"I Bhallaladeva, the son of... this land vow to serve Mahishmati, its people and the King till the last drop of my blood. With this, on my life and my name, I pledge my fealty to the Empire and the new Emperor. Long live Mahishmati!"

Amarendra had observed how his General had yet again managed to wield the unruly crowd with just a booming command before his words had resounded throughout the mass of their capital city. 

The crowd always went wild seeing him which was nothing but their adoration for him but he had always secretly admired his brother's strange ability to restrict people's voices by his mere presence. People would instantly shut up and stutter on his entry, as if an almost magnetic force renders them speechless the moment they see the Eldest Prince of Mahishmati. 

At first Amarendra had attributed it to them being absolutely terrified of him which was not exactly far from the truth. But later he had realised that it was more because of the sheer amount power he brought along with himself. 

Bhallaladeva was nothing if not power personified. 

He and Kattappa had an inside joke, to just let the Elder Prince stand at the frontline of their army. The enemy forces will retreat back with that itself, half in terror just seeing him standing there, looking menacing with his beast of a mace. 

His brother would make a fine King. 

So much so, that he was majorly doubting the decision of ascending the throne himself. He looked at Devasena who gave him a reassuring look, her lovely face shining in love and pride. His mother on the other hand looked like she had aged a decade in only a few hours which was not surprising but was almost painful to look at. 

The crowd went wild with cheers as the soldiers catcalled his name and Amarendra wished he could go back to the peaceful scenic greenery of the villages he had visited when he had been disguised and pretend the hours from some time back was just a bad nightmare. 

As he saw Bhallaladeva climb down the podium, expressionless yet an uncharacteristic exhaustion lined up on that chiselled face and he peeked a look at the Rajmata Sivagami, who seemed to have gone in a trance, he knew this was very much a harsh reality. 

And Bahubali wondered whether he has lost his brother in all this convoluted politics and was the crown worth losing him or did he even have him to begin with. 

Devasena's brilliant smile made those dark thoughts retreat back for some time and he could almost pretend that everything will be okay. 

Almost...

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"Our first mission is to secure the east borders. Our sources from there have said that the Nagas and the Sakhtayeyas from the far lands of Tripura have mobilised their armies. I think there is chance of a hostile entry."

Bhallaladeva talked monotonously as his subordinate commanders added their own tidbits to the conversation. They talked back and forth regarding the need to send just a batch of their elite squad or lend a few of the normal army squadrons. 

Vijay, his most trusted man, the second in command and one of the rare people he actually liked was trying to convince everyone to not disclose their elite squad so immediately to enemy forces. 

"Word travels fast gentlemen. I believe we should keep the Kalkis on hold. They are our hidden ace. I have fought with the eastern tribes before, trust me, only one squadron of the regular forces will be needed. Just foot soldiers, no cavalry. They wont stand a chance."

"What do you think, My Lord?"

Bhallaladeva crossed his arms across his chest, frowning into the heavily layered maps on the centre table as the rest waited patiently for him to speak. These men were some of the best warriors of their armies and they knew his working style. He hit upon the best strategies within minutes if they strike him or he would ponder over it for hours. But he played with nothing but the best. 

The only reason that they have never lost a war under his command and nor had any of them martyred even in some of the stickiest and slippery situations they had found themselves into was because Bhallaladeva's battle formations was nigh unbreakable making him inconquerable. That man was a battering bison and any sharp object in his hand could become a lethal weapon but damn if he let a single man of his die without trying his best to save them.

The Court and the Royal family had no idea how popular he actually was amidst their forces. They loved their King no doubt but somehow most of them still saw him as a child to be protected, shielded from everything. But Prince Bhallaledeva was their leader. 

They would follow both men blindly into battle but the General's orders were law in the army, they overruled the King's unless the latter officially removes him from the post. 

But suddenly even before Bhallaladeva could utter a single word, Bijlaldeva came storming in the room, unheeding of the guards' mild nervous protests and glared down his son. 

"You are a disgrace! I can't believe you stood there and sang to that filthy dog's tunes like a slave. Fie on me that you turned out to be mine. I am ashamed of you! All those years of training you to be the perfect King and you all throw it away over some... pathetic whore of a.."

Bijlaldeva didn't anticipate the sudden violent punch to his throat which sent him flying across the room to hit the opposite wall. Before he could cough and splutter in shock, his son's blade was pressed unforgivingly across his throat. No one moved from their positions even as Bijlaldeva bleated a cry of help. 

"Why don't you continue now...old man?" 

Bijlaldeva gasped against the edge which could slash into his throat without hesitation, he could see it in those hazel eyes of his son. The icy shards swirling in the pits of those amber pupils could stab into his loosened flesh like a hot knife through butter. 

Sometimes his son scared him shitless. 

"Let me tell you a hard truth today, my dearly beloved father."

He spat the last word like it was a curse. 

"All those years of your careful manipulations bore no fruit except that it has embittered me into a living rock. And I thank you for that.. after all it is good for my reputation isn't it? You do not deserve to be in this palace, let alone in the family. You reek of worthlessness and destitution and preach to me about my worth? Fie upon you! Your Majesty! I have to agree however much it pains me that Kattappa was right. You are as crooked as they come."

"I am you father.. you...da...dare not harm me."

He removed the blade from the old man's wrinkled neck and stepped back, revulsion taking over the blink it and you miss it flash of hurt. 

"Unfortunately. And that perhaps is the only reason why you are still standing with all your limbs intact. Now please, leave. Some people actually have work."

Bijlaldeva now knowing that his son however maddened will not harm him, took an almighty swig at him making his subordinates gasp and jump to his defence only to stop at the hand the latter had immediately thrown up to stop them. 

Bhallaladeva's face had turned sharply at a side from the sheer force of the blow and he staggered slightly, mentally marvelling at the strength the hyena still possessed as the blood from the cut on his cheek slid into his mouth. 

"Worthless piece of shit! Suit yourself, serve like a slave... like that Kattappa. What an utter waste..."

He spat at the ground in front and stumbled away even as his men squirmed behind him, restraining themselves from pouncing upon his so called father with a Herculean effort. 

"You should have let us arrest him, My Lord."

"Keep your cool boys. Don't let doddering drunkards make you behave like petty alcoholics in a  backstreet brawl in a bar. If my... father finds any peace in hitting me, that is my burden to bear. Leave it and focus on the plan."

He almost missed the new Queen who had stood at the foyer the entire time witnessing everything with her sharp hawk like eyes. 

Devasena cleared her throat audibly making the inhabitants of the room instantly bow to her in perfect synchrony. Bhallaladeva looked stunned for a minute before giving her a sharp bow following his men. 

"I want to speak to the General. Alone."

She was taken aback as none of the men moved even an inch, looking deadly serious yet kind of apologetic towards her. Before she could repeat herself her new brother in law gestured at his men with a short move to leave them, his eyes looking at some indistinct point behind her. He had an oddly piercing gaze which strangely didn't make her feel as uncomfortable as she had priorly believed. 

"Didn't you hear Her Highness. Move."

The men scrambled away, apologising to her profusely till they were left alone. 

"They aren't used to you yet, forgive them."

Devasena looked at him properly now for the first time. He was quite intimidating at close quarters and realised what her friends from back home had meant when they had said women would swoon over the Elder Prince of Mahishmati only if they manage to look at him for more than a few seconds instead of running away in fright. 

He was dressed more casually than when she had first laid eyes on him in the Court, standing beside that brute he called father. The medallion was abjectly missing from around his neck which she had seen all the members of the Royal family including Kattappa, wear.  

He was quite the handsome man, her brother in law, when he was not trying to scare the bejesus out of everyone and evidently had quite the personality as well. She would have definitely seen herself falling for him had she not been madly in love with her own husband. 

The strange thing was she had expected him to be quite different than what his actions spoke since she had been here. But as they say, truth is always stranger than fiction. 

"Her Highness required something from me? She could have summoned me to Court instead of taking the pains to come all the way here."

His voice broke her internal musings and Devasena smirked at the newly minted General. 

"Her Highness has working feet and she can walk herself to the person she requires something of. And she also appreciates the underlying sarcasm greatly... Prince Bhallaldeva."

He looked slightly shocked at such a blunt answer but recovered quickly enough and gave her a strangely mirthful smirk in return. It looked alien on his grim face but in a good way. 

"Understood My Queen. What can I help you with?"

"I wouldn't apologize for falling in love with my husband but I want to apologize for being the reason of such a massive disaster."

The smirk went off and he turned on his back, hiding the sudden expression of discomfort and underlying sorrow on his face. He went and brought something back as Devasena squirmed in the sudden awkward silence which had filled the room at the aftermath of her confession. 

"You don't have to apologize for something which wasn't your fault Princess... sorry My Queen. That was a long time coming.. what happened would have happened anyways, if not now, sometime later. You were just a catalyst. No need to take unrequired guilt. I have something for you."

Devasena took the rolled up parchment from him and opened it only to gasp in surprise at seeing her own picture drawn with such meticulous care. It was uncanny, the exact likeness. It was like looking at a mirror. 

"Beautiful isn't it? The artist was pretty talented. You can't fault me for not being attracted to such beauty. But I assure you it was all very... innocent. I have no feelings for you whatsoever. Maybe... that was my way of a distraction from the recent rejection I suffered in terms of losing the crown. Now it just seems wrong to have this. Maybe, that husband of yours might appreciate the gift."

Devasena was pleasantly surprised at the almost mischievous sparkle in his otherwise cold eyes.

 What else has this enigmatic man hidden beneath those numerous layers of hardened loathing and stormy anger? 

Suddenly she was afraid. 

What if this bitter resentment translated into something truly horrific? What if the brothers end up warring? She had complete faith in her husband's prowess as a fighter but she knew Bhallaladeva was no easy man to duel. She had done her research alright. He was a dangerous enemy to have... perhaps the only person who has a chance at defeating Amarendra Bahubali. 

An unbearably good chance at that. 

Her husband was a good man, an innately pure man. He will never be able to match up to his Elder brother's cunning or his almost wicked intelligence. 

Devasena loved her husband with everything she had but she was not blinded to his shortcomings. 

In a one to one fight, Bahubali might defeat him but in an all out war.. Bhallaladeva will crush him easily. 

The sudden fear of seeing that future had the current Queen of Mahishmati almost lose her cool. Bhallaladeva looked almost perturbed as she suddenly straightened up, the prior easy openness of her face changing into a stony suspicion. 

"What guarantee do I have General that you will not betray the King once you amass unilateral power over our armies? Have we made a blunder by appointing you to your post? You have a hundred reasons to betray my husband and not a single reason for loyalty. How can I trust you?"

This was not Devasena but the Queen asking him. For a moment, he looked offended but the expression returned to his characteristic frozen demeanour the next second. She almost ripped out the dagger which she had tugged in her waist, in her defence, as he slid out his own bejewelled curved dagger from his own waistband. 

"The reason you should trust me is exactly the reason why you felt comfortable coming to my chambers, away from the Royal Palace, without a battalion of bodyguards, almost unarmed and asked my men to leave us alone. In the dead of the night."

Devasena looked amazed at that, as if realising this herself, right at the moment. Bhallaladeva smirked and then shocked her by making a smooth and speedy slice on his right palm without a second's change in his expression. He extended the now wounded hand towards her and let a drop of blood fall on her feet. 

"But if that is not enough... I take the Blood Oath of Lord Rudra. I will not harm a single hair on Amarendra Bahubali's head or let anyone else do it as long as there is a blood left in my veins. If I fail to do so, may the Great Lord of the Snakes take my life."

He turned around to find a piece of cloth to tie the wound up before he bleeds all over his freshly put on robes when he heard the clatter of the other dagger dropping on the floor. He turned back and was absolutely astonished seeing Devasena with her hands joined in front of her, bright tears washing those sharp eyes for the first time. 

She looked uncomprehendingly overwhelmed and absolutely mortified for some reason. 

Well, no one had actually taken the Blood Oath of Lord Rudra in the last century or so but that was all which had come to his mind at the moment having read up on that in some ancient scripture, just the past week. 

"Forgive me brother. It was preposterous of me to label you a traitor with no prior proof. My intention was not to disrespect you at all. You needn't have taken the Blood Oath. A promise would have sufficed. The Princes of Mahishmati are renowned to be men of their word."

The Eldest Prince seemed thoroughly amazed at her reaction. And then he smirked at her again, the previous mirth having slightly returned to his face. 

"I would have expected nothing less from you, dear sister. It is good that my dolt of a brother has managed to bewitch such a smart lady. It truly does get unbearably boring with the collective dumbness of the Court and everyone in it." 

Devasena couldn't help the laugh that statement spoken such drily in his typical baritone but with a laconic drawl to it, brought out in her. Her brother in law was proving to be a really interesting man. Who knew Bhallaladeva had such a wicked sense of humour?

"You have secured your husband's security the best way possible. It is truly admirable. You see, in chess, though it is the King who decides the winner and the loser, the Queen is the most powerful piece. She can move everywhere, in every direction, mastering the board, manipulating the pieces to gain her King, the best victory possible."

"You My Queen, are the true ruler here. The King will incite loyalty from his courtiers and love from his subjects. But the Queen is the one who will reign. You already possess the wit required to manage such a large Empire. Now all you need is the cunning."

Devasena looked at him awe struck at this unprecedented bout of wisdom as he searched for a makeshift bandage. Suddenly she took his wounded hand gently in hers, stunning him into inaction and ripped off a piece from her pallu to tie it firmly over the bleeding wound. 

"Maybe the Queen needs a Bishop who can help her reign. The Bishop is after all the imminent piece on the board and can decide how to manoeuvre the other pieces for the Queen. What say you, General?"

Bhallaladeva looked uncomprehending at the surprising mischievous smile she gave him, as if including him in some weird secretive plan and then gave her a small smirk, nodding in acknowledgement. 

"So be it."

He answered still slightly befuddled and almost lost his footing at the sudden dip Devasena did, to touch his feet in a completely sisterly way and he placed that bandaged hand over her head in blessing as if in default, marvelling subconsciously at the slyness she exhibited with that move. 

"Goodnight.. Anna. I will see you in Court tomorrow."

She was gone into the mist of the night even before he could get a word in sideways.

 Bhallaladeva looked upwards at the luminous moon, wondering whether he has finally gained a friend in all this apoplectic mess his life has become.