(Book 1) Hayden Mackay & The Forgotten Kingdom

13. Princess of Sharad Dynasty

"Forgotten Kingdom?" asked Pruthvi.

Sun was blazing upon his head but the weather wasn't compromising. An icy and wintry gust of air pass through his outfit and prickled along his skin. Sarpanch was still holding his stone. Pruthvi did not say it loud but the people of the forgotten kingdom had a weird procedure of welcoming their guests.

"Yes," said Sarpanch, "Dakshinpur was the most cherished kingdom twenty years back. Unfortunately, because of it own nature, people around the world stopped caring about it?"

"Why not?"

"Because of the most evil person you will ever know. Because of his selfish deeds Dakshinpur turned into a living martyr. He is the reason for such less population in this kingdom. Its disregarded and even deserted because of the dangerous stuff that is going on in here and thus been named as a Forgotten Kingdom."

Pruthvi was sure he didn't understand anything this person who claimed to be the Sarpanch of the village was speaking about. Nothing mattered him but for himself getting out of here. He looked at his stone wishing it to get back to him.

"Here, take your stone back," he said handing him over the stone, "I don't know how you received it but you do realize that the stone is precious, don't you?"

"Er...yeah...kind of," he said shrugging and putting his stone inside the pocket of his trousers, "But it not like I asked for it. It's just...it never leaved my side."

"It's not like you have a choice," he said with a slight raised voice, " There must be some reason you have been chosen."

"I don't know," he said getting hacked off, "I think I am feeling better now, can we get back to where we were? You were talking me somewhere, right?"

He stared at him as if he knew Pruthvi was trying to change the subject.

"I thought I should take you to the Panchayat to deal everything with you" Sarpanch said, "But I think we have to take the detour. Keep following me, would you?"

Pruthvi felt a change in his pace, walking swiftly and sternly, as if he had to be reached within an appropriate time. He knew it was highly impossible but he wished Tyrell to appear from somewhere with his pink Bel Air and give them the ride to wherever they ought to reach. He was truly getting sick of this never ending walk.

"Can you tell me where you are taking me to?" Pruthvi asked unable to handle to amplifying tension inside him.

"To the kingdom's court," he said hitting the yokes, "I want you to meet the king."

"What king?" I asked.

"King of the Sharad Dynasty."

"King of..." he stopped there. There was no point in asking him. But one thing that gave him  relief that that this person wasn't any kind of harm to him. So he kept quiet and followed him to where ever he was taking him to.

Within no time, the walkway turned into a tranquil filled suburb. Huts were lined up but each one seemed to be sitting there like a queue of timid mice. There was not a single soul he could see but he knew there were people definitely living inside the huts, for there were torn cloths hung and untidy utensils left outside the threshold of their doors.

Sarpanch turned to his left. As Pruthvi followed him and instantaneously his jaw spontaneously dropped. He never could have expected that something like that still existed. He was looking at a humongous golden court, with a red flag on zenith of it. The closer he walked the scenic the sight was. The glaring sunlight behind the tip of the court was making it look more luxurious. The cold breeze hit his cheeks making him to turn his eyes off the giant court.