✓ Fearless - Book 1 of The Rajkumari Trilogy

Chapter 28

Chapter 28
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Her gaze was fixed on the scrolls in front of her. "Casualties of Vaibhavgarh, soldiers imprisoned, horses taken under..." Mumbles rolled down her lips incoherently, her gaze brushing over the reports.

Her fingers flipped the pages, reviewing everything once more. She had completed the crowning of the prince of Vaishaktinagara officially as King. 

He wasn't the– that's enough, let's find you something else to be distracted, Revati. 

She pushed her chair backward, the wood scraping the yellow marbled floor as she stood up and strode towards her bookshelf.

Her fingers skimmed over the thick spines of the books. 'Army strategies', 'History of a kingdom', 'List of Rulers from– No! She needed to find something else.

Or shall I try sewing? Now that's entirely different...

Revati turned, halfway to the window when she stopped abruptly. No, not sewing. I would tire of the boring work after a while. She shook her head, heading back to the shelf. She fished out her favorite book and seated herself on her settee. This will be an easy distraction! She flipped open a random page and began reading the first paragraph that she could see:

Their shouts echoed through the rocky walls of the cave as they were being taken hostage by the savages. Their pleas were of help, of desperation.

'I have to take lead now, my soldiers are in danger!' He thought as the royal blood in him coursed steadily through his veins, reminding him of his position. 'I am King,' he murmured, 'And I will protect my people as I'm supposed to ensu–

NO! Revati shut the book close. Not this. Definitely not this. It reminded her too much of her own duties. Speaking of them, could she carry out hers successfully? What if- what if, oh there were a million things that could go wrong and she was sure at least one of them would happen.

Knock! Knock!

Ah, finally, a distraction! Revati sighed in relief, practically running towards the door. She opened it to reveal a grinning Suruchi. "Come on, you've got to get dressed."

Thankfully, she was being dragged out of what reminded her of- wait... I'm being dragged to the event itself!

The princess groaned inwardly.

* * *

She ran her hands over the silky material which did little to calm her nerves. She bit her lip, assessing her form in the mirror. She was draped in a royal red saree, shimmering from head to toe in gold - I had told Suruchi that this was excessive, really, - her raven black hair was twisted and braided, intricately woven into a bun and stray strands of hair framing her face. Even her bindi hadn't missed the bit of glamour.

She chewed the insides of her cheek, pacing yet again. She seemed fond of the habit. Her cold, metal danglings brushed the side of her neck sending a shiver down her spine. Her saree swished against her anklets, her bangles clinking as she wrung her hands and cracked her knuckles.

Suruchi turned at the corner of the hallways. She shot a disapproving glance at Revati as she let out her infamous scoff of disbelief. "You're nervous about becoming queen? After you've already handled the role really well, led people to victory, given an applauding speech of victory, and saved your kingdom?"

"Suruchi there are too many things to ignore. What if... what if I'm not good enough? What if I don't become like father, what if I'm not meant to inherit the throne? What if I can't rule properl–"

The elder sister stabilized her younger sister by gripping her shoulders. "Stop, calm down and listen to me. You will NOT become your father because you are... you. And you yourself are more of an efficient ruler than the handfuls of others I've seen. And if you weren't meant to inherit the throne, would you be here today? You will reign over your kingdom, your people, and I have full faith in you that you will do so very well."

Revati could only nod as her sister left the hall to check on the preparations or something.

This was it.

She was becoming queen.

Officially. And she would sit on the throne that her father sat, she would rule the kingdom her father ruled, she would carry out the responsibilities that her father did.

Her brown eyes filled with tears as she replayed all that had happened in her mind. All the sudden turn of events, the tragedy, the struggle, her father's death, her brother's betrayal, everything. No, no, no. She wouldn't let the sobs wrack her body now. She had spent the whole night crying herself to sleep, she would cry no more. 

She was a strong, abled, fierce-minded woman and she would be queen. Even if she wasn't, she would let fate pick its way.

A maid came to inform her that it was time. The young woman held her head high, her chin up, spine straight and her strides graceful. 

A faint sense of deja vu took over her as the sunlight spilled onto her face and she remained unblinking. But this was not like the last time. There was an air of danger and certainty of death the last time, but this time there was satisfaction, triumph, and peace.

Her hands were clasped lightly in front of her, her steps slow but confident. Everyone was standing and lined neatly with hands in a namaskara mudra, staring up at their queen in awe and pride. Her gaze was steadily focused on her three family members standing beside the platform.

Suruchi and Dipankar each flashed her a warm smile. They were dressed in clothes of finery, but not as fine as her own. She caught her mother's eye beside the throne. The woman in white smiled, giving her a boost of confidence. 

She could envision her father standing beside her mother, a proud smile on his face, gesturing to the throne. His voice rang in her ears, "You have made us all proud, my child. Grace the throne with your presence."

It'd be my honor, Father, she smiled. 

Revati looked ahead, fixing her gaze on what was once her father's, but about to become her's now. The very throne which she held great regard for all her life. She was the image of a goddess when she walked down the carpet and ascended the stairs to sit upon the golden throne. The holy mantras and chants gayly floated into her ears, the feeling of triumph floating all around her.

"Your Majesty, shall we begin?"

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