Exiled Hearts

28 Special: The Swayamvar

Mallika

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. It's going to be alright. Everything is going to be fine. Sumedh will know what to do. Calm down. The majestic doors to the grand hall opened as my name was called. I walked through them, keeping my eyes ahead. I could feel the weight of the many eyes that stared at me as I walked over to my seat. I turned around and sweeped the hall with my eyes, internally looking for Sumedh. What?! He's not even here yet? Where could this frog-eyed idiot be?!

I sat down, worry already clouding my other thoughts. A minute later, as the hall settled back down, Suryaveer got up to announce the rules of the swayamvar. But before he could open his mouth, the royal administrator, in charge of announcing names, spoke once again....

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Sumedh

"Padhar rahe hain, Z-Zaryani ke Rajkumar, Rajkumar Karmaveer."

I cringed at the name, remembering my not-so-smart move when I had first arrived. Well...it's time to fix things up.

I settled into steady strides towards the center of the hall, my posture strong. I took a quick scan of the hall, everyone's eyes filled with wonder, confusion, possibly...amusement? No matter how much I tried to push away the thought, it kept coming back: this was my first time ever appearing out of Sondhara since years - especially for a reason other than fighting. My eyes unknowingly drifted towards the Rajkumari, noticing the smile playing at her lips. It took all my efforts to not stare at her captivating beauty in this unfamiliar attire. A quick unnoticed nod from her allowed me to regain all my confidence. Taking a deep breath, I readied myself to do what I needed to do. My right hand rose to the cuff of my left sleeve. Slowly I lowered it down just enough for everyone to see. Almost instantly, the room erupted into loud whispers of shock. None of the guests dared to look at me in the eye because they had seen it. They had seen the thick radiant gold kangan (bracelet), etched with the symbol of Sondhara. The gold kangan which is specially made for only the royal family of Sondhara. The gasps and whispers seemed to get louder and louder, up to a point where even I could hear.

"T-this is Rajkumar Sumedh!"

"What is he doing here?!"

"This is the first time I'm seeing the R-Rajkumar!"

"If he's Sondhara's Rajkumar...what is he doing here in Suryani?!"

"Being locked up in one of those golden chambers in Sondhara probably made him desperate for any girl hahaha..."

My jaw clenched as my fists opened and closed. My hands itched to grab my sword just a few inches away. But a quick stern shake of disapproval from the Rajkumari held my patience. Instead, I walked to the nearest seat and sat down, the coldness in my eyes still remained. The tensed kings seated on either side of me started squirming in their seats - away from me. Whatever...their preference.

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Mallika

Karmaveer? Of Zaryani? You were right Sumedh...it truly was a "epic-grand" entrance. I remembered moments of the time when even I believed in that. Holding back a laugh, I settled properly in my seat noticing Bhaiya standing up once more - this time there was a sense of unease.

"My fellow Rajkumars and Kings coming from a great variation of kingdoms...the people of Suryani are honored to have you here. A marriage is a bond between both partners and it is my duty to enforce that even my dear sister has a voice in this swayamvar."