Part I:
Vibhakara had been quite impatient since the day Dagon had told him how the kingdom worked. It was hard for him to believe that the kingdom that he had admired and felt honoured every time he thought of it was filled with lies and secrets. There was no other thing to distract his thoughts with. All he could think about was how the things worked around the kingdom and how everyone else around him were blind to them.
It was quite a bit of shock for Vibhakara, as to how the elders of the family knew everything and still weren't disturbed because of it. He had been sleepless for nights since the incident of Janana being naked in his room. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful but, that was one thing and being naked in his bed was another.
Even though, he was the crown-prince of the Agnidhra dynasty he was still a virgin. Many of his friends had lost their virginity at the age of fifteen and were enjoying their sex façade. At the age of nineteen, Vibhakara hadn't yet gotten the confidence of touching a woman's body just for sexual pleasures.
He was a romantic at heart and knew that he wouldn't ever give into sexual desires. Vibhakara had always seen his parents in love and was sure that one day even he would have something like them. He knew that his father never really had mistresses like the other kings and ministers in the court. His father was a loyal man and would never dishonor his wife like that. Although, it was common for a king to have mistresses Vibhakara would follow his father's footsteps in this matter.
Janana had him complete lost at words and that was evident when he wasn't able to speak anything when they had first met. But, Vibhakara had to have complete control over his actions and words if he was dealing with a matter this crucial. It was expected of me- he thought.
Vibhakara saw Bahishka along with a girl as he turned around the corner. From the looks of it, it seemed like Bahishka was showing her around and explaining the paths in and out of the castle. For Vibhakara, Bahishka was a pain in the ass and he hated her with a passion. She knew about his little crush on Janana and always made sure to bring it up or give a hint about it in their secret meetings. He never trusted her and was suspicious of her as she always seemed to appear rather happy and smiling.
Vibhakara still hadn't seen the girl's face and wasn't sure if he wanted to. She was with Bahishka after all and that was enough for him to change his path. But, he couldn't help it. The way she was walking and nodding at Bahishka was different. Vibhakara thought that her movements were kind of guarded while talking to Bahishka. He shook his head at his staring and was about to go to the training grounds through a different way when Bahishka called out his name.
He sighed internally before making his way over to them. He quickly masked on his prince-face as he always did around Bahishka. He walked with a stern face and placed his behind him as he stood in front of them and asked, "Ji?"(Yes?)
Bahishka winked at him and smiled flirtishly. Vibhakara cringed at her move but didn't comment on it. He finally took a glance at the girl standing next to Bahishka. To say that his breath was knocked out of him was putting it mildly. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Her eyes were the beautiful hue of hazel and her lips were full. Her skin was shade of caramel and it looked amazing with her eyes. She was almost tall as he was and had a toned figure as to what seemed through the clothes she had.
She looked at him sweetly but, he felt uneasy. It felt as if she was shooting daggers at him while smiling at him innocently. Even though, Vibhakara couldn't take his eyes off her. Bahishka cleared her throat and it broke him from his thoughts." Prince Vibhakara, this is Adara. MahaPradhana's mistress." She gestured at Adara and Adara just nodded her head at this. This came as a shock to Vibhakara. Dagon had a mistress? How come I wasn't aware of this? But, she was so young to be a mistress. Did Dagon had a fetish for younger girls?-he thought.
Vibhakara thought that he might have been staring too long at Adara as she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Prince?" Bahishka asked him and he cleared his throat." I'm Vibhakara,"he folded his hands together and bent his head down a little to show respect," It's nice to meet you."
Adara mirrored his actions and said," It's nice to meet you too." She acted shy and guarded around him." Is this your first time visiting Agnidhra?" Vibhakara asked her. She gulped before speaking," Yes, my prince."
"Well, I hope you have a lovely time around here. Show her around Bahishka, will you?" He turned towards Bahishka and nodded at her. A smirk formed on Bahishka's face and Vibhakara dreaded his words. She was such a bitch- he thought.
"Anything for you, my prince." Bahishka smiled at him innocently but, Vibhakara knew that how many lies were hidden behind that smile of hers. Vibhakara nodded at them before turning around and making his way to the training grounds.
~~~
Vibhakara grunted as he swung his sword at the opponent but missed badly as the opponent dodged it quickly. This resulted in Vibhakara getting more angry and frustrated. He had been practicing for the last hour and was failing miserably. He knew that Jatadeva was watching his every move and that stressed him out more. Also, he was getting flashbacks from his encounter with Dagon and Janana.
Adara had also invaded his mind a bit more than he liked. As he dodged a blow from an opponent, her face appeared in front of his eyes. He was distracted again but, seemed to control his movements at the last second. First opponent tried to poke his back with the sword but, he shielded it quickly. I was getting back in my game- he thought.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the second opponent sliced his arm with a sword and Vibhakara grimaced. Everyone stopped in the same positions in fear. The opponent mere a servant looked down in fear as if he was ready for the punishment of hurting the crown-prince. But, Vibhakara looked at Jatadeva and as usual he had the stern look on his face.
If the servant would have made a mistake, Jatadeva would have immediately ordered to behead him. But, Jatadeva was looking over as if nothing had happened and that's when Vibhakara knew that it was him who had made a mistake.
Vibhakara cleared his throat and nodded at the opponents to continue the training. They all looked reluctant at first but, after getting permission from Jatadeva they resumed the training. At this point Vibhakara was more focused and successfully blocking every move.
He used the shield to block the string of arrows coming towards him and managed to beat down one of the opponents. There were three opponents remaining and he had to beat them all to earn Jatadeva's approval. Even though he had managed to get in the good sides of Jatadeva in the past; Vibhakara knew that one mistake and he was dead. He would have to start from the beginning again.
His father trusted Jatadeva more than his son and Vibhakara didn't wanted to disappoint his father. His parents both were great warriors and he aspired to be like them.
Vibhakara grunted loudly as he kicked one of the opponents hard and sliced the fingers of another one. The latter one screamed out loud and fell on the ground clutching his hand. The last opponent came at him from behind and Vibhakara patted himself mentally for having sharp senses.
He grabbed the opponent by his legs and threw him off the shoulders; which ended on him landing hard on his neck. A loud crack echoed through the training ground and Vibhakara stood up straight. His gaze fell on the balcony window and he saw Adara standing there looking surprised.
As their eyes met, Vibhakara smiled at her with a bloody face and Adara blushed at him. Just a second later, her blushing face turned into horror and eyes widened as she looked at something behind him. Vibhakara turned back just in time to see a sword piercing him through his back. The action was unexpected and he saw the opponent who he had kicked earlier holding the sword. Vibhakara gasped for air as the sword pierced more into his back.
Vibhakara felt anger rise in his chest as he showed the opponent back hard and removed the sword with his right hand. The opponent fell on his back and was struggling to get up. Vibhakara clenched the sword in his hand and pierced it straight through the opponent's heart. The opponent laid on the ground with the sword in his chest and blood pooling all around him.
He turned to look at Adara, she was standing without blinking with eyes wide open. He was about to give a smirk when a hand slapped him right across his face. This made him loose his balance and he landed on the ground. He blinked to find Jatadeva standing over him with anger in his eyes.
Vibhakara felt his eyes fill with tears as Jatadeva spat on the ground next to him and said," You are not fit to be a king."
Vibhakara wanted to back answer but he knew that would only cause him more trouble. Vibhakara shut his mouth and stood up. He kept his head down and waited for Jatadeva to announce his punishment.
"You have lost all your focus, Vibhakara. I can't train you if your mind is somewhere else." Jatadeva spoke in a stern voice and this was enough for Vibhakara to look up.
"Par Guruji?" (But Guruji?) Vibhakara reasoned out and Jatadeva just shook his head in denial. "Hume maaf kijiye Guruji. Bas ek aur mauka dijiye hume. Agar hum aapke shiksha ke kaabil nahi hai toh hum swayam yeh chod denge." (Please forgive me Guruji. Just give me one more chance. If I'm not capable of your teachings, then I will myself leave your training.) Vibhakara looked at him with hopeful eyes and was almost on the verge of crying.
Jatadeva looked away from him and just hummed,"Thik hai. Bas ek aur mauka nahi toh hum tumhe khud suza denge." (Alright. Just one more or else I will myself punish you.) This brought a smile on Vibhakara's face but, Jatadeva still gave him a stern look.
"Jao aur apne aapko saaf karo. Kal subah suraj nikalne se pehle tum yaha par haazir hone chahiye." (Go and clean yourself. Tomorrow before sunrise, you shpuld be present here.) With this being said, Jatadeva turned and walked out of the training grounds with his hands folded behind him.
Vibhakara just stood there lost at words and wounded. The blood from his cut was seeping through his pants and he grimaced as his body hurt. He turned to look at Adara but, found the balcony empty. He sighed as he made his way to the changing room to get rid of his armour suit and take a shower.
He once again glanced back at the balcony to see if Adara was still there. But, found nothing. As he was about to turn back he caught a glimpse of red lehenga and his suspicion grew.
~~~
Vocabulary-
Guruji – Master.
~~~
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