After eating breakfast, Lady Suhanya returned me to my room before changing me into a lighter churidar. I was relieved to be in it, until she guided me to an open yard where there were quite a few girls standing around stretching.

I realized right then that she was bringing me to where we would be practicing that special dance.

I was quickly introduced to all the girls, all of whom where cousins or relatives of Aaryan. They were all beautiful, and many of them seemed friendly, though quite a few looked at me with a strange look of disapproval which did make me upset.

We didn't get much of a chance to speak, because Lady Suhanya wanted to start teaching me this dance immediately.

As Aaryan had said, the dance involved a lot of spinning, and dancing with a lit flame on a candle in my hand was difficult indeed.

We danced for hours, and to my pleasure, Lady Suhanya was happy with my progress. It was in fact a group dance. I wasn't going to be the center of attention, which filled me with relief. Twelve girls, including myself, danced in the center. There were fourteen other girls who danced on the sides, most of them being the ones who did not seem to like me. Unlike the girls in the center, the girls at the side had simpler moves, as instead of have flames in their hands, they danced with gorgeously decorated pots on their heads.

These girls were older girls, and despite Lady Suhanya explaining that all these girls were already familiar with this dance, they seemed to be struggling quite a lot to keep the pots on their heads.

It was as they struggled and Lady Suhanya sighed in exhaustion that I noticed Aaryan's younger brother. He was standing at the top of the short staircase that led back into the palace, leaning against a pillar and watching us all.

I smiled at him, and he nodded his head. I wondered if I was supposed to bow, but before I could do so, Lady Suhanya grabbed me by my shoulders and returned me to my position. "One more time," she announced.

We ran through what we had learned one more time, and for the first time it seemed to go smoothly, at least until one of the girls dropped the pot from her head, causing the startled girl behind her to drop hers as well. Immediately after, four more girls dropped their pots and Lady Suhanya stopped her singing before putting a hand on her head.

I could not deny that I was a little pleased that it wasn't me who was holding everyone back. "Girls, you have done this dance so many times, why have you not yet mastered holding the pot on your heads?"

The girls were embarrassed. I could see that it also didn't help that Aayuraavanan was standing there, watching them. Their eyes flickered in his direction as they picked their pots back up.

I cleared my throat before stepping forward. "I think I can help," I said.

Lady Suhanya looked at me.

I pulled my shawl off from around me, twisting it tightly into a circle before knotting the ends of it. "If you twist the cloth like this, then the pot will sit more easily on it," I said. I placed the twisted shawl, which was now a tight ring, on my head. After taking one of the pots, I sat it on my head, and with my chin up, I walked around easily, the pot sitting on my head.

The girls seemed unhappy with the fact that I did it with such ease, though they should not be surprise. I retrieve water, foods and much more in pots which I carried on the top of my head on nearly a daily basis.

When I returned the pot to the girl it belonged to by bending down and letting her take it off my head herself, Lady Suhanya smiled. "Fix your cloths, girls," she said. "It seems like you can learn a thing or too from Seetha."

The girls took their lazily twisted cloths off of their heads and tightened the twist.

I smiled, seeing that my instructions worked as the girls put the pots back on their head and walked around with a little more ease. However, as I smiled I was startled by a voice behind me. "You have a talent," I heard.

I turned around, surprised by Aayu who was standing right behind me. He had another pot on his hand.

Lady Suhanya bowed. "Prince Aayu," she said. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Aayu smiled warmly at Lady Suhanya, and from that smile I knew that those two, like Aaryan and her, were also very close.

It was a little remarkable how similar both Aaya and Aaryan were, except for the fact that Aayu kept his hair short and had a little bit of a kinder looking face than Aaryan.

"I just came to check on my future sister-in-law," he said. "My brother is quite eager to keep you happy, so I thought I would come and provide some assistance... I did not think you were busy though."

"You can take her off my hands when we finish here, if you would like," Lady Suhanya said.

"That would be lovely," Aayu responded, before turning to me. "Before I let you continue, however, I want to try something out." He then proceeded to hand me the pot he was holding. "Dance with that on your head. While holding the diyas in your hands."

I hesitated, looking at Lady Suhanya, who also looked a little surprised, but she nodded her head.

After adjusting the cloth ring on my head and setting the pot on my head, Lady Suhanya handed me both the candles. When I felt like I was ready, having balanced the pot on my head and having a good hold of the diyas in my hand, Lady Suhanya began to sing the song.

I noticed she was singing it much slower than she was supposed to, which I was grateful for, and though I struggled to keep the pot balanced, I didn't drop it.

She stopped in the middle of the song, looking at me in surprise. "Have you done this before?"

"Not this particular dance," I said, "But I do Barathanatyam back at home. Here and there we perform with pots on our heads, though in those instances my hands are usually free to catch it before it falls."

Aayu was smiling widely, and when he and :ady Suhanya exchanged a look, he looked at me happily. "The last woman to dance with a flaming pot on her head, as well as diyas in her hands was a few centuries ago."

My eyes widened. A flaming pot. No one mentioned the pot would be on fire.

"It's quite dangerous, son," Lady Suhanya said.

"But it would prove a point," Aayu shrugged. "And it would be quite the show. I suggest she practices with the pot... if it is too hard then she can do the final dance without it. It's up to her."

Lady Suhanya looked at me. "It's up to you, child," she said.

"What kind of point would it prove?" I asked.

"It will seem as if you have the favour of the gods. And it would make the nobles gawk," he said. "It would make my mother gawk... she didn't even participate in this tradition."

I understood what he meant. I also understood that, though I did not like the idea of it, I had to make people 'gawk,' as Aayu called it. I had to also prove a point. So I nodded.

"Good," Aayu said. "Keep it between us though. Let us surprise everyone. Including my brother."

I nodded slowly, pot still on my head.

"Alright ladies?" Aayu turned to the other girls. "Keep this between us?"

The girls seem to be fawning over the presence of the prince, and almost immediately nodded and promised him to keep this secret.

"Now, hurry along and finish the practicing so that the two of us can get to know one another."

I chuckled and Lady Suhanya smiled, before directing me back to the grounds to dance.

—

When the practice was complete, I was sweating and probably smelled rather unpleasant. However, when I reached Aayu, he didn't seem bothered by it. "You are an excellent dancer," he said, "as my brother promised."

I smiled at the young man.

I remembered right then that Aaryan said he was the same age as me. That surprised me quite a lot, now that I was looking at him up close. He was much taller than me, maybe only a tiny bit shorter than Aaryan. He also looked quite older, though clean shaved and having a young looking face.

"Thank you," I said. "My father always believed it was important to know the arts... even when times were tough, he made sure to put aside some coins to send me to my dance lessons."

"A good man," Aayu said. "Again as my brother has said."

"Your brother has said a lot, it seems?"

Aayu chuckled, beginnings to walk and guiding me away from the practice area. "My brother is not a talker, but he quite enjoys talking about you."

His words made me happy. "What else does he say?"

"A lot, including the fact that you are still unfamiliar with the ways of the palace."

Now I blushed a little, knowing that he was referring to my visit to Aaryan last night.

"But do not worry, I have a solution for that," he said, guiding me down the halls. "At least until you and my brother are married."

"What is this solution?"

I didn't realize that we were in front of my new room until Aayu opened the door for me. He smiled, gesturing for me to walk in, so I turned around and stepped in, and was surprised by the sight of the five maids that have been assisting me since I got here.

They were being assisted by a few guards, preparing colourful mats on the floor near the base of my own bed.

When they saw us, or at least, Aayu, they got onto their knees, bowing low. "My Prince," They said together.

"You may rise," he said, kindly. "We are all friends here."

They all rose, and after the finished setting up their beds the guards left and Aayu walked towards the bed. He sat down on the base of my bed, patting the spot next to him, and so I walked over and sat down. "Have a seat, ladies," Aayu said.

The girls sat, each one of them on their own mat.

"I don't think you've had a chance to be properly introduced to one another?"

I shook my head.

"I know it must be strange for you to have women attending to you, but the best way to work around the awkwardness is to make friends, don't you think?"

Of course, I loved the thought of making friends with these girls, so I nodded rather eagerly. "That would be wonderful."

"Good," he said. "Your ladies-in-waiting will be your closest friends in the court. If you treat them right, which I am sure you will, they will be better friends to you than most of the nobles. You are not alone here, Seetha. Trust me, you will never be alone."

I chuckled. "I suppose I was just a little bit cautious. I don't really know the ways of the palace."

"And that is why I am here," Aayu smiled warmly. "How about I start with the introduction?"

Some of the girls giggled and I nodded, feeling a little light and relieved. His desire to help me seemed sincere.

"My name is Aayuraavanan, the third son of the King. In private you may call me Aayu, but in public, especially in front of my mother, it would be wise to refer to me as Prince," he said. "As the middle child, I was often the forgotten one, not that it bothered me much. It gave me the freedom to do whatever I please, which allowed me to spend much of my childhood in the servants quarter with the servant boys and girls which is why I am more of a people person than most of my brothers as well as the rest of the court."

That definitely explained everything about him.

"I have a deep respect and love for Aaryan, and want nothing more than to see him as a successful King," he continued. "As I'm sure you know, Seetha, my eldest brother has quite the potential and work ethic... I think he has it in him to become the greatest King these lands have ever seen, and so I will stand behind him no matter what. And standing behind him means standing behind his future wife."

I smiled at him, finding it incredibly admirable that he cared so greatly about Aaryan.

"Your turn," Aayu said to me.

"Oh... I, um... " I hesitated.

"Just tell us about yourself."

I cleared my throat. "My name is Seetha and I am from Nandioor. My family is a family do farmers in our village and I am the youngest of my many siblings. I also have a cow name Maadu. She only recently gave birth to her baby Erumai."

The girls laughed at the names I had picked out for my cow and her baby and I smiled proudly.

Aayu smiled. "Aaryan mentioned that you are very affectionate with that cow of yours?"

I nodded. "I care for her deeply," I said. "Cows are very intelligent animals, so sometimes it does feel like she has a wild mind of her own."

The girls laughed again as Aayu gestured at the young woman sitting right next to me. "Your turn."

This girl seemed to be the youngest, maybe ten or eleven years old, with big, brown eyes and long black hair that was braided over her shoulders.. "Hello, my name is Meera. I have been a maid at the palace since I was born, and my mother works in the kitchens and my father works in the stables." She smiled shyly, not know what to say next.

"It's nice to meet you, Meera," I said, happily.

Her shyness faded just a little as she put her hands on her lap and looked down in embarrassment.

"I am Revathi," the next woman started. Revathi has very curly hair that, though was braided back, tried very hard to come out of its braid. She also had dark brown eyes and a friendly smile, and looked to be in her mid teens. "I came to work at the palace two years ago with my sister, Rehka," she gestured to the girl next to her. "We are twins."

My eyes widened in surprise as I looked at the two girls. They were not identical, but they did look quite alike.

Rehka grinned. "I'm older by a whole hour!" She said.

"It's nice that you two are together, and not seperated." I said.

Revathi nodded. "Lady Suhanya does not like to separate siblings," she said.

"Though sometimes I get tired of seeing my sisters face so often."

We all laughed.

Next was a woman who took me by surprise when I really looked at her. I hadn't once had a chance to really look at these women, but now that I did, I saw that she was... a man?

It took me a moment to realize that she was a Hijra.

"My name is Maha," she smiled, and I noticed she had a deep, but soft voice.. Her hair was long and brown and her eyes were dark. She was definitely taller than the other girls, but the makeup she wore was so well done and she looked rather beautiful. "I am from Ahvani–" a Hijra community, I thought. "–and I have been a maid here for seven years. I hope we can get along, my Lady."

"Maha here also gives wonderful massages, the best in the palace, I'd say," Aayu had a silly smile on his face and I could tell that he and Maha were friends.

"Oh, you are too kind," Maha laughed with her fingers over her lips.

I chuckled.

"I am the oldest of the maids," she said to me with a warm smile. "If you ever need any sort of help or advice or anything, please feel free to ask."

I thanked her, before we turned to the last girl. "I am Anushri," she said with a small smile. This girl seemed to be my age, maybe a little younger. She had long black hair and somewhat sad, or gloomy, looking eyes. "I have been here for a year. I came when I married my husband, who is a guard at the palace."

"Oh really?" I asked, quite interested.

She nodded. "My family is in Thirumalai."

"Oh," I smiled happily. "My best friend lives there."

Anushri smiled, without saying anything else.

So in the span of a few minutes, I met five new people. The young Meera, the twins Rehka and Revathi, the hijra Maha and the married Anushri. It was quite wonderful that all of them came from such varied backgrounds. I was quite eager to get to know them all.

"Well, Seetha, you have five new friends," Aayu said, standing up. "And I will leave you all to get to know each other further. Unfortunately I have some business to attend to."

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Aayu, for being so kind to me."

"You don't need to thank me," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We are friends now. That's what I'm here for."

With that, Aayu left.

The second the door shut, however, Maha did not waste a moment. She looked at me with excited eyes. "So, my lady, we've been dying to know... how did you and the crown prince meet?"

My brows rose in surprise. I was worried it would be awkward once Aayu left, but glad that it wasn't.

"Oh please, if you can... please tell us the whole story!" little Meera said.

"It's rare that we hear any love stories around here," Revathi sighed.

I chuckled, sliding off of the bed to sit next to them. "Well, I suppose I can tell you, so long as you keep it between us."

"We won't tell a single souls," Maha said.

"No one!" Rehka agreed.

So I smiled, and told them about how Aaryan and I met.

The rest of the day was rather pleasant. I spent quite some time with my new friends and they were extremely pleased that I shared the story of Aaryan and I with them, especially because they were so baffled by the thought that Prince Aaryan could be so... romantic.

They told me that they had always seen him as rather cold. Maybe even cruel.

I wasn't surprised by this, seeing as Aaryan had made quite the reputation for himself and also barely smiled. But it was rather funny to see the looks on their faces as I told the story.

Afterwards, I was taken by Lady Suhanya to meet some teachers who would be conducting classes to make sure I catch up to other women my age. These teachers were rather surprised to see that I could read and write, which made their classes unnecessary, however when I asked them if it was possible to teach me what the men know as well, though they were shocked at the proposal, they accepted it.

As my father always said, education was important for men and women. Just because I was a woman didn't mean I needed to know less than a man. And if I were going to get the opportunity to learn, then I would take it.

After that, it was time for bed. After changing into the Sari that I was to wear to sleep, I sat atop the bed and spoke with my new roommates. I thanked them again for abandoning their own bedrooms to come and sleep here with me.

"Bedroom?" Maha laughed. "Many of us girls sleep together on the floor, with barely any space.having this much space is a luxury we've never had, so thank you."

I looked at them, puzzled. "Is that really true?"

They nodded. "And these pillows," Rehka said, picking up her silk green pillow. "They're so comfortable!"

"We would never get one of these at the servants quarters!" Little Meera said as she hugged her own silk one.

I smiled.

"And it's all thanks to you, my lady!" Revathi added.

My smile grew as I got up off the bed. I picked up my pillows and blankets and walked over to them, dropping it all next to them and preparing a spot for myself in the free space right next to Maha. "You don't need to thank me."

"What are you doing?" Anushri asked, getting up to help me with my pillows.

"I'll sleep next to you all," I said. "I prefer the floor anyways. I used to sleep on the floor next to my sister-in-laws all the time."

"But my Lady!" Meera started.

"Please don't call me that," I said, crossing my legs and facing them. "Just call me Seetha."

"Please... Seetha," Maha said. "You should not lower yourself with us–"

"Oh please," I said. "Don't be silly, I am one of you."

The girls looked at me in shock, but after a moment, they all smiled happily.