A FEW WORDS:
Maa - Mother 
Devmata - A name for the former queen
Rajkumar - Prince
Raj-vedic - The royal healer 
Yuvraj - The heir to the throne
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❝No queen has clean hands.❞
George R.R. Martin

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One Year Later

AKIRA stood in her room in front of a table that stood on the far northwest corner, overlooking the gigantic map which lay ahead. Her fingers traced the rock-strewn passages and uneven roads on the map as her eyes scanned the printed terrain, soaking in the information.

The queen picked up a miniature soldier figure from the map and rolled it on the length of her palm, eyeing the tiny statue comprehensively. A war was on its way, a war which would have a heavy toll on the kingdom if left unplanned. The wind from the large window nearby moved the map slightly as Akira yet again heard sharp footsteps against the marble base and a figure entered her room.

Her mother's voice rang through the formerly empty chamber as her eyes scanned for Akira, "Akira."

Akira turned around, plastering a sweet smile on her face, "Yes Maa? How may I help you?"

Devmata stared at Akira, fury running through her veins as she said the words bit by bit, "What are you doing?"

Akira held up the tiny figure in her palm, "Planning the next battle against Ekam nagar." She turned around and set the sculpture in its original position as she gazed at the worn out map, "With Devi's blessing, we shall conquer that land too."

Her mother exhaled deeply, pacing the wide room as she looked back at the monarch, "Why did I just hear that Rajkumar Arjun of Kaveri nagar is no more?"

"Because..." The queen took a calculated pause, finding some sort of unknown fun in toying with her words, "He is no more Maa."

Akira slightly rubbed her hands together as she stood with her back to the former queen, "Well you see mother, our beloved suitor were boasting about how great a swordsman he is" Akira inhaled sharply, "I mean he was, so, I simply asked Aziza to have a friendly match with him but much to our inconvenience,"

Akira turned around to look at her mother with an innocent smile, her scarred palms resting one over the other behind her back, "He got stabbed and died on the spot. The raj-vedic tried his best but to no avail. A truly tragic event, I must say."

"Akira" Her mother's eyes widened as she sat down on the edge of the queen's bed, "You realize what people are saying about you, about our kingdom right? You can't keep doing this. You can't keep killing suitors—"

"Then ask the suitors to stop asking for my hand in marriage because" Akira paused and forced a smile, speaking with a small click of her tongue, "I am not giving up the throne." 

The monarch scoffed, bringing her hands in front, "And besides, they are accepting the challenge. They are not fools mother, nor are they small weak children. They know what they putting on the line when they enter this palace."

Devmata sighed in defeat – too exhausted to put up a fight with her daughter – as the queen continued, "They aren't even here to marry me, they are here to seize my kingdom and I am just wiping out the snakes after my crown."

"Don't you get it? There are no snakes." Her mother spoke exasperatedly, taking a step forward as her eyes got caught into a staring contest with the young girl in front of her, "This kingdom was never a woman's to rule, it had to be ruled by Veer or your husband and that had been decided the day you were born. This kingdom needs a strong ruler, Akira. It needs a man that can protect it." Her mother did not let her gaze down, standing as still as stone. 

The room stood silent as Devmata Annapurna's voice rang, cutting through the thin air. Finally, the Maharani retaliated, "Maybe the fate you chose for me wasn't yours to choose." The sovereign managed an indifferent shrug, "And if I daresay, I believe that anything a man can do, I can do too."

Her mother shook her head in frustration and spoke up after a moment, settling back at the edge of the bed, "This isn't your age to run a kingdom—"

Akira cut her mother off as she walked over to the window, inhaling the sweet scent that was lingering in the air, "No maa, this is exactly my age to run a kingdom." 

"Akira good women don't do all this – bloodshed, wars – it's not what we women are meant to do, we are supposed to be good mothers and wives. To nurture and care, that's our true calling. Don't try to go out and do a man's job, behave like a good woman."

Akira looked out to the window, the kingdom built underneath looked like a kingdom carved out of finest of gold as the sunrays shone down on it. The sovereign could see children running through the roads, laughing and shrieking as they almost ran into other people, the market place was buzzing as the people mingled, all of them busy in their trades or talks. It felt as if the dominion that lay down ahead was actually alive - intertwined with the lives of the people that lived in it. The kingdom underneath wasn't just a kingdom it was a wonder full of life and joy and the queen? She wasn't just their ruler, she was their protector and the flourishing land beneath was hers to take care of.

Akira looked back to her mother's kohl lined eyes as she smiled and answered, "Maybe I don't want to be a good woman then."

The former queen stayed silent and her head hung low. After a moment, she quietly whispered, "Is this what your baba would have wanted?"

Akira clenched her jaw – causing herself minute pain – and swallowed hard. She stayed silent for a moment, fighting the old memories of her father before finally finding the courage to react, "Yes."

Her mother looked back up in astonishment, brown meeting brown in the thick silence.

"Baba raised me to be an independent woman who was unafraid to go after what she wants, so, yes mother, this is what baba would have wanted."

The Devmata stood up from the mattress she was sitting upon, changing her tactics once she realized that the guilt tripping wouldn't work, "Well your baba isn't here anymore." She walked until she was standing in front of her daughter, both of their gaze challenging each other in a silent match yet again, "I am and I will decide what happens."

"We will see about that."

Akira gave her mother one last curt nod before she walked past her, leaving the former monarch bewildered.

"Where do you think you are going" Her mother questioned, her tone imposing.

"I have a kingdom to run, you see, they are in some desperate need of a strong ruler."

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The evening sun casted a soft blush on one of the palace terrace where the three friends sat, overlooking the immense empire. Aziza and Shree sat on the wide mattressed seats as the queen practiced archery.

Akira set the arrow in position in accordance with the bow, the sun illuminating the wood as she pressed her one eye shut and focused on the circular target ahead.

"You look angry." Shree remarked mindlessly as she ran a hand down her curly hair. 

"I am always angry, Shree." Akira simply said.

"She means you look more murderous than usual, Akira." Aziza shrugged, looking at the monarch, "Another fight with your mother? She is still adamant about your marriage?"

Akira nodded and both of them got the idea.  

"I don't get it though" Shree started, looking at the queen, "Why does everyone have a problem with you being the ruler?"

"Yes" Aziza continued, picking the dirt off her nails as she relaxed against the back of the seat, her eyes scanning the golden realm ahead, "I mean you have conquered more lands in just three years than many rulers have in eons." Aziza kept going, "Our trades are also flourishing, our army is the strongest it has been in years, our people are employed."

"—And most importantly, our people are happy. Then what's the problem?" Shree concluded, a look of confusion setting over her features.

Akira let go of the arrow which swooshed past her, piercing the thin air in a swift go and stabbing the target right in the middle, "Well you see, people love seeing and idolizing strong females who are unafraid of fighting for themselves in stories, in myths, in something which quite doesn't exist in the realm of reality like but—"

The queen picked up another arrow and put it in position, closing her one eye as she eyed the target, "—when they see an actual embodiment of such a women, it becomes their worst nightmare because they know that she will bring destruction when provoked - whether it is against a few people or an army of thousands. Because a woman who knows what she is capable of" Akira let go of that arrow, which pierced the previous wooden arrow, splitting it into two, "—can even bring the greatest of deities to their knees."

Akira put down her bow and looked at her friends and saw Shree laughing, "I can drink to that."

Aziza rolled her eyes, playing with the ends of her jet black hair,  "You can drink to anything Shree... It's quite a problem if I am being completely honest."

Shree raised her eyebrows as the commander next to her, speaking in an hushed tone, she asked, "Is it though?"

The girls laughed while Aziza nodded a firm 'yes'.

Shree shrugged and the ruler shook her head at her as yet again a handmaiden interrupted them.

"Maharani" The handmaiden bowed down as she addressed her.

Akira looked at her, snapping back into her 'ruler' state, "Yes?"

The helper's gaze was fixed on the floor, "A suitor has come to meet you."

"A suitor?" Akira raised her eyebrow, looking at the palace gates where an empty chariot was being taken by the guards indicating the 'to-be-groom' had entered the palace.

Akira looked back at the handmaiden, "If I remember correctly, no suitor is supposed to show up until day after tomorrow, am I not correct?" and the handmaiden nodded.

The Queen nodded nonetheless, "Who is it?"

"Yuvraj Kartik Chauhan of Kirtipuram."

The sovereign sighed, a bored look on her visage, "Take him to the guest chambers and tell him to wait for me, I will be there soon."

"Ji Maharani" With that the handmaiden left.

"Another lamb to slaughter?" Aziza smirked, sending a half-glance at the curly-haired girl next to her.

Akira looked back at her friends, sitting leisurely and she flashed a phony smile, "Yes, now if you will excuse me" Akira looked down at her sword, "I have an aspiring groom to look after."

The Queen turned on her heel as Shree called after her, "Have fun!"

Little did the sovereign know that this stranger would open a new chapter to her life, one that she was so sure would never be written. A forbidden chapter of fate with texts woven by destiny itself.

After all, someone had to become the undoing of the ruthless ruler.

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