"Princess! Princess please wake up!", the guard repeated from the shades outside the room
"Who is it?", she asked waking up from her half sleep. "How dare you disturb my sleep at such late hours?"
"Princess! We have an intruder."
"Well take him to commander-in-chief then."
"He says he wants to meet you. It is urgent."
"Why is it so urgent for him to meet me and not my father? Who is he?"
"Prince of the Mewat kingdom.", he said as she was surprised at the revelation.
"Send him in. I will meet him in the gallery."
"Its not very gentlemanly to meet a young girl in the mid of the night like this, Prince.", she said as he turned towards her.
"I have come to warn you. Your life is in danger."
"My life is yours since three years.", she smiled, "Why, you have finally arrived to claim it?"
"I am serious. My father has collaborated with other neighbouring kingdoms and is planning to attack you early next morning. He will destroy the temple outside the city gates that your kingdom so absorbedly worship. It will be enough to break down the morale of your people. The rest will be done by the vast Army."
"If that happens, my dear, your Princess would be ready with her armour at the gates of my city, ready to fight for the pride of her kingdom."
"I knew you wont understand. I know about you since we studied together at the Gurukul. Consider this a request from someone who loves you more than himself."
"I love you as well. But the honor of my Kingdom calls for my blood. Thanks that you made me aware. If not the temple, atleast we will be ready before your Army attacks the city."
He nodded his head in disbelief. "Wont nothing I do change your decision?"
She smiled at him, "It was our fate that we were born in warring clans. Our love was never meant to be completed. But, I am content, our love would live forever.", she kept her hand on his chest, "In your heart.", she said. "Now let me pass the message to my commander-in-chief and get our Army ready.
"The Prince is not in his tent, Maharaj."
"And his horse?"
"The horse is in his place.".
"He is an idiot in love. Well, no more from today. Are our armies ready?"
"Yes, Maharaj."
"Lets start the attack then."
"Maharaj, its still two hours before we planned the attack."
"My idiot son could make a plan or two of his own to spoil the party in the evening. We surprise them if they are prepared."
As the Army reached the city gates, the King turned towards his Commander-in-chief.
"We will not kill the priest of the temple. Set him free so that he can go back to his kingdom and let people know their temple and the deity has been demolished.", he said.
Once inside, the Commander-in-Chief set the priest free and gave him a horse to go back to the kingdom. As the priest left, the King smiled at the deity and picked up his spear. He stood in front of the deity and aimed at the stone made eyes. He pushed the spear with all his might as the spear pierced as deep as it could. All of a sudden, the King let go a cry of fear as he saw blood oozing from the stone deity's eyes.
"Cursed! The temple is cursed! Abandon the attack! Lets go back or we are doomed.", he shouted out of fear as the Commander-in-chief followed him.
A few minutes later, the Army was retracting its progress. Inside the temple, behind the statue of the deity, a lifeless body was stuck to the wall by the spear in his head.
"Who is it?", she asked waking up from her half sleep. "How dare you disturb my sleep at such late hours?"
"Princess! We have an intruder."
"Well take him to commander-in-chief then."
"He says he wants to meet you. It is urgent."
"Why is it so urgent for him to meet me and not my father? Who is he?"
"Prince of the Mewat kingdom.", he said as she was surprised at the revelation.
"Send him in. I will meet him in the gallery."
"Its not very gentlemanly to meet a young girl in the mid of the night like this, Prince.", she said as he turned towards her.
"I have come to warn you. Your life is in danger."
"My life is yours since three years.", she smiled, "Why, you have finally arrived to claim it?"
"I am serious. My father has collaborated with other neighbouring kingdoms and is planning to attack you early next morning. He will destroy the temple outside the city gates that your kingdom so absorbedly worship. It will be enough to break down the morale of your people. The rest will be done by the vast Army."
"If that happens, my dear, your Princess would be ready with her armour at the gates of my city, ready to fight for the pride of her kingdom."
"I knew you wont understand. I know about you since we studied together at the Gurukul. Consider this a request from someone who loves you more than himself."
"I love you as well. But the honor of my Kingdom calls for my blood. Thanks that you made me aware. If not the temple, atleast we will be ready before your Army attacks the city."
He nodded his head in disbelief. "Wont nothing I do change your decision?"
She smiled at him, "It was our fate that we were born in warring clans. Our love was never meant to be completed. But, I am content, our love would live forever.", she kept her hand on his chest, "In your heart.", she said. "Now let me pass the message to my commander-in-chief and get our Army ready.
"The Prince is not in his tent, Maharaj."
"And his horse?"
"The horse is in his place.".
"He is an idiot in love. Well, no more from today. Are our armies ready?"
"Yes, Maharaj."
"Lets start the attack then."
"Maharaj, its still two hours before we planned the attack."
"My idiot son could make a plan or two of his own to spoil the party in the evening. We surprise them if they are prepared."
As the Army reached the city gates, the King turned towards his Commander-in-chief.
"We will not kill the priest of the temple. Set him free so that he can go back to his kingdom and let people know their temple and the deity has been demolished.", he said.
Once inside, the Commander-in-Chief set the priest free and gave him a horse to go back to the kingdom. As the priest left, the King smiled at the deity and picked up his spear. He stood in front of the deity and aimed at the stone made eyes. He pushed the spear with all his might as the spear pierced as deep as it could. All of a sudden, the King let go a cry of fear as he saw blood oozing from the stone deity's eyes.
"Cursed! The temple is cursed! Abandon the attack! Lets go back or we are doomed.", he shouted out of fear as the Commander-in-chief followed him.
A few minutes later, the Army was retracting its progress. Inside the temple, behind the statue of the deity, a lifeless body was stuck to the wall by the spear in his head.
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