The boys had returned to the village after encountering the royal ship. The ship moved towards the village named Pushpamela. The village was on the opposite end of the forest. While Raghopur lay on the forest’s western parts, Pushpamela lay on the eastern end. The Prince, Kartika, stared at the large forest belt as their mighty ship sailed in the river. It was the second time he was visiting Pushpamela but this time he was going without the kingās permission.
The head priest was looking keenly at the young prince. Kartika shared the courage and intelligence of his great-great-grandfather Pradyumna. He had striking similarities with the late King Pradyumna. Same black and curly hair, sharp nose, big hypnotic eyes. He was as beautiful as Kama Deva and as valiant as Lord Murugan. The priest was devoted to the purpose of the prince. That is why he was taking the risk of disobeying the king. The prince was eager to remove the fear of the dark forest from his kingdom. He had heard all the stories about the cursed forest and wanted to help his people.
An accomplished Sage named Gautama had taken shelter in Pushpamela. The news was that the Sage had entered the forest and returned unharmed. He even meditated in those dark regions and no harm came to him. People were surprised and were praying to him for safety. The king had given up on the matters of forest and was least concerned. But the prince was eager to meet the Sage.
The prince, the priest, and a few soldiers deboarded the ship when they reached the village. The villagers had made preparations to welcome the prince. The prince accepted their warm welcome and showed gratitude. But he didnāt waste much time and hastily walked towards the Sageās abode. The Sage was in deep meditation. The prince bowed down to him. After offering his respect to the sage took a seat at his feet.
Time went by but the sage didnāt open his eyes. The prince waited for three days in that village but Sage Gautam didnāt come out of his meditation. A soldier brought news from the kingdom. The king came to know of their little adventure. He called back the prince immediately. Kartika had no choice. He had to return. The meeting was unsuccessful.
Back at Ashwasena, preparations were being made for the grand welcome of King Shailendra. Shailendra was the ruler of the kingdom named Avanti. It was a beautiful kingdom close to the mountains. King Purushartha wanted to marry his son Kartika to the beautiful daughter of Shailendra. When the prince returned to his kingdom, he faced the wrath of his father. Purushartha was mad at the prince for disobeying him and leaving the kingdom secretly. But he couldnāt stay angry for long. His guests had arrived. King Shailendra arrived in Ashwasena with his family and a few soldiers.
The king himself welcomed the guests. A grand feast was organized for the royal family of Avanti. A soldier went to the chamber of the prince and announced, ā My prince! The king wants to see you in the dining hall. The royal family of Avanti would be joining for the dinner. The king does not want you to be late.ā
Kartika nodded to the soldier and asked him to leave. As the servants prepared him for the dinner he kept thinking about the Sage. He wanted to go back and talk to him. But he needed to wait for the Sage to come out of his meditation. This time he had appointed a soldier to keep a watch in the village. He could not take any risk.
The dinner feast started. The Sages were the first to be served. The King himself prayed to them and served the meal. After the Sages were done with their meal, the food was served in the dining hall where all people in the royal family ate together. A huge table was set with the best cuisine. Different types of food items were prepared by the best cooks in the palace. Most people from the royal families were already seated. The prince also took his seat. All were waiting for the King.
As the prince looked around, he saw the King of Avanti. King Shailendra greeted him and he returned the gesture. Before he could look further, his father, King Purushartha entered the chamber. Everyone stood up to greet the King. The king introduced his son to King Shailendra. Then King Shailendra introduced his daughter Rashmi to the Prince. Kartika looked at her. She had just entered her youth. Even at the age of eighteen, she had a childish energy in her. She smiled and blushed as she looked at Kartika. Kartika carelessly smiled back. He did not show much interest. He was always the center of attention for all the girls in the kingdom. For him, it was not a big deal.
As he looked further, someone caught his attention. A woman in deep red garments was sitting close to Rashmi. She looked in her mid-30s. King Shailendra introduced her as his second wife. Rashmi was the daughter of the Kingās first wife, who died early. He remarried to the beautiful daughter of his head priest. Her name was Rohini. Kartika could not take his eyes off her. She was beautiful. She had copper-brown hair with curls at the ends. With an olive complexion and a beautiful smile, her face was glowing like a full moon. As she smiled at Kartika, his heart missed a beat. He wanted to smile back, but his body was completely numb.
During the entire dinner, Kartika kept peeking at Rohini. Rashmi, who was already mesmerized by Kartika, was disappointed to see that Kartika was not interested in her. She could sense that he was looking secretly at her stepmother. This was not the first time that her stepmother was getting more attention than her. Rohini was completely unaware of everything happening around her. She looked blankly at her meal as she ate her food.
Read the next chapter. Read all Chapters. Go to Chapter 1.
