C3

It had been two weeks since Salil had sent the secret message to his brother. He knew his brother had already started working on ways to take him back to his homeland but that still needed some time and if his memories served right, it was around this time concubine Mayuri had caused a commotion inside the palace by faking a fall when she had come to visit him in his last life. He remembers being reprimanded by the King for his appearant 'jealously' and being excluded from all the royal proceedings for a month with concubine Mayuri acting as the queen in his place for that while. The king stopped visiting him after some time and eventually, all the maids and gaurds were transferred to Mayuri's service, leaving the actual queen to cook and clean for himself on his own.

That incident was the root cause of all the mess but not this time. This time Salil was prepared. So when Mayuri requested an audience with him the next day he refused her, complaining about the backaches he had been having for past week making him unable to meet her.

The concubine gritted her teeth and stomped away. The next there were various noblemen in the court complaining of the High king's obnoxious behaviour and how he should respect the concubine , as Salil had expected. He was prepared to keep his side of the case in front of the king because he didn't expect the king to take his side on the matter as usual but none of it was required.

Atharva on other hand was furious when he heard the noblemen complaining of his high king. He remembers how Mayuri had framed his queen and he blindly believed her but this time he had pledged not to make the same mistake again. This time his High king Salil will get the respect he deserves, the love he deserves.

"What happens in the royal household isn't something the court and the noblemen should worry about. My High king refused meeting the concubine due health reasons not due to his pride or jealously as you say. The concubine needs to learn her place and respect the High king, not the other way round.... And ones who dared to slander my husband today are expected to take back their words and apologise or there will be consequences. The court is a place where we discuss the grievances of countrymen... I hope in futures none such slip will happen." said Atharva shocking the entire court. The Noblemen were quick to bow and apologies for their mistake, who knew what would the king do if they tried to argue further.

Salil stared at his husband, mouth agape, trying to process what just happened. Did his rebirth change the fate's design? He couldn't understand.

Atharva winked at his husband when he felt his eyes on him making Salil choke on his breath. Madhur quickly rushed to his coughing master's aid while Atharva continued with the court proceedings with a poker face on, eyeing each and every person present there closely, trying to assess if ther were more enemies than friends in the court. This time he won't fall in the trap of their devious words. This time he won't loose his beloved and child.

*******

"Madhur....Bring out my swords. I want to train today." said Salil as sat sat before the mirror, gazing at his reflection while Madhur accompanied by other maids combed and scented his long dark hair.

The words made Madhur freeze in his place. He was surprised to hear Salil's request of training with weapon, when latter was the one who vowed not to use them as it wasn't liked by his husband. And thus he couldn't help but ask,

"But you said you won't train with weapons anymore when you entered the palace..."

Seeing his master smile at the question was quite confusing for Madhur but what can he say, Salil was surprising him each and every day ever since the king's birthday celebration.

"This place has changed me so much Madhur... I renounced the things that made me happy just to fit in but now... I want to go back to the way I was.... just for a change..." said Salil after he dismissed rest of his maids except Madhur.

Walking towards a lone wooden casket in his room he had a calm smile on his face. Lifting up the lid, he took out his most loved possession, his sword. It was only fair if he opened the casket, cause was the one to lock them away. Holding this sword brought a flood of bittersweet memories. Like the first time he held a sword, the first time he defeated his father in sparing, the times his mother would fuss over his sore hands after hours of practice, scolding his older brother for his injuries and he would smile at the misery of his brother. Good old times.

He picked up a few more of his favourite accessories, like the white combat outfit his mother had sown for him personally and the shield his father had had the best craftsmen in Kaveri craft for his precious son. Hugging these valuable item close to his chest, he slammed the casket close and rushed to change into them. Staying away from them anymore was out of option. His husband could go fuck himself.

Seeing his friend smile and jump around like a kid made Madhur smile. It was after so long that he had seen his friend smile and wasn't going to snatch it from him and nor let anyone dampen it.

*******

Salil felt nostalgic wearing the two piece, white, silk outfit with the safa turban that held his long ravine hair in place, stopping them from interfering his vision. How he would spar with his brother for hours and hours, till one of them yielded. Today he wanted to feel it again but for that he needed a partner and he knew where to find one.

*******

The shadowing gaurds curiously watched their High king march into the garden before his palace with a sword and shield in his hand. Some of them scoffed at the said High king while other tried to assess his mind set but they didn't have to wait to long.

"Can one of you gaurds come out? I need a partner to spar." said Salil thrusting his sword in the air, trying to get a hang of holding it after such a long time. One of the regular gaurds started to step forward to the High king's aid but stopped when he saw him shaking his head. Another one stepped forward but went back to his post when he heard the High king say,

"I'm not talking about the ones gaurding the palace, I'm talking about the ones hiding on the roof and trees."

To say that the shadow gaurds were shocked would be an understatement. They didn't know how to act on the news. All the while they had been here, the High king was aware of their presence? It if was so then they were loosing their touch. The shadow gaurds weren't supposed to be noticed by anyone. But keeping all these thoughts aside, Chandra, the leader of the troop signalled one of the junior gaurds at the High king's service.

The guards and maids around Salil were shocked to their core when a man in jet black clothing appeared out of nowhere and bowed to the High king. He was dressed same as the High king, except his safa turban was tied in such a way that only his eyes were visible.

"You haven't lost your touch in hiding... It's just my training that made ne so vigilant and observing. And today I invited you to spar just to see if I have lost my touch or I can still spar like I used to back in Kaveri." said a smiling Salil as he took his fighting stance. He wasn't gonna be the perfect trophy wife that this Kingdom had made him to be anymore. He was going back to his shield maiden ways, fighting, protecting and never submitting.

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