Nandini

Archer Or Prey?

Nayantara went running towards the main hall and she saw armed soldiers ready to go to the battlefield, but they were having one last moment of peace with their families inside the parameters of the palace, it was the only place where they were unharmed and safe but for how long ultimately they have to step into the battle. Nayantara felt sorry for them and their families, she knew this was not going to be a clean battle and only nandini knew this battle was far from clean, more like a dirty battle with hardly any rules was the best guess of nandini.
The atmosphere was filled with the war cry, an immense amount of chaos leading to soldiers ready to leave for battle field when nayantara saw her father, the king. He was wearing steel armour across his chest just when one of the helpers brought his freshly sharped sword. Staring at her father going to the battle field was a moment of weakness for nayantara, at that particular moment she wanted everything to stop, no war, no grudges, just a little girl with her father, she was questioning everything, and she didn’t even realize when her father was standing in front of her. She looked at him, right into his eyes and all he could say was “I always knew you were an abomination for the family, I heard what you were saying to your mother and I’m excited to see what you will say when I will bring the head of Rakshit for you as present”, by saying this his father gave an evil smirk to her and moved outside the palace.
That one sentence from him was enough for nayantara to remember why she wanted all off this in the first place.
She ran towards the forward balcony and hid herself behind the pillar, all she could see was the battle field painted red, it was a horrific moment.
She was looking at everything but she wasn’t alone to witness everything, one of the queen’s messenger was also there so that she could report everything to queen directly. Nayantara didn’t want her to be noticed, so she stood in the shadow.

It was finally the time and it was face off between her father and her lover, her heart was beating really fast, she knew that one of them was going to die and most importantly she was praying for Rakshit to stay safe and that was a bit insensitive from her part.
The battle just turned fierce, it looked like they were having a moment of discussion when suddenly one of them was stabbed and not just once, for number of times and the at the sight of this the entire army collapsed, they felt like an orphan, not knowing what to fight for anymore when their king was lying lifeless on the ground.
Nayantara didn’t know what was happening, the time was slowing down for her, when suddenly the messenger of queen started shouting “ king is no more, he killed our king, the enemies have killed our king and they also killed our prince, we have become orphan, we don’t have a successor, we are domed, they are marching towards the palace”.
She stopped making sense and ran towards the palace, but nayantara was smiling from the corner of her lips. Nandini couldn’t believe her eyes, she never knew nayantara would become so insensitive and heartless, that she would rejoice her father’s death and above that she would rejoice for a man who doesn’t even love her, she couldn’t believe nayantara and nandini was feeling so much hatred for nayantara.
When piyali immediately came to the scene, nayantara didn’t realize she was standing behind her back but when piyali whispered “Princess”, she caught nayantara by surprise.
Nayantara sighed when she realized it was piyali.
Piyali started telling nayantara everything that was being discussed inside the palace, she told nayantara that, since the king and prince both have died, the estate is no longer left with a successor and thus making it vulnerable for predators. Thus the Queen has assigned duties to every helper of the palace, some to collect dry woods and with that to light the fire inside the great bath and she asked some to collect each and every woman inside the palace and bring them to her and so she could explain everyone why is it necessary for them to do “jauhar” even though it wasn’t a part of their culture.
With piyali telling her everything, nayantara immediately remembers when her mother was telling her a story of Rajput queen and how she preformed jauhar ( women jumping into the fire collectively) for the sake of her dignity and how each and every woman of the palace supported the queen and joined her. Her mother also told nayantara that in future if she would face similar situation then she would happily preform jauhar as she was still a rajput princess by blood and they don’t compromise with their dignity.
Nayantara was thinking about her mother when piyali shrugged her. Nayantara was a bit offended by piyali’s attempt of crossing her boundary but she didn’t say anything.
Piyali started pleading to nayantara, I don’t want to burn in fire princess, please save me, I don’t want to die.
Nayantara very calmly said “ you are not going to die piyali, you have always been a support to me and you don’t need to die, you just have to wait here with me, until everything settles down, until everyone in the entire palace burn themselves to death and until there is no living proof of my betrayal towards this palace, so that the word doesn’t come out and I could rule the entire kingdom all by myself without anyone hating me, till then you have to wait with me and then Rakshit will take me away from here.
Piyali was smiling and she looked like she wanted to ask one more question from nayantara so she nodded at her to ask.
Piyali immediately said, “princess after everything you will go with King Rakshit in order to start your life and you won’t be able to take charge immediately, till then what about the palace?”
Nayantara smirked on hearing this, she knew exactly what piyali wanted to say so in order to make piyali happy she said “yes piyali while I’ll be away with my love, you would be temporary in charge of this palace”.
Nandini was listening to everything and she was feeling so much hatred for nayantara and her entire personality that she couldn’t stand her anymore so she ran towards the great bath where preparation for jauhar was going on.
As nandini reached there, she saw huge flames coming out of the great bath, turning the entire atmosphere hot. She looked around and she saw so many women, of all age, little girls all dressed in red and then she saw Queen coming from the other end and stood in front of the crowd of women. Nandini felt so sorry for them, for all those old women who were supposed to rest at their homes and not burn into a flame, all those little girls with bright future ahead were about to end their life by jumping into the fire, she wanted them to stop but she was helpless like she has always been.
The time has arrived when the queen ordered everyone to follow her inside the fire, the weather was melancholic and revengeful, the flames grew wild and wild all of those women weeping yet determined jumped into that fire and it was the end, the end of the great dynasty, the end of so many things.
By far, nandini understood why she was having all those visions, why she was sent to this place and she realized she was sent her to see the truth, the truth about Rakshit, the truth about nayantara’s betrayal or the betrayal she did to her family while she was nayantara.
Nandini was feeling so much hatred for herself, for all the sins she committed while she was nayantara, that she could never make it right, blood of so many people and more importantly her family’s blood was on her.
She was an archer and she hunted down her family but she was also a prey and was hunted