Chapter 1.   From Commander to The Queen

People were screaming and running in terror, leaving the paddy fields to save their lives. A group of wild boars had been running around, destroying the crops and hurting the farmers.

"We must return this instant princess. The queen will be upset if she finds out that you sneaked out, again."

The young princess smirked sitting on the tree branch that was at a mile's distance from the fields and her small hands stretched the bowstring as she placed the arrow in position that she had stolen from her father's quiver, "who is going to tell her?" The sharp metal head of the arrow aimed at one of the boars that were running wild in the paddy field.

"A princess should look out for her subjects..." Jwala said softly, closed an eye, and shot the arrow. "… Are you suggesting that I sit and watch while my subjects suffer?"

The boar cried out loud before falling lifeless. Jwala pulled another arrow, then another… within a matter of few minutes the rest of the boars joined suit and fell down after giving out loud cries. The people who had been running from the boars stopped in their tracks to confirm, "The beasts are dead." A man announced. The news relieved the farmers of their week-long struggle of protecting their fields.

When Princess Jwala Chitra Bhanu returned to the palace, her clothes were dirty but her big eyes shone with pride. She was 12 and had learned something new about herself – she loved challenges that scared her, she loved danger, and it was thrilling for her. From then on, everything she did had only one motive – to feed that thrill.

10 years had passed and Jwala's hunger for dangerous challenges had only increased. It took her from shooting stolen arrows at boars to the training grounds and eventually to the battlefields.

Princess Jwala was on the front- lines on the battlefield, leading the second unit of mounted troops as their commander. Dressed in her shining armor and metal helmet, eyes narrowed at the enemy troops with a hand on her sword and another holding the rein of her horse, Bela.

The bugle announced the beginning of the battle, "Soldiers ATTACK!" she commanded and headed to win the war, she was unstoppable like the wind, tearing apart the opponent one by one. Her pounding heart was thrilled in the face of challenge and … death.

When she returned to the palace after winning yet another battle, the kingdom welcomed her and the army with flowers and cheers. She was the beloved princess of the kingdom of Devdurg, known for her courage and kindness, the beloved daughter to the king and queen, and the most precious sister to her older brother, Jay Dev Bhanu, who was being trained to take over the throne someday.

The years that followed were peaceful as the king, Surya Bhanu began to unite all the northern kingdoms under one flag - the Bhanu Empire. He had established peace treaties between the neighboring powerful kingdoms and had taken the smaller ones and others under his protection, under Bhanu Empire's protection, and became the emperor leaving Devdurg to be ruled by his wife.

Jwala's skills in military and warfare, and Jay's strategic and political planning had played a significant role in uniting all the kingdoms of the north under the one great Bhanu Empire.

But the cheerful moments didn't last for long because the king/emperor fell ill and within a few months he passed away leaving the kingdom in mourning. The family was devastated but the newly established empire must be taken care of and the throne shouldn't be vacant for long. The queen crowned Jay as the next emperor soon after the late emperor's funeral. They had never thought that his training would be put to use this soon.

"Should I call you brother or the great emperor of Bhanu, your royal majesty?" Jwala said as she joined her brother, who was sitting in front of the late emperor, Surya Bhanu's statue in the palace's main garden.

"Whatever you feel like our courageous commander, Jwala Chitra Bhanu," Jay said with a weak smile.

She smiled too. "Father will be proud," Jwala said as she longingly looked at the statue of her father. He looked powerful yet a humble king who loved his subjects and a loving father who dreamed of peaceful times for his kids to live in and achieved it.

Jay pulled Jwala in a side hug as he said, "Chitra, have you ever thought of ruling a kingdom? You care about the kingdom and our subjects very much." He had always called Jwala by her middle name, the one he had given to her.

"No…" she thought for a moment. "Is Mother stepping down? I am not taking Devdurg's throne."

Jay laughed. "No. mother is not stepping down. If that happened you would mount your horse and ride out of the palace at full speed. We know you don't know politics."

"It's not that I don't know… it's because politics is tiring. Warfare is exciting." She said while pulling out the grass. "I would rather be chased by a mad bull; at least it would be thrilling."

"I understand that very well." He recalled the times when she had lied about being sick just to avoid the strategic training classes."I asked that because there is a kingdom that needs a leader. A strong one, who knows how to deal with military and border disputes."

The emperor informed about the small kingdom at the far eastern border, Maythene that was in need of protection, it was being targeted by the rival kingdoms from the east all the time. Since its geographical location was crucial for the empire's stronghold on the whole northern plains Jwala was appointed as the queen of Maythene without delay.

In Maythene :-

Jwala was holding the weekly meeting with her council when a minister informed her that a few farmers have been reported missing.

"Since when?" Jwala inquired.

"3 days, your highness. They went to trade the harvest but never came back."

"It has become a reoccurring event, your highness." Another minister added. "Fishermen and silk traders have been reported missing too. Especially, those who trade outside the kingdom."

Jwala called Mitra, her bodyguard and confidant ordering her to look into the missing farmer incident and report it promptly. Soon after a search team was appointed to find the missing.

Mitra was usually quiet but her skills were unmatched. She completed every task precisely and delivered more than what was asked of her. She was loyal to Jwala and Jwala only, if she was to ever choose she would choose Jwala, her one and only queen without doubt, without hesitation.

"My queen, the traders from the eastern country, Hanna have been spotted trading silk and grains in cross-border markets," Mitra said as soon as she entered Jwala's chambers. She had activated her informants to gather the information that very day and was back with information by nightfall.

"so…?" Jwala was standing near the window cleaning her sword.

…