Cochin

Old Royal Palace of Cochin

A young man sat at the head of a large meeting table, appearing uninterested as he fiddled with a small dagger. His bronze-toned skin, muscular physique, and battle scars marked him as a seasoned warrior. This was Bhairava Deva Raya, the second prince of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Despite his authoritative aura, his sharp yet unimpressed gaze made most people nervous in his presence. Beside him stood his most trusted retainer, Arjun, a man in his early thirties with a scar across his eye. Known as the "Butcher of the South," Arjun had earned his fearsome reputation after losing his eye in battle against the Hoysala Kingdom, where he single-handedly slaughtered over a hundred men with two swords.

Bhairava was in the current discussion about initiating economic warfare against his half-brother's faction, and turned to his uncle, Rama Varma, who represented the Royal Family of Cochin.

"Uncle, what is the next plan to damage the Imperials?" Bhairava asked.

"It will take some time to block their goods because Anand Jadhav has been snooping around a lot with his informants, Your Highness" Rama Varma reported a scornful expression forming on his face.

"We have acquired the Mangalore route for this endeavor, and since we control the area now, the tax jurisdiction also falls under us," Parvathy adds. "We can hit them hard with this. But Anand has been a problem for me,"

Parvathy Nair, the current matriarch of the Nairs of Kozhikode, had beheaded her own father and brothers during a succession fight. The Nairs were matrilineal but patriarchal, with females inheriting property but controlled by the males. However, Parvathy was an exception. In her late twenties, she was exceptionally talented in martial arts, having practiced Kalaripayattu from a young age. She became a lethal force within her family, excelling in swordsmanship.

"Tsk... This is why females shouldn't lead a family and should just stay where they belong," Vijayarama Panicker, the pot-bellied patriarch of the Panicker family, clicked his tongue as he spoke, looking down at Parvathy.

"You old bastard! Do you want your head rolling on the floor?" Parvathy shot back, glaring at him with anger.

"Stop it! Both of you, you are in the presence of the Prince!" Maniratnam Thambi, an old man with a hunched back said sternly, breaking the altercation.

"Aww... Why did you stop it? I wanted to see that old man's head rolling from my Chechi's (Sister) strike!" chuckled Ashokan Nair, the young patriarch of the Nair Family of Travancore, his hair tied up and wearing a dhoti and upper robe.

The Travancore Royal Family didn't exist in this timeline due to the shift of history, So due to this another Nair Family took control of the Travancore Region.

"I apologize for interrupting your fun, Ashokan, but I have received reports that the Crown Prince is trying to secure the vacant council seat left by Patwardhan's departure by pushing Govinda Rao as the candidate," said Kesavan Pillai, cutting into Ashokan's taunts at Vijayarama Panicker.

"Oh, interesting choice," Bhairava said, his expression turning thoughtful. "Govinda is a formidable guy. But if that's the case, we can push Ashokan as a candidate for that seat."

"Hahaha! I am ready for a challenge!" replied Ashokan.

Bhairava shifted his gaze and looked at Parvathy. " Can you handle Jadhav's snooping though? We can't afford delays."

Parvathy nodded confidently. "I'll take care of it, Your Highness. Jadhav won't know what hit him."

"Good," Bhairava replied, turning his gaze to the others. "We need to cripple the Imperials' trade. Any other suggestions?"

Rama Varma leaned forward. "Your Highness, we can also target their supply lines. Disrupt their logistics, and their strength will dwindle."

Bhairava considered this. "Arjun, what do you think?"

Arjun, ever the warrior, stepped forward. "It's a sound plan, Your Highness. Disrupting their supply lines will weaken them significantly. I suggest we use guerrilla tactics to hit their caravans."

"Very well," Bhairava decided. "We'll implement both strategies. Parvathy, handle Jadhav. Arjun, organize the raids on their supply lines."

Bhairava turned serious. "How long will it take to implement the tariff against their merchants and also hit their caravans,?"

"Your Highness, we are preparing. It can be implemented in about one or two months," Vijayarama Panicker responded.

"And what about the Patwardhans? Do you think they will fall soon?"

"Your Highness, we have been informed that their elders have gotten involved and are handling crucial operations, so they are holding out for now," Ashokan Nair informed trying to balance a small book on his finger.

"Tsk, tsk... That's unfortunate. We could take them out soon," Bhairava sighed in disappointment. He threw the dagger he had been fiddling with, piercing the wooden table in the middle.

"What about "him", Arjun? Any unusual movements?" Bhairava asked looking up at Arjun, his curiosity piqued.

"No, Your Highness. He is just lazing around and roaming freely around the empire," Arjun replied with a sigh.

"Haaa... I hoped to use him for some stuff, but he is just as useless as Harsha," Bhairava sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Just prepare to tariff their goods and blockade some of their monopolized goods in our markets," Bhairava said with a sigh as he stood up to leave.

"Understood, Your Highness," the nobles responded in unison, their attention fully on the prince as he made his way out of the room.

As Bhairava walked to his room, he shifted his gaze to Arjun and asked, "What about the mission I entrusted to you? And is my little brother up to anything unusual?" He had a smug look on his face.

"Regarding the mission, Your Highness, we have found some leads that suggest the Marathas and Mughals may be heading to war again. This time, there's a high chance the Qutbs will join in too," Arjun reported.

He continued, "As for Prince Harsha, he has made some remarkable achievements since his return from Gulbarga. He's now been invited by the Patriarch of the Nayakas as well."

Bhairava let out a loud laugh. "Hahaha... Well, well. He's starting to grow some fangs since that battle at Gulbarga, huh? Quite the troublemaker. Do you think he is a threat, Arjun?"

Arjun thought for a moment before replying, "Yes, he will be one big threat if left unattended,"

Bhairava rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Well, Then I will let you take care of my little brother," he sported a wry smile.

He continued "So Do you think the Marathas will fall this time?"

"They'll be in for a lot more trouble since the Europeans have been eyeing Surat for a long time now," replied Arjun.

"So they might collapse this time. Winning a two-way war is hard enough, and if the Qutbs have Portuguese support, it will be very bad for them," Bhairava said, his expression turning serious.

"Your Highness, do you think we should intervene and help them?" Arjun asked curiously.

"No! We cannot afford to intervene. Our economy is still on the way to recovery after all those recent wars," Bhairava quickly responded.

' Although we need the Marathas as a deterrent to Mughal expansion, I can only hope they can pull through this somehow,' Bhairava thought as he walked into his room.

"Your Highness, there is a message from your mother," a cloaked figure entered the room silently and knelt before Bhairava.

"From Mother? Is something happening in the palace?" Bhairava asked, his eyes narrowing in concern.

"Your Highness, we received news from the palace regarding the Crown Prince," the cloaked figure began.

"The Crown Prince is currently in talks with the Emperor about some sort of deal. This could be dangerous for our faction if it's something related to the throne."

"What the hell?" Bhairava exclaimed, slamming his fist on the wooden table and breaking it into two pieces. "Father's involvement means the deal is likely of national interest rather than one of Chandra's whimsical schemes."

He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "Arjun, Prepare the squad. If Chandra strikes with whatever this deal entails, it could be damaging for us."

"Which squad should we prepare, Your Highness?" the Arjun asked, looking up cautiously.

"The Agni Sena," Bhairava replied, his voice steady.

Arjun was taken aback by the order. The Agni Sena was the strongest reconnaissance and assassination unit under the second prince. He didn't question the order and asked, "What is the mission, Your Highness?"

"For now, monitor the palace and the imperial nobles. Find out everything you can about this deal."

"Is there anything particular we should focus on?" the cloaked man inquired interjecting the conversation. The man was a part of the Agni Sena.

"Gather information about Balaji Mudaliar," Bhairava ordered, his voice cold.

"Why him specifically? Your Highness," the cloaked figure asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Why else? We will assassinate him when the time is right. That man is sharp, if we can take him out sooner the better" Bhairava said, his tone sending a chill down the cloaked man's spine. 

The man nodded, rising to his feet. "Understood, Your Highness. We will proceed immediately."

As the cloaked figure exited, Bhairava turned to Arjun, who had been observing. "We must act swiftly. This could change everything."

Arjun nodded, his expression filled with determination replied. "We won't let the First Prince outmaneuver us, Your Highness."

Bhairava gave a curt nod, his mind already strategizing the next moves. The stakes were higher than ever, and he would do whatever it took to secure his position.