Before the king could tell Rani Nayantara that he didn't want her or the drink, the attendant announced the arrival of Princess Ahilya.
The door opened and Ahilya, who had been disconcerted by her father's late night summons, was further perturbed to see her mother there. The woman was nothing but trouble. Her mouth set in a firm line as she walked further into the room.
"If they want to get rid of me by marrying me off to someplace, they can think again," with that thought, she greeted her parents frostily.
The queen started to say something but the king interrupted her in a raspy voice, "Till the time I am speaking, both of you will not interrupt me."
At their cautious nods, he started speaking, "I am aware of your lofty ambitions, Ahilya but I have held you back till date because I believe that you are not ready for an expansion of your current role. Despite that, I have always been fair in giving opportunity to the both of you. But today, I am ready to give you a chance the way I gave to your brother. I am going to give you two options out of which you can only choose one, so think before you make a decision. First, along with being the military commander as you are today, I can elevate your position in the royal court and make you the prime minister. With you in this dual role, Mithilesh will not be able to do anything without your approval or support, despite becoming the king. Should you choose this, you have to give up the dream of contesting for the throne forever. If you don't agree to this, then the other choice is to prove your superiority over your brother as the next monarch without any doubt. In this case, if you fail to do so and Mithilesh becomes the next ruler, he would have the power to do as he pleases with you and your role in Himprayag. The worthiness between the two of you will be decided by the army and ministers jointly."
After such a lengthy speech, the king leaned against the sofa in exhaustion.
"Then, if I prove my worth, will I be free to do the same to Mithilesh?" Ahilya asked softly.
The king sat back up in surprise and looked at his daughter. He had been expecting her to rally against him about unfairness and harshness of the options. Never had he expected her to zero upon this and ask him such a question.
After a moment of hesitation, he nodded his agreement. But Nayantara couldn't hold it in any longer and opened her mouth to speak again. Ahilya shot her mother a severe look, shutting her down. That woman would only make things worse for her daughter and Ahilya couldn't afford her stupidity at this crucial juncture.
"Kindly allow me a free reign over the military decisions for the near foreseeable future, father, till the time that either one of us is not selected for the throne," Ahilya kept her tone polite and neutral.
"What do you intend to do? I will not have you do anything rash and foolhardy, jeopardizing the country's safety," he snarled despite the ill-health.
Ahilya smiled at her father's knee-jerk reaction. The man simply had no faith in her. Despite his earlier declaration about giving both of them the same chance, he had sent Mithilesh on a mission, making Ahilya sit on needles and pins, as her future depended upon his success or failure. She didn't know what made him change his mind and give this opportunity tonight but she was not going to let it go. She had got this one chance and probably her only shot at the throne. She was going to do what it takes!
At the back of his head, Raja Indraditya preferred his illegitimate son over Ahilya because the guy had a cold and calculative mind. Ahilya, on the other hand, was extremely hot-headed and wasn't the most tactical person, making her actions unpredictable and volatile.
"I intend to do a show of strength, father. I have plans to enter into a strategic and military alliance with another nation, with the goal of attaining dominance over the region," she explained calmly, as if discussing the purchase of a horse.
The king was visibly agitated. He hadn't seen such a large scale idea coming, that too from her.
"What do you mean? Which country? On whose authority have you dared to do this?" he shouted.
Ahilya looked at him calmly, "You are talking as if I have taken action already. Since you have decided to give me an opportunity, I am simply telling you about the way that I intend to show you that I am better than Mithilesh. His current proposal is only linked to a small monetary dependence of other countries on us, which he may be able to create after years of hard work. But if a powerful country aligned with us for mutual benefits, not only would we become economically stronger, our stature amongst the neighbours would also grow by manifolds."
The king was about to raise an objection but Ahilya bowed her head respectfully and said, "I am afraid that I cannot share any more details with you on this right now. But I promise to uphold the honour and valour of Himprayag at all costs. I hope that I will receive your blessings and support as Mithilesh did."
Raja Indraditya stared at his daughter. He had never thought that she would think of such a bold plan. He was uneasy about not knowing the details but he did promise to give her an equal chance and couldn't renege from that. Why did he do so? Reluctantly, he nodded his head.
Rani Nayantara had come tonight armed with the previous option of brining power to the country through a marriage alliance but she was surprised and happy to see her daughter opting for the same without the marriage thrown in the proposal.
Not bad, my girl!