299 Loose Ends (Part 4)

Vayuprastha

Looking at the king's nonplussed expression, Kritika bit her lip to control her laughter and continued to speak, "I had intended to seek asylum with Chandragarh early on, when I decided to run away from home. I managed to send her a message regarding the same. But her response came with a set of instructions, out of which, first was to prepare for the escape properly. That's when I started hoarding the precious gems and jewels. Post that, Chandragarh sent a group of people to me, who helped me stay hidden for twelve months before making an escape to Vayuprastha. Her only condition in extending the help to me was that I will never come back and stake a claim on the country's throne."

The king's face paled as he took in the implications. If what the princess had just said was true, it meant that the queen of Chandragarh always had her eyes on the throne of Saptsindhu. In this case, how was it possible that the Saptsindhu prince will emerge victorious this time, irrespective of how things looked at present.

Women were a scary species!

Seeing the expressions on his face, Kritika hid her smile and continued to peel the orange slice, leisurely. There was another part to the story which she hadn't mentioned to him. That hadn't been the queen's only demand…

Saptsindhu

Shaurya was feeling itchy in the gaudy eunuch's clothes but he kept a vague smile plastered on his face. The others had separated from him as they were playing different roles. But eunuch was the most important piece in this game and which is why Shaurya was happy to undergo the humiliation of looking the way he was currently.

The plan was simple - to infiltrate the palace and kill the king!

Prithvi wanted the prince of Saptsindhu to get a taste of his own medicine. The Himprayag army men had slowly filtered in to the city and were waiting to get the signal from Ahilya who was now in the royal palace of Saptsindhu.

There was one ace which remained unopened till now and it was time to use it. This plan wouldn't succeed without it.

Shaurya followed the directions on the map and reached his destination. Knocking at the door gently, he waited for the door to open. Eunuchs were free to move inside the palace, irrespective of the gender they were visiting. Moreover, the clothes which Shaurya was wearing indicated that he was one of the higher level eunuchs.

"Your sister sends her love and gratitude," Shaurya said to the timid beauty in front of him after offering his greetings.

Princess Avantika paled but then recovered quickly and indicated to her old maid to stand at a distance.

She looked at him carefully before saying in a cold tone, "I don't wish to leave the palace anymore. My marriage has been arranged as per my wishes now. You can tell my sister that I will not be able to help her."

Shaurya frowned at the change in script in front of him. As per the information which Abhirath carried from Prithvi guruji, Princess Avantika would have been more than willing to help them in exchange for her freedom.

He didn't know about the deal between the two Saptsindhu princesses or the reason for her to renege on it but at this time, it didn't matter because he needed her to cooperate, by hook or crook.

Shaurya pretended to look despondent, while taking stock of things around. There wasn't much staff in this place and all of them were females. Moreover, the room where she was living in, was far from the central part of the palace, almost in a cordoned off area.

Thinking quickly, Shaurya pretended to tumble down in a dizzy spell and feebly asked for water. Even though Avantika looked at him suspiciously, she couldn't bring herself to be impolite and asked someone to fetch him something to drink. Avantika was poles apart from her sister in terms of mental capabilities and exposure, both.

That was the reason that the king had managed to keep her subdued for so long, just with the help of a few strict nannies. Since Shaurya was the eunuch, he had managed to stroll into the princess's chamber without being stopped by any guards on the way and the palace map helped him reach the right room without looking lost.

As soon as the attendant brought the brass cup in front of him, Shaurya took it and splashed the water on the woman's face, startling her. Before she could recover, he stunned her by hitting the hard tumbler on the back of her head. Avantika shrieked silently as the scene unfolded in front of her.

Shaurya's voice growled while simultaneously, he took hold of the princess's neck in his arm's grasp.

"This soft neck will take no more than ten seconds for me to crush it completely. If you want to live to enjoy your happy married life, do as I say," he said fiercely.

The maids had accumulated around and looked at the two of them in horror.

"Don't even think of calling for help else your pretty princess would be dead and you will be killed as well," he warned them.

"Are you ready to cooperate. Tap my arm once if you agree," he told the princess who was still in his chokehold.

She tapped his arm fearfully and Shaurya felt her tears fall on his arm but he couldn't be bothered with her emotions at this moment. He told the maids to gather in the small boudoir behind the main room and then locked them up. With that done, he dragged the trembling young woman along with him.

"You and I are going for a walk. Once we reach the place, all you need to announce is that you are the princess. After that, I will let you go. I promise," he told her.

Avantika stared at him but there was nothing that she could do even if he was to go back on his word.