Ashwaki: waiting for Ashok

¿Young love?

~10 years later~

"Dhruv! Krishna! Dhrupad! Get ready all of you. Quickly please. We have to leave soon." I hurried around, ordering maids to place the platters in the carriages that would soon take us to Kaling.

"No mother. I don't want to go." Dhruv folded his arms across his chest reluctantly.

"What do you mean you don't want to go? Of course you have to go. It's your cousin's wedding!"

"I'll just write to Ashwatara and tell her I'm sorry."

"No. Even your father's coming, everyone's going so why don't you want to go?"

"I have sword practice, mother. If we'll be staying there for two weeks, that's too long."

"You can practise in your grandfather's palace, bhaiya." Krishna patted his back in encouragement and he got up lazily.

Soon they were all ready with neatly sown robes.

"Alright. The princes are all ready. Rani Maa, Maharani - let's take a seat in the carriages."

"Ashok, when are you coming?" I turned round to him as he was busy giving a scroll.

"Well, you go on ahead and I'll join you this evening at your father's palace. I have to nip in to the ministry quickly for some urgent letters. I'll see you there."

"Okay - and what about Samrat Sushim?" I asked hesitantly.

"He's not coming. He has some urgent work back in Magadh." Maharani interrupted.

I frowned.

💓
Soon we had all reached the beautiful palace of Kaling, and as soon as we entered the majestic gates, there was cheering and clapping when the carriages stopped in the vast courtyard which had been the place where I would dance in the rain before my marriage.

Now it had completely transformed into a carpet of flowers and a small path through which people would toss flower petals at us as we walked through. We pressed our palms together and greeted everyone.

At the raised platform in the front, my father stood with my brother's daughter under his arm, wrapping his hands around his shoulder. She really did look beautiful.

I greeted my mother, and hugged my father.

"You're looking so beautiful." I smiled at Ashwatara and placed my palm around her cheek.

She blushed and looked down.

When Krishna bent down to seek my father's blessings, he twitched slightly at the sight of my step-son.

I walked over to him. "He's Krishna. Ashok's son..."

To my relief, my father didn't say much but pretended to smile and blessed him somehow. I didn't want another scene to be created.

Krishna smiled at him, believing he was his true maternal father.

"Prince Ashok hasn't come?" Father asked me.

"Oh, he's coming this evening."

He nodded. "Right, come on in kids and welcome Maharani and Rani Dharma."