Thank you for bearing with me for such a long time and handling my wait with patience. Thank you so much for voting and commenting on my book. I am grateful to you all for giving this book a chance.

I did not intend to take a decade to update. Things went pretty messed up right from covid getting 0 to college opening. It was hectic. I have training for job with college which is actually very hectic to handle. In all this I need sometime to be myself and work on my anxiety.  I am sorry for being absent for this many months. Trust me it was not my intention. As someone who hate when people leave books incomplete I became one. But now here I am to change that.

Anways hope you guys enjoy. This chapter is of basic size as I wrote this in a hurry to make up for the time I was absent. I will soon complete this book. The main action has just started.

Previously on Ranisa:  Zravasaya goes to fight with shamsherkhan and meets Ionia who shows him the surprise sent by loki for him. Tanirika and Meglos travel for vadhupratha and are kidnapped.

Third person POV

Saya smiled looking at her daughter as she carried out certain chores in the royal kitchen. She had successfully gained a job in the royal kitchen with her skills thankfully no one cared about her presence. Kaya was sitting in the kitchen where her mother cooked something for the day. Her hands were working smoothly on the cloth in her hand which was appointed to her. She had successfully made into the department of stitching after submitting the first assignment which was alloted to her. The head seamstress was impressed with her work and advised her many new designs for her next work.

To say Kaya wasn't happy was an understatement she was happiest. Saya placed some Kheer in an empty bowl and offered it to Kaya who gladly accepted it.

"The best thing about you working in the royal kitchen is the delicious I get to eat daily. " Saya chuckled adding more dry fruits in her daughter's bowl.

"I am going to be fat in few days"

"You should eat healthy. Earlier we cannot have that but now when we can you should take care of yourself. You need to be strong to achieve your dreams" Kaya smiled looking at her mother who was right. Earlier they didn't have much but she was always happy. Because she had her mother with her. Which was enough for her.

"Mother, Never leave me" Kaya whispered giving her mother a longing look. Saya turned around facing Kaya, caressing her daughter's cheeks she nodded soothingly.

"Kaya!" A frantic Anamika yelled from the opposite side of the kitchen. She pointed towards the left wing signalling Kaya to join her. Kaya immediately tossed her bowl away and ran out of the kitchen ignoring all the yells her mother was throwing from behind.

"You are not a child anymore, kaya"

"She may be grown up by body but she is still a kid by heart " Sudha, a kitchen maid said. Saya immediately adjusted her veil carrying her work out. Sudha didn't pay any attention to Saya's immediate actions she was more interested in saya's work rather than her face.

Kaya joined Anamika who informed her about Neera's invitation. Neera had apparently invited both of them for the palace tour.

"We have already seen where you live Neera! Show us other beautiful places" Anamika chided puffing her cheeks in and out.

"Ahhaaaa I am! Just hold on. I found that we can visit the King's wing and Queen's aausbaug wing as they both are not present here. So we can take a tour" Neera giggled dragging Kaya and anamika with her.

"Are we allowed to roam freely in his majesty's and her majesty's wings Neera. Please don't do something which will make us fall in trouble. " Kaya pleaded stopping a Very excited Neera in her tracks. Anamika rolled her eyes.

While Neera started pushing Kaya to join them. Reluctantly Kaya gave up and joined her friends.

"This is the secret passage to enter into their wings. We have to be careful of the guards " Neera exclaimed.

"I feel like a thief" Kaya muttered making Neera and Anamika glare at her.

"You behave like a righteous princess " Anamika whispered.

The trio walked around the faded grey walls towards aausbaug.

"Why are there so many guards here? " Anamika asked Neera. The sight infront of their eyes was scary. Atleast for Kaya and Anamika. Number of guards stood outside a secluded room while other guards guarded the whole floor. It appeared that someone important was residing in that floor.

"The queen has kept one of the ministers and royal lady Manika  under house arrest " Neera whispered pulling Anamika and Kaya away from the heavily guarded floor.

"Her own family under house arrest?" Anamika asked. 

"Well, they are not family Lady Manika is related to the previous king. The new king is not related to her. She is vicious. I stay away from her. "

"Neera" A soft yet powerful voice boomed from the other end of the passage making the trio halt in their steps. Kaya squeezed her eyes shut with fear and embarrassment.

Neera slowly turned around facing the intruder. It was  royal lady, Lekha.

"Neera, what are you doing here? " Lekha asked moving towards the three girls who appeared scared.

"Uh- Lady lekha- we actually-"

" we forgot the way "  Anamika chided.

"Yes we forgot the way" Neera exclaimed hurriedly.

"Neera, you forgot the way!" Neera knew her lie was caught. Lady lekha was a smart woman.

" I just wanted my friends to behold the sight of the beautiful flowers in aausbag"

She partially lied. Lekha stared at Neera for seconds before shifting her gaze towards Kaya. Everytime her eyes fell on the new girl she felt something familiar crawling down her back.

"The queen is not present here. And without her permission no one is allowed in aausbaug" lekha stated.

"But if you three help me in sorting some documents which are in the Queen's private library I could allow you to gaze the flowers. " She said with a smirk evident.

Neera grinned looking at Lady lekha and then at her friends who looked grateful towards the beautiful woman.

"Kaya, here knows the best embroidery. Lady lekha you have to see her work. " Anamika whispered as she cleaned the upper cabinets of the private library.

"Yes lady lekha. I think She will soon be selected as the top seamstresses in the kingdom" Neera smiled looking at Kaya who had a little blush covering her white cheeks.

"Then you have to stitch something for me, Kaya" lekha smiled.

"Thank you, My lady. But I am not that good. But I wish to learn more. "

"If you have the curiosity and will to learn more than you would surely ace one day"

"Lady lekha, these documents are scripted in high sanskrit and I don't understand anything. " Anamika grunted staring at the bunch of folders in her hand.

"Keep them on the table, Neera could you please check"

"Uh- Lady lekha please keep me away from the activities which could harm my brain" She grunted making the other three ladies giggle.

"I can do it, lady lekha if you allow me " Kaya asked warmly.  Lekha nodded making Kaya move towards the high dialect folders.

For someone who had spend all her life as a common villager. Kaya knowing the high dialect sanskrit made lekha's uneasy feeling rise to the brim of the pot. She stared at Kaya who was fluent in her work. It appeared that she was well versed in something which only high rank royals knew.

"How are you familiar with high dialect sanskrit, Kaya?" Lekha asked.

Kaya moved her gaze away from the folder and stared at lekha. She smiled lightly before answering her questions. 

"My mother taught me. She taught me everything, my lady" lekha smiled hesitantly nodding at her. 

"She appears  a lady of high knowledge" lekha commented. Kaya nodded resuming his work. 

"Lady lekha, when the queen comes back will you introduce my friends to them. These two are very talented. " Neera said.

"Of course I would the queen would love to meet you both" 

The wind blew softly around the faded tents placed in the middle of the forest. The chatter and hustle of various servants running here and there to set the camp for the day made human presence  alive in the deserted forest. The moon was shining through a lattice of leaves as the night appeared to be still young. The air was stuffy. There was something darker in that night. This night was haunting and the unsettling silence preserving around was indicating towards the end. 

The three larger tents compared to others placed in the middle of the camp clearly depicted the importance of the people residing in the tents.

Beez buzzed in his ear adding more pressure to the severe headache alarming in his head. He clutched his head with both of hands squeezing it tightly to stop the raising ache. It felt like someone was smashing his head with a brick. 

"Zeiță rahat"

(Shit,Goddess)

He muttered slowly trying to open his eyes. But the constant ache in his head intensified with the source of light illuminating from the candles kept in the closed tent. 

"ARGHHHHH" he screamed falling back on the bed with a groan.

"tch Tch tch! Meglos I never expected you to be this careless" A voice boomed around him. Though it appeared dull he could place it that it belonged to a man. Maybe a little familiar.

"Poor Meglos, got himself and the queen of Rakshatra in trouble." 

Meglos moved his hands around his lying frame and tried to grab the nearest object. He got hold of a circular object which appeared to be a bowl and threw it in the direction of the voice. After few seconds of the bowl falling into the ground, The mysterious person chuckled. 

"Here, Take this water and wash your eyes. It will help"

Meglos had no other option other than following the instructions of the crazy man present around him. He splashed the water on his face few times. Before trying again to adjust his eyesight. He dropped the remaining water from the jar on his head calming his severe headache. As soon he turned around he found himself alone in the tent. Confusion raked over his handsome face as he registered is surroundings. He was standing inside one of the luxurious tents he had ever seen.

"How did I even get here?" 

He tried to think every past memory he had before he slept. But everything was hazy.

"How did I get here? And who was that man! why was i suddenly in the middle of something I don't remember. Think Meglos Think"  

He remembered himself listening to the stories the raven eyed lady recited as he teased her in the middle of the night. He also remembered breaking the promises he made to the queen. suddenly reality started hitting him the Vadhupratha, The temple, Bangles and the smoke. 

"Shit! Tani" He realized that he had lost her and now he was standing in the middle of a unknown tent. What on earth was happening!

He frantically dashed out of the tent searching for the princess. Few attendees stopped their work and looked at the foreigner who appeared infront of them in a flash. Meglos was restless and scared. Tanirika was his responsibility and it was his duty to keep her safe. How can he be so reckless?

"how can you be so reckless, Meglos" The man who helped him inside the tent appeared infront his eyes. Though he didn't see his face but maybe he could help him. An if he didn't, There would be a massacre of lives. He would kill each and everyone around him to find Tanirika. 

"Where is the man who was inside the tent with me, " He asked to one of the guards who were stationed outside his tent. The guard bowed before pointing towards the other tent which appeared same as the one he was residing in. 

"why are you bowing to me, Am I not kidnapped? Goddess what kind of sick joke this is"

He shook his head he was going insane. What on earth was going on! 

Discarding all the stupid happenings he decided to move towards the tent who partially had all his answers. 

Clearly, desolated with the fact that the tent many surprises for him.

Next chapter will be updated in few days.

Hope you liked the chapter.

Miss me💜

And thank you for 160k+ reads on Ranisa.