Sarapriya ( Part 2 )
This was the true reason Vajradandaka fought so shrewdly for the tower's completion. As the 'infant prince', he would always be allowed access to the Lotus Seat as long as he lived, Even after his brother became king and the place came to be occupied by his sister-in-law, it wouldn't be wrong for him to enter. Not that he would enter his brother's private bedchambers casually, but in cases of emergency, he could still use the tunnel! Little Vajra was awfully excited about having his own secret tunnel that no one knows about. It would be one of his hidden trump cards that he would never share with anyone. He even had his own trusted architect complete the tunnel in secret and then gave the man a pile of money and told him to explore the land. Not that it remained completely hidden, of course. His excitement aroused his sister Varuna's suspicions who then twisted his ear to find out the truth. And then she told all her sisters!
This was the worst outcome Vajradandaka could've anticipated. 'All you girls are outsiders,' he threw a fit, saying, 'You'll marry outside and only care about your husbands. You could even turn into traitors by the flip of a hand!'
Of course, he got whacked for it, but he still kept up his accusations. It continued until his big sister Sarapriya returned from her date and hit his bottom furiously till it turned red. Not only did she threaten to close the tunnel exit at her end in the Crystal Arrow Palace, she even demanded that he apologize to his sisters by being their flower delivery boy for a month! The situation escalated until these five notorious young ones had to be brought under control by their adult big brother. Vajradhaara himself had a headache at the time. Not only could he not believe his little brother built a secret tunnel without his knowing, he was also jealous that he had no access to said tunnel until he became king. He was not part of Tri-Shakti! Owing to that, he didn't listen to his sisters' complaints, and said offhandedly that it was true that the girls born of the kingdom should not be privy to sensitive information of the palace architecture. Naturally, this led to quite the waterworks. Three teenage little girls cried bloody murder to their two brothers and another stoic four princess pouted angrily. She wouldn't produce tears even when one of the other girls nudged her surreptitiously.
Thinking of those simpler times, a blooming young woman stood swaying on the tallest balcony of the Crystal Arrow Palace. She had fine and beautiful features, but her skin was tanned and showed signs of being exposed to the weather. But that only accentuated her beauty even more. Her athletic build and tall poise reminded one of the heroines from mythology. Wearing a dark green Yakshi style dhoti wrap around her legs and a light weight blouse across her breasts, she looked like a primal Devi who take away men's lives with just a glance.
Looking breathless by her visage was a tall young man. He wore the standard attire for a prince, hair neatly set with shiny curls framing his handsome face. Youthful and brimming his vitality, his eyes glistened with fascination as he watched her. In the quiet afternoon, only the wind's moaning across the arid mountains was heard. There were no other sounds. Even the servants of the palace had turned extremely quiet, almost as if they disappeared.
Finally, the young woman sighed. She turned away from the balcony and faced the prince. With the wind now hitting her from behind, strands of hair escaped from her tall bun and swept her face. It fascinated the young prince even more and he was very open in showing it.
A bit painfully, the girl said, "Prince Hara of Abhaya kingdom…"
The young man frowned. That wasn't how they usually addressed each other.
"Initially, our two countries were the only ones that did not enter the trade coalition from twelve years ago. Up until then our two countries did not enter any blood ties, but recognising the need to do so now, the eldest princess of Rtadhara and the eldest grandson of the then king of Abhaya were agreed to be engaged to each other. The agreement was formally completed when the eldest princess of Rtadhara turned thirteen a few years ago."
Unable to stay sitting anymore, the mild looking prince stood up, he reached for the princess's hands. "Devi, what's wrong? Why are you speaking like this?" he said gently, using the term of endearment he usually used, meaning goddess. It also showed his respect and regard for her. Only married men who highly regard their wives use this term.
The eldest princess's eyes were lifeless even when she looked at the princess. She continued in the same tone, without a pause. "Since they were kids, the eldest prince visited Rtadhara many times. The two children started courting almost as soon as the princess had her thirteenth birthday…Their relationship was very close…It was believed that the valiant and aggressive eldest princess and the gentle but shrewd eldest prince will marry to be the most ideal couple to rule Abhaya, which was being oppressed on all sides for more than a decade. It was believed by the common people that their rule will bring the peace and prosperity that was long due to Abhaya…"
Prince Hara became ever so restless as combed his fingers through her hair urging her to stop. "Sara, you're scaring me…I know I came at a bad time, alright? I just wanted to be of some help…I just wanted to protect you…" he said, clutching his head, believing he made the worst possible decision coming here. "I'll leave now, ok? I'll disappear right now! And I won't even appear until our marriage in three months…"
Sarapriya was shorter than Hara despite her valiant bearing. Looking up with big doe eyes filled with water, her voice broke as she finished, "But the engagement was fated never to come to fruition. The gentle prince and the valiant princess were never meant to be together."