Princess Nandini of Jaislemeher was the only daughter of King Dushyanth and he pampered her as such. She was spoiled with every luxury one could imagine; her feet had never even touched the bare ground and so it was only natural, that she developed...
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The moon hung low in the night sky as Shaurya and I rode through the quiet outskirts of the camp. The silence was only broken by the rhythmic hooves of our horses and the distant hum of the camp coming to life.
"This is a fairly pleasant spot to camp for tonight," Shaurya said looking around.
"Okay, spit it out," I said to Shaurya. His pathetic attempt to make small talk was almost always a sign that he had something else on his mind that he wanted to say.
Shaurya and I had been best friends since birth. Saubhagyavati Mausi, Shaurya's mother, was my Ranima's best friend, and Chitranjan Kakusa, Shaurya's father, had stood as my Babasa's confidant since their Gurukul days.
So it was safe to say, we knew each other fairly well.
"What?" he asked getting defensive. "I didn't say anything!"
"But you want to," I replied knowingly. "Just say it."
He heaved a heavy sigh.
"Abhimanyu," Shaurya began, his voice carrying an undertone of contemplation.
I glanced at him, curious about the thoughts that loitered in his usually composed mind.
"What's bothering you, Shaurya?" I prodded further, sensing an unspoken tension.
He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "It's not just about Nandini," he finally said, eyes fixed on the horizon. "It's the path you're taking to break her 'arrogance'. There's a fine line between assertiveness and cruelty."
I arched an eyebrow, a flicker of irritation surfacing. "She's a princess who needs a reality check, not a delicate flower that needs coddling."
Just the thought of her multiplied my irritation. I pushed the stupid memory that came up of her watching the sunset out of my head.
Out of all of our interactions, that had been the only halfway decent one where I almost thought she was a human being and not the walking poster of a spoiled brat.
But that could just be because we hadn't interacted.
Still, that was not reason enough to change my opinion about her. She had insulted my mother and she had spat at me. She deserved everything she was getting.
Shaurya sighed, his gaze unwavering. "I'm not suggesting coddling, Abhimanyu. I'm talking about understanding the consequences of pushing someone too far. She's grieving, and your relentless attacks will just make her resent you rather than comply"
I scoffed at the notion that I cared about what she thought of me. "She needs to learn her place, Shaurya. I do not care what she thinks of me. I will leave her with no choice but to comply."
He shook his head, a subtle frustration lining his expression. "It's not about what she thinks of you; it's about humanity. Pushing someone to the brink might get you compliance, but at what cost? There's a reason leaders are respected, not feared."
