Himprayag
Even though Mithilesh was the son of Raja Indraditya's concubine, he had been treated nothing less than the royal prince and enjoyed the same privileges as his fully blue-blooded sister.
His sister… he hated Ahilya to the core.
Despite the king meting out the same treatment to both his children, his 'dear sister' never missed any opportunity to remind him of his lowly birth. In her opinion, had this been any other country except Himprayag, he would not even have been allowed to enter the royal palace, forget dream about ruling it someday.
Luckily for him, his father like his ancestors, believed in the motto of 'Worthiest Ruler' which meant that the both of them had a shot at becoming the head of this snow-covered monarchy. Also, he may not have been born to the Queen but his mother was the official concubine. That should count for something too, right?
Mithilesh may not be as strong a warrior as his sister, but his braincells were far more advanced than that of his sibling. In fact, he had already started moving his chess pieces and was hoping to see the effects, soon.
"I think your skills have become a little rusty after all that leisurely travel through the country," Ahilya said to her second-in command.
She had managed to subdue her sparring partner and had her sword at the other person's neck.
Gayatri removed the pointed blade away from her pulsating vein in the neck and snorted at her chief commander.
"Leisurely? Fighting the bandits day and night across the length and breadth of the country would make this subordinate of yours tired, not rusty. Especially, if you drag her to the practice arena right when she has just arrived back after twenty hours of non-stop travel," she retorted.
"Is that complain that I hear from your mouth? Are you upset with me for not being caring enough?" Ahilya gave her a coquettish smile.
Suddenly the air between them shimmered and the mood shifted from professional to intensely personal.
Gayatri took the sword from Ahilya's hand and threw it on the ground. She pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered in her ear, "I have missed you!"
Ahilya leaned in and soaked the musky fragrance of her comrade, who was also her lover and replied, "Not more than I."
"Tut-tut, here also, you will try and win an upper hand, Princess?" Gayatri pushed her back and asked.
"Let's find the answer to this in my chambers, shall we?" Ahilya said and picked up her fallen sword.
Her lean figure and taut muscles did not accurately reveal her inner coiled strength which was the result of many years of long practice in the dusty, rough ground. There was no weapon which she couldn't yield, and was one of the best warriors of Himprayag. But more than that, she was known for her legendary discipline.
The only weakness she had, was the one walking next to her. The girls had grown up doing everything together, compete, fight, practice and now… love. Gayatri was her biggest advocate and understood her burning ambition to lead the country one day, someday. Ahilya had hoped that this support would come from her mother but unfortunately, Nayantara devi was busy playing politics with the King's favourite concubine, Mithilesh's mother.
Few hours later
"Prince Mithilesh, Rudradev is here to see you," a maid came and informed him.
He hadn't managed to go back to sleep after the early morning wake-up because of his sister's show of strength and now had a throbbing headache right at the start of the day. But he had been looking forward to this meeting since a long time now. After a careful evaluation and cleverly pursuing him, Mithilesh had managed to get his father's most treasured minister to his chambers.
A pale, short, slim guy stood in the wide hall, examining one of the scrolls which was displayed on the book shelf.
"I see you are interested in your native country's artifact. I believe it was gifted to the then king of Himprayag by the first queen of Chandragarh and was personally brought by one of your ancestors," Mithilesh's pleasant voice made Rudradev pivot and look at him.
The man hadn't bothered to wash up or change and walked into the hallway in his disheveled state.
As he caught the other man's stare, Mithilesh grinned and said, "I didn't want to keep you waiting. Hence, I forewent the bother to wash-up. I hope you don't mind."
Rudradev said nothing but sat down on one of the seats after being offered.
"I am flattered by your interest in me, Prince Mithilesh. Please tell me how can I be of service to you," he spoke after a beat.
Mithilesh leaned back in his chair and studied the passive faced man. He had heard great things about this young minister from various sources. The guy had managed to keep a low profile but tales of his growing influence over the royal court reached Mithilesh, eventually.
Even though Mithilesh prided himself on being smart, he was also wise to recognise someone who was better than him.
"I want you to help me gain the throne," he said without batting an eyelid.
Rudradev had come prepared for something akin to this but didn't expect the Prince to say it directly, without any preamble. If he didn't know any better, he would have assumed the Prince to be too hasty or too naïve. But he was well aware of Prince Mithilesh's political acumen. Had it not been for the sheer brilliance of Princess Ahilya's military prowess, Mithilesh would have become the successor to the throne long ago.