"Halt! Who goes there?" I called out.
The rider immediately brought his horse to a halt and turned back to me. He wore a gilded, golden dhoti . The long cloth that draped his shoulders was rich. It was a deep blue, as beautiful as the night sky, sprinkled with white stones that darted under the blazing sun. He must be royalty. His physique and looks were....well, I had seen those sort of features in aristocratic men before—sharp and accentuated. But there was a different beauty gracing him. He seemed impatient like the waves that couldn't be caught by the shore or the sunlight that you couldn't trap in a container. The man's molten brown eyes glimmered with irritation. That made two of us.
I watched him tug his bow closer to himself.
"I'm in a hurry." He explained roughly.
I raised an eyebrow. So this fellow believed he is the most important man in the whole world.
"And I'm in a hurry to end this conversation. If His Holiness Magnanimous would tell me his name, we could both get on with our lives." I replied, flashing a sardonic smile. And indeed, I was in a hurry. I'd spent the whole day helping the farmers plough the fields. Papa was waiting for me. If I didn't show up in time for his lessons on monarchy, he'd never teach me again.
His eyes flashed at my haughtiness. The haughtiness that my mother had begged me to conceal before strangers.
"Do you not know who I am?" He asked.
Oh my my.
"Do you not know who I am?"
This magical question.....it always managed to plummet the egos of others to ground level.
I savoured the momentary look of surprise on his sculptured visage as he scanned my attire and face. Then, with utmost humility, he asked: "Who are you, devi?"
The smile I gave him was a real one. A princess hosting a refugee.
"I am Rajkumari Mrinali. Daughter of Maharaj Vrikant. And you are?"
The man almost toppled off of his horse. I held down a chuckle. Within a second, he lowered his head briefly and said, "I am Rajkumar Arjun. Son of Maharaj Pandu." Pride coated his voice.
Ah, one of the five prodigal sons. I'd heard of him. Him and his obsession with archery and his ambitions. I even remembered his first fiasco with Karna. When Karna had softly told me the whole story, I had been....mildly annoyed, to say the least. However, I didn't hold it against Arjun, the class divides were distinct and ruthless.
He gave me a sheepish smile that brought out the true beauty of his face. I smiled wider. "Rajkumari," he breathed, "may I be of any service to you?" For princes were supposedly gentleman, in all aspects of life. Especially when it came to women. At least, that's what they liked to think of themselves.
But his voice sounded earnest and I heard myself say, "If it's not too much trouble, could I ride with you? My father is expecting me. If I'm late, he won't spare me."
Prince Arjun chuckled, the sound melodious and clear. He held out a hand. I took it and heaved myself upwards, one leg on each side of the horse.
He stared at me.
"What?" I asked him.
Brown eyes shook out of their daze and the Prince shook his head. "I have to meet your father too. Bhratha Yudhishtir has sent me to speak with him about some urgent matter."
"Well then," I remarked, laying my palms on his shoulders, as was appropriate, "let's go, shall we?"
*****
"Ah, Rajkumar!" Papa gushed as Arjun stepped forward and pressed his hands together, bowing.
He clapped a hand over his shoulder before his eyes found mine. "So you've found our guest before I could tell you, Mrinali."
I hopped off the horse with enough ease. "I met the Rajkumar on his way to the palace. I joined him because I didn't want to be late for our lesson."
"Well," Papa chimed, his lips drawn in a disarming smile, "our lesson will have to wait. A Kuru Prince has come to stay with us, Vrikesh will put its best foot forward to entertain our guest. Go freshen up, dinner awaits."
I shook my head, smiling. Rajkumar Arjun turned to look at me, his eyes shining with amusement. "Looks like we rode so quickly for nothing. I shall have to make it up to you, Rajkumari." He purred.
The teasing in his tone sent a burst of delight through me. I replied before walking to my chambers, waving a hand, "I expect nothing less, Prince."
*****
The soft orange light of dawn had brought me out to my balcony. And while I basked in the glorious morning light, a twang resounded in the palace grounds. Furrowing my brows, I looked down. It certainly wasn't, Nihaar, my younger brother—he abhorred mornings.
Only crazy people wake up at the ungodly time that you call 'morning', he had once proclaimed, as solemn as any rishi.
Papa had argued that his statement implied that all kshatriyas were crazy.
"So be it." Nihaar had said smoothly and sauntered back to bed.
So who was downstairs at this time?
A raucous male voice crowed his joy.
"Nihaar?"
And there he was, my little brother. His handsome features glowed against the morning light and his ochre eyes were wide awake and rife with mischief and secret delight. His lean figure walked forward so that I could see him completely.
"Didi," he acknowledged, smiling his naughtiest smile.
Eyes wide, I asked, "Have I finally gone mad? How and why are you awake?"
"I am practicing."
"At dawn? Are you ill?"
"Didi," he chided while I smirked. "I am improving my archery skills."
"All that is fine. But it is dawn! You don't wake up until it's lunch time, so why are you awake today?"
"Can't you just be grateful I am awake, for once?"
I was about to tell him I'd do a thousand aartis if he rose at dawn daily but I held my tongue. Instead, I gave him a lopsided smile when another figure walked into my line of sight.
Ah, yes, Rajkumar Arjun. Our new guest. Nihaar had set out either to learn or impress the land's best known archer. Although, I suppose that title had been given thoughtlessly. He and Karna hadn't duelled properly and until then, no one could walk away with that title.
"Good morning, Mrinali." Arjun smiled.
That had happened last night during dinner. Amongst the lavish and endless dishes made for the Prince, he had politely asked all of us to call him by his name. It would only be fair, I had remarked, if you call me by my first name too. He had agreed, grinning.
"Arjun," I acknowledged, eyes roaming over his streamlined figure. Both of them were dressed in plain attire, a sheen of sweat covered their bare chests. "I hope you slept well."
"I did."
We remained in that moment for quite a while. Staring at each other and smiling. I cannot tell you why I smiled. Maybe it was the easy camaraderie that we had developed since last night or the fact that I delighted in his teasing and he, in mine. I don't know. But it felt good. Something inside me, that had been in deep slumber all this while, had woken up and looked with interest at the Rajkumar before me. Him and his jarring, fugacious grace.
The moment ended only when Nihaar called Arjun away. His lips curled just a little more before he walked towards where my brother stood.
*****
Hello, everyone! I hope you liked the introduction as well as the first chapter!
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