Chapter 1

Heavy footsteps followed by quick panting filled the corridors of the castle as a palace maid scurried around, tension visible on her face. It was the morning of the Ashwamedha Yajna for the kingdom of Karusha, where a horse was to be sacrificed to seek progeny and general prosperity for the kingdom. The king, Maharaj Dayananda, and his queen,Maharani Shambhavi, were blessed with a prosperous kingdom, two lovely children, and citizens who they loved and whom the citizens loved and respected back. In order to maintain the prosperity of the kingdom, they had arranged for an Ashwamedha Yajna, after which 100 Brahmans were to be fed and the citizens would be gifted with gold coins. The palace was bustling with people coming in and out and the palace. Maids were busy gathering the necessary preparations needed for the Yajna. However one particular maid could have cared less for the preparations. She was frantically looking around for the young princess of the kingdom, Rajkumari Swarnalata. At the age of 7, Rajkumari Swarnalata was a mischievous one, refusing to sit still in one place, stealing mangoes from the mango tree in the palace garden, getting into fights with little boys, and challenging her brother, Rajkumar Devadatt to archery and sword battles her tiny body would eventually lose too. However, she was the apple of her father's eye and the kingdom's beloved princess who at the moment couldn't be found anywhere.

"Have you seen the Rajkumari?" the maid asked the guard, out of breath, evident that she had been running around for the past hour trying to look for the little princess.

"I believe I saw her run to the garden a while back", replied the guard.

The maid hurried on to the palace garden, squinting her eyes under the scorching sun trying to find the princess, when her eyes made out a little figure lying on top of the mango tree.

"Rajkumari, you must get down from the tree right now or else you will get hurt!" yelled the maid.

Swarnalata's eyes opened as she pulled her little hands in front of her to block out the blazing sun from her face.

"Rajkumari, please get down from there", yelled the maid once again.

"I am comfortable here Dai Maa, I will not be coming down until father releases the horse", said Swarnalata.

Just this dawn, a white horse with black spots had arrived to be sacrificed for the Ashwamedha Yajna and Swarnalata had taken an immediate liking towards it. Despite her mother's insistence, her father had allowed Swarnalata to ride the horse with the assistance of a palace guard. However Swarnalata was shocked to realize that the very horse she had taken a liking towards, was being prepared for sacrifice. She cried and begged her father to release the horse but one glare from her mother told her otherwise while the Maharaj gently wiped her tears and told her that he will get her another horse just like the one being sacrificed. Ever since dawn, Swarnalata was gloomy and refused to take part in the ceremony so she decided to run away and take shelter in her favorite spot in the garden.

"Rajkumari, the horse is being sacrificed for the prosperity of the kingdom. Don't you want the kingdom and its people to thrive?", said the Maid.

"But isn't everyone happy? Why do we have to kill a horse!", yelled Swarnalata.

The maid knew there was no arguing with the princess. While she was being taught of the Vedas and scriptures, she was still a child and stubborn.

"It is ritual Rajkumari, you will come to understand when you grow older. Come now, you must bathe and get dressed and prepare for your performance after the yajna.", said the maid.

"Brother doesn't have to sing for the public so why do I? I don't want to go, I don't want to see them kill the horse" exclaimed the princess.

The maid knew how much the princess envied the prince's freedom. After much pleading and crying on the princess's part, who once saw her brother being trained in archery and sword, the Maharaj and Maharani had allowed for the princess to take part in the lessons, admitting the princess should also know how to defend herself in dire situations.

"Your father has promised to get you another horse Rajkumari. You know how much he loves you, he won't go back on his words. Now come on you have to hurry to look like a proper Rajkumari", said the maid.

Swarnalata sighed, " I am already taking so many lessons that brother doesn't have to take. Mother is always nagging me to act prim and proper. Why can't I also spend my day with a sword or a bow and arrow? Why can't I go pick mangos like my brother and other princes? I want to run around and be free too!".

The maid's chest tightened hearing the words of the princess. The princess had always been sheltered since the moment she breathed life, but how would she explain to the tiny princess how complex society was. How so much was expected from women; from having maternal feelings to being virtuous. How easy it was to question and judge a woman's character based on her traits. Society just wasn't fair to women.

"It is so you can be a capable Maharani one day, Rajkumari. We know you will make a great Maharani one day, you are so bright and absolutely beautiful, you have all the virtues to make a great Queen", replied the Maid.

Swarnalata's pink lips tugged into a smile as she sat up on the branch of the mango tree revealing her dark doe like eyes, rosy cheeks, and a head framed with wavy hair as dark as midnight. The rays of sun fell on her body emitting a golden aura on her golden skin.

"You really think so? I know I can be a good Maharani! Just give me a few years and my sword and archery skills will be better than my brother's!", said Swarnalata.

"Yes Rajkumari, now you must get down quickly and bathe before your mother catches you and gives both you and I an earful. I don't think I can take a scolding as well as you do, especially at this age.", said the maid.

Swarnalata giggled at her nursemaid's words. It was true that at her age it was difficult to keep up with Swarnalata as she was no longer the young maid who had entered the palace nearly twenty years back.

Swarnalata's smile suddenly turned grim as she looked at her nursemaid and said "There is a problem Dai Maa. I climbed the tree by myself but I don't think I can get down by myself."

Her nursemaid's face lost its color. If the princess wasn't able to get down what would she do? Surely she couldn't keep her hanging on the tree for the rest of the day and if the news were to reach the Maharani, neither the princess nor she would be spared from an earful.

"Rajkumari, try coming down to the lower branch and jump, I will try to catch you", she said.

Swarnalata gave her a look and said, "Are you sure you can catch me?".

What choice did her maid have anyways? She looked down at her maid who gave her a slight nod. Swarnalata lowered her small right foot painted with red dye, followed by her left foot, to a branch beneath the one she was lying on. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she jumped and expected to meet the ground, only to be held in her nursemaid's arms.

"You caught me Dai Maa!", cried Swarnalata as her Dai Maa put her down and said, "Seems all my past experiences of catching mangos as you threw them down the tree has made my hand-eye coordination impeccable" laughed Dai Maa. " Do I look like a mango to you!", pouted Swarnalata. Her Dai Maa laughed and said, "Of course not Rajkumari, you are the greatest and most precious gem of this kingdom, far more precious than any mango."