The 20-year-old boy had the brilliance of his fresh training. He had grown a little stubble. He gracefully got off the horse and smiled at the sight of his parents. He quickly walked up to Amritakumari and touched her feet.
Amritakumari smiled and quickly engulfed him in a hug. "You seem to have grown up so much. I feel like just yesterday you came back complaining that Shakra and Abhijit didn't let you play with them in the field."
He laughed at her comment. "I am sure that Annaiyya still enjoys troubling us all."
"Ohhoo, Chinna, you've just come back. What's the hurry to get bullied by Anna just yet?" Ameya commented, making all his siblings laugh with him.
"Ameya, do you realize that I know every single place you've been to in the last 18 months? If I were such a bully, Amma would be stringing your guts out."
"See. This is what we deal with. You would be happier back in Machlipatnam."
"Shhh, my child has just returned, and you're asking him to go away?" Amritakumari turned to glare at the boys. Ameya instantly hid behind Abhijit.
"Sorry, Amma!!! I'm just a little child."He tried to play an innocent little boy, only to be pushed aside by his elder brother.
"Don't hide behind me. I'm not saving you." Abhijit commented.
Abhinav then touched his father's feet. Shatrujit smiled and patted his son's back. "I am happy to see you, Abhinav. I am sure that you will soon show your prowess in battle and bring great fame to our family."
"Yes, Nanna. I definitely will. Now that I am here amongst your brilliant soldiers, I will strive to achieve what is good for our kingdom."Abhinav smiled with ripe enthusiasm. An enthusiasm that was fresh out of boyhood and entering manhood. Shatrujit smiled at that.
Abhinav then met with Anvesha, Sukanya, Soundarya, and Rudrani. All of them received him with the depth of their motherhood.
"I hope you didn't trouble my parents much, Abhinav." Sukanya teased her son. He laughed at that.
"Of course I did, Amma. After all, it isn't me if I don't do some sort of mischief." That made all his mothers laugh.
"Well, that sounds brilliant. Now, I have a partner to do mischief with!!! Hurray!!!" Rudrajit exclaimed loudly.
"Excuse me, what did you say?"
"Ummm... I said that I have someone who can teach me how to be a good boy."
"Come here..." Abhinav opened his arms. Rudrajit instantly jumped up and hugged his brother. He hadn't seen much of his older brother. The only time Rudrajit met Abhinav was when Rudrani would travel with Sukanya to Machlipatnam. Rudrani and Sukanya were tightly bonded to each other.
Rudrajit hugged his brother and then whispered in his ears, "Do you know that Annaiyya married Vadina? She is like Payasam. I like her more than Annaiyya."
Abhinav smiled at his brother. Then he finally reached the stairs where Shakra and Mayurakshi stood. Abhinav didn't hear much about the wedding except for its chaos. The sudden change of bride and the whole mess. He hadn't heard a lot about Mayurakshi either, except for the fact that rumors said that Shakrajit was highly interested in the Princess of Krishneri. At that point, it was known to the whole of the Bharata continent that Shakrajit had some special interest in the younger Princess of Krishneri.
Abhinav saw Abhijit, and his expression seemed clear to them. All his siblings were largely not friendly with their new sister-in-law. Abhinav saw Shakra. Abhinav could tell that Shakra had already assessed what was happening in his mind. Abhinav walked over to them and touched Mayurakshi's feet.
"Ahh..." She almost stumbled at the suddenness of it. She didn't expect it. "Vijayibhava." She blessed him. It was an extremely unusual feeling for her. She hadn't ever known anyone touch her feet. She had always only known touching the feet of her elders. None of Shakra's siblings did anything in that manner.
Mayurakshi could tell the glare Abhinav was subjected to from his siblings.
"I hope Annaiyya isn't bullying you." He teased her.
"She bullies me instead," Shakra commented.
"That's funny because I thought you weren't aware of what bullying means. You claim to just 'get people to behave the way I want them to'. How did you figure out anything I do equates to bullying?" She retorted.
Abhinav laughed at that. "I hope you're liking Ambikapuram, Vadina."
Mayurakshi smiled at him warmly. "It is lovely."
King Shatrujit watched his children indulge in friendly banter and a happy conversation. Everything seemed to be going well. A soldier went up to Shatrujit.
"Maharaj!" the soldier gasped, bowing before the king. "I have some bad news. Our borders have been breached, and the enemy has advanced. The prince of the Kanakotika kingdom is leading the assault."
Shatrujit's eyes flashed with a mix of concern and determination. "The Kanakotika prince?" he questioned, his voice resonating through the hall. "How did this happen?"
The soldier recounted the unfolding events, detailing the surprise attack and the fierce skirmishes that ensued. Shatrujit's jaw tightened as he absorbed the situation, his mind racing with thoughts of the safety of his kingdom and its people.
"Get the troops ready," Shatrujit commanded, his voice unwavering. "We shall meet this threat head-on. Shakra." Shatrujit gave a familiar look to his eldest. Shakra got the message instantly.
"I'll start right now. I will be returning with the news of the Kanakotika Kingdom being conquered by us." Shakra gripped his sword. He turned to Karma on his right. "Go get Manas ready. We're leaving now. The troop can follow later."
Abhinav instantly walked up to Shatrujit. "Nanna, let me go with Annaiyya at the border."
"Abhinav, you're still a young boy. I'll go assist Annaiyya. You take some rest." Abhijit patted his brother's shoulder.
"Anna!!! I'm young and not experienced, but I have the courage needed. This is my chance." Abhinav answered, determined to follow his brothers.
Abhijit looked at Shatrujit. Shatrujit, honestly, wished to send Abhinav. Ameya, Abhiji, and Shakra have earned their names on the battlefield. He wanted Abhinav to also earn that title. He didn't want Abhinav to be left behind. He has always been the brave one.
"Rajkumar, I am sure that your turn to prove your brilliance will be presented soon, but I don't think that the Kanakotika Prince is the right choice." Saahiti offered.
Abhinav started to get annoyed at his siblings, and Saahiti asked him to stay back from the moment of his glory. Mayurakshi noticed it and put her hand on his shoulder.
"You are not new to the battlefield yet, Abhinav. I am sure that you just want to join the ranks with your brothers. I understand that you want to achieve the same glory as your brothers. They all say that the greater the enemy, the greater the glory. But it is also imperative that you measure your decision with equal parts of logic. Your bravery and eagerness are full, but your new training might find some tightness in a battle with an enemy that strong." She tried to reason, and then smiled. "But after thinking through it, you feel that you want to still join; I am sure that Maharaj will let you go."
"Rajkumari, I am sure that the meaning of your wanting to send my brother to a battle is in good wishes." Aparajita's tone held some venom. Mayurakshi turned to face Aparajita. "But he is just a boy."
Mayurakshi smiled at a trained princess, Aparajita. "Of course, Rajkumari. Why would I wish bad for someone who considers me his vadina? After all, when he called me Vadina, he gave me the same respect as a mother. While I acknowledge the age he is at, I cannot ignore that at some point or the other he has to come out on his own. None of us can keep him away from the battlefield. No soldier gains experience by sitting in a palace. They all have to exit the luxurious palace and enter the big boy playground. We expect the soldiers in the army to put themselves at risk, but if we start seeing that our sons don't want to prove their worth as leaders, it will lead to more rumors that we want our young to stay safe inside homes but send out the young in others' families for our glory."
Aparajita's eyes stared at her uneasily. The air seemed thick with tension between the two princesses.
"In the end, the decision is neither yours nor mine. It can only be made by Maharaj himself. You and I can debate the topic for ages, but it will be nothing but empty talk. Both of us should leave the decision to those who know the battlefield better than you and me." Mayurakshi patted Aparajita's shoulder.
The rage could be felt emitting out of Aparajita by everyone standing there. Mayurakshi wouldn't be bullied by Aparajita or anyone from the Kalika Empire. She had enough bullying from her family.
"Says the girl whose father didn't even know how to face the battlefield boldly and sent his coward of a son. Instead of taking the brave way out and owning it up, he decided to send his daughter into marriage as a peace offering." Aparajita muttered.
"Aparajita," Shakra warned her. Aparajita huffed at her brother and walked. The comment burned in Mayurakshi's heart. Mayurakshi took a deep breath to calm herself before reacting to it. Years of taunts from her siblings and stepmother had taught her how to not let her anger show on her face.
She turned to Shakra with a princess smile and said, "I'll prepare your things for the journey."
Shakra nodded. She walked away gracefully.
All the others stood there, looking at each other. "Abhinav, you also prepare for the battle. Although you're going, you are strictly under Shakra's command. You aren't allowed to venture out on your own. Do what Shakra says."
"Yes." Abhinav nodded in promise. He was just happy to finally be able to prove himself.
The siblings dispersed. Shatrujit stood with his queens standing by him. "Things are looking worse." Shatrujit sighed loudly.
"Did you expect something else, Maharaj? Mayurakshi was never the best choice."
"But Mayurakshi was Shakra's choice."
Amritakumari sighed in defeat. Anvesha didn't know what to do.
"Now, there's no point in arguing. She is already married to Shakra. We can't disrespect her by saying we don't want her here. That is very disrespectful. If we don't like her, it is only right for us to associate less with her. Aparajita didn't need to offend Mayurakshi like that. I'll be talking to her." Anvesha sighed.
"Aparajita has some serious issues with Mayurakshi. If they come to a standstill point, I have no idea what we are going to do." Shatrujit admitted. He couldn't choose between his daughter and his daughter-in-law. He looked at Mayurakshi and saw a girl who wanted affection and love that she hadn't received as a child. Shakra could fulfill the roles of a husband and a lover, but never a parent. Shatrujit had decided to fill that space the moment Guru Vishwanath asked him to get Mayurakshi and Shakrajit married.
"Maharaj, Rani Madalasa Aranivasu has sent a letter wishing to visit her daughter." A soldier informed him.
Shakra reached Rang Bhavan and saw his things being prepared for his departure. His clothes, his shoes, his armor, and his swords. He saw Mayurakshi arrive with some small boxes in his hands.
"Manas, don't forget to pack these boxes in his luggage. These are some medicines. Some anti-poisons and some pastes for injuries. They are extremely important." Mayurakshi handed them to Manas.
"Medicines? We have a vaid in our team following us."
"I'm sure you don't find healing herbs on the battlefield, Manas. I don't think the boxes are as heavy as armor for you to carry along."
Manas bit down on his questions and simply followed her orders.
"Also, I've taken out some of the clothes that were stashed in the luggage and replaced them with some cotton clothing. It will be easier on scratches as opposed to the embossed clothes he has in his luggage."
"I like empathy." Shakra protested.
"I've also made sure to put neem concoctions in the packed things. Do let the vaid know about them. I know the vaid might make sure to use clean clothes to cover the injuries, but I've put them just in case we need extra." Mayurakshi ignored his protest.
Manas didn't say anything at that.
"Mayura..." Shakra grabbed her hand and dragged her away with him to his personal study. He closed the door behind them and pinned her against the door.
"We had a moment before Abhinav arrived." He softly placed his hands over her waist.
"Yes. What about that?" She raised an eyebrow. No reaction was on her face. Shakra took a deep breath at her ability to suddenly turn the tide.
"I thought we were getting somewhere."
"What? I didn't know a kiss meant something."
"Excuse me... You kissed me on your accord. I didn't force you or anything. Nothing could have compelled you to kiss me."
"I'm sorry. I think it is just some residual teenage fantasies. I wasn't really thinking."
He tightened his grip, and the look in her eyes changed for a fraction of a moment. The look he knew she had when she was forcing herself to not give any reaction. Shakra had slowly begun to notice the little reaction that she forced down. Especially after she saved him.
"Exactly. That's what I want as well. Let those fantasies come out. I would love to make them true."
"You should be leaving for the border."
"Don't start something you can't keep up with, then. You can't instigate me only to push me off. It is like enticing a puppy with food and then running away, refusing to feed it."
"Are you comparing yourself to a dog?"
Shakra tightened his grip more and pushed himself against her. "Don't get too cheeky, wife. I'm definitely on the edge. I'm so close to going crazy." Shakra felt her hand hold his arm. It wasn't to push his hands away. She made no attempt to escape from his grasp.
Shakra's mind began to doubt. She has pushed him off herself before, but now she has made no attempt to try and push him off. Her eyes were tightly holding back any feelings from showing up on her face. The grip felt like she was trying to hold herself back. She was desperately trying to keep something she buried deep within from resurfacing. Shakra knew she would instantly refuse if he asked her directly.
He pushed himself closer to her and rested his head on her shoulder. The soft tresses of her feminine form began to imprint themselves on his body, setting him on fire that no water could put out. The soft bulge over her chest teased his chest. He traced the edge of the thin gold chain that hugged her waist. Her skin felt smooth, like butter.
Shakra sighed softly and kissed the spot on her neck. That tightened her grip on his arm. He felt her trying to control herself, but her heart began to betray her goal. It made Shakra groan in pleasure.
"If you want me to touch you more intimately, you just have to order away, Mayurakshi."
"Y...you n.." She took a deep breath and softly cursed herself for stuttering. "You need to leave or you'll get late."
This time, she did push him away. It was a soft push, as well as a way of telling herself that he needed to go.
Shakra chuckled and patted his chest. "We'll continue this conversation when I return." He then kissed her cheek and winked at her. The two left his study to send him off.
Mayurakshi stood at the gate and watched Shakra hop on Vayu and ride away. The army followed behind him with the same enthusiasm.
She closed her eyes and prayed to Goddess Chandika that he would return soon.
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