Chronicles of Panchali - The 100th Selection

Bonus Chapter: Sacrifices

Krithika Shah was also once a carefree young girl, shielded from the cruelties of the world. But not anymore. Back then, she was a princess. But now she was a queen, and queens had to make sacrifices. Even if the sacrifice distanced themselves from the ones they loved.

Looking at the heartbroken and hopeless face of her daughter, Krithika Shah wondered if it was really worth it. Her heart was aching after banishing her daughter to the safe house. She knew Aru was a curious one, but maybe she could go too far. Krithika loved the warrior inside of Aru, feeling an immense amount of pride as it reminded her of herself when she was younger, however it simply wasn't deemed appropriate for a princess, let alone a future queen. Walking back to her chambers, she reminded herself that it was for the best of everyone. Yet she couldn't bring herself to believe that anymore.

As she sank into her soft bed, her hands, as if with a mind of their own, reached across the nightstand and retrieved the photo frame her daughter had knocked over. As she blew the dust off, she noticed a small crack in the glass, drawing a barrier between the baby and the man. She lovingly dragged her finger along the face of the stranger, and remembered how it felt to cup his face in her hands and kiss those lips. But that was a long time ago. And they had both changed.

"Would you like us to draw a bath, your highness?" Krithika wiped off the tears she hadn't noticed, before turning to find her maids, Priya and Sophie, both new additions, standing in front of her awkwardly. Priya had long, shiny dark hair and warm brown eyes paired with lovely dark skin, and she almost had a glow to her. Sophie, on the other hand, was blond and had striking brown eyes, which was unseen in the fourth caste, where everyone had some shade of blue as eyes. She must be adopted, Krithika decided.

"That would be splendid, thank you." She responded politely. After the maids had drawn her bath, she slipped in the water and felt her strained muscles begin to relax. It had been far too long since she had last fought. Yet she still loved the feeling of being in battle. She most definitely would've been a soldier, general even, if she was not the sole heir to the kingdom.

Before the maids could leave the bathroom however, she called them over.

"Have you both ever fallen in love?" She asked them both, not knowing where the question came from.

The maids traded glances with each other, shocked, but Priya spoke. "Yes, but he's in the selection."

Krithika nodded at Sophia, who flushed.

"I-I'm not sure who." Sophie spoke nervously. "And they're both in the selection. So, I-" She faltered. "Why, your highness?"

"No reason in particular." The queen answered truthfully. "And don't worry," she added after seeing the looks on their faces. "You won't be in trouble. You can't stop feelings and I'm sure you will be reunited with your love soon." She couldn't promise, but at least it was about a 90% chance that would happen. The woman winked at Sophie. "And if you have problems deciding, just try to feel which one you can be yourself around more, okay?"

They both look flustered and scurried out of the bathroom. Krithika laughed, shaking her head. Why had she asked them? Maybe it was because she still yearned to have such conversations with her daughter. But since Aru hated her, she turned to her maids. She couldn't remember the last time she had a conversation with any of the servants. Who have I become?, she wondered as she sunk deeper in the water and inhaled the scent of the body soap and fragrant rose petals. But she knew the answer. She was a queen. And queens had to make sacrifices. 

A/N Hey guys, this is R. Like N said in the previous chapters, we haven't been able to write much lately thanks to school (I love school but at the same time, it is REALLY exhausting). We are all trying our best to continue writing this, and I myself have devoted a lot of my free time in attempting to complete this story, and I know for certain that N and S are also trying to do the same. I hope you guys will stay patient with us while we try to navigate this situation :)