Sikva, capital city of Kavish

The king of Kavish had called for the crown prince and the youngest prince for a meeting in his office chamber for a discussion that needed their inputs. On most days, Bavaneswaran naturally makes choices based on his conscience and only after he finds it worth proceeding, he takes it to the council members for their opinion. Although in Kavish, the king has the last say on any entreaty, that day his conscience was failing to make the call. He needed his sons' firm endorsement over the change he wanted to make in the military division.

Gales of laughter echoed outside of the office before it subsided into silence. Shortly after, Nakul and Nathan entered with smiles still lingering at the corners of their mouths. His sons' not so stiff appearance gave him a reason to stretch his lips as well. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's nothing, appa," Nakul replied.

"That's alright, you can share it with me. Even if it's the smallest of the matter," Bavaneswaran persuaded them. He was learning the hard way to get his own family be flexible with him, just as Nakshathra said. Today he understood the meaning behind her words. To be honest with himself, he regretted his cold treatment towards his family members especially when he sensed their immediate change in demeanour in his presences. He wanted to change his impression for good, all of a sudden, their perception of him mattered.

Although Nakul hesitated by remaining stiff and composed, Nathan broke his gloom façade. He sat on one of the vacant chairs and gestured Nakul to sit as well. "Well, this happened last night," Nathan chirped. Letting go of the mold Bavaneswaran had fitted him into. "We were on the terrace and I happened to recall a story shared by one of my Water Watchers." A mischievous glance swept at Nakul's direction.

"What's the story about?" Bavaneswaran leaned in, prompting Nathan to continue.

It was a story of a mythical creature seen in the middle of the south eastern sea. A creature that takes up a couple of appearances, one like a bird with beak, wings and sharp claws when it flies in the sky and transforms itself to an aquatic creature, long body with golden scale, large fins and a daunting face like a gargoyle in the water. During one long dark night in the middle of the ocean, Nathan's Water Watches experienced a bone chilling event. As the ship sailed smoothly in the relatively calm ocean, a strong wave hit their ship almost rocking them out of their vessel. The torches lit around the ship fizzed out.

In the darkest of the night, sky bare of light, surrounded with only the ambient noise of the ocean, they heard something extra. Something hissing. They could feel the ship shook as if someone heavy climbed a bullock cart but it was near impossible for the huge ship to shake with such a force when there was no wave. The crews on the ship stayed together with their ears covered as the hissing grew painstakingly loud. Fear amongst the young soldiers gradually heard through their audible chants and calling of Gods for help.

In the pitch-black sea, they witness something huge and shimmery gliding towards them. A tiny lone torch burnt inside the cabin was enough to show them what was approaching. In a quick whisk, the creature reached them. In a blink, it released a bright glow, transforming itself to a bird. In its wake they bashed one another till the sun rise the next day. From then on whenever they hear the sound of hissing, they hide themselves until it gone flying away. The seafarers named it Samudra Suvarna Sarga literally means The Golden Creature of the Ocean.

. Such a chicken," Nathan teased by mimicking the expression his brother had at that moment.

"Who wouldn't get frighten with the intervention when one tells such a story. Plus, Nathan was already waiting for the bird to return and he chose the time to tell me Suvarna Sarga story," the crown prince remarked with a pretentious scowl at his brother.

"Well, that tells me why you were laughing loud." Bavaneswaran too had laughed. He enjoyed the little exchange of nothing country related. "You do have a good storytelling skill, Nathan. Sadly, I just came to know of it." The king slouched in his seat as if he had no more energy.

"Yes, but you don't have to feel bad for what had happened in the past. We can always make things better." Nakul walked up to his father and held a firm grip on Bavaneswaran's shoulder.

The king nodded, "I'm slowly realising how much I have controlled all of you in the name of rules and discipline. Nakshathra had taught me a lesson that day. I see so many new things happening around the palace. Two of your cousin brothers have taken up classical dance lessons which no men had done in our family. The minister's daughter had taken up a small patch of land behind their given mansion for her own experiment in plants. The other day, a few of the ministers' daughters were seen heading out of the palace. When enquired, I came to know they are participating in a cooking competition held by a committee and they were going for training." Bavaneswaran shared some of the encounters he had come across personally a few months after the incident.

"We noticed these too, appa. We all must agree that Nakshathra has a wider view of life. She believes in living the life than just being alive. And I am proud of her. We all should." Nakul puffed out his chest as he spoke proudly of his baby sister.

There has been a lot of positive changes in the palace and within many dwellers as each one started expressing themselves as they are without a mold given by the Heramba rule. Nakshathra had put a lot of thought into persuading the king to agree to bring down the rules in the palace. The people of the palace would be forever in debt to the young princess.

"Agreed." Bavaneswaran inhaled the fragrant infused air. "And I would like to know your opinion on Nakshathra's suggestion regarding the defence forces of the country."

"What kind of suggestion?" Nathan asked, curiously. As far as he knew, Nakshathra did not share any suggestion to the king for she rarely meets him neither she did share any to them. He wondered what could it be as he turned to Nakul who was equally unaware of it.

Bavaneswaran straighten his back, ruffled a few scripts in his drawer and placed a rolled script on the table in front of him. "Recruiting the ladies in the army to enhance the military forces. As we all know, with the increasing number of missing people, we are sending troops to all direction of Kavish in search of them which eventually weakened the central security. I am considering to launch the recruitment program. What is your opinion? You can either agree or disagree," Bavaneswaran said and picked up a cup of water for a quick gulp.

Amongst so many changes which took place, this had to be one of the greatest efforts from the king. Both the brothers shared a glance with triumphant smile. It had been their goal to introduce the women battalion into the defence force as they were entitled to take up equal post in the field as the men in the country. Had Parthiban been present during the meeting, he would have been delighted like the other two for they had dreamt together for it. Nonetheless, good news awaits him.

"It will be a great stepping stone in establishing equality and strength in the country. No women are weak that she can't defend her country. They are as strong as us, men. I second that." Nakul answered.

"Recruiting the women is the best decision for our country, appa. We should certainly go forward with it." Nathan concurred.

"I wish Parthiban was here. I would have known his thought as well. When is he returning by the way?" The king implied Parthiban's absence.

"In a week or two. But we assure you that he would be happy to work on your order to make the program a success. We have been dreaming of this for a long time." Nathan said happily.

Despite Nakul's silent gesture asking him to stop, he didn't, it was too late. Nathan had spilled the beans.

The king wasn't supposed to know about their long-time plan. Not when they were not with Nakshathra when she raised the matter to him. It was supposed to be confidential.

"Really?" The king thought for a second. "That explains how Nakshathra could fight so well!" Bavaneswaran's voice boomed in the quiet chamber.

"Fight? When did she fight? With whom?" It was Nathan again who had failed to hold his tongue. He shut his eyes and shook his head for the carelessness.

Nakul on the other hand remained unaffected with the news. He only had questions as to how the king came to know she fights well and what will he do about it. If he had a problem perhaps, he wouldn't have brought the topic of establishing the women military troop at all.

"With me, the very night when she rebuked regarding the Heramba rule. She challenged me with two wishes, if she wins the duel, I should abolish the Heramba rule and second, recruit women warriors into the army. That night she won." Bavaneswaran bobbed his head as he gazed away, "and it took me several months to find out who trained her." Bavaneswaran turned and pointed to his two sons in front of him. The king was astounded to learn of the things that happened behind his back.

Despite the fact they went against his will, Bavaneswaran did not show much of a resentment. "That is all we have got to discuss. I will announce the commencement of the recruitment officially in the durbar soon after having another round of talk with the rest of the ministers. Till then, gather capable men to train the ladies according to their capabilities." The king gestured them to leave by wafting his hand and stopped them shortly. " Listen sons, let me tell you one thing. Just because I am going easy these days it doesn't mean I have bent all the way. Some decision still firmly lays on my hand. Keep it in mind."

"Yes, Your Majesty." They bowed and took their leave, each one having a troubled thought running in their mind.

One reflecting on himself for being a little too expressive in front of the king while the other held on to the king's last phrase. Just because I am going easy these days it doesn't mean I have bent all the way. Some decision still firmly lays on my hand. Nakul tried to decipher the underlaying meaning of it yet he couldn't catch anything. He turned to his brother and shared his thought.

"Whatever the meaning could be, anna. We should be cautious; he might use this flexibility as a bait in the future." Nathan remarked. Nakul's observation had him suspect the king's sudden decision to fulfil Nakshathra's request. If indeed the king has something in mind, they all should be prepared. "After all the give and take policy still exist in some places."

Nakul and Nathan now waited for Parthiban's return impatiently while each one planned for a way to stop the supposed talk of alliance with the prince of Pareen.

*-*-*-*-*-*

The weight of the sword in her hand eased her perturbed mind, channeling it out through each swing of the weapon. Clouds of sand enveloped her as she moved left and right skillfully as if shielding her from the outer world. Her mind laughed at her for putting so much of an effort only to get result of nothing progressive.

Arunya had asked her a question the night before which pushed Nakshathra to find for an answer the whole night. Why it had to be so difficult to get an answer for a question as simple as 'Why are you so upset for someone you knew only for a short time? How well do you know him even?', Nakshathra repeated Arunya's question with every whoosh of the weapon slicing the air.

It was true, Nakshathra knew him only for short time and they spent most of the time chatting on general topics which cannot be considered to be anything personal and emotional. Yet... she couldn't decipher the reason behind the attachment, the longing and the unreasonable affection for him.

However, would she forget and let go of this bitter sweet thought not knowing if he would return or not? Maybe no, not until she sends Abhimanyu the retracing his way back to Pareen.

Nakshathra wanted to use whatever that was disturbing her to come up with a plan. A solid plan which would do the needful. She had somehow figured an idea but to execute it, would be a risk. The king would disagree, the court members would not approve, her brothers would be too stunned to react and her sister-in-law, perhaps would react differently but nothing would stop her. She would either win or lose in the plan but to make it worthwhile she focuses on sharpening her skill in wielding the sword.

Nakshathra marched out of the training ground in a lightning speed with Arunya tailing behind her. She passed through the newly assembled group of well-trained soldiers of all division at a section of the ground. A brief instruction was given by the general commander to the soldiers on the women troops who will be undergoing multi-layered selection before being a part of the Kavish military and their role in training and selection.

The king had officially announced in the durbar on the recruitment of women warriors in the army and lifted the restriction for women to seek martial art trainings which left her flabbergasted. It took her a while to accept the adamant king had heed to her suggestion and made it happen. It had been just one day of the official announcement and the arrangements done had been swift. She remembered how the ladies cheered with teary eyes when they heard of the announcement from the town crier.

Nakshathra had been with them prescribing medicines when it happened.

'Attention dwellers of Kavish! Attention! The chivalrous king, Maharaja Bavaneswaran Heramba has initiated Kavish's Bhavanisena which would comprise of women from all walk of lives in the military division. Ladies who are interested, may enrol your name for trainings at the Western ground of the palace starting tomorrow. Suitable warriors will be selected to join the army of Kavish.'

She was pulled into the reality when a number of ladies engulfed her in a hug. "We can finally help our family and friends to find our missing father, brothers, husband and sons," they cried.

"Getting into the army won't be easy but if you know you can pull this off, I am with you." Nakshathra encouraged them.

After assessing the trainer's assembly recruited for the training, Nakshathra headed straight to her chamber to get ready to join the arogyalaya for the day. Gently placing the sword on the designated table, Nakshathra ripped off the shawl she had used to cover her face to avoid inhaling too much of the sand dust.

Arunya finally reached the chamber; she breathlessly took the shawl from Nakshathra and helped her undress her training suit. The white cotton material slipped off her leaving a small cloud of dust. "Why are you in a hurry today?" Arunya asked wearily as she dropped the dirty clothes in a basket.

"I don't know. Bear with me for some time, Arunya." Nakshathra responded from the bath area while Arunya prepared fresh set of clothes and matching jewelleries.

In time being, Nakshathra's breakfast tray arrived together with another tray for Arunya. The lady servant mentioned the princess had requested for two trays to be sent for the day. Despite Arunya's protest, the lady left the chambers without taking the second tray out.

"What's wrong with you Arunya?" Nakshathra yelled from where she was, clearly unhappy. "Looks like you don't want to have breakfast with me!" She stride out wrapped in a towel, droplets of water dripped from the tip of her hair as she returned into the dressing room with her clothes leaving trails of waterdrops.

When she came out some time later, Nakshathra passed a look of surprise. "Ah, you still here? I thought you don't want to eat with me." The princess sat where the food tray was kept and gestured Arunya to sit with her. "I have said it countless time, you are my friend and I am bound to treat you extra special then the others because you are with me all day and I care for you more. So don't bother about the other girls whining about you getting special treatments," Nakshathra said sternly this time unlike her usual.

The breakfast went in a quiet manner, both indulged in their own garden of thoughts as they gobbled their food. The morning sun shone through the open balcony illuminated a part of the chamber and sun rays spilled into the room through the windows created a dreamy space with golden rays. Nakshathra stared at those tiny rays and the visible dust particles then turned to Arunya.

"You asked me, why am I upset for someone I know for a short time, right?" Nakshathra began untying the tangled knots in her mind.

Arunya waited patiently as her lady took her time.

"The answer is..., I don't know. All I know is that Dhruva is special to me just like you are. I will not deny the fact that we... no wait." Nakshathra held out her hand asking for a moment. She fought with herself in attempt to assimilate what exactly she wanted to say.

"What I mean is that we never had any special moments, you know, which was worth remembering. I know that but...." She grabbed the cup and gulped the content, followed by silence. "Yet there is a pulled between us. Something that I can't put a name for it."

"Perhaps I can help," Arunya mused as she played with her food with a smirk lightly peeked in a corner of her lips. "You know, eyes can answer to the questions even when your mind can't. And your eyes say only one thing. It's love." She insinuated on the hidden meaning of Nakshathra's state.

"What? No?" Nakshathra denied immediately, pushing herself back in surprise. The unexpected statement from Arunya baffled her. 'Am I?' Nakshathra dwelled in silence pondering over the word love.

"Then why were you so agitated when you learnt he left the town without seeing one last time? You weren't even so flustered when the man you had an eye on, the Chief Minister's son, got married last year," Arunya scolded taking in her full rights as a friend to clear Nakshathra's hazy mind.

"It's... it's because...," Nakshathra hesitated searching for an answer. Arunya's words had slipped into her mind disturbing her already agitated state. The rapid heartbeat did not help her either, the thought of Dhruva had her heart beat against her chest.

"Because you are in love now, Nakshathra. Your eyes say it all, they sparkle whenever you speak of him. They do sparkle. Hear me, the eyes that loves you will catch your soul even if you weren't aware of its falling. Dhruva had caught your soul, there can be no other reasoning for your current state but love. Trust your heart, devi." Arunya reached took Nakshathra's hand in hers. "It's a tricky phase, you neither know it nor would understand it until someone or you, yourself pull the denial shield off."

The princess dropped her head almost touching the table, letting the reality to fall into place. Unable to accept it nor deny it.

"But he wouldn't come back, would he?" She asked. "What's the point of this if he isn't going to come back?" Nakshathra knew one thing; it would be futile to let it develop if he wasn't returning to meet her and if she lets it grow it bound to be painful.

"What does your heart say?"

With Arunya's question the rest of the day went in a haze. Nakshathra was left to find an answer yet again to a question harder than the previous. An answer only time could give.

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