Dhruva Nakshathra - The Game of Alliance ✔

THIRTY-NINE

Koshilkoot

He stared at her retreating back, moving away from him yet she remained close to him in every possible way. It took so much from him to tear his eyes off from where she had disappeared out of his view. A part of him wished she would come back again like she did earlier. But wasn't it him who said no to her, she wouldn't come, he knew. Yet this was not how he planned his second trip to Kavish to end. Not on an emotionally broken note.

He had only wanted to stop the alliance but instead he moved closer to her to eventually drift further. There were no promises to return yet he gave her another precious thing of his. A symbolic promise to return, he may not find his way back to her any time soon but the void of the dagger will be a constant reminder of her.

'This too shall pass. This phase too shall pass' he reminded himself. Dhruva mounted on his horse and galloped away; Durja was waiting for him. There was no point in mourning for a part of him which he had lost for he had let go of it willingly. On the other side, he still had his list of royal duties to look after, domestic issues which he had left unattended and one which topped the list was the hunt for a lady.

The journey from Koshilkoot to Gajdant was fairly smooth, the weather had been kind to him to have shined for most of the days and chilly during the nights for a good rest. During the idle time of him riding his way back, Dhruva had fought with himself to keep his mind from steering away to what he had left back in Kavish. Although it had been a painstaking process, he had to do what was best for him and both the kingdoms.

Or disharmonious may follow...

Or so he thought.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Gupagam Forest

"She's bleeding. Please help!" Janardan begged to the forest dwellers; tears brimmed in his eyes.

They stood with questions and doubts of Janardan and the wounded lady's intention, unsure if the emergency meant true or a trap. A man standing on the front most crouched down and examined the unconscious Nakshathra. Tipping her head to the left and right evaluating her wounds. It was only after he was satisfied with the blood trickling down her head was her own, he said. "We will try. Come with us."

The tall and gargantuan sized man scooped Nakshathra in his arms while another carried the other man, together they all marched deep inside the jungle. Although worried and panicked to have seen Nakshathra in such state, he did not fail to keep track with the way they were heading. He made sure he noted every little landmarks he could pick up from the thick jungle. It would help them trace their way back if need arise.

After a long and rapid travers through the jungle, the dwellers who were known as the Yamilva, came to a halt before an overgrown bush, tall as the fort wall and stretched as far as his eyes could see. As the only outsider walking into their settlement, he was privilege to see Yamilva's settlement unfold. One of the Yamilva marched close to the bush and whispered an incantation. Several seconds later the bushes begin to rustle to live, opening a path for the dwellers to enter.

Hidden in the plain sight, one would never know the existence of a townlet by passing through the forest nor can be seen from the top of the hill. Covered under the thick foliage, Yamilva's townlet lives with little amount of sunlight. Mesmerised at the display, Janardan was nudged by one of them to move.

Blown away in the first glance, he momentarily slowed down to take in the advanced inhabitancy of these forest dwellers. He was first greeted with a large patch of edible greens some of which he recognised were paddy field, lentils and snake gourd. Next to the greens patch were mud huts popped like mushrooms far till the other end of the bush wall.