Lust Or Love?

Chapter 4

A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE WAR STARTED.....

The sun was already down replaced by the glorious moon. Chandrama, a name of moon which made Rajani remember her little sister. She miss her a lot....probably her sister misses her too and that this work she thought wasn't easy as she thought, actually not at all. She still had no clue about what she should do now.

Until her father sends something or someone to help her. She started to walk towards the main entrance of the palace.

She sat down under a large bananayan tree and remembered the last time she saw her family.

"Mallika! " her mother scrunched her nose and moved her head disapprovingly.

"This is so unladylike like...." She said when she saw Mallika to come down of the giant guava tree with the white little kitten in her arms.

"You could have told anyone to do that...." She pointed towards the soldiers around the garden of the palace of Ajmer.

"There was no need to climb on the tree risking your life and....our prestige. " once again she scrunched her nose and then sighed frustrated.

The sixteen years old Chandrima clapped her hands happily and took the kitten from her elder sister.

"Oh maa! " she exclaimed looking at her mother. "What do you want from us? To be dressed up perfectly all the time and move around like a doll do? "

"Right! Just as our sister-in-law does?" Mallika added.

The queen sighed again and hit her temple with her hand.

"Look what have you done! " she looked towards the large whole in Mallika's skirt. It was torn when she climbed up the tree.

"Well mother I have plenty of them....." Mallika said and shrugged her shoulders uncaring.

Which made the queen even more angrier. "It isn't about the dress. It's you-" The queen was cut off as a soldier came their way and wished them.

"Huzoor is waiting for princess Mallika in her dance room....the teacher is already there! " He said and left.

"This is not it's end, remember! " her mother announced sternly as Mallika started to walk towards the dance room.

***

Putting her shoes outside she went in. A girl was standing there holding a platter with a cloth on top of it. Within seconds she threw the cloth aside and held the sword in her hand firmly. Her sharp eyes scanned the room but there was no one.

She heard a few faint footsteps and that was enough for her to know that what was coming next.

She twirled around with her sword and blocked the attack her teacher send her way.

It was the result of practice from years. She was now well trained at the age of nineteen. Her mother was always jittery and disapproving, when it came to things like this. She thought that this was for the men the women are expected to be in the house and learn things like the art of cooking, making garlands, singing and dancing which would eventually help them to become a good wife and a efficient mother.

But the king obviously thought otherwise. He have seen the glittering eyes of the thirteen year old little girl who used to watch her brother practicing his skills from afar. The amused look was always there whenever she would look at the royal sword.

It was not until a day when king Araman of Ajmer to give a chance to her daughter.

When he saw her with the royal sword in her hand, she was only thirteen then.....unaware of the fact that someone was watching her she took the giant sword in her hand. The king knew that it was too heavy for her but there was no sign of it and ironically she had a different glow in her eyes which he never saw before.

And then she gripped the handle of the sword as it was nothing and king Araman was truly surprised. Surprisingly she was holding the sword perfectly.....but how did she know?

And then he understood that this was natural! A god gift indeed!

He wasted no more time to appoint a teacher, specially for her daughter. Who would give her the knowledge of everything his sons got.

But the biggest prick in his way was his own wife, samadri! There was no way he could get her approval for this thing, obliviously thought otherwise.

And the only way he could think of it was to lie. He told her that he appointed a dance teacher for their daughter Mallika. And the queen was ecstatic. And he was rather surprised when he heard his wife say that Mallika acted unladylike.

And now after almost six years, he is watching his daughter who is blocking all the attacks easily her teacher sent her way and was attacking back with swift steps and hard determination.

She was well trained.

A smile appeared on his slightly stubbled face.

He cleared his throat and that is when the sound of clanking swords came to an abrupt stop.

Ratan singh the son of his trusted army general bowed his head down in front of the king.

Well, he cannot trust anyone else with his most beautiful daughter he had picked up the son of his own army general. He was a young man but already married with two children. Well, he cannot risk to loose his daughter.

He nodded at him and signaled to leave.

"Well I see you have learned the skill really fast. " He looked towards his daughter who was now sweating with the physical exercise she just had.

Mallika said nothing but only looked at his father with a blank face.

"And so I think it's time for you to learn the other things. " The king said.

"Other things???" Once again Mallika's eyes glowed in excitement and her face lit up!

"Indeed, only if you want to..."

"Of course father! " she squealed in excitement as she hugged her father.