C2 STAR CHOOSING CEREMONY (2)

CHAPTER TWO

🍂Jarha, India 🍂

In the palace courtyard, Abhi is pacing back and forth, the kite had been gone for hours and he can't stop getting worried, he feels so honored that Aadi, the Raja of Jarha is here to witness his star choosing ceremony, they are many rumors about the Raja, people say he is cold and heartless, they say he outwitted his own brother, the rightful heir to the throne just to become the Raja but Abhi had never believed those rumors, he believes the Raja is a good man and he rules the kingdom with fairness and justice.

The sound of music only makes Abhi's heart beat faster, the palace maidens throws red petals on the floor to announce the arrival of the bride, Abhi sees the girl walking in clutching the star shaped kite in her hands and his heart skipped. He is acquainted with this maiden, he had met her once, he had been leading the Raja's Army to battle with the kingdom of Chandya, they had emerged victorious but they had sustained a lot of injuries, they had been passing through a little village called Jaram when he saw her, he had stared at her in fascination, completely enamored by her beautiful angelic face as she had offered food to them even in her obvious penury.

The duo smiled at each other as she crosses the threshold, today he would be married to her and he is the happiest man in Jarha.

Aadi watches the couple perform thier marriage rites with keen interest, thier arms were tied with a piece of cloth and they walked round the fire, judging from the smiles on their faces, it is obvious that it is a perfect match, he had made sure that Abhi's marriage ceremony will be filled with merriment, he had given out the best wines in the palace, after giving Abhi his blessings and jokingly informing him to take some weeks off duties so as not to rush his new bride, he heads into his chambers.

His quarters is the most distinctive among the palace quarters, he had constructed a new quarters immediately he became the Raja, his was built in solid stone and in the western wing of his quarters, he had a chamber built with clear glass.

Aadi walks into his chambers, a maid helps him to strip, the maid gulps nervously as she takes off the Raja's robe, she had been serving in the palace for years but anytime she is around the Raja, she feels like she his been overwhelmed by his magnetic aura. She dresses him in a hurry, helping him to change into a more simpler yet regal robe and Aadi dismisses her with a wave.

Rahul announces his presence and Aadi allows him to enter, he bows before Aadi and while Aadi would have stopped him from being so formal, he only looks so lost in his thoughts and the color of his eyeballs only gets darker and darker.

Rahul and Abhi are the Raja's closest friends, they had trained as knights together, Rahul is the head of the knights, he is a fine young man of twenty, he is extremely skilled in the art of the sword, he, Abhi and Aadi had trained together as knights, he can almost guess the reason behind Aadi's thoughtful face.

" Abhi is married today "

" indeed he is! "

Aadi answers noncommittally

" don't you think you should arrange another star choosing ceremony of your own "

Rahul asks and Aadi turned to face him, giving him his full attention, Rahul could have almost swore he saw something like regret flash across the Raja's eyes for a moment.

Two years ago, Aadi had arranged his star choosing ceremony and his kite had strangely fell in the hands of a crippled old beggar in the kingdom's capitol, it was the strangest thing that had ever happened in Jarha, a month later, he organized another star choosing ceremony and his kite had strangely fallen again into the hands of an old wrinkled widow, one of the priest had murmured that Aadi was jinxed and his star would never bring him anything good but Aarush, the most powerful of all the priests had went into a dreamlike trance and he had told Aadi that his star was the demon star

The demon star had been one of the strangest stars in the sky, it brightens and wanes at will, it was a star that was believed to be a harbinger of goodluck to Jarha but mysteriously The Star dissapeared from the sky, Aarush had told Aadi that the mysterious disappearance of the star is because the bearer of the star has left Jarha and only when the bearer returns will the star return to the sky and he will be linked with his bride.

Now five years have passed since the star dissapeared " my star is not in Jarha, Rahul " Aadi said at last

" but the people will keep pressuring you my Raja "

Rahul said, he wanted to add the fact that they are already seeking the release of Malek, Aadi's brother but he decided against it, instead he changed the topic

" the people of Chandya are making new weaponry, from the look of things, they are planning another war " Rahul said and watched the stiffening in the Raja's shoulders, one thing he had always admired about the Raja was his swiftness and decisiveness

The kingdom of Jarha and Chandya are neighboring countries, they are separated by a kingdom called Bahut, the two kingdoms had never been at peace, Jarha was blessed richly with gold while Chandya was blessed with cotton but they had always ogled Jarha's gold hence they had always plotted war .

" instruct the goldsmiths to make more weapons in gold, and spread word around that more able bodied men are needed in the army, Chandya can only plan war because before they get to the border of Jarha, we will slaughter them like chickens " Aadi commanded, Rahul bows again before exiting the Raja's chambers.

Left alone, Aadi heads to the nursery, he feels a bit guilty for neglecting the little princess but the truth is that he wished to see less and less of her.

Amaira was playing with her toys in the nursery, she is a little girl of three years, her nanny, Mrs Janvhi was staring at her with a scowl Amaira doesn't understand why she isn't free to go out, she doesn't know why she is forced to stay here all day and play all alone, she doesn't like Mrs Janvhi a bit, she is too strict and anytime she disturbs Mrs Janvhi to play with her, she only gives her a medicine that makes her sleep all day, Amaira's face brightens as she sees her father, the Raja walk into the nursery.

He doesn't look happy to see her, he is wearing the same scowl that had been on his face for all these years, her face became clouded with sadness, her father still doesn't like her, she conceded miserably.

Mrs Janvhi bows and curtsies to the king, her eyes turning more disapproving as she glares at Amaira

" Amaira! Have you forgotten your manners "

She tries to do a quick curtsy just as Mrs Janvhi has taught her

" take good care of Amaira, Mrs Janvhi " her father said but from the coldness in his tone, it felt like he had been advising Mrs Janvhi to punish her.

He doesn't say a word to her, he only nods at Mrs Janvhi before exiting the nursery.

Once he was outside the nursery, Aadi sighed, looking at the princess eyes has been too unnerving, her eyes were just like his, blue like the purest of diamonds, it made him remember the scandals that was surrounding her birth.

Remembering Rahul's earlier remark, He heads to the farthest chamber in his quarters , he enters into the glass dome, it was nightfall and the sky was shimmering with stars, the glass was a special kind of glass and it magnifies each star that it makes Aadi have the feeling that he could actually touch them.

His father's star was the Lumus star, it had fallen from the sky when he died, Aadi had seen the shooting star and he knew instantly that his father was dead

He peered closer at the sky, just like every other day, looking for the demon star, the first time he saw the demon star, he was seven, his father had pointed it to him and he had called it Jarha's star, a star that could bring both goodluck and bad fortune, he had been so fascinated with the way the star could brighten and dim in the blink of an eye.

Where the star should have been, there is only a dark little space and it made Aadi wonder if the bearer of the demon star was even still alive.