Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

Devyani's nostrils flared as she replied, "it seems that I was under the wrong impression. I was told that you are a brave man who doesn't fear the enemy, known or unknown. But it turns out that your nickname as the Southern tiger is simply a myth. Instead you are a coward who chooses to run back to safety with his tail tucked between his legs at the first sign of trouble."     

At her heated words, Vallabh looked at her with a complicated expression.     

"Just because my words aren't laced with venom, does it mean that I am a coward? I just think that personal vendetta doesn't require an act of betrayal against one's country," he said softly.     

"Did you go to the king for personal gains? I thought you were representing the plight of the villagers in the hands of the corrupt administrators. So how did it become personal? Or is it that you think their issues aren't your problem and hence you wish to wash your hands off them as soon as you were thwarted the first time?" she challenged him.     

Vallabh seared her with pain in his eyes and spoke quietly, "you know that's not true. If you believed that, you would have not asked me to come here."     

Devyani had uttered those words to ignite the anger in him but his eyes shut her up. She stood up in a fluid movement and poured him a glass of water. It seemed that he wasn't the kind to get provoked with simple tactics, so she waited patiently.     

"Even if I were to entertain your suggestion for one hypothetical moment, do you even have a clue about what such a massive operation would entail and how would it be carried out? And who would fill the empty position if we overthrow the king? There is no other royal member in his family who is fit for the role currently. The princess is only four years old, too young to be married to someone. There will be utter chaos and a civil war for the throne. Have you thought of these things?" he asked.     

She suppressed the relief which surged through her. For a few moments, she had been worried that he may back off completely. Him raising these questions, gave her hope. Giving him a serene smile, she walked towards the wall opposite him and pressed against the wooden paneling on it. A small drawer popped out of nowhere and she withdrew something from it before shutting it back to its invisible nook.     

"I hope this will answer few of your questions. Please forgive me as my handwriting isn't as eloquent and advanced as that of the scholars. I am a self-taught literate," she said self-consciously.     

Vallabh took the scroll from her and looked at it curiously. The scroll was divided into three sections. One was a crude drawing which was trying to depict the movement of soldiers in what appeared to be the royal palace. The second part was a list of things to do and read something like –     

• Abolishing dynasty rule     

• Checks and balance to reduce corruption     

• Matriarchy a possibility?     

And the third was again a picture, this time a flow chart which showed a proposed plan of governance from the throne down to the common man.     

"You… you drew this?" his voice had turned into a whisper due to amazement.     

Devyani blushed at the apparent admiration in his eyes. For the first time in the evening, he was making eye contact with her, finally treating her like an equal.     

Seven weeks later     

The pigeon flew into the impatient courtyard, fluttering wildly till it was held and soothed by the waiting handler. Untying the message scroll from its foot, the young woman perched it on the wall where a bowl of water and some seeds were its reward, after a long flight.     

One of the girls quickly took the miniscule piece of parchment directly to Devyani's room. She knew that it was this news which was keeping Devyani on tenterhooks since the morning.     

"The nest is empty now. All birds but one has migrated," it read.     

"Inform the second leader of General Vallabh's army that he should expect the last set of his team to arrive today," Devyani told one of her closest aids.     

Nodding his head, the eunuch made his way out towards the outskirts of the Central zilla where over the past couple of weeks, a small portion of the Southern zilla army had started to arrive stealthily.     

In that fateful meeting, seven weeks ago, Devyani had managed to convince Vallabh of her intent to usurp the throne. He had taken some time to come around to the fact that people would accept the current queen as their monarch but Devyani had been confident about the fact that no rich and powerful household would be able to raise its voice against this decision.