The evening sun of Mednikhand held almost the same heat like that of noon, it was blazing. While the entire place to me hot, packed, and suffocating; the audience of the arena where the match was held seemed to have the vigor of its own. There were constant chants, and cheering went louder as every second passed. It seemed as if the heat of the sun that was making me woozy, meant little to nothing to their excitement.
Spectating all this from the alley of the balcony, I remained unobserved by the citizens as well as the competitors who were seated in their respective tents. Dressed in their armors, both were completely equipped and ready for a battle, the battle that would win me.
Loud reverberations of conches boomed in the arena, silencing everyone, indicating the arrival of the king. We all stood up and soon the entire stadium was booming with the loud voices of "All Hail Maharaj Bhairav!". When everything calmed back down, Bhrata Aadhirai got up from his seat to address the citizens.
"I bow to the mighty King and Queen of Medinikhand." His voice was loud and reverberated throughout the arena. "I, Rajkumar Aadhirai, welcome you all to the competition that is kept to choose the groom of my sister, Rajkumari Vijetri." He glanced towards me, into my eyes while speaking this. His determined eyes bored into mine, seeking a reply. Unable to form words, I just nodded and motioned him to continue.
"The competition is between Rajkumar Nyrvig of Shakya Pradesh and Rajkumar Urjit of Chaitanyagadh. The rules are simple, the one remaining standing in the ground, till sunset wins. One is free to use any tactic, the only restriction is death." As soon as my brother finished his speech, loud hoots and cheers rose among the citizens. They were perhaps excited to witness a good brawl.
"May the competition begin." My father's voice rang next, followed by conches, indicating the start of the competition. Nyrvig, dressed like a true warrior, moved towards the center and so did Urjit. From my last life, I knew Urjit was not much of a warrior rather he was the best tactician one could ask for but, he was good enough to defend himself. On the other hand, the well-defined body of Nyrvig screamed his excellence.
They both circled each other, analyzing one another and waiting for the perfect chance to attack. None showed haste in ambushing first and it was as if both were in the stance of defending. Out of blue, I heard a roar and within a blink, Urjit attacked Nyrvig. It was the initial step and both were performing basic steps.
Seeing their swordsmanship, I could not help but ponder further on my suspicion regarding Nyrvig's association with Urjit in my last life. Though it was a mere assumption, it was most likely to be true. They both had a common link and reason between them, the reason for our downfall, Nirmala. I shook my head in a failed attempt to clear my thoughts. I witnessed Bhumija's death from my own eyes. Urjit threw her in the pit of fire; an action which had no connection with Nyrvig. But it is also true that Chaitanyagadh is a very weak kingdom compared to Medinikhand. There was no chance Urjit could defeat us, even by deceit, without a greater power.
My thoughts were broken by loud hoots and cheers. I glanced toward the arena and noticed beads of blood rolling down Urjit's nose. They both had minor cuts on their arms and some marks of most probably punches on their faces. Both had lost their swords and were fighting with the help of their hands.
Urjit lunged on Nyrvig and with one swift blow, that made red stream out of his nose. The fight was turning gruesome, with both of them bleeding. I diverted my attention from their faces, from the blood. It brought old memories, memories I did not wish to remember. I heard a groan come from the arena and I glanced, only to witness the bloodied figure of Urjit fighting Nyrvig. His mouth was red and from what it seemed, the cuts made his right hand weak.
I glanced towards the sun, calculating the time. There was still an hour left and they already had drawn blood out of each other's bodies. This blood reminded me of the happenings of the day when doom fell on us and I felt an inner satisfaction after seeing Urjit's condition. His deeds flashed in my eyes and I could not help but let anger rise within me; crashing like waves to the shore of my conscience.
The blood streaming from his wound acted like a salve to my old burn but my mind soon went back to the lane of my doubt. I could not help but think of the matter repeatedly. I glanced towards the arena, gazing at the two men who have made my life a puzzle. Daubed with each other's blood, they both were still fighting. It seemed as if Nyrvig got a blow on his legs as he was limping by his right leg. Urjit, on the other hand, was severely hurt. It was strange for me to witness him still standing. I always considered him weak in my past life but his current situation stated otherwise.
My thoughts soon turned into disappointment as I saw Urjit stumbling a bit. Nyrvig, with his warrior's instinct, used this opportunity and twisted his arm behind his body and made him fall to his knees. With a strong blow, he subdued Urjit's trial to fight back and took him in a lock preventing him to move his arms further, rendering him to put up a fight.
The sun was now about to set but the people of Madhavpuri gathered there hardly acknowledged it in the event of finding a possible victor while I stood there overlooking the two culprits of my last life. Soon the arena was filled with cheers and shouts of people, celebrating the victor.
"It is clear that Rajkumar Nyrvig is the winner of this competition and hence is a good candidate for my daughter's hands but the sole decision now lies in the hand of Rajkumari. I request her to announce her results by tomorrow." My father's voice boomed over the crowd, silencing everyone.
His statement made everyone search for me when I came out of the shadows of the ally. All were eager to know my decision. I took a deep breath to calm my heart and stop the rising nervousness inside my body. My decision was made and I was ready to announce it.
"I thank Maharaj to grant me time till tomorrow but I have already made up my mind. Rajkumar Nyrvig stayed here for many days, accepting my terms and fighting with many to win my hand. His respect for my choices has helped me make my decision. I, Rajkumari Vijetri, accept Rajkumar Nyrvig's proposal. I am ready to marry him." And with this, I sealed my fate; a fate to live with one of the possible murders behind my daughter's death.
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Maharaj- King
Rajkumari- Princess
Bhrata- Brother
Rajkumar- Prince
❁┈┈┈❅ ⋞〈 ✿ 〉⋟ ❅┈┈┈❁
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Resurgence of Kohl
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