Counter Attack

Ahilya's Chambers, Himprayag

Ahilya's body laid sideways on the bed and with a swift action, the shadow brought down the sword on her neck. Warm spray of blood spurted and landed on the assassin's hands and face, indicating that the person on the bed had received a fatal blow. Opening the window, the person perched up on the windowsill and jumped down, holding the near invisible black rope with which she had entered.

At the same time, many kilometres away

"He is a tall lad with an unruly look. He should be here in the next hour or so. By then, I hope that the troops would be ready to leave as well. Once he gives the modified agreement to you, it will officially ink the understanding between the two countries. I am estimating that it will take you and the troops, not more than four hours to reach the meeting point. Just follow this map which I have drawn. I will be waiting for you by the riverside," with that, Shaurya bid adieu to Princess Ahilya and spurred his horse on.

He was headed to meet the tribal chief at the base of the mountain in Saptsindu, hoping for their cooperation.

3AM

Royal Palace, Himprayag

There was a flurry of activity in the royal palace but no one knew exactly what was going on. Surprisingly, it was the strategic minister, Rudradev, who came to visit Princess Ahilya's chambers at this late an hour. He was met by a red-eyed Gayatri and ushered inside swiftly. After a few minutes, the man left from there with a sombre face. This was narrated by the female attendant who normally served in the princess's chambers to the other servants around. For some reason, Gayatri had thrown all the servants out of the princess's room and stood guard inside with a stone face.

"Well? Is it true?" the king's hoarse voice sounded raspy after being woken up at this hour.

Rudradev bowed his head and said, "Please accept my deepest condolences upon the untimely demise of Princess Ahilya. I believe that the heavens must be welcoming her with open arms at this moment."

The king was quiet for a few seconds but then he snorted, "Welcoming her? She will create a ruckus even there with her unruly behaviour. Sigh! This poor child. Have someone inform her mother of what's happened. Make sure that the royal physician is present when Rani Nayantara is told about it. She had a lot riding on this daughter of hers and may not be able to take the shock!"

Rudradev hesitated and then cleared his throat.

"Speak up if you have something to say," the king said sharply.

Rudradev gave an ingratiating smile, "My king remains hawk-eyed as always, nothing can escape your notice! I was just wondering that with your ill-health and Prince Mithilesh's absence, it would be better if we delay the news of her demise till he returns. We don't any of the ministers to have wayward thoughts about staging a coup with the throne being unprotected at this time. I have already sent out a message to the prince. In all likelihood, he should be here by tomorrow night. This is just my humble suggestion, rising out of the concern to keep Himprayag secure."

The king nodded his head and replied, "I agree with you. Seal Ahilya's room. Just make up a story about her having a contagious disease or something. In the meanwhile, start making preparations at your end. We will not delay the crowning ceremony. As soon as Mithilesh is here, I will name him the next monarch."

Rudradev bowed to the now exhausted king and stepped out of the room. He went back to Princess Ahilya's room and entered inside after knocking.

"It's done. You have to keep this under wraps till tomorrow night . Don't make any hasty moves now. I know that you must be itching to go after the assassin but you can't afford to lose focus right now. Since Veer told you to have faith in me, believe me when I say this – my people have their eyes on the person. She won't be able to escape. What you need to do is to ensure that no one discovers the real identity of the corpse in this room till the prince's arrival. Do you understand?" He spoke in hushed undertones.

Gayatri nodded and asked, "Is it going as per the plan? Will they be able to achieve the…"

Rudradev made a shushing sound and told her, "Have faith in your future ruler. I have to go now. You make sure to hold up your end till the last."

Late evening, Royal Palace, Saptsindhu

"Bring it quickly," Raja Amrendra extended his hand to receive the missive which one of the messengers had brought in.

Upon reading the same, the king's bushy eyebrows relaxed and he bellowed loudly.

"So, the almighty queen has finally fallen. Good! The higher you are, the harder you fall. My son has made me proud. Make sure that there is a grand welcome waiting for the prince when he returns after fulfilling the long standing dream of his ancestors," the glee in the old king's voice was unmissable.

During the past six months, he had seen Mahendra emerge as a deserving candidate for the position of Saptsindhu's ruler. He had managed to secure the right alliances, both in Himprayag and Chandragarh. The king was proud of his boy!

Midnight, Gurukul, Chandragarh

Mriga, Vandit and Nirbhay were in the basement of the Admin building, where Mriga had once helped Shaurya recuperate. These three had been summoned by Prithvi right after returning from the palace earlier in the day.

"You know what to do, now. Considering the situation, we can't afford a single misstep. Everyone's loyalty is questionable at this moment. So, do not trust anyone except yourselves. Do not deviate from the mission. I don't want any martyrs by the end of this. Do you understand?" Prithvi spoke in his calm, unruffled manner.

Looking at him, no one would believe that the capital was currently under besiege. Earlier this evening, the prince of Saptsindhu had invaded the capital city of Chandragarh and entered the palace. The ailing body of the 'queen' had been removed from the palace earlier by Prithvi. No one knew where the 'queen' was or whether she was alive.