Chronicles of Karma

23~ The Princess Speaks

'You look so pretty, Princess,' Sathya's words went past me as my tired eyes looked at the mirror as she gets me.

I side-eye the drawer where I hide my diary and the letters, and I feel I am going insane. Within two days, I am finding out and knowing things in a manner that would not only hurt my head but also make me feel like this is all one big dream.

As Sathya placed flowers in my head, I tried to relax, but it seemed my heart racing was so loud that she even raised her eyebrow, and I shook my head.

A loud knock on the door made both of us look confused. Who was awaiting us this morning?

As the door opened, Dhruva came into view. 'Appa, what are you doing here?' Sathya asked.

'The King has asked for Princess Shambhavi to be presented in his chamber. ' His words made me quickly stand up. I gulped down, smiled at the messenger, and nodded.

Dhruva went out and waited for me to follow. As I passed Sathya, she squeezed me on the shoulder and smiled at me, which relaxed me somewhat.

As my legs followed Dhruva and my eyes were finally able to see the rest of the palace after being caged for the last two days, I took in every piece of the stone that was carved in front of me; my heart raced on seeing the magnificent walls covered in statues and art, a cold breeze made me inhale the softest air as my eyes turned to my right to find an open garden that gave the view of a distance mountain, the morning air and the surrounding made it look like its the abode of peace.

'Princess.' The sudden voice made me snap back to the front of me, which I forgot for a few seconds.

'We are here,' Dhruva replied as the chamber doors opened. My heartbeat increased as I entered and found The King/father, Surya, and the Queen standing around a big table, giving the impression of an important discussion.

'Ah, my Sham, come in,' the King, or as I should call him, Appa, reached out his hand to indicate that it was to be taken.

Dhruva came in, and the doors were closed. I would have nearly jumped if not for me holding Appa's hand.

As I settled beside Appa and Surya, my eyes found the Queen standing in the opposite direction, and just like yesterday, her lips were adorned with a smile, but her eyes never did.

'Surya, why did you make us all come here early in the morning?'  the Queen asked. I side-eyed Surya, and I can understand why we are here, but I never expected the queen to be here.

'Well, it's quite important, Mother, and as it needs our immediate attention and cannot be postponed any longer than it has already been', everyone other than me raised their eyebrows.

'Surya, what important news have you retrieved that even Dhruva and I didn't know first?' The King asked, and Dhruva nodded.

'Appa, I was the first to know this, fortunately or unfortunately. We all know that Princess Shambhavi had an accident back when we were travelling, and apart from losing the memory, there is one more thing that also happened to her,' I gulped down as I gripped the table in front of me as Surya spoke.

'What happened to Sham?' The King hurriedly took my arm in his hand once again as he looked at me worriedly; his eyes spoke the worry, and also I could see he was genuine.

Surys smiled slightly and shook her head as she continued, ' Nothing, Appa, nothing bad happened to her; it's a very good thing.' Just as she said this, Queen's eyes snapped to me like a hawk watching its prey, but instead of looking away, I kept my eyes straight.