Shakra got up and drove towards Krishneri. Either he was going finish their chapter or he was going to make her his. Vayu was of course up to the task to lead him into Krishneri secretly within three hours.
He reached the spot of Krishneri's royal castle. It wasn't like that of Sri Kota. No seven layered fortified walls. He just had to find a way to enter the castle. He already knew the wing where women lived in. He just had to figure out how to get to his Mayurakshi. As of now, Krishneri was a free state. Shakra had plans to win it.
He was aware the guards at the women's wing changed five times through the night.
The first person he met was Rekha. She was a royal courtesan as well as his spy in Krishneri. She was planted by him there a long time ago. She specifically enticed the Crown Prince. That was a bonus.
"You've come so far for Rajkumari?" She asked.
"Of course. I need to get this clear now. It's either kill or die. So, yeah, I need to sort my issues out."
"She's a sweet girl, Yuvraj. Please don't force yourself on her." She almost requested. He turned around and glared at her.
"That's my choice to make, Rekha."
"It isn't, Yuvraja. What will you tell your mother? You defiled a woman and raped her because she was misguided?"
"Why are you so sympathetic to her? Where do you loyalties lie?" Shakra pulled out his dagger.
"I'd die happily for the sake of the Prince of Kalika Empire but what I will not stand for is you ruining the pride of Kalika Empire."
"Oh, come on, Rekha. No one is going to question me. They don't want to die."
"If all that doesn't matter to you then consider it my payment. In return for every information I provide you, you take care of my family and not harm her." She stood bravely.
"Just get me to her room, Rekha. I don't want pointless conversations."
"And lead to her harm myself, forget it." She was bold now.
"That woman is driving me crazy. Are you in love with her or what??"
"The poor girl has gone through much but still knows politeness, love, and compassion. Isn't it enough?"
"I want to reinstate the fact you figured out she wants to kill me, Rekha. You still want to save her."
"Oh, no. Kill her by all means if that's what you want to do but do so with honor, Yuvraja. She doesn't deserve to be defiled just because she thinks of you as her enemy. You can't be that despicable. I know you."
"Oh, fine, Rekha. I will not force myself on her. I didn't plan to. I'm not Ravana even if my name is synonymous with Meghanad." He sighed annoyed with the argument, "I'm not that horrible."
She looked at him for moment to confirm his intentions. "I'm trusting you with her, Yuvraja."
Shakra laughed, "the last person you should trust with having any respectable thoughts in her regards is me."
"Don't play with me. I'm serious."
"Fine."
She sighed and rubbed her temples, "I anyway have to go to see the Prince. You follow me as my bodyguard and then move towards her chambers. There is only one guard outside her room. Within the next few moments, the guard by her door will be changing. Take his place."
"Perfect." He grinned.
Shakra was going to make his choice. It's either he gives her up completely and they become enemies or she gets things clear.
Following Rekha's advice, he changed his place with the guard who has to stand outside the room. She pointed to him where her room would be before she entered the Prince's chambers.
He opened the door and entered. He could instantly recognised the smell that filled the room. She loved Jasmines. His heart fluttered softly. A bed was in the southern corner of the room. Translucent curtains covered around the bed. They worked as mosquito nets and drapes at the same time. Though they used sambrani to repel any mosquitoes and insects. The whole room smelled of it. A few women slept around the bed.
He found that quite odd. Why did the maids sleep in the room with her? They had their floor mattresses. And slept on them.
Almost as gracefully and soundlessly as a cat, he passed over the women sleeping around. He secretly thanked the lack of jewelry on him. Reaching the bed, he pushed aside the curtains and there she was.
His glorious angel. Her long hair was left open. A yellow coloured cloth was tied around her breasts slightly loose so she could sleep comfortably. The night clothes always lacked dupatta because it came in between. A yellow wrap skirt to match. A gold thin waist chain around her waist. All the heavy jewelry was removed so they don't scratch her at night. Her waist enticed his fingers to touch. Her one arm rested over her waist and the other under her pillow. Her fingers and hands were decorated with Henna.
She slept peacefully with a sweet smile on her face. She slowly held her on to her waist.
She was dreaming about something really pleasing.
She was like an apsara that fell from Swarga. An apsara sent to entice him.
Shakra sighed. He had come here for clarity and it seemed as if she confused him even more. He wasn't ever going to be able to get over this woman like this. She enticed him like no other woman.
Now he wanted to know what she was dreaming about. She sighed softly in her sleep.
'Does my Princess have some not so decent thoughts?' He wondered. 'If it is so then who is thinking about?'
The question plagued his mind.
She turned around in his direction in her sleep. She sighed again. "Can you stop pushing your way into my dreams? It is supposed to be my dream. You can't pillage my dream and claim your right..." She complained.
Was she talking in her sleep? Shakra was a bit confused.
It didn't help the fact that the soft sighs that escaped her lips moved south in his body.
Her lips were soft and pink as if they awaited him to claim them. Her eye lashes were perfect. The eyebrows were shaped. The excess hair was removed from her hands and legs. Her eyes were shut.
Her shoulders showed her tattoos. Shakra could guess that it hurt quite a lot. It had to. The boys in his army who had them claimed the same. The little sparrow and the peacock feather.
"Yuvraj..." She whispered softly.
'Is that me?' he wondered, 'but there are so many Yuvraj around the continent. What is the assurity that it is you?'
"Eagles only play with the sparrow to eat them. The eagle that terrorizes the battlefield doesn't have any business in the Sparrow's gardens."
She got disturbed and the smile disappeared. Shakra instantly noticed her fingers grabbing something under the pillow.
Before the dagger hit him, he caught her wrist and put a hand on her mouth and almost climbed over her in the process to keep her in place.
Her eyes widen in fear suddenly, "Shhshh... Don't make noise." He whispered to her.
Her eyes moved to the girls sleeping below.
"Do you know you talk in your sleep?" He asked. She looked confused.
She muttered something through his hands. When she dropped her dagger, he let go of the grip on her wrist. She tapped on his hand over her mouth. "I will let go if you stay silent. Don't scream."
He removed the hand, "what are you doing here?" She asked in whisper, looking down at the maids.
"Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now?" He sighed. "Especially when I know you have not so decent dreams."
"Nonsense. I am a respectable lady. Get off me."
"You were enjoying it. You even sighed in pleasure."
"If you're done with accusing me of such adultery, please get off me and return home."
"Just a few moments. I just so desperately want to touch you and kiss you. Your neck is asking for my kisses. Such a pity if I leave it without my kisses decorating it."
"Thank you for your offer but I'll provide my neck with some jewelry to decorate itself. It will suffice my neck until I get married. Then my husband can bother about it." She huffed at him.
"Excellent then. Maybe I'll just go ask your father now."
"Rajkumari!!!" The knock on the door woke up the maids. The moment their eyes fell on Shakra.
"Shhshhh... Don't scream." She told them instantly. Almost panicking about the guards. She pushed him to get off her and almost looked around in worry.
"Rajkumari!!!" The maids exclaimed in a whisper.
"Shut up, Karnika. He didn't do anything. Now can we focus on hiding him. The guards are going to kill him."
She got off the bed and stood up while her intruder laid down on her bed with a smirk.
Mayura held her head in worry.
"Rajkumari!!!" The guards called again.
Diksha held her hand to assure her. She went outside opening the door, "I'm sorry but at the moment Rajkumari isn't in the right attire for you to enter the room."
"There is an intruder in the palace in the disguise of a guard. The intruder came into the wing as a guard at Rajkumari's door and we mistook him. So, we have to check." They explained.
"There is no one in Rajkumari's chambers. We would have known if there was someone there." She answered.
"It would only be good if we check for ourselves."
"Is it necessary? You're disturbing her."
"Listen woman, stop making a fuss. Go ask Mayurakshi to prepare herself. The guards will check for themselves." Mayurakshi heard the General, her paternal uncle.
"You need to hide." Mayurakshi told him.
"This is actually a great way to make sure you become mine. Everyone will rush to have to married to me."
"Please shut your brain from scheming for a moment and hide. My uncle absolutely shouldn't see you." She demanded.
Shakra looked at the woman. No dupatta covering her. Her skirt just came abover her belly button. The cloth wrapped around her breasts. Her silky long hair left open. She was the very image of Rati in his eyes.
"Can you hurry up? You can stare at me later." She was definitely getting irritated. Shakra got off her bed.
Shakra was officially whipped. The woman could desire to finish him off and here he was playing her puppy wanting to jump in bed with her. He wasn't getting rid of this woman in any way.
He got up and Mayura pushed him into her clothes trunk. There was absolutely no space but she forced the clothes over him and shut the top.
He heard the doors being opened. The sound of the boots of soldiers filled the room.
"Babai, what is all this? What was needed for such a disturbance at such a time in the night?" Mayurakshi demanded, slightly irritated.
"Careful with the tone, girl. I'm the General. An intruder in the women's wing isn't a thing to be taken lightly. The King's women stay here."
"Yes, why not? Someone is going to bother with me?"
'I surely am,' Shakra thought. The trunk was opened. They pressed hard between the clothes to feel presence. Shakra almost wanted to kill that imbecile who pressed like that. He could have broken his ribs.
"People are getting aware of Shakra's interest in you."
"Do you think I'm so naive enough to believe that the war's vicious eagle wants to play with garden sparrows just to be amused?" She asked.
Shakra wanted get out of the stupid trunk and kiss her. So, he was her Eagle that ruled her dreams. He was definitely not getting rid of her anytime. She was dreaming about him. Even sighed in pleasure thinking of him.
"The eagle isn't so easy to understand, silly girl. I'm warning you. Any wrong move on your part and the eagle is going to rip you into shreds. You think the eagle is being nice now. Wait until you push him too much."
"I'm not pushing him. He's just taking enjoyment in toying with his food. I know that. If you're done with checking the room, I want to go back to sleep."
"Your sister wants to marry Shakrajit, Mayurakshi. You know how she will get if you don't back off. You're going to make life hell for yourself. She is already in the spot where she is complaining to Maharaj and Maharani about you trying to seduce Shakra."
"If my sister worries so much about me snatching her toy then ask her to come and get him herself. I'm not keeping him behind me that she can't take him away. By all means, get him off my person. I'm not bothered." She was definitely angry.
"Mayurakshi!!"
"I'm tired, Babai. I'm not getting in between her and her Crown Prince of Kalika Empire. It is not my problem if he amused himself temporarily with me. If he is so easily seduced by me, she has to think more careful on how she's going to keep him to herself." She answered.
"My Lord, I don't think there is anyone here. The intruder must have gone somewhere else."
When everyone left and the trunk was opened, Shakra sighed.
"Who was that stupid fool pressing the trunk? He could have broken my ribs!!" Shakra complained.
"Well, if you hadn't intruded my room, everything would have been fine. No one would have pressed the trunk."
"Oh, you conveniently forgot one thing. Eagles are monogamous birds. Almost all the eagles have only one partner."
"I think you should go and tell this to my sister. You must have heard. She is definitely into marrying you. Go and marry her. Let me be by myself. Will save me from a hell she wants to unleash on me."
Shakra traced her hair and winked at her, "Little sparrow, you have no hell to worry about except me. Eagles are pretty possessive birds." He was whipped. The woman could command him to win the three worlds for her and he might do it, "Because I am so possessive about you, I don't care for other women except you. I can be the eagle of the battle field but I'm more than happy to be the little sparrow just when I'm next to you."
She chuckled and poked his chest, "Yuvraj, the wolf can only wear the skin of the sheep but it will always be the wolf. Similarly, you can only wear the hide of a sweet little Prince who lives happily with the Princess but you will always be the warlord that finds pleasure in the battlefield."
"Hmmm. But I also find pleasure dreaming of you."
———————-
The story is picking up, guys.
Now I really want to clarify this. Shakra as a character definitely doesn't ever think of rape as an acceptable thing at all. Definitely not. Don't get it wrong. He isn't making an excuse. He's simply challenging the idea of being told what he must do by someone other than his parents.
Shakra does not ever think of rape.
Comment and Vote for the chapter, guys. Let me know what you think. Send me some love.