With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown. (Part 2)

Tightening the sitar strings, Katyayani checked everything before she started moving her fingers expertly over the instrument.

With a faint smile, she lost herself in the overly familiar feeling of her nimble fingers dancing over the cold strings.

Katyayani lost track of time as she went from one raag* to another expertly. Only when her fingers started to cramp up uncontrollably, did she reluctantly put the sitar down.

Since the string at the back could only be used by the thumb, while the fingers held the instrument and also played with the strings in the front, her palm felt as if it had been stretched in all directions in the end.

Still, there was a sense of accomplishment.

"Mother, I miss you…" her whisper floated with the sound vibrations resonating in that small room.

Empress's pavilion, Royal Palace of Mandhaar

"You are finally back!" Maharani Vaijayanti looked at her rebellious daughter with a frown between her eyes.

Only she knew how much palpitations she had suffered secretly during this past half month. Even though she had received regular updates from the secret guards all through the period about Princess Anara's movements, it was still a major cause for worry since the farce of her second daughter visiting her maternal grandparents was being carried out by her right under the emperor's nose.

Had anything gone wrong during this period, the worst affected would have been her daughter's reputation.

Maharani Vaijayanti told her daughter in a bitter tone, "Thankfully your Emperor Father had other people to keep him entertained during this period because of which he didn't delve deeper into your ill-timed 'vacation'! Else, for lying to the monarch, all of us, including your prince brother would have been hanged."

Princess Anara had spent the past week reliving the rejection again and again in her mind while on her return journey. It was the first time in her life that she had been refused so brazenly in this manner.

No matter what, she couldn't swallow this humiliation.

"Empress Mother, I promise that I will marry whoever you want me to. But in return, you have to fulfill a wish of mine," said Princess Anara with her eyes shooting sparks of hatred and hurt.

"Vartak, have everyone leave the room! Stand guard outside." Maharani Vaijayanti's voice rang in the chamber.

Maharani Vaijayanti was used to her daughter's tyrannical behavior and unreasonable requests at all times but what made her issue this command was the look on her youngest child's face.

It was a look full of heartache, reminding Maharani Vaijayanti of another girl who had carried the same look on her face for a long time. In fact, it had taken her more than twenty years to recover.

Contrary to her usual severe and alienated attitude, the empress beckoned Princess Anara closer. "Tell Us what happened?"

Princess Anara hadn't been expecting such warmth from her mother and promptly burst into loud sobs.

The empress's jaw clenched tightly. She restrained her urge to hit someone to release the tightness in her chest after looking at her daughter's heartbreaking cry.

What on earth happened to make her daughter sob like this? Why was she not informed about this?

Half hour later

The door of the empress's lounge area opened and a subdued but calm, young girl walked out.

"Vartak!" the empress's imperial voice rang out, summoning her most trusted eunuch back into the room.

Princess Anara was greeted by a worried looking Laasya who had been waiting outside, alongwith the other maids of the princess, who had just returned from the Southern kingdom of Bharani.

"Princess, are you alright?" Laasya looked at her swollen eyes and reddened nose, her heart beating in sympathy for her mistress.

Noone else knew but she had seen the princess go through her first heartbreak. She felt infinitely upset on her behalf.

Suddenly, Princess Anara gave her a blindingly bright smile. "I feel like eating the sour orange candies. Have someone bring them to my pavilion."

Laasya was confused but she gestured silently at a lower maid behind her, indicating her to follow the command.

'Wasn't the princess really upset all this while? What happened to her suddenly?' Laasya thought to herself, remembering the recent events.

Flashback

Nildiri Hills

Princess Anara had been depressingly quiet all through the journey back from the army camp to the village. The two lieutenants assigned to them were silently escorting the two young women, as directed.

Just when Laasya thought that the matter was over, her mistress suddenly looked at her and beckoned her closer. Maneuvering her tame horse with difficulty, Laasya came adjacent to the princess.

"Hand over the coin pouch to me. Also, once we reach the destination, distract the lieutenant with the moustache and take him away for a few minutes," she whispered in Laasya's ear.

The maid paled at Princess Anara's order. How the hell was she supposed to convince the stern looking man to come away with her? Laasya spent the next quarter of the hour thinking of a suitable ploy.

Eventually she came up with self-harm as the only option. While getting off the horse, she placed her hand against the saddle. Sending up a prayer to the Moon god for her well-being, she dragged her wrist hard against the sharp end of the iron welded into the saddle.

After a bout of crying and under a little overbearing attitude from Princess Anara, the poor maid managed to drag the man to the local physician.

"Do you want to become rich?" Princess Anara's unexpected words jolted the lieutenant who was standing next to her.

Till now his attention had been on his partner who went with the howling girl. He didn't realise that a trap was being laid for him, all this while.

*Raag - is a melodic framework like a melodic mode in Indian classical music.