Sorry folks, for the delay. I have no excuses for the unannounced hiatus but I hope that you continue showing love and support to this fiction. Also, the updates to this fiction won't magically speed up but I will try to produce a minimum of two chapters per week. But since I am very poor with commitments, don't kill me if I can't meet the quota okay?
* * *
If it were not for the lack of clothes in her upper body, she would've definitely killed him. No, that was an understatement. She would not only kill him, but truly and utterly eradicate him from the face of the earth itself. Even that wouldn't quench her fury though. The damage that he had done to her pride was simply too much.
Vishakha [1] was her name. The prodigy of the Uttara Sect, the only one to have broken through into the Fire realm amongst her peer and the most feared one too. So glorious was she that even her own master had, in acknowledgement of her prowess, bestowed his most cherished sword: Fury, to her. She was strong, she was beautiful, she was deadly but most of all, she was proud.
And yet, here she was, on the ground, not only defeated but also humiliated. And the one who was the cause of everything was standing before her, the warrior Asru.
When she had first witnessed him, she had thought him to be a little above average, but not too outstanding. He was one of the second realm, powerful than most of the other warriors but a far cry from her. She had guessed that he would undoubtedly end up facing her in the later stage of the tournament but that didn't matter because she knew that he would lose.
It wasn't that she was too over-confident. Her master had thoroughly schooled her that one must be ever vigilant against even the weakest of the enemies. It was just that her win was akin to a fact. Yes, a fact it was that she was in the third realm and he in second. Even a retard could predict the outcome when two warriors of the third and the second realm pitted against each other.
And that was precisely why she was so unsettled when she couldn't defeat him! Her sword, her Fury, the one that could cleave through metals like it were a straw, had repeatedly failed to cut the joke of a sword that was on his hands. She strengthened herself tens of times her original strength using her Muladhara but even then that blasted sword wouldn't be cut! She could have tried strengthening herself some more if it wasn't for the lack of her control over the first Chakra.
'Child, you must not neglect the first chakra you know. It is called Muladhara for a reason.. It is after all, the Mula (main) Adhara (support) of one's self. How can you possibly hope to achieve superior control against your other chakras if you neglect the base?'
Her master had warned her time and time again but if she were to be brutally honest with herself, she hadn't quite complied her master's words. Why should she though? Wasn't it true that she had already broken through the second and the third realm? Why would the first still matter? Besides, why should she waste her time on the first chakra when she could instead be cultivating her third chakra and breaking to the fourth instead?
It was strange that she had remembered her master's words right in the middle of the battle. It had almost cost her the match as the warrior right in front of her had somehow slipped to her back and had gently pushed her outside. Fortunately, she had managed to somehow anchor herself to the ground using her sword. Curiously, her opponent had refrained from attacking her when she was recovering from her earlier lapse.
'I was merely admiring your back.'
Was what that detestable warrior had said to her (not exactly).. and that had been the trigger. Even though she had known that the third chakra was the most dangerous and volatile amongst all of the seven chakras, she had found herself unable to rein herself from tapping into its power. How could she? Not only had that warrior showed pity at her, but he had also mocked her! Even if it required her life, she would have gladly given it up in order to avenge her honor.
That.. had turned out to be a mistake.
At first, the fire aura had bursted forth through her third chakra providing her such unfathomable power that she was sure it could crush that insect a thousand times over. But when she had failed to do so, her rage had only increased which had led the fire from her Manipura to go wild against her will. The surrounding around was drowned out completely as the only thing that remained in her mind was the sharp looking man holding a inferior sword and the thought that he must die.
And then she opened her eyes. At first it was disconcerting as she could not comprehend why she was lying on ground. Her senses slowly came about her and only then did she feet the pain and burn all over her body. Before she could process why it was hurting her so much, she immediately felt a cool aura wash over her. It was calm and cool but also unbelievably comfortable. So much so that she almost didn't recognize it. She did know what it felt to be under the gentle aura of Swadhisthana but this was anything unlike she had ever felt before. She wanted nothing more than to drown herself in this comfortable aura and she would have done so too if she didn't realise her predicament.
She was naked.
Her upper clothes had gone. The armor that had been one of the finest from the armory of the Uttara Sect along with her inner clothings was now no longer on her body. All feelings of comfort gone in but an instant, she immediately opened her eyes wild and found her opponent above her. The despicable warrior Asru.
"You.. You are a girl!"
"Do not speak to me! PERVERT!" She screamed at him.
"B-But! Ho..How!"
"UTTER NO WORD YOU FILTHY MISCREANT!"
"I-I.. I am sorry," Asru apologized, his eyes still glued at her.
"DON'T GAWK AT ME!! YOU BEAST!"
Her hands were still covering her dignity and fury was written all over her face.. Oh how she would have loved to tear him apart limb by limb. If it weren't for a thousand of people looking at her, she would have killed him fifty times over already.
"Umm.. I'm really sorry, Here" — Asru dashed to the clothes that he had torn apart earlier and threw towards her — "Please, forgive me okay?"
He was pleading to her.
'You must always be gentle towards maidens Sesha,' were his master's words and he wasn't going to disobey them.
She eyed him with hate spilling through her eyes before hastily covering herself with the torn clothes and armor. Still clutching the two split portion of armors on her hands, she walked briskly towards the now broken sword, collected both of its fragments and turned towards him.
"The moment you step outside these stands would be the moment you take your last breath."
Perhaps it was due to the fact that she had lost or perhaps it was because both her sword and her armor were now destroyed, but she somehow managed to not pounce upon Asru as soon as she came upon her swords.
Turning away from him, she briskly made her way to the pavilion and disappeared, leaving a distraught Asru behind.
* * *
"Young warrior, I congratulate you!" a short but cheery man emerged from the special stands and made his way towards Asru.
Asru wasn't exactly young. In fact, he looked like someone who was well over twenty five but since the one who had spoken was himself over fifty, him calling Asru young was not unbefitting. As to the one who had spoken,
"I am the Mayor of the Golden Bird City. Warrior Asru, you have not only won this tournament but also done a great service to the city by.. err.. containing.. Visha. You have my gratitude." the mayor spoke with sincerity.
"I .. umm.. you are welcome." Sesha said.
The manner of his speaking wasn't overtly warm. But still, it somehow managed to please the mayor. With a wide smile on his face, he handed a heavy pouch to Sesha.
"Here are your winnings young Warrior. I had hoped to give this to you amidst a great ceremony but,” the mayor looked around him with helplessness. However, he quickly regained his cheery self and procured a document.
“Here, accept this too young warrior. This is the decree that establishes you as the lord of Sparrow village."
Sesha first accepted the pouch that no doubt contained the thousand gold coins of his winnings and then also received a simple piece of parchment with something written over it which also contained a curious stamp.
"Thanks," Sesha said.
"No no warrior Asru. It is me who must be thanking you. Sadly, there isn't much that this city can give to an esteemed warrior such as yourself so I can only offer my utmost gratitude on behalf of the entire city."
In response to the Mayor's grave and sincere words, Sesha could only return a weak smile. But suddenly, as if remembering something, he piped up at the portly man,
"Say, Mayor, is there an exit from where I could escape quietly?"
* * *
Thankfully, there was a back door to the stadium which Sesha used to escape unnoticed from everyone, mostly from a relatively flat chested maiden who might have made a death threat to him. To further aid his chances of a successful — that is to say completely unnoticeable — exit, Sesha undid the art on his face thereby dispelling his disguise, thus a young Sesha was now emerging from an alley attached to the arena.
"But.. Please Linny, listen to me. I really love you I do. In fact, I've loved you since we were kids."
Sesha heard a frustrated yet recognizable voice further ahead the alley. It belonged to an almost crying youth who had dissimilar colored eyes and also had bandages wrapped around his head. He was Surya.
"I don't care at the least you dork! It's not my fault that you loved me, now let me go or I will really call the guards!" an angry and displeased voice which no doubt belonged to Linny returned Surya's pleas.
"Linny, please don't be like that! My feelings really are true and I don't care what you've become. So please return to the village with me.. Please!"
Surya had tears leaking from both of his eyes as he was practically begging the girl in front of him. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have much of an effect towards her.
Linny snorted, "Hah, Dork! There is no way that I am going back to that god awful place again let alone with you of all people!! Now let me go!!"
Perhaps taken aback by her words, Surya unconsciously made a way for her as he retreated and the girl stomped out of the alley. Immediately afterwards, he collapsed to the ground and began crying.
"I take it that the talk didn't go well?" said Sesha as he approached the now distraught Surya.
Curiously, Surya was not alarmed. It was perhaps that he was too distraught to even be alarmed. He simply looked at Sesha and said weakly,
"Linny.. She always dreamt of cities and riches. Even back in village she used to say, 'Surya, you become a king and I will become your queen!!'. That girl was always like that. Even then.. I have loved her since we were children you know."
He sucked a deep breath and continued.
"She ran off from the village after she turned fourteen. Of course I chased after her.. But not knowing where she went, it took me three years before I found her in this city. And when I found her.. She had already.."
He couldn't continue his words.
"I was happy at first you know, to have finally found her. Even when I was searching for her, I dreamt of taking her back and then marrying her.."
And that was it. The torrent of tears that had accompanied his confession rendered him incapable of saying anything else. Sesha, although he couldn't truly understand his pain, reached out to him and said in a friendly manner,
"She has already chosen her path.”
“But it is wrong!” Surya exploded suddenly, “She deserves a better life! She deserves love and care and family! She doesn’t have to be a.. be a.. that.. for her entire life!”
“Hmm? If you are so certain that it’s wrong, you can always go back and drag her back to the village kicking or screaming,” said Sesha in a half serious voice.
“No!” said Surya, now standing up. “I can not force her. I will not force her!”
Sesha said serenely, “You will not force her and you can not persuade her. What will you do then?”
“I-I don’t know! This was my last attempt at persuading her. I have already decided to leave this city. I can’t stay near her, seeing her like this anymore. But I also can't return to my village without her.. I-I don't know where to go," he said bitterly.
"Hmm… Is that so? Say, do you perhaps know where the Sparrow village is?" Sesha asked him.
"Yeah… Three weeks south from here on horse. Why?" Surya asked.
"That settles it then, you are coming with me!" Sesha said excitedly.
* * *
2 weeks later
Shivpur empire was the largest empire in the continent of Hind and it’s capital was the largest and most powerful country in the entire northern region. The name of the capital was, surprisingly, Shivpur. That is to say, the name of the empire actually came from the name of the capital itself. This was a testament to the power of the capital and the royal household.
At the very heart of this capital, was the Royal Palace. Like an onion, there were multiple layers that surrounded the main resident of the Royal household. It was said that not even the most powerful of the warrior could penetrate the outermost layer of security, let alone the inner layers. Of course, this only applied to the infiltrators and not the officials of the palace itself.
At this moment, a horse was swiftly galloping towards the palace unobstructed by the palace guards. In fact, whenever the horse passed the gates, the guards would straighten their back and lower their heads suggesting that the person on the horse was a person of import.
Not five minutes later, the horse reached the gates. The person unmounted the horse and stepped inside the palace. Upon entering the palace, his face became illuminated by the lights. He was precisely the second prince of the Shivpur empire, Prince Kartik.
Maids stepped aside for him bowing their heads and officials greeted him with a venerated tone but he answered none of them. He kept on walking through the corridors as if he didn’t register anything or anyone on his vicinity. Once he reached his destination — a huge door that opened inside the courtroom — he stopped and didn’t enter the room. Instead, he turned towards one of the guard stationed outside and said,
“Inform his majesty that prince Kartik has arrived.”
Before the guard could reply, a voice came from inside the court.
“Come inside little brother.”
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Kartik’s countenance immediately changed. It became a little distasteful suggesting the “fondness” that he held for the owner of the voice.
He pushed open the doors, not gently, and stepped inside the court. The courtroom was the largest room in the palace. It was where the emperor held his royal court comprised of the officials, the ministers as well as civilian representatives. There were chairs arranged at the two sides in a rectangular fashion and at the end was a mighty throne upon which sat a youth. He was snickering.
“Why are you sitting on that throne?” Kartik asked unkindly.
The smile never wore off from the youth’s face as he answered, “Little brother, you see me after an entire two months and that is the first thing that you ask? Oh, how you hurt me brother.”
“Cut the crap. Where is father? I wish to report him,” Kartik said, taking no heed of the faux hurt look on the youth’s face.
“Father has entered closed door cultivation and it is unlikely that he would emerge before reaching the fifth realm.”
“Closed door cultivation? But father never mentioned anything of the sort to me,” said Kartik, surprised.
The youth suddenly gave a hearty laugh.
“Little brother, do you perhaps mistake yourself as the heir?” — he stepped down from the throne and walked towards Kartik — “Let me remind you again second prince, you are called second for a reason. Or are you perhaps so incompetent that you do not know what second means?”
Kartik remained rooted to his spot, his face full of anger. He reigned himself, however, and turned abruptly to leave the presence of the person that he despised the most.
“Who gave you the permission to leave, little brother?” said the youth.
“I do not require—”
“Father has instated me as the ruler of the nation until he emerges out from his closed door cultivation. Seeing as he has been on the brink of a breathrough for some years now, I would estimate one or perhaps two years. It is not a very short time, is it? It would be wise for you brother if you start to think of me as the ruler from this very instance,” the youth asserted.
“Very well, your majest, may I request a leave from your insufferably royal presence?” spat Kartik.
The youth spoke nothing for a while and then he sighed, “What am I to do with such a naughty younger brother. Fine, you may go… and by the way, congratulations on winning the tournament. Father was specially pleased with the way that you handled that disciple from the Uttara sect.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Kartik said in a perplexed tone.
“Little brother, did you think that we won’t see past your measly disguise? It was a little degrading to be honest — to play the part of a rogue warrior — but both father and I applaud your efforts to ensure a fair competition.”
“But I never—” completed the tournament, he would have said, if he were not interrupted by a loud booming voice.
“Prince!! You have finally arrived!”
Kartik facepalmed himself as he recognized just who the voice belonged to.
“My prince! Why oh why did you order me to separate from you. Just how this Krishna remained separated for you over an entire week. It was pure torture I tell you,” Krishna said as he entered the room.
“Oh, your majesty! Pardon me, I didn’t see you.”
“Chhe!” The youth exclaimed, “Leave this room little brother and take this monkey out with you.”
Kartik made a show of a bow while leading his retainer outside the room.
Once outside, Kartik said with a smile, “ You have some talent after all, Krishna. If nothing else, your ability to irritate my brother is simply otherworldly.”
Krishna replied with his own smile, “It’s a gift, my prince.”
As they began walking away, Kartik stopped and said, “Tell me Krishna, just what the hell happened after we left that city?”
Krishna replied, his smile multiplying ten folds, “My prince, it seems that you won the tournament.. And oh, you also stripped a maiden naked!”
* * *
Ananya was walking along the corridors of the Scented Rose. Although the establishment itself had suffered much damage, the inner parts had thankfully remained intact. Her mistress herself had been sleeping in one of the inner rooms. Not actually sleeping though, she had been lying unconscious. But two weeks had already passed and only a moment ago Ananya had received the news of her mistress' regaining her consciousness, which was why she was hastily making her way towards her mistress' temporary chamber.
Pushing open a door she was greeted to a scene of her sisters huddling around a bed and chatting excitedly with the one who had been the former unconscious occupant of the said bed, her mistress. She wasn't particularly the paramount of health for her skin was pale and her body was thin due to the time she spent unconscious but that didn't matter to Ananya and before anyone could see her or even notice her entrance into the chamber, she had already started running towards her mistress shoving her sisters rather rudely in the process.
"Calm down Ananya.." a weak voice stopped her overly enthusiastic endeavour that is to say her shoving and she instantly mellowed down, blushing tomato red due to embarrassment on her mistress' words.
"Let her be mistress," one of her sister chimed in, "after all, it is only now that she has shown such vigor. Otherwise it was always her moping around in your room waiting for you to wake up all the while saying O mistress, why did you leave this Ananya alone or Do you not love this Ananya, why do you not speak to her"
The one who provided this particular piece of information did so in a rather dramatic fashion the result of which was Ananya going even a darker shade of red and the entire room drowning in laughter of her sisters.
"Oh hush you all, do not tease her," mistress said in a gentle fashion while embracing Ananya, who had now already made her way to the bed, in a motherly hug.
"You spoil her too much mistress," one of her said, "not that I complain.. I just wish you'd spoil me like that too.."
It was said in a reprimanding tone but amidst the brides it had only an effect of further laughter. All of them readily knew that Ananya was indeed loved dearly by their mistress which had to do with the fact that she was, in fact, the youngest of all of the girls and she practically worshipped her mistress. Reasons aside, the girls were never envious of their youngest sister who received a bit more affection from their mistress, rather, it only caused them to love Ananya even more.
Breaking the laughter that still permeated the air, Parvati also formerly known as Nagini, said to Ananya in a sombre voice,
"Dearest Ananya, please forgive your mistress for she could not protect you. Your mistress was weak and thus was defeated. I could not uphold the promise of protecting you forever. Tell me child, tell me that you forgive me."
For a while, Ananya was bewildered that her mistress was blaming this fiasco on herself. After all, it was never her fault that Ananya was abducted but nevertheless, she could feel the genuine guilt on the voice of the only person she could call mother and thus she couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth,
"Of course I forgive you mistress!! In fact, it should be who should be begging for your forgiveness. Had I not antagonized that accursed Baron, all of this would have never happened."
"Child, do not blame yourself.. It was not your fault—"
"But—" Ananya tried to interrupt but her mistress promptly stopped her,
"Let it go child, all that matters is you are safe and sound. For that we have only Shiva to thank," Parvati said while making a silent praying motion to the heavens.
"Actually, it was not Shiva mistress," one girl said, "It was a warrior. And from what I have been told, a rather handsome one at that"
The entire room burst in a teasing laughter, clearly directed towards their beloved sister.
"Crashing down from the heaven itself."
"Adorned in all black, with a heroic face and mighty strength."
"Moving like the wind to vanquish his enemies"
"Protecting maidens with his body.."
At this point, the girls were completing each other's sentence and with each sentence, Ananya was going a shade of red darker in her cheeks. Parvati, sensing Ananya's distress, interrupted,
"What are you girls talking about?"
"It is as we said mistress, a hero rescued Ananya from distress and now she's taken with him... I heard she even mutters his name in her sleep.. All the while writhing in her bed in his longing," a girl chimed in.
Ananya promptly looked towards the girl, her cheeks still red, with eyes that seemed to say, 'I am soo going to kill you...' but that did nothing to discourage other girls.
"She sighs all day you know, and refuses to eat even. At first I thought it was due to you not waking up but her eyes betrays the emotion of a maiden in love."
"Yes mistress, I saw her just the other day caressing a piece of cloth that belonged to his body... Our young Ananya sure is growing up… Oh how I envy her youth!"
Parvati, sensing that the red on Ananya's face was now at its ultimate shade, decided to rescue her,
"Now now girls, do not tease your sister like that. She is clearly stressed still from the ordeal. All of you now return to your chambers, I have things to discuss with Ananya."
A chorus of "Okay mistress" rang out and the girls returned to their station.
After they had gone, she gave a gentle look at her youngest ward who had the misfortune to suffer a terrible ordeal and couldn't help but blame herself again for her failure to protect her. That thought, however, didn't linger for too long for she forcibly shook it off and instead decided to steer the mood towards more positive things,
"So… tell me about this young man…", she asked with a sly grin.
* * *
Ananya, after surpassing her initial hesitation, recounted with a great detail her experience of that day. Notably, she emphasized her meeting with young Rosey who she now thought of as her own younger sister. And with equal excitement she talked about the warrior who had rescued both herself and her young sister from their wretched abductors.
When her story had finished, her mistress' face was both livid and relieved. Livid because of the horror that her youngest ward had gone through and relieved because it had all ended in a positive note. Noticing the pensive look on her mistress' face, Ananya decided to change the conversation,
"But mistress, you are really amazing! You fought with a warrior, of third realm no less!! You know, I was so worried that he had..." she couldn't complete her sentence, "But you made it in the end! How are you so strong mistress, despite of not being a warrior!?"
Parvati gave a gentle smile at Ananya's excitement and said,
"I am not really that strong child. For if I were, then those fiends couldn't even have laid a single finger upon you.."
"No child, I am not strong," she said quickly on noticing that Ananya was about to protest, "Trust me when I say this because I have seen real strength and I couldn't possibly hope to compare myself with it.. with her." she added the last part silently.
"But mistress! How could you survive if not for your strength? I saw myself the blow that he'd landed on you! It was truly vicious and for some moments I really thought.. that, that.."
Parvati embraced Ananya and managed to calm her before she could become more anxious and said in a soothing voice,
"Of course child, by all accounts I should have died. That man, while he was wretched, was truly strong and his blow had damaged my internal organs. If I were any other person, no, even if I were a warrior, I would have died without a doubt."
"But then.." Ananya started to say but Parvati interrupted her,
"How could have I survived? It is really simple dearest Ananya, I survived because of my mistress," her words were filled with revere.
"Your mistress, mistress?"
Parvati gave a gentle laugh on Ananya's question.
"Yes dearest Ananya. Do you recall the sculpture that I showed you on the morn of that day?"
"Of course mistress! How could I forget!? She was the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen in my entire life!" Ananya squeaked.
"She is, isn't she?"
"Yes!"
"She is beautiful that much you know but what you do not know is that she is ridiculously powerful! In fact, I can confidently say that in this entire empire, except for the emperor and perhaps the supreme elders of the major sects, not a single soul can match her in power.
"Not only that, she is of a most noble origin. One could say that she is a queen, although you better not mention that in front of her because she rather dislikes being called that," Parvati laughed to herself, "You know, she fancies herself a king and no matter how much I said that she couldn't be one because she was a girl, she wouldn't relent," she smiled, "One could say that she is a child in that regard."
"But despite of her origins and her power, she is a kind person. In fact, it was her kindness that saved me from a life that I dare not even wish upon my enemies," Parvati said with an incredible sadness in her voice, "Yes, it was her kindness that saved me and it was her kindness that made me strong."
Ananya, who had been paying utmost attention to her mistress' words, commented on her last words,
"How could her kindness make you strong mistress?"
"She gave me a treasure, dearest Ananya. Rather, she fed me a treasure. You do not know the horrors that I have experienced, the horrors that left my body utterly damaged and beyond any hope of recovery. And yet, when she fed me but two drops of that heavenly treasure, not only did my body make a full recovery but it was also strengthened beyond that of an average warrior of the first realm. Think child, only two drops not only healed me but made me ridiculously strong! How could it not be a heavenly treasure? And she spared it for me!! Do you realise now Ananya, the kindness of my mistress? The one who spared treasure that even gods would have been envious to lay their hands on, to a miserable woman who she had met for the very first time!"
A silence reigned the air for a while after Parvati's revelations but it was quickly dispelled by Ananya's question,
"Mistress, who in the world is she?? And how did you ever come to meet her?"
Parvati smiled in reminiscence,
"That," she said softly, "is quite the story."