expression hardened."I would appreciate it if you'd address me as Rajkumari Ahankara. I don't think we are friends, so I don't see why you should call me by my first name," she said, holding her head up high."I see," he smirked, nod
"What do you mean you don't want the crown anymore?!" Maharani (Queen) Hansa Bai's voice echoed in the room."I said what I said," Yashvir shrugged, as maids massaged his body with different oils. He was lying shirtless on his stomach on a charpoy (a bedstead of woven webbing stretched on a wooden frame on four legs), his forearms supporting his head like a pillow. Yashvir did not even bother to open his eyes and look up at his mother, too relaxed and lost in Ahankara's thoughts.The beautiful Princess of Adibar."Leave us," the Queen ordered the women, and they instantly stood up, bowed their heads in respect and exited the room.Yashvir sighed, now opening his eyes."I am asking you something, Yashvir. What nonsense did you just utter, and that too in front of all those servants? How dare you?" Hansa Bai scolded.Yashvir clenched his jaw, now standing up from the charpoy, and stood before his mother."I will not take the crown until you ge
"Rajkumari? What are you doing here?" Neharika asked, walking up to Ahankara, who was silently staring at the night sky."Hmm?" Ahankara hummed absent-mindedly."What are you..." Neharika paused to yawn, trying to keep her eyes open. "What are you doing in the balcony at this time of the night?""Do you think the Moon ever feels lonely?" Ahankara questioned, blinking up at it."What kind of a question is that?" Neharika frowned."It looks really lonely to me.""Well," Neharika sighed. "It has a million lovers staring up at it in the darkness of the night. The Moon is their only light in the sea of black.""But they are just people who stare at her from far off, they only use her as a source of light, to drown their own darkness," Ahankara frowned, now looking at Neharika."That may also be true, but they do admire its beauty," Neharika pointed out."But that's not enough. They just use her, for her light. Deep down they want to s
"You look beautiful, Rajkumari," Neharika complimented, while helping Ahankara wear her last bangle."I don't want to," Ahankara sighed. "I had to dress up-""Because your brother will scold you if you don't. I know. You've repeated that sentence a hundred times already," Neharika finished for her, and Ahankara sighed again."What if-" Ahankara began, but she was once again interrupted, this time by a knock on her door. "Who is it?" She rolled her eyes, standing up from her chair."Rajkumari Ahankara? It's Meena," the person replied. Ahankara took a deep breath to calm her nerves, before gesturing at Neharika to let her in."Khamma Ghanni Rajkumari," Meena greeted as soon as she entered the room, a huge smile on her face."Ghanni Khamma. What is it?" Ahankara questioned."You look stunning, Rajkumari Ahankara! This royal blue lehenga looks so beautiful on you!" She beamed at her."Thank you, Meena," Ahankara offered her a small smile.
"I know," Yashvir smirked, making Ahankara's eyes widen. Her brother would kill her if he found out that they had met before, and Ahankara had not even bothered to inform him about it."You know...?" Karan Singh frowned."I mean that's what I guessed," Yashvir replied. "Khamma Ghanni." Yashvir smirked at her, and even while her brother was standing right beside her, she found him giving her a once over. Ahankara clenched his jaw, glancing at her brother to see if he noticed, but he looked too busy in talking to Kabir.'Of course,' Ahankara thought to herself, feeling extremely annoyed."Khamma, Ghanni, Rajkumari Ahankara," Yashvir repeated each word slowly, slightly leaning in towards her. She startled when he did that, and stepped back, blinking at him in shock. Ahankara could see the glint of mischief in his eyes, and the ghost of a smirk upon his lips. Immediately, she felt her blood boil.
"We will leave your Palace tomorrow morning. After that you have three days to decide, whether you want us to become relatives, or enemies," Yashvir declared."You can't do that, Yuvraj!" Karan Singh replied, almost shaking with rage. Meanwhile Yashvir looked awfully calm."Says who?" Yashvir smirked. "I am the crown Prince of Kalang. I can go to war with any Kingdom I want, for whatsoever reason. No other Kingdom will dare to stand against us.""What... What will you achieve by this?" Karan Singh frowned, sighing in defeat as he looked at him in question.Yashvir smiled, and his eyes softened."Ahankara."- - - -"Rajkumari?" Someone knocked on the door multiple times, sounding extremely agitated."Come in," Ahankara frowned, exchanging a bewildered look with Neharika.Meena entered the room and closed th
"Rajkumari?" Neharika asked with wide eyes, running up to her. She gently turned Ahankara around so she would face her, and wiped away her tears. "What happened, why are you crying?""I don't wanna marry him, Neharika," she sobbed."Just calm down first," Neharika replied, leading her to her bed and making her sit down. She then knelt on the ground before her, taking her hands in his. "Now tell me what happened."Ahankara related the whole incident to her, whilst tears continued to roll down her cheeks, and Neharika kept wiping them away from time to time. Finally she poured a glass of water and handed it to her, while Ahankara calmed down a bit and drank from it."Now, what are you gonna do?" Neharika asked."I don't know, Neha," Ahankara sniffed. "I don't want to marry him, but I don't want to be the reason my Kingdom goes to war. So many innocent people will lose their lives. And over w
Ahankara quickly ran to her room, and closed the door behind herself, also proceeding to lock it. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves, as her heart hammered away in her chest. She realized she was shivering, and she held her shawl closer to herself as she was feeling something completely foreign.Never before had any man came that close to her, or talked to her that way. And the worst part was, she did not even feel utterly disgusted by it. She sighed, still catching her breath, and made her way to the large mirror in her room, throwing her shawl aside. Ahankara stared at herself, as his words echoed in her mind."How can the Moon be in the sky, when it is standing right in front of me?"Heat crept up her cheeks, before she scowled at herself.How dare he say that to her? As if it was the most normal thing to say to a Princess? Had he been taught no morals, no etiquettes?