•~𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓦𝓱𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮~•

•~Unexpected~•

But....at the end of the day who cared about her opinion? She had reached the age of getting married and that was it....
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The blessed river Yamuna flowed gracefully, winding its way throughout the kingdom. The birds chirped as dawn came, and the bees buzzed melodiously as if singing a sweet tune and butterflies flew across the royal garden.
A young maiden watched the scene with a soft smile on her face as she swung on her swing, mesmerized by the beauty of her kingdom. Her long brown hair was tied into a braid and her black coloured eyes watched as the sun shone brightly upon her kingdom.

Her smile widened as she picked up a paintbrush and started painting a sketch she had drawn the previous day. It showcased a lake under the moonlit sky surrounded by bushes and trees. Her strokes were perfect, so was the gradient.

However, the sound of a bell broke her focus, as she frowned for a moment before heading towards the door to open it.

A maid bowed before the girl and said, "Your majesty would like to have a word with you before breakfast, princess"
"I see, I shall leave at once then" The princess replied before pausing for a moment and looking at the balcony.
"Rishani, would you please clean up the balcony... It's seems like I have made quite the mess" She said smiling rather sheepishly.
"Of course your highness" Rishani replied immediately before bowing once again.
The princess gave her a quick nod and made her way to the throne room.

The princess walked rather hastily, her face scrunched in concern. 'The last time father called me this early was when that stupid jester tried to kidnap Prakriti when she was only a year old....and that itself was a long time ago...' She thought.

Soon she found herself standing in front of the gates to the throne room. She took a deep breath before opening the door expecting to hear some grave news. However, she was taken aback when she saw her mother smiling widely and her father bearing a rather soft expression on his face, which was strange for he rarely made this sort of expression. She also noticed that the room was nearly vacant, housing only her and her parents at the moment.

She stared at them blankly for a moment before bowing in front of them, "Greetings mother, father".

"Raise your head dear" her mother spoke gently. The princess complied.

"Take a seat Devika, we have something important to discuss" her father said as he gestured towards her throne.

The said princess, Devika nodded before heading towards her throne. The atmosphere was strange needless to say. It seemed like a mix of different emotions.

"Devika dear, we believe you have come of age" her mother spoke slowly letting the words sink in.

Devika didn't understand for a moment, tilting her head slightly, till realization struck her.

"Y-You mean..." She stuttered hoping it was not what she thought.
Unfortunately for her, her father did the job of finishing the sentence

"Yes, it is about time you get married"

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In the royal garden...

"Ah~ the weather here is quite pleasant isn't it?" A young girl spoke. She seemed to be around the age of sixteen. She had long hazelnut coloured hair which was tied in a neat ponytail. She had sharp blue eyes and wore a simple horse-riding outfit covered with a magnificent blue cloak with black outlines.

"What brings you here, to my humble little kingdom Shivani?" Another girl spoke in a sing-a-song manner smiling joyously. She had gorgeous black hair that fell to her hips and dark brown eyes that shone with excitement. She wore a long dress that was adorned with beautiful floral patterns.

"Calling your kingdom 'little' is quite disrespectful don't you think? However, I'll let it slide for now, I have some news" the girl named Shivani replied as she dismounted her horse, letting it stray.

"Well what is it?" The other girl asked curious as she observed how her friend hid her left hand behind her back.

"It's my older brother Arush, he's returning from war tomorrow so I'm throwing him a 'welcome back!' party, and you and your highnesses are invited" Shivani revealed gleefully and held out her left hand which held an invitation card.

"That's amazing Shivani!" The other girl spoke, happily accepting the card.

"I know right? I have been waiting for his return for months! Oh you don't know how happy I am Isha~ Shivani spoke no longer being able to contain her excitement.

The said girl Isha just listened to her friend as she ranted about her older brother.

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In the throne room

"Marriage?! But you know I have not found a suitor" she exclaimed.

"We know that dear, which is why we have decided to choose a suitor fit for you. However, if you manage to find someone of your liking then we shall allow you to get married to them" Her father declared. Devika huffed at her father's audacity about to retort when suddenly the sound of a bell ringing was heard. Her parents stood up and made their way to the court room. Her mother gave her a sweet smile before leaving the room.
Devika took a deep breath and sighed. She knew she would not get a chance to talk to them about this matter, after all their highnesses were quite busy people.

She left the room without saying another word, fuming quietly at her parents' decision. It was her life, her choice. Honestly speaking she had never even imagined having to get married off to some complete stranger whom she doesn't know....but then again she had no idea what love was. She always found it stupid, even as a child when reading fairy tales. It always seemed unrealistic. She saw marriage as a contract between two people to keep humanity from dying out.

The maids in front of her chamber opened the doors and quickly scurried away. She sat on her bed staring at the vase in front of her. She had devoted her entire life towards taking care of her younger sisters. She had always known she would not be the heir to the throne, yet that never bothered her. Her youngest Prakriti had proved herself worthy of the throne and she, Devika was the one who taught her everything. She knew she would married someday, but never expected it to be this soon! She was only 22 years old and in her opinion too young to get married....but....at the end of the day who cared about her opinion? She had reached the age of getting married and that was it.

She lay down on her bed staring blankly out of her window.

Why does life have to be so unfair?
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To be continued...