Pranayavijita || Indian Historical Romance

5. Veer Bai Kunwar in the Kalika Empire

After three days of travel, the royal caravan reached the capital city of Ambikapuram. Shakra was leading the caravan on his elephant. Ameya was behind him. Veer's palanquin followed Ameya.

Some soldiers from Deogarh and Amarkot had followed them down to Ambikapuram.

The maids, curious to see how the cities looked south of the Vindhyas, tried to peek from the palanquin's curtains.

The city was colorful, with people going on with their lives. When they saw the royal caravan, they stopped whatever they were doing to see it move ahead. Women came over to the rooftops of their houses to see the caravan better. The excitement was contagious in the city.

Shakrajit smiled at all the people cheering for him and respectfully offered them a namaskaram. Ambikapuram had always been warm and loving to the royal princes, even if they had been a pain in their backsides as children. They rained flowers over them in welcome. Their excitement had gotten a little more with another of their princes now begetting a wife. They were happy to have a new Princess join their family.

The people tried to get a small glimpse of the new Princess, who was hidden in the palanquin.

"Haaye!!! The women here don't do ghoonghat..." The maids explained.

"Mridula, they obviously have a different culture. Perhaps not needing to cover their heads is one of them." Devika commented. Devika and Mridula were the two main servants to her. They had almost grown up together. Although they were servants to her, they felt like her closest friends to her.

The worry in Veer's head had prevented her from feeling the excitement of seeing a new place. She was becoming increasingly scared about facing the new in-laws, who weren't expecting her.

The fort opened, allowing them to enter the main palace area. Large banners and flags fluttered everywhere. The bastion of the Kalika Empire was their home. They were unchallenged in their home.

Now, the girl from the other side of the Vindhyas had arrived in this bastion for the first time.

Naturally, everyone in the fort was eager to see the Princess from the land of Rajputs. The successors of Rama were just as infamous as his name. Their name was synonymous with courage, bravery, and pride, just like all the Kshatriyas.

The palanquin was set down. The maids from the other palanquin reached ahead to help Mridula and Devika. They got out and then helped Veer. Veer's head was covered with ghoonghat. She stood on the ground of Ambikapuram for the first time and felt as if the air itself was reminding her that it wasn't Rajputana. The air itself smelled different.

She resisted the temptation to look up and look around the place like a little girl.

She saw a woman walking ahead. Her dark skin glistened in the sun, and the jewelry over her skin provided a brilliant contrast of the brown skin to the gold. She was beautiful from whatever little she could make from the ghoonghat over her head.

The lack of any cloth covering their heads whatsoever was blaring in her sight. None of the women had covered their heads. Flowers and jewelry were the only thing on their heads. She could already feel an unusual change she'd be making. She had gotten so used to the ghoonghat over her head that now having to change all of a sudden would be a bit unusual for her.

The woman walked ahead towards her with a welcoming tray. "Rajkumari, welcome to the Kalika Empire." She insisted she pull the dupatta up. The maids just lifted it a little to allow her to put the tilaka on. "I am Mayurakshi. Kalika Empire's eldest daughter-in-law. I'm unsure if I remember what you call your sister-in-law in your language."