Gulping hard and blowing air out hastily, Aloki stood behind the curtains of her room as Hiranmayi introduced her. She put on a smile as the curtains were pulled back.
Ishani cheered from the crowd, getting judgement looks from the rest of royals, but being who she was, she didn't really care. Vihaan very discreetly closed his ears with his hands, saving himself from her excitement. She looked at Darsh beside her, nudging him towards Abhik and Rajat who were entirely uninterested.
"Please atleast pretend to be interested." Darsh spoke through gritted teeth as the two looked up at the stage.
Aloki climbed up the stage, draped in a maroon silk saree, embroidered in gold. Her forearms were filled with gold bangles. Her caramel skin seemed to be lit up by the lamps she passed by. Her long hair was tied up in a bun, white Jasmine tied around it. Her smile at the audience lit up her eyes, creasing the corners of her eyes. She bowed in prayer to the Natraja behind and to the sculpture of Saraswati at one side of the stage. She joined her hands, offering her salutations to Hiranmayi.
She took her spot in the centre, strumming her Tamburi, filling the theatre with the melody of notes. The Mridangam and the Tabla too followed. She looked at Hiranmayi one last time, earing a reassuring smile.
There it began.
The voice that flowed out of Aloki's mouth, sent shivered down the spines of people. Including Rajat who immediately looked up at the stage. This innocent move of curiosity didn't go unnoticed by Himanshu who looked between his brother and Aloki, considering a possible but pushing it away for his brother's happiness.
Ishani and Darsh shared a look with a smirk before turning ahead.
The proficiency in Aloki's notes left the audience enthralled yet silenced. The way she coordinated with her bandmates, smiling and enjoying the performers, brought the audience to joy as well. The normal people at the back of the theatre had begun stepping and dancing to the beats of the Tabla and the Mridangam, accompanied by Aloki's vocals.
The music gradually stopped and the people stopped as well, comprehending everything that happened, but Aloki smiled at her bandmates. The silence in the audience didn't last long, as a stagehand brought out a Veena to Aloki.
She closed her eyes while strumming the Veena, feeling the vibrations on her fingers, not missing a beat or a note. Powerful strums and picking on the Veena fueled the other players.
Abhik and Ishani has stood up clapping to the beat, Darsh was tapping his feet to the rythm. Rajat simply looked over the performance with a smile etched onto his face so much so that his cheeks hurt. But there was something captivating and joyous in her music. Though he didn't understand the dialect of the language she sang in, her joy portrayed every word of it.
A short while later, her solo performance came to an end and everyone were left with a smile on their faces and joy in their hearts. Aloki stood up and bowed to the audience. She caught Rajat looking at her with intrigue on his face. She simply gave him a wide smile and cleared off the stage. Rajat, upon the smile he received, stopped smiling, composing himself.
"Now that all your hearts are filled with joy," Hiranmayi spoke again, "why don't we introduce a little heartbreak?"
A groan was heard from the crowd. She simple smiled.
"Rajkumar Adarsh as you all know..." Adarsh entered the stage, bowing to them, "One of my best disciples."
Adarsh drew his brows together.
"Acharyaa, you always introduce him as your best disciple. Why the change this year?" Asked an aristocrat.
Hiranmayi smiled, "I suppose I've found someone better."
Adarsh gave her a knowing smile. He searched the crowd for Ishani...a smile passing between the two. He noticed Darsh paying attention and nodded to Ishani.
"I introduce to you my newest debutant. Maya."
🌺
A short update. But now that I've planned on updating everyday, stay tuned😉
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LEGACY ||Indian Historical Fiction||
Historical Fiction||PART- 2- REGAL DUOLOGY|| (Can be read as a standalone) Darsh, the most illustrious son of Ashokdhar, is kind, loving, caring and simply just too good to be the Yuvraj. So, he's all set to become the king. He had his priorities set straight, the ki...
