Dhruva Nakshathra - The Game of Alliance ✔

FIFTY - TWO

Sikva, Kavish

The entire palace stirred with another wave of shock when they learnt Nakshathra had long left Durja and should have reached Sikva ten day ago. The queen of Kavish threw fits of rage as she demanded to have her daughter be brought back. The king was no less worried than his spouse. If one look closer, the king's eyes glistened behind the stern gaze.

Guards on duty were dispatched to search for the princess while Nakul sent a smaller batch to check on Nathan in Vajnir. When Dhruva insisted to join the guards to find Nakshathra, the king stopped him.

"You are my guest and it is only right for you to stay here in the palace. Your safety is our priority given our countries relationship; I don't want any mishaps to happen. Not even the smallest." The king said as he led Dhruva to his office. "And as for the princess, the guards will find her. She is a brave girl, good with sword. She must be doing fine so, ...." The king left his words hanging, the lump in his throat forced him to stop.

The king was more than worried for his daughter. Dhruva found the scene endearing to simply witness the love of a father.

The king gestured him to round the corner and unlike most of exterior of the palace filled with brass sculptures, the office was sparsely decorated. Maroon velvet curtains drawn to let the morning sun illuminate the room offering an opulence visual, highlighting the sandstone sculptures on the walls around. On the wall behind the king's desk, proudly sculpted the Kavish crest. A symbol of artistic and vigilant country, their crest had two valari intersecting at its handle, bracketing a stem with two Madhupusp flowers. The country's revered flower known to bloom with no more or no less than nine petals, each petal varies in length, it starts from shortest and ends with a long petal. Locals said it to be a flower of luck.

The crown prince of Kavish entered shortly after a knock. Barely dragging himself into the chamber, Nakul curtsy the king and dropped on a seat next to him with a soft grunt. He held a hand at the side of his stomach where he had a cut during the battle the day before.

"You alright?" Dhruva asked in a hush.

Nakul gave a weak smile with a short nod. "I'll be fine once I see both my brother and sister alive," he snorted at his own respond.

But Dhruva's heart skipped a beat. See them alive? Why, did something happen?

"Any updates on the youngest two?" The king asked as he read through the petitions from the northern part of Kavish.

"Those travelled to Durja with Nakshathra had all returned except for her. Her guards frantically came to chief general a while ago to enquire about her. They had apparently headed to Sikva yesterday morning when they spotted Vajnir in fire. There was where they lost her. It means both of them are in Vajnir."

"Vajnir?" the king bellowed. "Why did she stop at Vajnir and why did the guards leave her side? Aren't they supposed to be with her at all times?" Bavaneswaran turned away from the manuscript he was going through, his face clouded with anger.

"The fire wasn't an accident. We all know that. The Shoolin came in through Vajnir, it was under her orders they went to defend the village and the people. And she is not one who would stay afar and wait, you know that," the prince replied, stressing the emergency of the situation.

"That doesn't give her the rights to barge into the field."

"Why not?" Nakul retorted while keeping his tone in check.

Dhruva felt uncomfortable to be in the discussion between the king and the crown prince. The conversation grew to be more and more personal than he initially thought.