Mayanshi - The Disgraced Queen

Chapter 1 - The Queen's message

Telugu words in the chapter:

Yuvarani = Princess; Yuvaraja = Prince; Senapati = Army Chief; Amma = Mother

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Mayanshi looked out of the window as the sunrise painted the sky with golden hue. The sun-bleached royal garden shone with all its glory. Her heart felt serene as she opened the door to the balcony and let the morning breeze caress her face.

She drew in a deep breath. She could have given everything to sit down right there, in the lap of nature. She sighed as she remembered her duties. For she was not a normal girl who was at the liberty to afford some leisure time. She was the princess of Srimukha. One of the most powerful empires of Bharatvarsha.

She returned to her bed chambers. Her handmaidens were waiting for her. "Greetings, yuvarani. How would you like your hair to be styled? Should it be braided or worn in a bun?" asked Devika.

"Whichever is the quickest and feels more comfortable, Devika." Mayanshi closed her eyes. 

Devika started working, complaining how dry her hair looked. "You should at least let me apply the special oil I got from my native place to your wavy hair, before it turns brown due to lack of care." She insisted on selecting perfect jewellery that suited the saree Mayanshi wore. "It's a sin to neglect one's beauty when they have it in abundance."

"Thank you for the compliment, Devika. I hope I deserve it" said Mayanshi.

Devika frowned at the princess's behavior. She signaled the other handmaidens to leave. "May I ask what's bothering you, yuvarani?"

"Nothing. I'm just sleep deprived." Mayanshi replied.

"I knew it. You spend so much time performing your princess duties, that you never get time to rest." Devika started complaining again. 

Mayanshi shut her eyes again. It was her father's death anniversary. Fifteen years have passed. She had changed drastically since then. Only one thing remained unchanged. Her wish to make her father proud.

"Is Goddess Mahamaya ready?" She heard the easily recognizable voice of her brother, Abhimanyu. It immediately brought a smile on her face.

"I was born ready, brother." She stood up. "Let's go. We need to come back by the sunset. Send a word to the Army Chief, Karthikeya."

"I've already informed him to be present." Abhimanyu replied.

"Good." She didn't speak any further.

"Akka, may I ask you something?"

"You do not need my permission to ask me a question, Abhimanyu." 

"Why do we need the Army Chief's presence? This is just the case of illegal immigrants. We can solve it ourselves. Can't we?" Abhimanyu asked her.

"The reports I have received, suggest that this issue is not as simple as we think." She mounted her horse. 

"Wait for me." Abhimanyu mounted his horse which happened to be old. He struggled to keep up. "Shouldn't we inform the king, then?"

"The king is too noble to act on this. We need someone who is righteously cruel to deal with this." 

"Who might that be?" Abhimanyu frowned slightly.

"Me." She replied.

---***---

"Greetings. Welcome to Srimukha empire. We are honoured to have you as our guests. We are happy you chose our land as a place of stay, after abandoning your empire. It does prove that Srimukha is better than your motherland. Doesn't it?" Mayanshi spoke to the sixteen illegal immigrants, who entered Srimukha from neighbouring kingdoms the previous day.