Chapter 5 - The Valley of Flowers
Ragini was making a garland from some wild flowers she had gathered nearby. It had been 10 days now since they were captured and there was no news from Prince Vikram. At Swara's behest, Sanskar had sent another note, but availed no response.
After this, Ragini's doubts about Vikram were proving true. He was exactly what Sanskar had described him as on their first day. She had spoken to Uttara's mother and other people in the tent and all had their own tales of woe caused by Vikram. He was a megalomaniac - power hungry, who would go to any extent to sit on the throne.
Ragini felt like being captured by the Maheshwaris was a blessing in disguise for her. If not for them, she would be married to Vikram by now. The mere thought of being Vikram's wife sent shivers down her spine.
Lakshya walked up to her and sat beside her, "That's a pretty garland."
"Thanks," she replied and smiled.
Lakshya was another reason she felt happy here. He had saved her and since that day she felt a kind of attraction towards him. At first she thought it was gratefulness for rescuing her but slowly she realized it was more than that.
She had kissed him on the cheek that night and he flirted back. That was a bold move for her - for a princess. A princess was not supposed to go around kissing their kidnappers. Swara would faint if she came to know. Ragini knew Swara suspected something. She had seen Swara keeping an eye on her and giving Lakshya a menacing look. Swara was trying to be protective - like she had been always.
Ragini had shared everything with Swara till date but she couldn't talk to Swara about her new found feelings for Lakshya. Swara would disaaprove; rightly so. A Princess could never be with a commoner especially one who was on the run from the law. Also, and more importantly she had to know what Lakshya felt for her- if he did feel anything at all.
He was sweet and charming. He could be just trying to be friendly, maybe Ragini was overthinking.
Lakshya woke her up from her thoughts, "What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking if I could find more beautiful flowers to make the garland," Ragini lied, well partly.
He lowered his voice, "I know of a place. It's very beautiful."
"But?"
"But I am not allowed to take you there. It's 3 hours ride away," he whispered.
Ragini frowned, "Okay."
"Okay?" Lakshya grinned, "That's it? You'll not pressurize me?"
"Should I?" Ragini asked in confusion.
His grin widened, "You're really sweet. Come on, we can sneak out and take two horses. We'll be back before any one realizes we are missing."
He stood up and forwarded his hand. Ragini held it and stood up. She felt like a child breaking rules. She was thrilled.
They rode for more than 3 hours without stopping. Ragini found it difficult riding in such unfamiliar terrain and hence the trip took longer. On reaching the venue, Ragini got down from her horse and was spellbound at the view in front of her. It was a meadow of colorful flowers. Ragini had never seen something this spectacular in her entire life.
"It's called the Valley of Flowers," Lakshya told her.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
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Swara wiped her sweaty brows and focused on her opponent. It was close to noon. She had been practicing her sword fighting skills since morning. What else could she do? It was the 10th day of their abduction and no development were taking place. It made her jittery. To take out her frustration she focused on learning some skill, to pass the time.
"You have to use more strength!" Sanskar yelled, "What have I been telling you since the past 5 days?"
Swara gave an angry nod, "I am trying!"
"Not enough," Sanskar scoffed.
Swara stomped her foot, "Well I have just begun, so you could go a little easy on me."
"Did I ruin your pretty dress Princess?" Sanskar mocked her.
She cursed him inwardly. He made her so angry at times. Granted, she was the one who kept pestering him to teach her.
"Any news from your informants?" Swara asked, indicating about Prince Vikram.
Sanskar shook his head.
"May be you could try a different strategy," Swara suggested, impatience evident in her voice. How long were they planning on keeping them here? How long would the Maheshwaris and others live in the woods? It was not feasible any more. They had to think of something. Clearly Vikram was not paying up. They would have to look at alternatives.
Swara could feel an atmosphere of growing animosity in the camp. People had started becoming somewhat hostile to her and Ragini. Even Uttara's mother, the healer, wasn't that friendly anymore. Swara could sense it. But Ragini couldn't or didn't want to. To Swara it felt like Ragini was actually enjoying her time here- not bound by any shackles.
Another reason why Ragini was happy here was her growing attachment with Lakshya. This scared Swara even more. Ragini was letting herself fall for a guy with whom she could never have a future. He was a commoner, an out-law at that and Ragini was the current princess and future queen of Gadodia Kingdom. This was an uneven match by all standards. Ragini was setting herself up for heartbreak and Swara couldn't bear the thought.
Sanskar clanged his sword on his shield which jolted Swara up from her thoughts, "Focus!"
Just then a man came running to Sanskar. He spoke, panting, "Ragini and Lakshya are missing!"
"What!" Swara and Sanskar yelled at the same time.
The man nodded, "We've searched everywhere around the camp, but couldn't find any sign of them. 2 horses are missing as well. Uttara said she heard Lakshya talking of some place with flowers, earlier."
The valley of flowers! Sanskar pinched the bridge of his nose. What was Lakshya doing? How could he be so cavalier about all this? Prince Vikram wasn't their only threat. There were other people in the woods, dangerous people. And he had taken Ragini with him.
"What are we going to do?" Swara asked after Sanskar started walking back to his tent.
They had reached his tent now. He ignored her and talked to the man, "Get some good riders. We'll have to divide and search other areas."
The man nodded and made a dash.
"What are we going to do?" Swara asked again, worried.
"We," he pointed at Swara, "are not going to do anything. I will.You stay back in the tent."
"No way!" she replied, determined, "If Ragini is missing, I am not going to stay here and wait. I'll go with you."
"Princess," he tried to calm his now growing irritation, "These woods are no place for people like you. There are real threats out there. I can't look for Ragini and Lakshya while worrying about you."
"You don't have many men to spare," she reasoned, "you'll need to leave some behind as well. That gives you a dozen men. Even if you divide them in small groups, you'll still fall short. Moreover, if you leave me behind, I'll definitely try to escape. So it's better you take me with you."
"You've been very observant," Sanskar remarked, "Do you know how to ride a horse?"
Swara spoke triumphantly, "I do!"
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A group of 10 riders, including Swara, set out for the valley of flowers. It was quite a long ride - of 3 hours. Swara had ridden horses before but in open grounds of the palace. Here the terrain was rocky and trees covered their path. She maneuvered her horse with difficulty.
After, what seemed like ages, they finally stopped. The trees were thicker now, and there was no way they could ride further in horses. They got down and tied the reins of their horses on lower hanging branches.
Sanskar divided the men in groups of two and they fanned out to search the area. Swara went with Sanskar.
"Ragini!" Swara called out.
"Stop shouting!" Sanskar whispered angrily, "You'll draw attention."
"That's what I am trying to do," Swara replied snarkily. "I want Ragini to hear my voice, to know that we are looking for her."
"If you keep this up, people other than Ragini will hear you too," he grumbled, "so lower your voice. In fact be quiet."
Swara rolled her eyes. Where did he get off being so bossy? This supposed valley of flowers spanned acres of land. How would they ever find Ragini if they didn't make any noise?
Through the corner of her eye, Swara saw some movement ahead. Her eyes focused and she saw two figures behind the trees. She thought it could be Ragini and Lakshya but she was wrong. They were 2 scruffy looking men. The men had not seen them yet. They were at a distance of few feet from them, partially covered by trees.
Suddenly it hit Swara - she could call these men for help. She was about to shout when she felt Sanskar's hand on her mouth. He was standing behind her, with his other hand, gripping her wrists.
"Don't even think about it," he whispered in her ear. It was a warning.
She struggled to get away. His grip on her mouth got tighter. With as much strength as she had, she bit his palm, as hard as she could. He winced in pain and removed his hand. Without wasting a second she ran away from him and yelled to the men, "Help! Help please!"
The men looked here and there trying to trace the source of the voice. Their eyes rested on Swara and they looked at her in confusion.
"Help me please," Swara pleaded nervously. She looked behind her back, but Sanskar was not there. He must have ran, she thought to herself and breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned to face the two men who were now at just a foot's distance from her. They were looking at her from head to toe. She felt uncomfortable.
"What's a pretty thing like you doing out here in the forest?" One of them asked in a hoarse voice.
"Umm... My friend and I... we were abducted by these people," Swara spoke nervously, "Can you please help us? We want to go to the Kaushal kingdom."
The man who spoke to her scratched his head, "Abducted?" Swara nodded. After a few seconds his eyes lit up, "Are you the princess? Of Gadodia? There's news all around that the princess was abducted."
Swara nodded nervously. The men looked at each other and smiled. Swara's heart started pacing fast.
"We caught a princess!," one of them exclaimed; "And a pretty one at that."
Swara took a step back. She was visibly frightened of the men now. They didn't look like they wanted to help. She was regretting leaving Sanskar.
"Where are you going?" asked one of them, menacingly.
Swara didn't wait to answer; she was ready to dash when they grabbed her arms. "Not so soon, princess."
"Let go off me," Swara protested, kicking her legs. Both Swara's arms were clutched by the men and she couldn't reach for her sword tucked in the belt around her waist. She looked around, desperate to see someone, anyone. Where the hell did Sanskar disappear?
Swara was struggling to get out of their grasp when she heard Sanskar's threatening voice, "Leave her."
Her eyes darted to him and her flustered face broke into a small smile.
One of the men sneered and the other laughed derisively, "This is going to be fun."
Sanskar drew his sword from the scabbard, ready to attack.
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