Vajradandaka had a headache every time he had to marry one of sisters off. It was the responsibility of a grown man and he was still a child. On one side, first princess Sarapriya was still not married keeping the tensions between Abhaya and Rtadhara raising every year. Not only that, this year she was already twenty-two. Soon she will be called an old maid. Vajra had no power over her decisions however. Whenever he asked if she wanted to break off the engagement with Hara, she said no. Whenever he asked if she wanted to marry, she said no. The Abhaya people were furious considering that their Yuvaraja was already in his late twenties and was still without a wife or heir. The political situation has changed and Vajra was confident that Abhaya will not be violently overtaken by the four major kingdoms. But there could still be other threats. However, he steeled his heart and decided to let Sara go. Unfortunately, the woman herself doesn't have any confidence her little brother can take care of himself. So she remained. She was still traumatized by that event from when he was ten and nearly became catatonic.
Bhupriya was already in love with Teer-gaan, who was from a political family. So after marrying her, Vajra only had three more sisters to form alliances. Alliances were important for a young king like him in a nation like Rtadhara that was already up against the four major kingdoms. But as luck would have it, Agnipriya was a divine awakened. Rtadhara's divine awakened were different from other kingdoms' divine awakened in that their blood was very pure. They were far more powerful and destructive if need be. Naturally, Vajra cannot hand over all that power to some other country. So he married her to Surya clan which was another ancient clan with great prominence that still didn't break away from Rtadhara to form its own state. Historically, all the clans that rule the six major kingdoms and thirteen minor kingdoms that rule the drylands belonged to Rtadhara.
Now Vajra was only left with two sisters. Kavya-gauri was still young and she was a bit insensible just like her mother. Vajradandaka was very much sure she would just go ruin all the good feelings between both parties no matter who he married her to later on.
That left only Varunapriya. And she was like this.
Perhaps it really was wrong to seek alliances through marriage?
No. My brain is fried and I'm having crazy thoughts.
Varunapriya had a somewhat guilty expression looking at her brother being so troubled. But she quickly changed it into the previous irate one upon seeing him look up.
"If you really want to form alliances through marriage, why don't you marry a princess from another country huh? Instead, you want to marry sister-in-law. You wouldn't even let her go back to Malaya!" her tone was as though she was disgusted. As though she totally forgot she was the one who proposed the idea back when Vajra was non-responsive in the Lotus Seat.
'You know what Vaju,' she said back then, in her miffed tone, one hand going over the other in a faux ladylike manner, 'You are just acting up because you lost this round with the grown-ups. In my opinion, you over reached, going up against three of the most brilliant minds of this generation plus one dumb second mother. But there's still a way for you to make a comeback. I'll tell you if you make a sound…any sound except for crying.'
Vajra didn't make any sound. He didn't turn his head and kept looking at the ceiling blankly. But the princess was impatient. She also liked showing off her wits. So she gave him the answer anyway. 'If you marry sister-in-law who is now a widow, then you can appoint Little Hell to be your heir. That way, brother's blood will still end up on the throne and those old foxes who thought they won will lose!"
Varuna thought he never heard her. But he did. And he remembered. For Vajra, it was natural to do what Varuna says. She was not only his older sister, but also his close confidant and a dear friend. She was his guide.
But apparent she doesn't remember it now. Who was the one who forgot their friendship and all the old times? Nowadays, Varuna would not even come to the secret place on the eaves because 'her dress would get all messed up'. Vajradandaka was not allowed to live in the west wing's eight palaces anymore because he was all grown up and the Tri-Shakti palace complex was not a place for men. He still went to the secret place like a thief trying not to get spotted just so the two of them could have one of their private conversations. But Varuna started showing up less and less as they grew older. Vajra would've waited all evening for her only to find out later that she had been entertaining guests. Varuna loathed guests as a child. She felt that they didn't get her. But as she slowly blossomed into a beauty, it didn't matter that they didn't get her. They still praised her and fawned over her like it's what they were born to do. Vajradandaka still didn't know if his sister liked such behavior or if she was having fun making sarcastic comments about those people in her head like she always does. Earlier, he used to lean towards the latter. Now, he was not sure anymore.
Looking at her brother being unresponsive, Varunapriya thought she might have gone overboard. Hastily, she waved her hands to get some distance from her brother. "Ok kiddo. Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm going somewhere now, so don't get in my way alright?"
Vajra came to his senses as well after receiving a shock from her earlier. He assumed she remembered that it was her idea in the first place and recanted that statement.
It was all that took to please him. Smiling goofily, he said, "Then let's go together. We haven't gone riding in a long while! Let's go Varu!"
The reaction snapped him back to reality though. "Vaju, why are you being such a dick all of a sudden? Did that bitch Agni asked you to latch on to me like a bloody leech? What the hell is her problem?! Didn't you come here with your future cutie little daughter? Go be a daddy to her. Go! Get lost!"
Ah, how costly the freedom to curse freely. And how rich his fourth sister was… Vajradandaka had a little earthquake inside his head as she rained curses on him. People think he was pampered by four women since he was a child. Really, he was abused. By now, Vajradandaka had built up an innate fear of them that he was not sure he would be able to conquer in this lifetime.
"What is wrong if I go on a ride with you?" he asked dazedly.
Varunapriya looked impatient and angry, but she took a deep breath and explained. "I just want to go out and get some fresh air. By myself! I want to be alone alright? Why is that so hard to understand for all of you?" she yelled. "Now let me go quickly before that bitch comes with her sissy husband to take even this little freedom away from me. Clearly, when it comes to deciding my own life, I don't have any. At least let me have a goddamn ride outside the mountain!"
The poor king felt a sharp pain between his eyebrows. He realised his mistake now. He should've addressed this problem first. The problem with the 'sissy husband'. Wonder what that was all about…
"Ok, go," he said, defeated. "Don't worry. Even if third sister comes, I won't let her manage your freedom. She's a woman married out of the family now. She shouldn't be able to manage our affairs."
"You should've thought about that before you gave her to the man with most power in this palace!"
"I'm the man with most power in this palace!"
Varunapriya scoffed and left without looking back. Vajradandaka didn't mind it this time though. His sister always behaved that way when she made a faux pas. Because she was being restricted by the guards, she momentarily felt that the Captain of the Royal Guard was the most powerful man in the grounds. She only knew it was stupid when she said it out loud.
Chuckling, Vajradandaka watched her back as she walked away haughtily. Earlier, Varunapriya was not like that. She was just like him with a million thoughts in her head, but without morning's physical training. Consequently, her gait was loose and her steps were uncoordinated. She was a real klutz who always had her head in the clouds. She had very little of that princess's grace no matter how much her sisters tried to train her. But looking at her now, she had a princess's arrogance and pride. Her haughty steps were each stomping on someone's head and their ego, her shoulders were taut and her spine was erect like a pole revealing her status as someone who was in power and liked to use it.
The transition in Vajra's mind was as though the klutz had gathered all the thoughts from the clouds and transformed them into a thunderbolt she couldn't wait to release on the world.
"No wonder she is the daughter of Indra…" he clicked his tongue, lamenting.