Pritha was welcomed respectfully by Swarnsheel himself, who wanted to see what kind of a woman she was.

He felt relief after talking to her, Pritha was what Dushyant had described her to be. “Come, I will take you to my daughter.” He spoke to her.

“When will she be named?” Pritha asked.

“Coming Pratipada,” Swarnsheel replied back.

Pritha nodded. Soon she reached the room the Princess was staying in.
She stared in wonder at the room, though she was a daughter of a minister, she had never seen such luxury in her life.

The entire room was decorated with hand-sewn curtains, the cloth looked like the softest silk, so as to not irritate the delicate skin of the baby. There was furniture made of pure gold, and the room had the fragrance of several flowers combined, though it was a combination, it still smelt soft and good.

Pritha’s eyes fell on the Princess, she was sleeping in her cradle, sucking her thumb. Her face was soft like lotus petals, her lips small and round, with the perfect tint of crimson, her soft hairs sticking to her head.

Immediately she took some kohl from her eyes and put a small black dot on the baby, “May Lord Krishna protect her from all evil eyes,” She said.

Surprising everywhere, the little baby opened her eyes for the first time, Pritha gasped, the baby’s eyes were a shade of brown and red mix, they were bright and perfectly round.

Swarnsheel stared at his daughter in shock, he immediately took her in his hands, smiling happily, he kissed her forehead, “My gorgeous princess.”

He looked at the servant beside him, “Look at her eyes,” He said, smiling happily.

That was when Pritha realised it was the first time the princess had opened her eyes, “Her eyes are coppery red in colour, and shaped like a lotus” Pritha commented looking at the baby, “Kamalnayani,”

Kamalnayani meant one whose eyes were like lotus; and the princess had lotus shaped eyes, and the eye colour was a gorgeous shade of coppery red.

Swarnsheel nodded, “Pritha, my daughter is already a few days old, yet she didn’t open her eyes before this. And in your arms for a few minutes, she opened her eyes. You even called her Kamalnayani with affection, thus I have a request to you.” He asked in a tone that wasn’t firm, but rather affectionate, soft, he asked as a father and not King.

“I will do anything in my power to fulfil your wish, your majesty,” Pritha spoke in a formal tone.

“Pritha, there is a tradition that comes from Chandrabhaga’s side of the family, that a child is named by her mother’s sister. Chandrabhaga has no real sister, and Maheshwari & Kumudini do not deserve that honour. Hence I wish that you name my daughter.” He humbly asked.

Pritha was surprised, “How can I?” She asked, more like questioning if she heard it right. Swarnsheel surprised her more by replying, “Why can’t you. I am a King, and I know someone’s character after just seeing them. And I know no one deserves it more than you.”

Almost in tears, she nodded.

In the forest outside Vidarbh:

Two men were talking happily, addressing each other as friends, the two were dressed in saffron, like sages. They had huge beards yet they looked youthful.

One of them said, “I have heard Panchal King Swarnsheel’s daughter has been born with immense beauty, people are speaking that she has divine signs on her body as well.”

The second friend smiled at this, “This must be the mercy of Krishna.”

Before the two could continue with their conversation, a man sat next to them, dressed in bloodied armour and hair open wild which looked bright red due to being covered in blood, “What are you both talking about? Whose birth?” He asked in a calm, serious tone.

The two men looked at each other, their faces didn’t carry an ounce of worry, and remained calm despite this man’s bloodied appearance.

“Did your parents didn’t teach you not to interrupt an elder's conversation?” The first man raised his eyebrow in annoyance, as if a small kid had interrupted them, and not someone like him who looked like a butcher god.

“Do you know who I am?” The man asked, holding his bloody sword in his hands.

The second laughed, “Ask your parents, not us if you don’t know who you are.” Hearing this the first friend started laughing as well.

“I promise death will be a mercy to you.” He said, in a dark deadly tone, “I am Naagdatt, the military Chief of Kekeya.”

“Well if we are talking about names and all, let me introduce myself, I am Mridul and this is my friend, Mukul.” Mridul said, “But your threat is useless, you will not be able to touch even a single hair of ours.” He calmly added.

Naagdatt smirked, “So much confidence? On what basis? You are thin as a stick, you think you can be safe from my entire legion right here?”

Mukul chuckled, “That’s the thing. We are thin as a stick, yet you threaten us with your army and not just yourself. You don’t have trust in yourself or what? But we trust in our protector, Vaidarbhi Natha, the supreme lord.”

Naagdatt raised his weapon but the weapon broke in pieces before it could harm the two, Mridul and Mukul laughed knowing it was going to happen.

“You want to know about the one with divine signs? But I see evil signs on you, and you think I will give away the identity of such a divine person to someone such as you?” Mukul stood up, “Not even in your dreams.” The friends left, the soldiers tried to attack but a powerful aura around the two protected them from everything.

Naagdatt turned to his soldiers, “Find out about this person, this person mustn’t live long. Find her, if they know, surely others would know too.”

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Please welcome our new characters:
Naagdatt, Mridul and Mukul.

You will know more about them as the story proceeds.

How many of you thought that the two friends were Arjun and Ashwatthama in the start? *grins maliciously*

Anyways:
How is the chapter??