Sojourn : mahabharata's era

CHAPTER 3 : The order

The dawning daylight tinkled over my sink, and I woke up to chirping birds and confectionary air blowing through my hair, I twisted here and there processing that I dozed off last night on the balcony. And while everything had changed, I found solace in looking at the rising sun, the birds gliding across the blue sky and butterflies through my balcony. I was expecting a better day today, a recollection of how I suddenly saw him last night.

I woke up from the swing and went inside my room, it was crammed with a lot of gold jewellery, clothes flowers and a very sweet odour served the entire room.

"What is all of this?" I said to myself.

Unexpectedly I saw Mata coming into my room with another big plate of gold and silver. Everything was adorable and flattering this morning.

"Maa, what is all of this-?" I let out coming towards her and taking away the big plate from her hand.

"Your father has finally arrived last night and this is all he got from Hastinapur for their daughter." She said tugging my cheeks.

"Pitaji has arrived-?" I recalled his incoming from Hastinapur. I remembered Hastinapur as one of the empires from Mahabharata, where the Pandavas lived. Will I ever meet them-? I had the least idea about Mahabharata. Even though my mother was an archaeologist back then and I too was a history student I didn't comprehend anything about the story except the Pandavas.

"Dasi take her along with you and get her ready for the day." Said mata.

I was taken by a group of dasies, that conveyed me to a large bath, it was bordered by two flights of stairs that had flowers scattered upon them, the and whole bath was crammed with candles and rose petals. And it had a shady ambience. There was an enormous open roof, coated up with a silk cloth.

They took me into the bath, massaging and scrubbing my arms pursued by Lavender oil around my back and arms, a succession of different organic derivatives was being used upon me and I enjoyed the foam bath when I came out, I was given a selection of towels I wish to use, followed by the clothes jewellery flowers and fragrances I'd like to pertain for the day.

Some more ointments were laid on over my body and hair and thereafter a good dose of flower fragrances was spread over me, heeded by hefty surma in my eyes. I was surprised by the proficiency of beauty they had at this age, and when I glanced at myself in the mirror for the first time, I wasn't able to wrap up the fact that I was looking fetching. I had a mole near my lips on the right side which wasn't there before.

"Is that me-?" I doubted. Looking myself into the reflection in front.

"Yes, Rajkumari-I think you are the prettiest girl in whole Aryavarth." Replied one of the dasi.

"No-please. I don't want to be." I said getting up from the place I had been sitting for the past hour or so, my cheeks turning red as I thought of the man on the river bank.

"Rajkumari Nihira, you've been summoned into the court." Said one of the dasi coming from the hall downstairs. Listening to her words a drastic amount of anxiety rouses in my heart. I don't know who will be there in the court and who and how will be my father. What would I say there-?

Soon after when I reached the court, it was massive. It had an extensive passageway that had a flight of stairs through its length, which was occupied by several seats probably for the ministers to sit and advice. There were windows up on the first floor that had, small tiny gaps in them allowing light to enact through them, all of the Maharanies and Rani would see through those windows and I too was standing there. Waiting for the Maharaj.

A large ramp was built over the aisle end it was marked by the stairs looming over the Royal chair that was owned by my father. Which had a lion symbol upon it. There was this gigantic chandelier illustrated with diamonds hung upon the ceiling. About eight pillars were constructed in between that were formulated with mini statues in them.