Escapade

Rajkumari Priyambada ran through the dark forest. The rain and mud made it difficult for her to wade through as her drape wrapped around her legs, was soaked and muddy, hugging her body, making it difficult for her to run faster. Desperate to get through without getting caught, Priyambada lifted her clothes to her knees and ran as fast as she could. She could feel her breath and heartbeat over everything, but had to go on. Her knees were weak, and her injured head still throbbed. She thanked her stars for paying attention in self-defence classes. A fire in the tent gave the enemy no option but to vacate it and douse its flames. That occupied them enough. Now all she had to do was find her mother and go across the border to her maternal uncle’s kingdom. Once she reached there, she would be safe. Perhaps mother and brother are already there. Her thoughts ran as fast as she did. She didn’t know how she would find her mother, but she was not ready to surrender without a fight.

Yuvaraja Ishaan Dev Varman inhaled sharply, watching the soldiers douse the fire that engulfed the tent using buckets of water from the riverbank. The princess’s allies Devdoot and Urvi stood bound in chains. 

“How did she find something to light a fire with?” His voice boomed through the night. “Who helped her?” He took his dagger out of his waistband and held it to a shivering Devdoot’s neck. He seemed a little too thin to be the bodyguard of the princess, but it seemed like he was trusted enough with it. And Ishaan Dev found his body language quite feminine for his liking. The young man had his eyes lowered and his head bowed. Ishaan Dev checked his temper.  He already regretted sparing the infant prince. The wails of a mother begging for the life of a four-year-old in her arms disturbed him. She was ready to trade her state and her daughter for the life of her infant son. She oddly reminded him of the women he had left behind back home, his mother and sister. He didn’t go near the acquired prize, but he could see she was barely of age. He had agreed to take the risk of letting the Wind clan's infant prince survive, under his terms. He was perhaps not as ready for war as he thought he was. He was not ready to kill a four-year-old as a potential threat. 

If he didn’t try to find her, there was a good chance she would be eaten by some animals that night, and if she survived, she would never find her way to her mother. He had made sure of that. Was she even a threat? Ishaan Dev grunted. He knew his conscience wouldn’t let him be.

“Bring me my horse.” He instructed, picking up his sword. “Let’s find her before she gets preyed on by the wolves.” Urvi looked up at his words as he mounted the sturdy white stallion, Vidyut, and rode off into the darkness.

Priyambada was alerted by the sound of approaching hooves as she sought an ambush in the ruins of an ancient temple in the darkness of the night. Her only escape. She had run inside and hid behind the black-stoned Phallus. She knew the architecture around was quite familiar to those in the fort. Did that mean the enemy was still within the borders of Neelambargarh? She folded her hands to the Lord. He knew how to keep her safe. He had always protected her. She closed her eyes and sobbed.

“Save me, O Lord!” She whispered. “Save Neelambargarh from these evil people!”

Yuvaraja Ishaan Dev pulled the reins of his horse as he came by the ancient temple. Something seemed to draw him towards it as he alighted and walked up the broken moss-covered steps of the temple, to only be met by a large hooded snake. The sound of the sword swinging behind her made Priyambada gasp in alarm  as Yuvaraja Ishaan Dev cut the approaching snake into two; “God have mercy.” He spoke under his breath, realising he was standing before the one who wrapped the snake around his neck. The next thing his eyes fell on was the shadowy figure behind it. The sight of Ishaan Dev had filled Priyambada with chills to her bones as she couldn’t feel her legs anymore to escape. She was trapped with the black-stoned Phallus between her and her impending doom, Ishaan Dev. On whose side the Almighty was, Priyambada wondered.

She looked more fragile than he remembered when he had first set eyes on her in the tunnel. She was still unconscious as he was told when she was brought to the camp. He hadn’t shown any inkling of interest in his prize. The enemy was killed, the kingdom was soon to be his, and everything else came in addition to that. Even this pain of a responsibility he had taken up in one weak moment, seeing a pleading mother’s tears. He cursed himself for that. His father didn’t approve, but neither did he stop the prince. Perhaps Rajadhiraja Trikal Dev was aware that his son would eventually learn from such mistakes. Now, Ishaan Dev wished his father had stopped him. This was his doing. He looked into the blank but fearless eyes looking back at him. Her body could look as fragile as an injured prey, but her eyes were fierce. 

“How dare you escape?” He jolted her with his heavy voice as he crossed over and picked her up, grabbing her upper arm forcibly. It hurt her. He knew it did. He just couldn’t care less. His eyes had primitive hunger in them. Of revenge, anger and the unfinished lust he had to give up on for… this? He expected her to fear him. Surrender to his might. Ishaan Dev was taken aback as she struggled to free her hand. Her other hand reached for the trident that stood beside the stone statue. Anticipating her move, Ishaan Dev landed her on the ground with a resonating slap.

“Now I see why enemies shouldn’t be treated with respect. You don’t deserve any.” His voice did very little as her jaws tightened. She removed the locks of hair falling over her face and looked up at him. “Accept your defeat like a true royal and surrender to your fate!”

“Then treat me like you should. A piece of meat. To have the pleasure of taking and killing.” She stood up with a little stumble to face him. “Or perhaps killing first, before having?” Ishaan Dev inhaled at the sheer audacity of the girl. How old was she? His mother always said only the bravest and boldest gave a fight till the end. Which one was she? 

“What happened? Kill me already. It is better than living every day around all of you.” Her voice was challenging. Ishaan Dev’s eyes lit up. Was he admiring her? Rajkumari Priyambada could not tell. The man looked in his early twenties, rugged and fair. His hair fell to his shoulders in waves, and there was a mark on his chin, perhaps a permanent mark left from the blade of a sword in the past. He wore stubble, very unlike men his age, who preferred a moustache. Ishaan  Dev stepped forward, closing the gap between them, trying to intimidate her. But Priyambada stood her ground, unnerved. His lips curved just a little. Was he smiling? Amused? Taunting? Priyambada frowned.

“Oh, trust me, had I wanted, you would have been dealt with this very moment. I don’t spare betrayals.” The sound of more hooves approaching made Priyambada feel weaker on her knees. Her body was giving up on her.  She knew there was no escape from this torture any time soon as Ishaan Dev stepped back and the guards surrounded her.

"But killing you will be like sparing you. I would prefer to imprison you so that you remember the lesson of messing with me every day you breathe and survive." She struggled in the arms of the two soldiers who now caught hold of her as her hawk eyes watched the prince mount his horse and leave, gesturing at the soldiers to follow him back to the camp, without sparing a single glance at her.