Crossed Fate

Chapter One

"Retreat, retreat, retreat...", their commander General Hiranyak was bellowing. His shouts were so loud, they woke up the young prince. With his personal guards, he went into the commander's chamber to find him perspiring heavily. This was not new. It had been so for the last sixteen years. Sixteen excruciating years.

"General, wake up, sire, wake up", Dhruvah was trying to wake the General up by shaking his shoulders. The General woke up to a start like something terrible had happened. True as it was, but he couldn't come to a stop having these nightmares. They kept hunting him like some sort of blood sport. Even after all those years, he kept having those nightmares, however the good point here was that the occurrences had reduced. As they say, "Everyday it heels a little". True that is, because he believed that his Majesty may have gone from his sight, but can never leave his heart.

"Oh my it is you my prince, I am terribly sorry to wake you up", he started apologising as soon he realised that his screams had awoken the prince himself, yet again.

"It is okay, General, I wasn't even half sleeping myself", Dhruvah started comforting the General. Earlier the young Prince wouldn't understand the reason behind the General's screams, but as he grew older, life became far more worse than it had ever been.

After a long moment of silence between the two of them, Dhruvah finally spoke, "Don't you worry General, I am prepared now, just a few more months to go, and then they will face the same fate as us, or might be far worse." His tone held resentment, rage and remorse. He always blamed himself, though none other did, that if only he had been a little more brave, his father would have been with him today, sitting on the throne, with the regal crown on his head, and ruling the kingdom in the most righteous of ways possible.

"I have faith in you my boy, but you must be very careful, your mother cannot afford to lose you, not now my boy, nor could I.", the General spoke with authenticity clear in his voice, as clear as the daylight. Dhruvah knew his life mattered a lot, now much more than before. One wrong step and all his headway would be for nothing.

"Yes sire, but first you must go to sleep, it's late now.", Dhruvah acquainted him with the very obvious knowledge of the hour. 

"True, very true. You too must retire to your chambers. And I am sorry again to have woken you up at this unholy hour.", General Hiranyak told Dhruvah with the obvious hint of sorrow lacing through his voice. 

"General, I have told you earlier also, there is nothing worth apologising for, at least not for you and me." With this being said, Dhruvah smiled a half-hearted smile to cheer the mood up of his commander and retired to his own chambers.

Sleep didn't come to him any time soon. He kept tossing and turning over on his royal bed. Though he had all the royal amenities, still he felt like he didn't have anything. Anything at all. Well I would say, it was half true and half false, all at the same time. He kept thinking about the various strategies of war that he had personally devised along with his most trusted and right-hand man. Before long he was into devising some more of the plan, he had fallen asleep.

Morning came around more swiftly than someone had asked for. For Bhadraksh had been up early and going around the arena in rounds after rounds on his beloved horse. Though his best friend was nowhere to be found in sight, he continued his training, for he knew the wrath of his Guru. After having successfully completed 25 rounds, he dismounted and tied his horse under the cool shade of the tree, where a fresh stack of grass had already been placed for the kind beast. As soon he approached his Guru, he bent down and touched the feet of his Guru. Guru Baladitya blessed him with the divine blessing of Vijayibhav.

"Where is he?", enquired the wise man while walking with his pupil back to the Rajmahal entrance. 

"He must have gone to check up on General Hiranyak, I heard he had yet another panic-attack last night", Bhadraksh said while keeping in mind to amble in order to match the pace of their Guru.