Katyayani was six years old when she first sat on a horse. She had almost grown up with it. It had been gentle and obedient, giving her warmth instead of her missing parents. By the time she turned eleven, Katyayani had outgrown the need and the temperament of that horse.
Two years later, she got the horse which she was currently riding. At the very first glance, the human and the animal had recognised the similarity in their nature. He was named 'Marichi'.
As time passed, the horse really became one with the master - noble and aloof.
"Go and check if the carriages have arrived," Katyayani instructed Trini, rubbing the shiny coat of her horse which was glistening with sweat at the moment.
The three carriages had started their descent much earlier from outside the cabin. Since the path to the wooden cabin was narrow and uneven, it would take them much longer to reach here. The carriages were carrying the trunks which Katyayani would be taking with her to the paternal house along with her.
Katyayani handed over her horse to a groomsman who was standing near the inn's stable. "Make sure you give him a thorough rub and his feed should contain some honey mixed in oats and hay. He won't eat it without the honey."
She tossed a copper coin in the hand of the perplexed looking guy.
Chatvari shook her head and said with a smile, "Why don't you head inside to freshen up. I will take care of this."
She knew how much Katyayani pampered Marichi. Just like the mistress, he was very finicky in his habits and also someone with a 'refined palate'. Of course, the fault lay with Katyayani for rearing him to be exactly like her, whether in behaviour or eating.
By the time Trini entered the charcoal heated room, Katyayani had washed up and changed into an outfit befitting a young unmarried girl belonging to a prestigious clan, under the expert ministrations of Eka.
Even though the inn looked run-down, it had great facilities and the right amount of privacy. There were no inquisitive eyes or noises around the private room which they were currently in.
Clad in a light green top with silver butterflies embroidered all over, she had paired it with a lotus pink and green silk jacket. The silken voluminous skirt had a striped pattern in pink and green running across the panels. The material used in her dress was Kosa* silk instead of its refined and expensive cousin, mulberry.
Kosa silk was relatively cheap and also native to Mandhaar, keeping in line with her need to stay low-key.
But Katyayani's demeanor remained unabated. There was an inherent aristocracy ingrained in her bones, which didn't need clothes or accessories to amplify it.
Her hair was pulled up into a braided bun with only a simple pearl and silver hairpin inserted into it. Her neck was bare and she wore droplet patterned silver earrings to keep the look subdued and simple.
Though she was wearing a simple outfit with not many embellishments, she looked exceptionally gorgeous. Trini wasn't the one to bother much with a person's appearance but Katyayani's dressed up countenance made her give the young girl a second look, as always.
But that look was one with worry! It wasn't necessarily a good thing to be too eye-catching.
"It is a pity that we have to cover up this pretty appearance now," said Eka with a regretful sigh!
Picking up the palette that contained the 'mud-pack' mixed with water, she started working on Katyayani's face and exposed body parts.
Half hour later
A wheatish face with dull features and a few pimple marks on the nose stared at Eka. Despite the muted looks, the sparkling eyes were still enough to make Katyayani earn a second look.
After making sure that the make-up was completely dried, Eka helped her put on a full-length cloak made with white fox fur and tied the silver tassels around the neck.
This mud-pack was something which Katyayani created with the help of Chatvari five years ago.
The saying, 'need was the mother of invention' held true in the little girl's case.
Since Katyayani had to hide her features as per her mother's instructions while staying in Dima, it was really painful to put on thick layers of make-up every time. Not only was it time consuming, it was also terrible for her skin to be under those harmful materials for more than ninety days. Then there was also the issue of maintaining the standard look every time.
That's how the mud-packs came about. They contained a lot of herbs, flower extracts along with some soil. But this soil was not harmful to the skin and instead carried many benefits.
There were many packs with different mixtures in each. They could create a look with pimples, or scabs or rashes and had varying degrees of complexion colors. These packets contained dried and decayed leaves and petals which had been treated to resemble these skin ailments.
Though the mixture was invented to solve her own unique problem, Katyayani sensed the business opportunity for her creation and had promptly asked Trini to 'share' these mud-packs with her mercenary brethren.
As expected, this new technique of camouflage became extremely popular, especially since it created a distinctive face for each person, dependent upon their own features. They had an edge over those masks which ran the risk of being duplicated.
To maintain their safety and anonymity, Trini pulled a lot of strings in the shadows and a persona was created.
It was claimed through 'reliable resources' that the creator behind these mud-packs was an old recluse living in Kadinga, the kingdom in the Eastern province. Hence, there was a limited and fixed supply of these packets across different kingdoms.
A decoy store had been set up by Trini on Katyayani's orders at the border of Kadinga and Mandhaar. This hidden store only sold these expensive mud packs upon recommendations and a fixed number of packets could be sold to a single individual.
This rule could be foregone in case there was a unique object or skill to exchange!
The business had not only added a fat portion to Katyayani's coffers, it had also helped her gain some cutting edge weapons and techniques in the process.
Both Chatvari and Katyayani knew that sooner or later, someone would be able to replicate the process of making this mixture. Hence, Katyayani had generated such an aura around the product, to pique interest in the right people at a fast rate.
Didn't people clamour more for things which were mysterious and tough to obtain?
*Kosa silk - made from silk that is produced from silk worms that breed on wild forest trees