The Royal Brothers of Vaimadri

"Mallika!" Indrasen rushed into the practice arena, which was rather empty that day. As he walked in, he spotted the princess, clad in her armour and helmet, practising rigorously all by herself. It wasn't unusual for her to do so, and the soldiers in Brihangad's brigade were well aware of this habit of hers. So, when Mallika could not be found anywhere in the palace, he had been asked to call her back from the arena.

"Mallika, your mother, the queen is going crazy from all this searching! You would better go back now."

"Shut up!" She didn't even pause to look at him.

"What is wrong with you?" Indrasen picked up a sword, walking towards her. "Why so moody?"

Indeed, anybody could sense a dark aura around the princess that day. Her black eyes seemed like bottomless pits. And her lips were bereft of a single smile.

"Mallika? Are you..."

Before he could finish his words, a sword came flying towards him. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he immediately lifted the blade in his hand to block the strike, then doubled over and rolled away.

"This is too much!" he shouted. "Calm down, you crazy woman! Are you trying to kill me here? Let me remind you, murder is a capital offense."

"Aren't you investigating the poison case with uncle?" Mallika snarled.

"Yeah, I am," he nodded, rising to his feet. "What of that? Is something wrong?"

"Something wrong? Have you ever bothered investigating Aparajit's background?"

Indrasen was surprised. "Aparajit? Eh? Did he piss you off?"

"Indrasen! Stop fooling around! I tried looking into his background yesterday, but there is no record related to him! Absolutely nothing! Since when did the royal army of Sailam start recruiting people of unknown origins?!"

Indrasen frowned. He knew better than to make a stupid remark. Since he had been chosen to assist General Brihangad in investigating the poisoning case, he had interrogated Aparajit numerous times. But his words had always been consistent. He had even been able to tell them how that particular poison was made! As for his knowledge of poisons, that was the only thing he hesitated to be frank about.

"I once happened to meet a master. It was from him that I learnt a little about poisons."

This had been his reply always. Personally, Indrasen had wanted to ask him further, but General Brihangad had dismissed that easily, as if it wasn't something important. So he hadn't pursued it either.

But he had never bothered to check Aparajit's background. Thus, Mallika's words caught him off guard.

"What? There aren't any records? That can't be. The army is always meticulously guarded. It isn't possible for anyone to sneak in."

"Overconfidence," Mallika sneered, before continuing to slash through the air, "can be a terrible thing."

"Look, there is something I wanted to ask you," Indrasen shrugged.

There was no reply.

"Mallika!" he continued, feeling somewhat troubled to see her as gloomy as the storm clouds. Previously, this look on her face had always been a bad omen. She had been this way either when King Bajrabaahu had done something awful to her, or when there had been news of a war or famine. Yet, this time, it was neither. Something had to be really bad to trouble her like this.

"Are you hiding something from us?"

Mallika paused. For a moment, her eyelids quivered. Indeed, she hadn't told them of the assassins. That was a big clue she had hidden, but how could she tell them about the hooded man who had saved her? Would anyone bother to believe? Even then, she had made up her mind to tell them what it was-- till she returned to the capital, and met her father.

A drop of tear slid down her face, and she immediately brushed it away, anger brimming in her eyes.

"Leave me alone, please!"

"Mallika, the king of Vaimadri and his brother are arriving in a little time. Every member of the royal family has already gathered to welcome them. Queen Svetmala has sent people all around to look for you. Are you really not coming?"

"Indrasen, what if your father was tired of your life?" Mallika suddenly blurted.

"Huh?" Indrasen was shocked. Did King Bajrabaahu... did he do something bad again?

"Nothing," Mallika replied, "I have a favour to ask for."

"Anything, princess," Indrasen bowed.

"Aparajit is not that simple. I want you investigate him and find out whatever you can about that pendant he wears round his neck."

"Okay. Rest assured, I will find out whatever can possibly be found."

"There's one more thing. Do not alert uncle about this. He is keeping something secret as well." Mallika's eyes narrowed as she remembered the old letter.

Indrasen was surprised. The bond between General Brihangad and the First Princess had always been a very good one. Since when did they start guarding against each other? Anyways, it didn't have anything to do with him. "I will bear that in mind," he shrugged his shoulders gently.

"Thanks, Indrasen." Her voice was suddenly warmer. "I will treat you to a meal later."

"Eh?" Indrasen arched his brows. Teasing this girl was always so fulfilling! "Do you mean you wish to cook for me?" It was common knowledge that Mallika didn't know how to cook anything. The last time she had tried her hand at cooking dishes, the result had been so disastrous that she had almost vowed not to step into the kitchen again.

Mallika scowled at him, "If you fail, I will be sure to do that."

"Hahahaha!"

As Indrasen was busy rolling off with laughter, Mallika tugged her sword into its sheath and began returning to the palace. She let loose her long hair, that had been tied on top of her head in a bun, and in the wind, her tresses flew all over her face, caressing her cheeks gently.

As she neared the royal gate, she spotted a huge crowd gathered there. On the platform which was used by her father for making public appearances, the figures of three men could be distinctly made out. One was tall with a broad built. He had greyish hair and tufts of beard on his face. This was her father, King Bajrabaahu of Sailam.

Beside him, stood another man, slightly shorter in height, but with a thin face that had a somewhat cunning, mouse-like look on it. His eyes were small and narrow and his lips were thin and pursed together. Though he seemed to be smiling, it didn't better his appearance much. Mallika had never seen him before, but from the way he was being treated, she could recognise him to be King Vidala, the ruler of Vaimadri. She frowned, a distinct sense of unease growing within her.

Beside King Vidala, stood his younger brother, Prince Utpala. This man was even taller than her father, with the physique of a warrior. Sure enough, he was the commander-in-chief of the forces of Vaimadri. Nevertheless, his eyes were ever fleeting, as if trying to spy on everything in front. Instead of a smile, he had. a pronounced smirk on his face, and his expression clearly spelt distaste.

Indeed, Sailam was not comparable with Vaimadri in terms of being rich and extravagant, but there was no way one could look down upon its grandeur and charm. Mallika frowned as she eyed the prince carefully. 'What a snob!' she silently remarked.

By the time she was done observing the three men, she had already reached the foot of the platform.

"Ahh! There she is!"

It was her mother, Queen Svetmala's voice. This was the person who perhaps loved her the most in the palace. As she climbed up the stairs leading to the platform, she watched her hurry towards her.

"Mallika, my child! Where did you go? You missed welcoming King Vidala and Prince Utpala!"

Mallika couldn't care less. Though this was the first time for her to meet the royal brothers of Vaimadri, she didn't get a favourable impression of them.

"I am sorry, Ma" she smiled at her mother. Even if she was displeased, it wasn't a reason for her to be rude to her mother, the one who cherished her the most. "I was practising."

"Aye, come on now. You should take breaks from your terrible practice regimes once in a while, you know?"

"Sure! But I wasn't in the mood to skip practice today."

They walked right up to the three royals standing in the centre of the stage, exchanging pleasantries among themselves.

"Ah, isn't that the First Princess?" A sly smile spread on King Vidala's countenance as he turned his gaze on Mallika.

At the very instant, Mallika felt a wave of cold current flow through her body. She shuddered slightly, before calming herself down. What was wrong with this man? The further she neared him, the farther away she wanted to go from him. She looked into his thin eyes, and spotted a glint of suppressed cruelty, that made her heart do a back flip. She wanted to move away from this man, and from the place where he stood.

" Mallika greets Your Majesty! Pranam!" she greeted him nevertheless.

"I see!" Vidala continued. "What people say isn't at all an exaggeration! You are indeed a born beauty!"

Mallika forced a smile. But she couldn't help feeling shocked at a sudden headache that had begun growing in her.

"What a well-mannered girl!" The king of Vaimadri continued to snigger, to emphasize the fact that Mallika hadn't thanked him for his compliment earlier. But Mallika kept quiet.

"What's wrong with you?" Queen Svetmala nudged her back. "Your Majesty, please overlook her behaviour. She seems to not be in a good mood."

"That's understandable, queen," Vidala waved his hand in the air, smiling. "After all, a girl who has faced so many murder attempts cannot be expected to be in a good mood, right? Who knows what's waiting for her next?"

His words shocked Mallika. Her eyes flew to rest on his malicious smirk.

"After all, your girl does have nine lives. She seems to pull through everything! Lets see, how long her luck keeps her going!"