Nights
The first word that comes in our mind on the mention of night is the stars that sparkles in the night sky. The beautiful twinkles, the random mesmerizing patterns decorating the sky is a sight to behold.
While the stars are the king of the n...
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The sound of trinkets and soft footsteps reverberated through the empty chamber. The air was extremely hot as the sun shone brightly over the heads of people of Madra. Chandrika heaved a tired sigh and continued her search.
"Princess, come out right now. The queen won't be pleased if she sees your unmade hair. Please come out." Chandrika tried searching everywhere but failed to find the princess of Madra.
"Chandrika, what's going on? Where is Jaya?" An authoritative tone made Chandrika turn abruptly towards the source of sound and she bowed down in respect.
"I apologize my queen but I can't find the princess." Chandrika apologized and Kathyayini sighed tiredly.
"This girl will be a death for me." She mumbled and heard soft suppressed giggles. Kathyayini motioned Chandrika too be quiet. Chandrika quietly followed her queen who walked towards the large bed. She bent and looked under the bed to find her daughter trying hard to suppress her giggles. Eventhough she wanted to scold her, she couldn't because of her cute and innocent shenanigans.
"Now enough of it. Come out." Kathyayini spoke and forwarded her hand towards her daughter to take who in return pouted but gave in, coming out from under the bed.
"How do you always find me Maa?" She whined making her mother chuckle who dusted the dust off her daughter's clothes.
"Because you always hide at the same spot Jaya." She bopped her daughter's nose who pouted in return.
"But still Chandrika always fails to find me." Vijaya giggled making Chandrika hide her face in embarrassment.
"No. You just trouble her too much and so she doesn't want to find you."
"That's not true." Vijaya pouted.
"Yes it is but tell me why are you running?" Kathyayini asked her daughter, pulling her in her warm embrace.
"Because she braids my hair extremely tightly and also makes me wear lots of golden jewels on my hair. I hate it." Kathyayini chuckled at her daughter's exaggeration.
"Then I will braid your hair. Is that okay?" Kathyayini made her daughter sit on the floor while she sat on the bed.
"That would be good." She mumbled lost in her doll's hair.
"Maa, baba said that he will take me out for a stroll. When will he be back?" Vijaya asked out of the blue after a few minutes.
"He will be back soon Jaya. He would never break a promise to he made to his darling princess." She commented adding the last of jasmine to her braid, satisfied at her work.
"But it's already late maa! I want to go now." Vijaya stood up abruptly facing her mother who sighed in return.
"He'll be here soon. Are you done packing though? We might stay there for some days. So you have to be prepared." Kathyayini tried to distract her persuasive daughter.
"Oh dear." Vijaya bit her tongue and slapped her head dramatically, trying to copy her mother from the moments when she would forget something. Her action made Chandrika and Kathyayini to smile in amusement.
"I absolutely forgot to do so maa. I will just go and prepare my trunk." she raised her lehenga slightly and ran off to her room as fast as her little legs could take her.
As she reached her room, she placed her doll on the bed and covered her with a quilt, instructing her to stay in bed by the time she completes her task. She then runs to her dressing room as the maids quickly follow.
"What do you say kaki? What all is required for a trip of a few days?" She asked one of the helpers with both her hands on her waist.
"A trip rajkumari? To where? If you know that, it would be easy for me to help you."
"Uhm...baba said we are going to some forest to meet his sister." She told her recalling the conversation she had with her father before he left for some work in the neighboring state.
"If you are going to a forest, then you need some lightly embroidered clothes rajkumari. You should avoid heavy outfits so it would be easy for you to handle your dress." the maid suggested as Vijaya heard her with utmost concentration.
For a princess, Kathyayini always kept her daughter down to earth. She wanted her to learn basic skills and small tasks that princesses often do not do. She didn't want her daughter to be dependent on someone completely and hence ordered all the maids and helpers to let her try and do her work on her own and to only help her here and there.
Vijaya began picking her dresses and tried to fold them as neatly as possible. The maid smiled in admiration as she saw Vijaya trying her best to pack her stuff just like she saw maids doing the other day.
Soon the day passed and Vijaya retired to her bed after dinner with her mother.
"You know Sugandha, baba would return tomorrow and then we'll leave for a nice family trip. It would be so fun. We all will go out as a family together. I'm so excited." Vijaya spoke to her doll and soon drifted off to her dreamland ranting stories about her coming family trip.
