A TALE FROM THE PAGES OF PAST

THE WINTER NIGHT

YURANI ALEKHYA

The cold storm raged outside the glass window. Snowflakes betting against the frost glass casting swirling designs. The snowy wind whistling among naked branches. I half felt cold seeping through the red brick walls. I shundered as I felt the warmth of fireplace battling the essence of cold. With a cup of tea in hands and my mother's journal lying in my lap over the feathery fur blanket. My fingers traced the golden marks etched over the black cover. As if imagining how my mother must have spent her time writing out the mayhem and chaos of her time in a single destroyable book. The book which can very much better decide the route of this war. Ayudhik's letter along with Rudra's signified that much. Maharaj Arun must be very much desperate for a strong alliance against Brahmagiri and Hind Kush that he tried to bind both kingdoms through marriage.

He know very well that there are high chances that the plan will backfire or weaken both kingdoms enough that they were succumbed to other forces. If Ayudhik is desperate enough he will have to call out to Vijay Sena. I don't how that will go. Truthfully, one can't trust me with my political institutions at present. I was out of loop for to long. My mind is all over the place. My mind went back to the conversation I had with Jai this afternoon. He was right. I need a break from all this thinking. To figure out my future. My future plans are present on the past I can't ignore them like I did entire last week. I can't. I took a deep breath and opened the journal. My fingers skimming over the yellowed pages as I took in the blank inked letters.

The history of her family is quite unique and confusing marred with years and years of blood shed between siblings for the throne. She said her mother had a theory that the throne itself is cursed to let the rivilary get better of the royalties minds. Corrupting them from inside out. I pondered on it. She did presented a huge family tree of her family and confused would be a understatement. They had relations and alliance with nearly every kingdom including the Tang Dynasty of great China and Mongols of Mid East in last six generations. All of the descendants are in position of power at that time.

It may not have any pratical use but they have a large range of connections making them easily impossible to attack. Reading her accounts told that Brahmagiri is probably most secure kingdom in Bharatvarsh's active politics. We don't even have half of the information she wrote and I think she still didn't know everything. Falling on the silk route they are wealthy and prosperous. As per my mother's records. They will e greatest nation in Bharatvarsh if not for the continuous tension for throne. At that time three factions are prominent. Rajkumar Ariv and Rajkumar Surya. Constantly at each other's throat. While my grandfather Ravi Satyadev did the work of mediator. I opened the page she wrote first after my grandfather's death. Nearly three days later.

-·-·-·-·-

BHUMI SATYADEV

"Rajkumari the Silver Assembly is starting today." I heard my maid say as I sat on the railing of my balcony. The first rays of sun warming up my face. My feets dangling over the start drop which will reduce my body to splinters if I dared to jump. Not that I am that suicidal. I looked back at her with cool gaze. Her eyes were fixated on the ground below her looking extremely wary of me.

The melancholy hung low in the environment as my anklets were the only sound heard in my lonely dusty chambers. Things are still stern around from the night three days ago. As we returned the bodies were found. Rotting apparently. The roaring lion etched on my back is the old way my father's body is identified. His body is not turned into ashes when the political rivilary restarted.

Rajkumar Surya and Rajkumar Ariv both are at each others neck. My father's followers are begging me to take my father's place as mediator. The capital is in chaos. The King is too busy in trying to save his own life from all this. Priest and exorcist are called to drive out the evil spirit. Only if they know what crimes had already transpired on this very hot place at the foothills of Himalayas only then they will understand the fierce nature of the situation. 

No one entered my chambers from last three days but I can feel the emotions running wild. The blood curse on the throne is a acting up the fight for throne is commenced. Ariv is growing desperate for the throne and knowingly or unknowingly Amrita and Chandrika are helping him for his conquest trying to uncover the strange dream we witnessed. While the sounds of rebellion from Surya's part are amplifying to huge magnitude I never thought of. He somehow got the support of Shekhar and Rachana. Both are rotten to core with fake brightness on their faces. I had heard whispers of the cruelty in the Kingdoms of South. Devgiri and Sandhvik. The rumors of entire forest clans annihilated were too many to ignore.

Father had sent few of his own to investigate and the reports he got back are not at all pleasant not even bearable to the people who will murder without batting a single eye. Within one week entire forest clans are annihilated. Not even children were spared except the fact that the daughter of vrkah clan ran from her house before few months of the beginning of the attack and body of Samriti Clan's youngest daughter is yet to be found. I have no doubt what they are trying to search for. The passes. Two out of eight were hidden with some forest clans. But the my main question remained. How do they know about this all ?

It's definitely not a knowledge for any royalty to aquire. If it weren't for those books which are somehow always appearing at my table side every night out of nowhere then I would have doubted them myself. The books described many things. From magick who can perform many things to changers who can change into any skin they want. And then there are empathy and seers who can feel others emotions and spirits or several as they call them elements those who have control over the any one of five Tatvas. Prithvi, Jala, Akash, Vayu and Tejas. If anyone would have told me about those before I would have considered them mad and left on my own way considering them mere fairytales that mother's made up to out their stubborn children to sleep at night but now I don't think they are just simple myths.

I still remember the same stories Maharaj no at that time he was just an overenthusiastic uncle who is taking care of his seven year old ill niece because her father is far away in a battlefield against the opposite kingdom to take care of her at night. It changed from their. Families became strangers and now enemies out for blood. I felt a strong urge to gather my own gaurds and try to take over the throne especially seeing the both princes are incapable of leading a kingdom. But I know I must fight it the curse is acting up again. The Silver Assemble is postponed to tomorrow. The heirs of Kaling and Alwar refrained from attending sending their sincere apologies that the heirs, heir apparents and regents are all either away or tangled in inescapable circumstances. Leave it for crafty ministers to write the shrewd letters.

The walk to Court was filled with dread. The servants were working in a fixed motions. People watched there surroundings like hawks.

–·–·–·–·–·

The Silver Assemble was a tense affair. But it's the news which suprised me most by night. The work was too quick. Entire Royal Family is assinated by Princess of Kamboj, Princess of Hind Kush and Princess of Devgiri. All are dead except me and Suraj.

–·–·–·–·–·

The chains rattled as the cold iron inforced doors of dungeons opened. I smiled as Suraj came into view along with a smirking Shekhar. "Well. Well. What we have here ?" He smirked but I ignored him. "We were never meant to be enemies." I said a dagger sank into Shekhar's chest and Titan spread over his cream cloths. "Princess Regent of Brahmagiri is dead." Suraj said as a barely recognisable body is dumped in the cold dungeons. The shackles freed and I ran of there as if the hounds of hells are on my feet.

–·–·–·–·–·

END OF PART 1

This book will further continue after completion of second book.