Dhruva Nakshathra - The Game of Alliance ✔

F I V E

Sikva, capital city of Kavish

Princess Nakshathra closed her eyes with her hands and counted till twenty. Little faint giggles spread in all direction behind her as she faced a wall. A smile adorned her round face, listening intensely to each voice. 

" . . . Eighteen . . . Nineteen. . . TWENTY! I'm coming for you," she chirped and swirled to face an empty alley. Rows of earth colour houses lined on both sides with smaller lanes in between every four houses serving as quick excess to an open space. It's known to be the dhobi colony and a place where the princess often visits apart from river Smiti. Nakshathra tip-toed despite her tinkling anklets announcing her distance from them.

She peeped into every small lane in search of her little friends—the children of the dhobi community. Each lane was congested with bundles of old clothes and clothes to be washed stacked up against the walls made her difficult to find them. As she neared the bend leading to the open space, she heard heavy footsteps approaching her.

It must be one of them.

Much to her surprise, it was her hefty tall youngest older brother, Nathan with one of the king's guards, she recognised. Her brother appeared as if he walked out straight from his training ground to fetch her, drenched in sweat.

Nakshathra eyed the king's guard behind Nathan, but why was he coming with her brother? Is he going to complaint to the king?

"Nathu? What are you doing here?" She asked as if she had not figured it out yet and in return the young prince glared at his sister with thin pressed lips.

"Well, darling Nakshathra. Father had seen you here and wants me to bring you back, if you had not guessed it yet," he said with twinkling eyes, gesturing to the guard behind him and reached for her hand.

"What? When? How didn't I know about it?!" Nakshathra flustered at the mention of her father. She never liked to be caught doing things she was warned not to do.

"That's not the question you should ask now, little sister. Know that you are in for a long lecture." He said hiding the threatening smile on his face as they walked out the alley.

Nakshathra stomped her feet in protest, "but I did not do anything wrong. I was just playing with the kids," the princess whined and turn to get a glimpse of the guard following them in a distance. Behind the guard, the kids aged between eight and twelve ran behind. She waved her hand, "I'll see you tomorrow!" Nakshathra screamed for the kids to hear; they cheered in return.

"Guess what? It's going to be so much fun to watch appa give you a piece of his mind and forget about coming out tomorrow, you won't be out of the palace for at least a week." Nathan laughed. "Don't worry, I'll keep you accompanied," he laughed louder.

Nakshathra groan in frustration. It wasn't something new to her but her father rather the maharaja's way of dealing with discipline breaching among the royal kids had been going out of control these days. Despite their age, Bavaneswaran had made sure they get their share of punishment for breaking Heramba's royal rules all the time.

For years, their punishment had been re-reading their royal rule manuscripts for one week straight, grounded within the palace, confined within the royal study room with conductors teaching them how to be behave like royals or stay under the sun in a private courtyard.

"What's fun in watching a repetitive event?" she quoted referring to her upcoming argument with the maharaja.

"Because it's simply you and not any of us," Nathan chuckled.

"How mean, Nathu? I have been punished more than any of you ever had and I'm not going to complaint about it but this nonsense tradition has to stop."

Nathan shook his head at the impossible dream his sister has for the Heramba laws. Clearly, Nakshathra had to be the only one openly rebelling against her father's strict rules and protocols for she thinks it controls them too much—restricting their freedom of life through those laws. As a matter of fact, Nathan too disagrees with the family law but he would admit he isn't as courageous as his younger sister to break the family law.