The Triumph of a Queen

Chapter 34

Maharaj Sushena and Maharani Hemavathi placed their youngest daughter's  right hand in the right palm of the king of Anga who assured them of always keeping their princess happy. 

Princess Dussala made a knot of the bride's and groom's cloths with a coin, flower, a whole turmeric,  druva grass and some raw rice in it. 

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Princess Supriya or Angarani Supriya stood at the threshold of her home, the choodamani with the big yellow gem in the middle ,stood proudly on the crown of her head , the red line of sindoor  on her hairline and the Mangalsutr  that hung around her neck were marks of the new phase of her life which she just entered. 

Her bright big eyes were brimming with tears as she stood beside her husband, Angaraj Karn, after throwing  a handful of rice backward for the fifth time without looking back. Not just the newly wed bride but her whole family were having a heart clenching moment as she hugged her mother before stepping out of the palace to sit in her palanquin for her journey to her new home in Anga as its queen.

Amidst of all this , there was someone who didn't want to leave, Prince Duryodhan. He had discovered the princess who had affected him so much and wished to spent some time with her, to know her more , he had felt a strange yet familiar and comfortable vibe around her but unfortunately he didn't get a chance to talk to her.

Banu wasn't ignorant of the the attention she was receiving from a certain person but circumstances didn't allow her to confront him either, being the bride's sister, she was busy from morning and above that her own fears had hindered it. Anyway , she can't deny that she was also attracted to him.

'Just one chance, a few minutes..' both of them wished simultaneously but the time for the wish to be fulfilled hadn't arrived , there was still a long way..

'Banumathi..' Duryodhan whispered to himself , scared if he might lose it ,unknown to him there were three people who heard it.. While the Suryaputr and Dronaputr were glad that something good is happening to their friend, something which was unexpected, the King of Gandhar had already started his planning..

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Several Years Later....

Its early morning and a young maiden is seen doing the tulsi pooja. She kept the vessel down after the ritual and took a deep breath of the sweet morning air and smiled brightly looking at the sun. The rays of sun touched her giving  a glowing hue. 

The girl wasn't alone, she had two friends with her ,one of them was of her same age but shorter and the other was younger than them. They were proceeding to go inside when they heard their teacher calling them.

"Banu, Avanthi, Badhra.." A middle aged women with sharp cheekbones and a small nose, dressed in a pale attire with the ornaments of an ascetic ,stood in front of them with a warm smile.

"It is your last day here.. I should say, you three were some of the best students I ever had..." she lovingly caressed the faces of her students who were always like her little daughters.

"They say that the horses that move the chariot of time are the fastest, its true.. the girls who used to break the rules in search of adventure, the ones who used to steal sweets and butter from the kitchen have grown to fine young women.." while the girls giggled in embarrassment of their past acts, their teacher reminisced their antics and a smile appeared on her face.

The tutor took her leave and Avanthi and Badhrae were busy arguing over some silly event that happened years ago but Banu was lost in her own world with her eyes fixed on the mountain top that was visible from where they were standing.

Banu's P.O.V...

'Time is so fast.. I had adapted here quicker than expected.. Lot of events happened ,including the birth of the fire born twins and Draupadi's marriage with five Panadavas,  the coronation of the Yuvaraja of Hastinapur is in a few days time . Even though I'm here, I get the recent news in secret , Vasudev had helped me in that . 

The kanyakul and education system were pretty different from the modern belief. The girls who had opted for weaponry were trained efficiently . Not only in weaponry , the girls were trained in sciences , scriptures and arts in such a way that they exceled in them but the disappointing fact was, even though the girls were skilled and well trained, they were underestimated and chained with the social norms, traditions and stereotypes.

Vasudev , Rukmani di and Sathya di were always there to guide me and acted as constant support. I haven't got much time to lament over my past as I was busy completing the tasks assigned by them.

 'The tasks ' vary from transporting a secret message from one kingdom to another to finding a scripture from the library, from the assassination of cruel and infamous men to making a certain dish, from helping a group of youth to rebel against a despot ruler and eventually over throw him from power to finding a flower from the garden and from spying on a well protected fort and drawing out important information to writing a poem. The tasks that I have performed on the instruction of Vasudev are many but nothing was for him, he had sent me to help others who need it and even the receivers are unaware of my identity which is only known to Vasudev , Rukmani di, Sathya di and Dau Balaram' 

"Aren't you coming??" Avanthi called out..

'Avanthi, she is now my sister in all ways.. she doesn't know what I'm doing but she know that I'm doing something , other than that , we know each other inside out, she is also dealing with many problems which she hides behind her childish smile and antics..'

Soon a new phase will start, the life outside this fort .. It won't be easy, a struggle is awaiting ..

Not just to avoid the 'kurukshetra' .. nothing can't be said about a war now but there are things more than that.. 

Before that , I have to recognize my real identity, which is still a mystery .., all these years, I was trying to reach it  and I feel I'm near ...

And I'm ready..

So that was the thirty fourth chapter...

What is in Banu's mind..??

Will she succeed ..??

And 

Who is she in real..??

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P.S- This book is influenced by the Indian epic Mahabarath.., but not entirely based on it ..

Stay safe and healthy :)..