Chapter 3

They, Shivantika, Nayantara and Rajveer, began their journey.

Seven days were past and only one more day to go, for them to reach Kayati. In these seven days, they neither slept nor dozed off nor had a proper meal. Yet some people helped them, who offered them some small portions of food and rides, thinking they were travelers. At last, Nayantara's idea of disguise worked for the three. There were moments when they were almost caught by the soldiers, but at times like these Shivantika's intelligence would help them to get out of trouble. They were the inevitable three, the perfect team. One was mastered in medicine; one had a huge ocean of knowledge and one was a great warrior.

As forementioned, it was already seven days and it was also the seventh night. Therefore, they decided to take a rest in the forest, which they had to cross to reach Kayati. Rajveer set a bonfire, and Shivantika already fell into a deep slumber of sleep. Even though the conditions were changed, but no one could change the fact that she was once a princess who was pampered by everyone, whereas Nayantara sat on a flat stone near the bonfire beside Rajveer, because she had blisters on her foot from the long journey's exhaustion, and she couldn't treat her wound too because she didn't have neither the medicine nor the energy.

Rajveer continuously stared at Shivantika who was lost in her dream world.

"What kind of a man are you? You are staring at an asleep girl." Nayantara commented seeing this and teased him.

"Well, the way she sleeps, makes me remind of a story of a beautiful princess, which my grandmother used to tell me in my childhood, and also....", Rajveer replied but at last couldn't say anything as Nayantara cut him in between.

"It is the first time that I have seen you running out of words in front of me," Nayantara says sarcastically.

Hearing this, he gets in a deep thought, and couldn't reply as he had no words of what to say and just gives a low smile tilting his head down.

Nayantara blushes seeing his smile. It was clear that she liked him.

"But Nayan tell me something how Princess Shivantika is related to you?", he asks.

"Well, Shubhangi is my cousin. She is my father's sister's daughter...." says Nayantara and she shockingly realizes something, "you...? How do you know she is Princess Shivantika?"

Of course, it was a surprise, a shock, how did he know about her identity, which she kept hidden.

"Well, I knew about it from the start when I saw her for the first time. Do you remember when we visited Ampranam last time when the late King summoned your father and you for his special medicine, and I went with you both. At that time, her Highness fell from the wall, injured herself, and fell unconscious and I helped her to get back to her room. I know her from there. Before you and everyone arrived, I was asked to leave by one of the guards, and thus you never knew that I've met her and I too didn't tell anyone about this incident" states Rajveer.

"To be honest, I was quite mesmerized by how beautiful she looked. Her long black open hair, black eyes, a gold labret stud, just made her look so magnificent but elegant at the same time, that I almost got swooned by her Highness"

Seeing Rajveer describing her so detailed and professly, made Nayantara a little uncomfortable and insecure.

Rajveer too noticed that tear which was almost as transparent as the flowing wind which can only be felt but not seen, but he didn't know the reason.

That night it was only Nayantara who couldn't sleep and kept sobbing the entire night in silence and Shivantika could hear the silent tears that were flowing through her eyes. Even though she did not make noise, but Shivantika could listen to everything.

It was when she woke up because of the discomfort she felt.

At first, Shivantika wondered if it might be because of what happened recently, but the voice of Nayantara crying behind their back was quite unusual, and it couldn't be possible because of that reason. After all the days that she spent with her, she knew her personality and what she was like, she was quite headstrong and brave but innocent, kind and childish at the same time. Shivantika wanted to ask her about her well-being, but she couldn't as they were not that close yet, they hadn't developed a relationship that close.

The next morning, they decided to move at early dawn. The whole journey, Nayantara was upset and didn't talk much, it was as if she had taken a vow of silence. Rajveer and Shivantika wanted to lift her mood, but they saw no ray of hope and sunshine.

Just like this, they traveled and reached Kayati.

Upon arrival, they were stopped at the city gates and were interrogated. Even if they changed their appearance, they still couldn't change their accent of speaking them not knowing the language from Shi, and thus one of the city guards doubted their identity.

"If you truly are the Shini travelers (people from Shi), who came here to visit our great kingdom, show us your identity proofs", the guard asked them.

Hearing this, Nayantara and Rajveer were in a dilemma, as they didn't have an answer to this and didn't know how to get out of the situation. They looked at each other in confusion.

It was when they both were still trying to find answers and trying to convince the guard when Shivantika took out a ring and showed it to the guard.

"I guess this might be the answer to all your doubts and questions. This is a ring of your Royal Queen, she asked us, the travelers, to bring her a special kind of antidote for the royal highness, the prince" replies Shivantika to that guard's question, when their cover was almost blown.

Seeing the ring, and a special kind of emblem, which only the queen could use, made the guard quiver in fear. He went on his knees and begged them not to mention his name or complain about him to the queen. To make a good impression on them, he even offered a ride to them, but they refused the offer saying they wanted to take a stroll in the capital. They just wanted to get rid of him, as they knew, that once they entered the palace, they might get caught.

They left. Nayantara asked Shivantika in confusion, "How did you get that ring? How did you manage everything back there? What if we get caught later?".

Seeing this, after experiencing an inescapable situation, too made Rajveer question her, "Yes, Princess Shivantika, how did you manage to get away with it?".

Shivantika was shocked, how did he know her real name? When she didn't disclose her identity to him, so how did he know her? Nayantara too didn't have disclosed her identity for obvious reasons, she was the one who didn't want to disclose it.

Rajveer understood her expression, and her thoughts, and answered, that from the start he knew her identity. Then he explained to her, how he knew her, and when he first saw and met her.

Later, after clearing out the misunderstanding, she was at ease, that now at least she could not lie about her identity to him, then she explained to both of them that she was once the fiancée of the crown prince of this kingdom and that ring was given to her by the Royal Queen at the time of betrothal. She never wanted to take out the ring, but seeing the situation getting worse she couldn't help but....

She finished, and they noticed someone wasn't just eavesdropping, but also following them. When they turned to look, it was a kid following them. The kid ran towards them, and stole Shivantika's pouch purse with the money of Braheshwat in it, which was shared by Nayantara with her, which she brought back from the village, and he ran away. They try to follow the kid, but can't because he vanishes into the thin air of that crowded market, which they were crossing. It was so hustle and bustle, that none could be found.

When they lost his tracks, Shivantika exclaimed, with her breath still stuck in her lungs and panting, "It is ok, there was only money in that pouch purse, everything important is still with me, especially that ring."

"That's good. But tell me one thing Shivantika, how did you know that the prince is sick and he needs medicine, and this matter must not be disclosed?" exclaims Nayantara.

Shivantika clears out her and Rajveer's doubts by replying, "It is because I noticed something back at the city gates that they were looking for some kind of physicians and that too, not ordinary ones but some kind of special, I could read their eyes. And about the prince, it was a random guess. I've heard that the crown prince always takes physicians with him wherever he goes, so the rest is obvious."

Walking down the street, they saw that kid again down the aisle, smirking at them, calling them with his eyes while words were silent. Nayantara ran towards him, Rajveer and Shivantika follows her. That kid makes them follow him to a quiet place when they notice it is already too late.

When they reach a place covered by walls, from all sides and no further place for that kid to run to, he turns back and whispers "At last you are here, but you shouldn't have come. But now it is too late to return. One day, Shivantika you, too, will realize your purpose in this world, and at that time you will see them again and will be free from every suffering. Your destination is neither the heaven nor the hell, but the real, which you cannot attain."

Just as he pauses his words, some people come from behind, put a black cloth on their faces, and pressed their acupressure points on their backs making them pass out.

The next thing they remember was waking up in a dark room. Rajveer calls Nayantara's name with tied hands at his back, "Nayantara! Nayantara! Wake up, wake up!"

Nayantara slowly woke up and opened her eyes, they were all tied up in a dark black room, in which they couldn't see each other, but just hear each other's voices.

"Shivantika! Rajveer! Can you guys listen? Are you here?", Nayantara exclaimed with worry flowing through her voice.

Just when Shivantika was about to answer, the door squeakily opened, emitting light and lightening the room a little, with dust particles flowing in that little light.

Just as the door opens, a man enters. They could see the body of the man, but not his face. His face was covered by darkness.

"Looks like you have woken up already. Now tell me, what are you all doing here in Kayati? You Ampranam's princess, a physician, and a warrior" said that man.

Hearing this, Shivantika replies in anger but confusion at the same time, "Who are you to say this to us? How do you know us all?"

Meanwhile, when Shivantika was still figuring this out, Nayantara suddenly exclaimed, "Are you him?".