❝ ʙᴀᴜᴊɪʀᴀᴊ, ɪ ᴀᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴍʏ ᴡɪғᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜs. ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ sᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴀᴅɪ ᴋᴜᴡᴀʀᴀɴɪsᴀ? ❞

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

The arena made up of mud and soil was where all the soldiers had gathered around. The vast arena, enough for fifty soldiers to practice comfortably, now contained the focus of five hundred soldiers surrounding the place. This lesson of today's morning, was indeed important.

Today their head commander of the army, was in the midst of sparring with hundred soldiers all at once. The soldiers had no doubt that he would win either-way.

The man standing in the middle of arena wore plain white dhoti and a thick golden waist band, called kamarbandh clasped on his waist.

Holy beads threaded in the golden chain ran across his torso. A rudraksh tied on his bicep within the gold chain which glinted in the sun.

His perfectly chiseled body, which contained an eight pack was covered in mud and soil. His maatrabhumi's soil which he was deeply devoted to.

His face was concealed with a simple mask that every soldier wears during battle representing their kingdom Awadh.

The mask represented equality among the soldiers. That no matter who you are, how old you are or what cast you belong to, all of you are equal for your motherland.

The higher officials that are commanders, wear the same mask but made up of silver. The king wears the one made up of gold when he steps into the battle. The difference in metals represented their ranks in the army.

His black hair ruffled freely in the mild winds of plateaus. His asht-ratnani body shone reflecting the sun-rays where a thin sheet of sweat had formed. He was without any weapon while the soldiers were armed with swords.

Develop your body itself into the weapon. This was the lesson he was teaching his army today. And after two hours of sparring at the moment, just twenty five soldiers were left standing. The soldiers were frustrated and becoming sloppy. He smirked.

To be calm of all emotions is the first necessity of the battle. He used his body in such a way and attacked at such pressure points that just a small pinch on the neck or a smack at back of the head made soldiers unconscious. Not even bothering about using combat skills.

Speed and alertness. He was stealthy and just like a lightning bolt traveling the distance between soldier to soldier. They were rendered shocked and frozen contemplating the situation. And in a second of indecision, he would render them unconscious.

In just minutes, the arena had more than fifty unconscious soldiers and some were simply sitting there unable to move from exhaustion. And the referee announced the winner.

❝ ᴋᴜɴᴡᴀʀsᴀ ᴀᴅʜʀɪᴋ ᴜᴅᴀɪᴘʀᴀᴛᴀᴘ sɪɴɢʜ ʀᴀɢʜᴜᴠᴀɴsʜɪ ❞

"Baujiraj Adhrikji ki- " yelled a soldier.

"JAI.JAI!" Cheered all.

He simply joined his hands in respect towards his fellow soldiers and left towards his camp. There were things he needed to take care of as a responsible army commander and crown prince.

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

"Kunwarsa, allow me to visit my wife now," said Pandit Chakrapani Mishra. The best-friend and one of his closest confidants. Sitting on the meeting table with his close-circle, kunwarsa couldn't help but laugh.

"It seems you miss your wife more than ranimaa's kheer Chakrapani Mishra." teased the crown prince of Awadh. In return the said pandit turned red. All the other friends laughed out loud at his predicament.

"If only you have told me that 𝑀𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑖 𝐽𝑎𝑦𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑎 is making kheer earlier, I would have decided to visit my wife only after eating it," replied the now red Pandit. Again all laughed louder at him.

"No no Mishraji, you go to your wife only. We will eat Maharanisa's kheer on our own." Another friend of theirs, Bhargav Rao, teased.

"Badimaasa is making kheer especially for dadabhai Adhrik. I bet it will taste sweeter. You know he has not visited Udaigadh in the past seven years," said Kunwarsa Shakti. He was younger brother of the crown prince kunwarsa Adhrik.

𝐾𝑢𝑛𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑎 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑘𝑡𝑖 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑔ℎ 𝑅𝑎𝑔ℎ𝑢𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖 was the son of Maharana Udaipratap Singh Raghuvanshi and his second wife 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑖 𝑆𝑎𝑗𝑗𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑎. And the youngest queen 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑖 𝐷ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑎'𝑠 son with Maharana, was yet a young boy of 10 summers.

The love between both kunwarsa Adhrik and Shakti was no less than real brothers. Their younger brother, 𝐾𝑢𝑛𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑎 𝐽𝑎𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑔ℎ 𝑅𝑎𝑔ℎ𝑢𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖 was yet to bond with them. As both the princes didn't visit the palace in the last seven years.

Shakti visited for formal matters three years earlier. But Adhrik never did so. He was more focused on making the borders of his nation yet more stronger and spreading them further and further.

"Pray kunwarsa Shakti and Mishraji, that our kunwarsa Adhrik likes the kheer by Maharanisa and decide to spend some days in the palace," said Maansingh Raodeva, rolling his eyes.

"On that note, we will also get some time with our wives. Because at this rate, my wife will murder me if I left her for another war with her self proclaimed 'sautan', my sword." He added further as a reason.

And everyone had another hearty laugh. After sometime they all left while giving kunwarsa and panditji some privacy. As panditji asked for a private talk with the crown prince.

"Baujiraj, I am going to meet my wife after months. Do you have anything to send to badi kuwaranisa?" asked Chakrapani. As he often delivered the letters between kunwarsa and badi kuwaranisa himself.

Badi kunwaranisa. The name was given to the anonymous first wife of beloved Kunwarsa Adhrik Singh Raghuvanshi.

The woman herself didn't knew what she was achieving, by handling the palace and royal harem with Maharani Jayvanta baisa, the chief queen of his father and his beloved mother.

A sigh left his lips. He has never seen her face in the past ten years of their marriage. Albeit, the lady was a force to be reckoned with.

Her political suggestions and war strategies were not something to be taken lightly. She had become strength behind himself.

His subjects deeply respect the anonymous wife of his. As she has rendered many services to the common public in the name of the royal family.

He has heard from his friend Chakrapani Mishra that she now is the best doctor in Awadh. Maybe all over the land.

She has learned many skills in politics and warships too. And also that she has become a beautiful maiden from a little girl he remembered her as.

According to Chakrapani Mishra's description. Strictly. As time went by, his rage had declined considerably. And now he thinks they have established a cordial relationship.

Maybe not according to the social norms. But he has no regrets. Yet.

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

sʜᴀʙᴅ-ᴋᴏsʜ :- ᴅɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʀʏ

ᴅʜᴏᴛɪ : ᴛʀᴀᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ʟᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴄʟᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴍᴀʟᴇs.

ᴋᴀᴍᴀʀʙᴀɴᴅʜ : ᴡᴀɪsᴛ ʙᴀɴᴅ.

ʀᴜᴅʀᴀᴋsʜ : ᴀ ᴛʏᴘᴇ ᴏғ ʙᴇᴀᴅ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪs ᴡᴏʀsʜɪᴘᴇᴅ ᴀs ᴀ sʏᴍʙᴏʟ ᴏғ ᴍᴀʜᴀᴅᴇᴠ.

ᴀsʜᴛ-ʀᴀᴛɴᴀɴɪ : ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ʙᴏᴅʏ.

ʙᴀᴜᴊɪʀᴀᴊ : ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ.

ʀᴀɴɪᴍᴀ : ǫᴜᴇᴇɴ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.

ᴋʜᴇᴇʀ : ʀɪᴄᴇ ᴘᴜᴅᴅɪɴɢ.

ʙᴀᴅɪᴍᴀᴀsᴀ : ᴇʟᴅᴇsᴛ ᴡɪғᴇ ᴏғ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ.

ᴍᴀɴᴊʜᴀʟɪ ᴍᴀᴀ : ᴍɪᴅᴅʟᴇ ᴡɪғᴇ ᴏғ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ.

ᴄʜᴏᴛɪ ᴍᴀᴀ : ʏᴏᴜɴɢᴇsᴛ ᴡɪғᴇ ᴏғ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ.

ᴅᴀᴅᴀʙʜᴀɪ : ᴇʟᴅᴇsᴛ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.

ᴍᴀʜᴀʀᴀɴɪsᴀ : ᴇʟᴅᴇsᴛ ǫᴜᴇᴇɴ.

sᴀᴜᴛᴀɴ : ᴄᴏ-ᴡɪғᴇ.

ʙᴀᴅɪ : ᴇʟᴅᴇʀ.

ᴋᴜɴᴡᴀʀᴀɴɪsᴀ : ᴡɪғᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ ᴏʀ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇss.