Hi,

This is a short update, but I stopped it where I did for a reason. Will be back with chapter 24 soon. Please enjoy!

Looking forward to hear from you.

Love,

Sakura

Chapter 23 B

Sunset

The sunbeams stopped short from entering the champion’s compound at Padmapeeta. It was dingy, cold even in the heated afternoon of mid spring and the air carried a perpetual smell of decay, sweat and blood. Certainly, it was no place for a lady, but there was hardly a soul to notice her cloaked figure entering the shady establishment.

Swara let the hood fall as she reached the first cluster of cool shadows. The heat made it harder to keep her disguise, except for a clump of sweaty hair that kept plastered to her temples and cheeks. Inside the compound, it did not seem like a very good idea to enter in the first place and looking at the vast yet mysterious interior she wondered, if ever, she’d manage to find Sanskar here. He had known when and where to approach her when he was in the mood of having  a chat, if you could call it a chat that is, but she had no idea where to find him in dire need.

An arrow wheezed past her unexpectedly, making her jump and look around wildly. It had struck the peeling off wooden pillar behind her. While she was starting at it, mouth agape and thankful that she was not ran through, an unfamiliar voice called after her.

“Don’t take me for a rude host, but I’d rather not run into nobles in this part of Padmapeeta.”

She knew Keshav from sight, hence there was no pressing need for introductions. Swara greeted the older man with a brief bow that hardly lowered her eyes.

“I’m looking for someone,” she told him, dismissively.

“Doesn’t the fact that you haven’t yet found them, tell you to stop looking?”

“Does it?” she unclenched and clenched her fists, lips pressed to an un – amused line. “Perhaps it tells me to look harder.”

Keshav grimaced giving her the impression that he did not enjoy their conversation either. Swara wondered what his true intentions were. She did that very often in the recent times; analyze whether certain people were trust worthy or not. Mohan had taught her that it was a relative thing, that most people are neither evil nor saint, but could be easily tempted into both ends. She mused where Kashav’s toppling point lay, whether or not Sanskar had found it by now. She had seen them together more often than not, perhaps the older man spoke on behalf of the younger.

“You ought to know it’ll do him no good to get involved with a princess, my lady,” he said in the end, resignation tainting his voice. “I don’t know what your plans are, neither what brought you here. But I’m sure you know by now that there are eyes everywhere at Padmapeeta.”

“Perhaps I must get going then,” she cut him off, and turned away with another brief bow, only to come face to face with the person she was hoping to see in the first place. Their gazes collided for the briefest of moments and Sanskar tilted his head, his eyes curious. She didn’t linger to answer him, knowing Keshav’s gaze trailed her movements. With a hasty bow she was gone, leaving the two warriors to their evening training session.

**

On the western edge of the circular formation of Padmapeeta was the pavilion of gods. The stone building, made out of red sandstone and wood polished to resemble mirrors, gleamed in the setting sun, stranded in the middle of an artificial lake full of river Indra’s water. The last of the sun had dipped and vanished into the edge of the still water a few moments before. It was a new moon night, hence nobody questioned her, lighting the earthen lamps there, while she waited.

“I already know I’ve been a fool,” Swara said addressing the sound of footsteps behind her. “So don’t bother.” Sanskar shrugged, untying his cloak, as she fixed the wick of the last lamp and stood up to face him.

“I wasn’t going to,” he told her. “Instead, I was worried what made you act so rashly when you know so well how foolish you’ve been.” He scanned her face, a hand grabbing hold of her shoulder. “What happened, Swara?”

“I’m scared for Lakshya,” she replied in all honesty. “There was a time when I was scared of him, of what he might someday become, of things he is destined to do. But, something has changed along the line. Everything I saw is happening, but not for the reasons I thought they did, the Sword is controlling him, he is not himself anymore.”

“There was a reason why I kept Aithne the way I did, that blade has a soul of its own.”

“Isn’t there, a way to tame it?”

Sanskar didn’t reply immediately. Instead he let the hand on her shoulder fall and turned away, massaging his forehead.

“Was that the reason you came looking for me?” He asked slowly, in an empty tone.”So that you could help Lakshya to control himself?”
“Does that make me unworthy of knowing what you do?” She did not intend to, but the words sounded like a whip when she uttered them.

He didn’t look at her and the stinging feeling of her eyes had nothing to do with the biting breeze. Swara let a tear drop, knowing it made no difference anymore.

“Can we stop second guessing each other’s motives all the time?”

“What do you mean?” Sanskar spoke after a pause, still refusing to meet her gaze.

“I want to trust you Yuvraj sa, but you’re making it the hardest job in the universe.” The lights shifted, staining the clouds in hues of indigo as she stepped around to face him. “I don’t want you to die, and I know you don’t want to kill me either. If so, why are we wasting our time fighting each other? I assure you, the best way to save me isn’t by keeping secrets from me. It only makes me curious and I try to find things out myself and ends up in even more danger than before. I’m not saying you were wrong to keep me away from this place…it’s a pit of vipers after all. But it didn’t work, did it? I followed you in the end didn’t I? I saw through all those evil things you said back at the Bhava caves, although it took me a while to.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“If you care, show that you care.”

“And put you in danger?”

“Sanskar, why don’t you understand? I’m already in danger! It’s my own doing not yours that your step mother is after me.”

“But if she ever gets to you, that will be my doing.” He said bitterly. “Can you honestly say you don’t think so? Can you honestly say, you are no longer afraid that I’ll betray you some day by dragging you into Vajrateerta? Don’t lie Swara, I am your worst nightmare!”

She didn’t say anything and he sighed.

“Can you deny that?”

“How can I, when you have already seen that nightmare?” She said slowly. “You’re right, you are my worst nightmare. But you were also the only person who managed to wake me up. It does no good to dwell on dreams Sanskar, you know this. Talking of nightmares, do you know that yours is not the only life Aithne’s destined to take.”

“Who else?”

“Me,” she said simply. “I saw it so many years ago, even a long before I actually saw that blade, I’ve seen it run through me by a silver eyed man.”

“Lakshya?”

“I believe so, yes.”

This time she stepped back from his comforting touch, her gaze on the first stars of the evening.

“But I don’t hate him anymore. Because I know he is trapped and tortured himself. No one can hate him more than he does right now. Your brother needs help.”

His eyes were a soft green when their gazes met again and Sanskar sighed.

“How I wish that either of us were different people. Then perhaps I’d have been more honest than I am right now. But you will never let go of all this tenderness and I can’t forsake my people.”

“There was a time when I hated you for it,” she acknowledged softly. “But I don’t hate you anymore.”

“Well you should. All kings are greedy.”

“Not all greed is evil.”

“Swara – I”

“Let me help Sanskar, let me share your burden a little. If we must fight, let me join your battle. Help me, to help you.”

“Aithne becomes yours the moment you kill with a noble motive. A death that is not of sin, or evil and potentially against the rules Aithne play by.”

“I’ll let him know,” she agreed before turning to leave.

Their conversation was done still something incomplete hung in the air, an unmade confession heavy with silence.

“Swara…” He reached forward and took her hand in his, halting her in her tracks. “This is the most selfish thing I could do.” He muttered touching his lips to her knuckles. His breath tickled her skin with warmth that made her shiver and their gazes entwined once more, his eyes a pleasant lake green. “Please be safe.”

“You too, Yuvraj sa.”

**