"Isha dear, you will have to travel south now. The future emperor is traveling with his brother and wife to all the kingdoms. They will sure be halting at Thiruvarangam, the capital of our crown princess. And we are invited for entertaining them by Prime Minister Agni. So don't even think about turning the offer down."

"I know mother"

Isha spoke stretching the word mother a lot.

"Always, my drama queen."

Isha giggled as mother Zyah gently caressed her. Nowadays, Isha had been giving fewer performances as she had got name, fame and money. If at all, Isha would dance it was only to prevent the wrath of some powerful kings, and staying in the good books of the emperor and empress was very crucial.

She sighed.

"Alright, just one more dance. You can do it"

Suddenly her face lit up with recognition. Thiruvarangam held a lot of memories of hers with her beloved. A ray of hope illuminated her entire visage and she smiled a real smile after years.

"What if, what if I get a chance to meet my beloved? Oh lord; please let us have a meeting. Let it even be a small one, only once. I will not ask anything else from you."

!^^^!^^^!^^^!^^^!^^^!

The visit to the kingdoms was going on pretty well. The trio never gave a chance to miss home with their constant bickering. Post their visits to each and every sub-kingdom of the north, north-east and west they travelled to the south to meet every Rudran kingdom, correction former Rudran now Indian kingdom.

It was crucial for Svaksha and Ashwarth to visit every single one as the Mauryas had to accept the Rudras and the vice versa, which was possible only when one of them supports the other. Shresht was the most important as he belonged to the most sensible category and would ponder hard before arriving at a conclusion. His advices and strategies always gave a boost to the duo.

Thiruvarangam always held a special place in Svaksha's heart and the euphoria was clearly reflected on her face when they reached its vicinity. It was actually a sort of an island which had the river Kaveri and the mighty Vishwambara embrace it from both the sides. It seemed as though two arms were stretching out and cuddling something of at most importance. They were sailing on a small boat which had been sent by Suparna to invite them. Svaksha had literally jumped on the boatman on seeing him.

"Agni ji"

"My my, you have grown into a big girl. Look you are even married."

A sturdy man of late twenties wiped his fake tears. His head was shaven except for a tuft of hair tied as a knot. He looked to posses more of the Kshatriya [Warrior] stance which seemed completely in contrast to his scholar attire. The smile on both of their faces was contiguous as it reflected on the countenances of the other two.

"Agni ji, I swear if you keep continuing your drama, then I will tell Suparna to marry someone and that person will NEVER be you."

"Any punishment other than that please..."

"Any talk without drama please."

Then both of them burst into laughter as if they had cracked some very hilarious joke.

"Whatever Agni ji, are you still eyeing Suparna?"

"What is the use of just eyeing? Have you done any help for your so-called-brother?"

"Prime Minister Agni, I would like to remind you that you are asking me, that is, the crown princess of India, to actually set you up with the present queen of Thiruvarangam, Devi Suparna."

"Yes, and after she has become the queen she has started ignoring me even more."

"When has she ever turned her face towards you?"

"Let's leave that, shall we? So won't you introduce me to the princes?"

"Oh, so Ashwarth and Shresht this is Agni ji."

"Ahem! Princess Svaksha, aren't we forgetting something?"

"Urgh! So prince Ashwarth Maurya, the crown prince of India, the future emperor of India and prince Shresht Maurya, the diplomatic leader of India, the sons of the monarch, I, Svaksha Maurya, the crown princess of India, the former queen of Thiruvarangam and the future empress of the great Indian subcontinent, thereby make your acquaintance with Prime Minister Agni, the representative of the Rudras who has very well come personally to address us. Now is it fine Prime Minister Agni Ji?"

"Good"

Ashwarth and Shresht found the conversations between Svaksha and the prime minister really amusing. As they sailed, Svaksha kept caressing the water sending ripples on the silent waters of Kaveri. Ashwarth found it strange to see that one side the Kaveri flowed very much tranquil and calm while on the other side the Vishwambara, whom he had seen as a very serene river back in Vasavi now thundered and ran showcasing all its might. Shresht was smiling seeing his sister enjoying each and every moment.

Ashwarth had heard that the capital of the Rudras had extremely amazing safety measures that not even a single outsider could enter the city without being led by some official. He had just dismissed it as a rumor back then, but now he believed it entirely. They had taken a lot of turns and every turn resembled the other. It was indeed a huge water labyrinth which had to be passed before reaching the city.

Svaksha and Agni were ranting about all the changes in their respective lives. Shresht had his attention in the conversation and Ashwarth was taking in the beautiful scenery. His eyes widened on seeing the boat heading towards a huge grove of thorny creepers.

"Agni ji, lookout"

Ashwarth anticipated his skin getting torn by the thorns but to the contrary the boat travelled through the creeper without harming any of its passengers. Ashwarth heaved a sigh of relief coupled with astonishment as he saw the small openings in the creepers at random positions which were used as their passages navigated by the skillful mariner Agni. He shook his head thinking about the bizarre safety measures which resembled those of his Acharya's.

Soon they reached a clearing where a dozen soldiers stood on guard. They were positioned on platforms and some of them were in a few boats. Each person entering had to go through a thorough security check.

"What are they checking?"

"Your credentials; and they will be seeing if you are carrying some lethal weapon. Daggers, knifes and swords are allowed to those who hold a license though."

Ashwarth was surprised to find the prime minister himself being checked. Svaksha soon stood up and started walking out of the wobbling boat.

"Where are you going?"

"To verify my credentials of course"

"Weren't you their queen?"

"Yes, if I myself don't follow the rules then, how can I expect others to do so?"

Ashwarth and Shresht were astonished by her simple explanation. She walked over to the women security guards, who first acknowledged her with a bow of extreme reverence and then proceeded to follow their protocol. Ashwarth smiled.

This girl sure was really special.