● 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐚: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 ●

Chapter five ● Bon Voyage

'Princess.', Rudrakshi heard Gopal summon her as Rudrakshi halted her steps and turned about to face the man who happened to grow on her, feeding her the adventurous stories of his journeys and his days of childhood. His childhood sweetheart and how he had to leave her because of his duties. Truly, the man in front of her was mystical. Smiling at him, Rudrakshi replied, 'Yes?'

'Queen Rukmini may or may not have asked you to visit your chamber.', Rudrakshi bore a frown as Gopal raised his eyebrows with his ever serene smile as Rudrakshi said not one word more, nodding incoherently as she realized what he spoke of. Pushing her feet towards her chamber as she pushed open the wooden doors, her eyes searching for the scroll she thought she waited for. Instead, what lay on her table had her intrigued more than the laws of nature could. 

Clad in worn leather with dusty and ripped parchments thrust inside. The royal emblem of Dwarka marked the leather covering as small pearls decorated the four corners. Rudrakshi's fingers trembled with anticipation as she unwrapped the leather book with shaky fingers. Letting the parchments fall free as she bent down to pick them up. Her eyes gazed at the letters written. The vintage musky smell of inky and parchment took her to the gates of heaven as Rudrakshi took in a deep breath, embedding the aroma in her senses as she read the first page. 

THE DAY I LIVED.

𝑇𝑜: 𝑀𝑦 𝐵𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑, 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑦𝑢𝑚𝑛𝑎.

Your father told me, that the day you were born was the day when I smiled the brightest. Like the blazing constellations in the sky, burning brightly. And, I remember blushing, as if the stains from the petals of a crimson rose, tinted my cheeks. Hugging him tightly with you in my arms, he had his large arms enveloping us in a warm embrace, shielding us from any harm to come. His ragged breathing and gentle caressing told me the emotions he felt, the joy and responsibility of being a father jarring his shoulder with mirth, as whisperings of how grateful he was to have us in his life taunted my ears. Little beads of mistful joy shrouded the corner of my eyes as he wiped them off. I lived in that moment, Pradyumna. I carved that memory deep inside of me so that I can never forget you.

And with every fleeting moment, I grew. Alongside you, taking the first steps towards motherhood, I grew. Like a breath of fresh air, you stormed into my life with a new purpose, my dear, Pradyumna. You became the moon to my darkened sky, eliciting warm waves of motherly love and passion out of me.

'What is this?', silence prevailed as tension rendered the atmosphere. Clutching the book tightly, Rudrakshi turned around. Facing the merchant who gave her this. Questions swirling in her eyes as she gazed at Gopal who bore a look more broken than the shards of glass. 'This, my princess...is the journal of her majesty. You want her help, then so be it, but for that to happen, you must know what she's capable of. No ally's a friend when there's no knowledge of what capabilities the ally holds. You must feel what she felt, the pain, the joy, the suffering. Every damned thing.

Every favor that you ask from her, comes with a price. If you are who I presume you to be, then you already know, princess... the price of the favor you're asking from her.'

'But, how do I find him if I know nothing about him?', Rudrakshi questioned. Her face conjured up with confusion before she heard Gopal chuckle humorlessly, 'What is there to know about a boy who has been snatched away from his mother's embrace at mere infancy? All we know... all that Aryavarta knows is that the newborn son of the eldest Queen had been kidnapped after six days after his birth. What is there to know?'

'And any information as to who might have orchestrated this? I am sure, the royalties as well as the citizens of Dwarka had shed their blood, sweat, and tears to search for their Prince, someone must have some sort of information.