Chapter 12: Potrait and Bangles
Palace of Rana.
Anya, Indu and Amir were soon departed after Prince Arjun to Rana, as of the state of the Nanda and war.
There was a war coming and they had to prepare. Anya, Indu and Amir returned few days after Arjun who had been devising the plan.
Three weeks hsd passed, Anya was also involved in the decision making as per King Ameya's request who trusted his daughters wits.Everything was
Back to somewhat normalcy of they had in their kingdom.
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Indu accompanied Katha to the Kalika temple that was at the very end of their region, the third youngest of Rana and Indu's last elder sister.
Katha was mute and shy, she often blamed herself for this disability that made her feel useless. She refused to leave the kingdom and often shut herself down from meeting strangers. Her family respected that and didn't force her to meet anyone,Katha also had severe self-hate she was coping with. Today was a rare occasion and she had decided to go out with Indu to the temple of Kalika, the goddess of power and protection.
Indu prayed for Anya, her eldest sister, who was getting married to Nayan, the prince of a neighboring kingdom. She prayed that no bad eyes would affect her sister's happiness and that she would have a prosperous and peaceful life. She also prayed for Katha, hoping that she would find some joy and confidence in herself.
As they returned to the palace, Indu saw Prince Nayan had also visited them, to discuss about the warfare.
Indu and Katha had just took a seat in their room.when Princess Indu was called.
"Princess Indu, The king has asked for your presence in the court."
Indu looks confused as she was usually not asked to visit the court unless she had caused some trouble.
She signed to Katha letting her know she is been called.
Princess Indu was curious as she entered the court of her father, King Rana. She saw the canvas and a set of paints, ready to draw the portrait
Soon she was made aware it was of the most feared enemy of their kingdom: Ivaan, the demon tyrant.
Apparently not a lot people had seen his , face and survived death except for two people in this court: Princess Indu and her elder brother, Prince Arjun.
She had encountered Ivaan during the festival of Nanda, even though He had worn the helmet mask that covered most of his face, except for his eyes. His eyes were piercing and cold, like two shards of ice.
Indu had barely escaped with her life, and returned to their kingdom according to her father. King Rana had summoned her He also ordered Indu to draw a portrait of Ivaan, based on her and Arjun's description, so that he could study his enemy and devise a strategy and not miss Ivaan again.
Indu had agreed, but she was confident in her skills. She was a good artist, but she had never drawn a person before, with just describtion. She had only seen Ivaan's eyes, and she had to rely on Arjun's memory for the rest of his features. Arjun had told her that Ivaan had long black hair curled up until his neck, a sharp nose, a thin mouth, and a minor scar on his left cheek. He had also said that Ivaan was tall and muscular, and that he wore a dark armor with spikes.
Indu had tried her best to capture Ivaan's likeness, but she was not satisfied with the result. She had spent hours on the portrait, adding details and shading, but she still felt that it was incomplete.
She hoped that her father would not be disappointed. She did not want to let him down.
She reached the throne, where her father was sitting, surrounded by his generals and advisors. She bowed respectfully, and presented the canvas to him. He took it, and looked at it carefully. His expression was unreadable.
Indu held her breath, waiting for his verdict. She glanced at Arjun, who was standing next to her. He gave her a reassuring smile, and nodded slightly. He had seen the portrait before, and he had told her that it was good, that it looked like Ivaan, and this will help the Soldiers immensely.
But Indu was not sure. She looked at the portrait again, and felt a strange sensation in her chest. She gasped.
She could not believe it. How the person in the portrait who looked so innocent and young will be the same person who had killed so many innocent people, who had threatened her family and her kingdom, who had mocked her and her brother, who was her sworn enemy?
She felt disgusted looking at him. She wanted to tear the portrait apart, to erase it from her mind.
"This will help a lot, Raghav, please have the artists create the copies of this potrait and shared it between the Nanda and Rana soldiers." The King said.
"Thank you, My Little rabit, your have grown so talented." King Rana praises accompanied by Anya.
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Prince Nayan had been looking forward to this day for a long time. He had come to the kingdom of Rana for a political meeting, but he also wanted to see Anya. He had met her about a month ago at a festival. They had exchanged a few letters ever since, but they had not seen each other in person for almost a month.
He had to endure the long and boring meeting that took hours of debate and planning, where he was able to steal glances at Anya, who was sitting next to her father, looking as beautiful as ever. She wore a red silk saree, adorned with gold jewelry.She smiled at him whenever their gazes met, and he felt his heart skip a beat.
As soon as the meeting was over, he excused himself and met her at the palace gardens, where she was waiting for him. He had brought a gift for her, a set of glass bangles that he had bought from a local market. He had hoped she loved glass bangles, even though they were considered too simple for a princess. He had seen her wear them during the visit.
He was nervous to give her the gift, as he was afraid that she might think that he was being cheap or disrespectful. He wanted to impress her, but he also wanted to show her that he knew her well. He hoped that she would appreciate his gesture, and that she would wear the bangles for him.
He reached the gardens, where he saw her standing under a mango tree, surrounded by flowers. She turned and saw him, and her face lit up. He whispered "Its so nice to meet you again, Anya."
"Its so nice to see you too, Prince Nayan. I'm happy to see you." She said, pulling back and looking into his eyes. She noticed the small wooden box in his hand, and asked, "What is that?"
He blushed, and said, "It's a- a gift for you. I hope you like it." He handed her the box, and watched her open it. She gasped, and took out the bangles. They were of different colors, ranging from blue to green to yellow to pink to brown. They glittered in the sunlight, and made a tinkling sound when she shook them.
"They're beautiful, Nayan. Thank you so much. How did you know that I love glass bangles?" She asked, smiling.
He smiled back, and said, "I would like to pay attention to the things you like, Anya. I remember you had worn glass bangles I thought you might like these ones. They match your saree, and some your eyes."
She blushed, and said, "You're so sweet, Nayan. Come" She asked him , and led him to a bench. She sat down, he asked her to help her put on the bangles. He took one bangle at a time, and slid it over her wrist, gently. He admired how the bangles looked on her, and how they contrasted with her gold jewelry. He kissed her wrist, that made her gasp and said, "You look stunning, Anya. The bangles suit you."
She smiled, and said, "Thank you, Nayan. I love the bangles,"
He looked into her eyes, and said, " Anya. You have no idea how special you are to me." He looks at her lost in her eyes.
They were interrupted by a voice, saying, "Ahem, ahem. Don't mind me, I'm just passing by." They broke the stare, and saw Indu, Anya's younger sister, standing behind them. She was grinning, and holding a basket of mangoes. She said, "Hello, Nayan. Nice to see you again. I hope you're enjoying your stay in our kingdom."
Nayan cleared his throat, and said, "Hello, Indu. Yes, I'm enjoying it very much. Thank you for your hospitality."
Indu winked, and said, "Oh, I'm sure you are. Especially now that you've met Anya. You two look so cute together. I'm happy for you."
Anya rolled her eyes, and said, "Indu, stop teasing us. You're such a troublemaker."
Indu laughed, and said, "I'm sorry, Anya. I can't help it, teasing you and I want you to be happy. And I can see that Nayan makes you happy. He even brought you glass bangles. That's so thoughtful of him. I like him."
Anya smiles and blushes, "Shut up Indu, you are not invited here"
Nayan teases "it's ok Anya, she can stay."
Indu smiled, and said, "Thank you, Nayan. You're a good friend too. And I hope you'll be more than that soon. I hope you'll be my brother-in-law. I'm rooting for you and Anya. You have my blessing."
Anya and Nayan looked at each other, and.look away "And You're welcome. Now, let me leave you alone. I don't want to spoil your romance. But before I go, do you want some mangoes? They're fresh and sweet, just like you two."
Anya and Nayan smiled at this, and said, "Sure, we'll have some mangoes. Thank you, Indu."
Indu handed them the basket, and said, "You're welcome. Enjoy the mangoes, I'll see you later." She waved, and left.
Indu walked away, towards Arjun's room, where he was practicing his archery skills. Arjun had managed to wound Ivaan, but not before Ivaan had slashed his shoulder with his sword. Arjun had barely escaped with his life, and had been recovering
He looked pale and tired, and his shoulder was still bandaged. He smiled when he saw her, and said, "Hello, little sister. What brings you here?"
Indu walked up to him, and handed him the basket of mangoes. She said, "I brought you some mangoes, brother. They are the best ones in the orchard. I thought you might like them."
Arjun thanked her.
Indu smiled, and said, "You're welcome, brother. I'm glad you like them. How are you feeling? Is your shoulder better?" Arjun shrugged, and said, "It's healing, slowly. It still hurts, but not as much as before. I have to keep practicing, though. I can't let Ivaan get away with what he did. I have to avenge our people, and our father." Indu frowned, and said, "Brother, I know you want to fight Ivaan, but you have to be careful. You're not fully recovered yet. You shouldn't overexert yourself. You need to rest, and heal. You can't defeat Ivaan if you're not at your best."
Arjun shook his head, and said, "I can't rest, Indu. I have to be ready. Ivaan is still out there, don't you remember the words he had left. He is plotting his next move. He won't stop until he destroys us all. I have to stop him, before he does. I have to protect you, and and our kingdom. It's my duty, as the crown prince, and as your brother."
Indu looked at him with admiration, and worry. She said, "Brother, I understand your duty, and I respect it. But you have to understand, you're not alone. You have me, and mother, and our loyal soldiers. We're all with you, brother. We'll fight Ivaan together, as a family, as a nation. But we need you, brother. We need you alive, and well. Please, don't push yourself too hard. Please, take care of yourself."
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2k words.
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