Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

The water splashes dimmed the faint noises of critters and rustling of leaves as the duo trekked through to find the village.

It was Bhairava and Vikrama Rama who had set out to find the daughter of Vikrama that was lost in a flood years ago.

Bhairava had informed Harsha of his mission. He did reject the offer of security as the path was arduous and they would scare the villagers as well.

"Your Highness. Are you sure this is the right place?" Vikrama asked, huffing heavily as he was not used to physically challenging activities.

"I told you not to address me like that. I am not a prince anymore. Just call me by my name." Bhairava responded, waving his wooden prosthetic hand.

"This is the right path to that village. Damn!! It is built in the middle of this huge forest."

"I see," Vikrama said, trailing behind and breathing heavily.

"Do you want me to carry you? Or should we take a break?"

Bhairava was just built like an athlete. This was nothing but a cakewalk for him. He was going slowly due to Vikrama\'s physical condition. He was carrying all the baggage necessary on his shoulders because he didn\'t want Vikrama to tire himself down.

"Let\'s... Ta-Take... A break."

"Ok."

Bhairava put down his bags as Vikrama slumped down a rock to rest his legs. He went to fetch and refill some water for the trip. The sun was setting in the distance. The night was about to fall, and they had to reach the village, or else they had to spend another night in the forest.

Bhairava passed the leather bag of water.

"Here, drink some water and cool yourself."

He looked around as Vikrama rested.

"We have to move quickly. The village is close by."

"Yes, Your Highness," he responded.

After a while of resting, they resumed their journey to the village. The path converged away from the waterfall through a small trail.

There was a pit in their path.

Bhairava looked around.

"Look there. That\'s the bridge." He pointed at the fallen tree that acted as the bridge. The carefully made their way to the other end of the pit.

The sun set and the darkness was settling in the sky as they walked through the jungle. They finally saw the faint light in the distance.

Bhairava squinted his eyes to check. His hand resting on the hilt of the sword, looking out for danger.

"That\'s the village." He said, glancing back at the tired Vikrama.

Finally, they had made it to the village. They made their way to the village slowly and saw some guards standing close to the entrance.

They looked at Bhairava and gasped. The guards exchanged glances and readied their crude weapons.

Bhairava raised his hand in the air and spoke in their language.

"I come in peace. Calm down."

They scruntized his posture and relaxed as he didn\'t seem hostile.

One of the guards looked at him. "What is your business here?"

"We are looking for someone. We heard they are in this village."

Just then Vikrama stumbled from the forest and fell. The guards readied their weapons at the sudden noise.

"Wait wait. He is with me." Bhairava quickly said as he helped Vikrama stand up.

One guard murmured something to the other one.

"We will call the village chief. He will decide." They said.

A middle-aged man wearing a dhoti appeared with the guard after a while. He was muscular and had a thick beard. He looked pretty strong. His long hair was streaked with a bit of gray.

"Hello, travellers. My name is Bhuvesh, the village chief. How can I help you?" He greeted Bhairava and Vikrama. His eyes were scanning both of them.

\'The young man is well-built and has a sword. The dress seems of high quality, similar to the other man. They seem to be of high status.\' He thought.

"We are looking for someone." Bhairava repeated.

"Hoo… So deep in the forest?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Yes! We got some information that they are here!."

Bhuvesh ran his hand through his beard in contemplation.

"Hmm!!! We can certainly help. What does the person look like?"

"It\'s a young lady." Bhairava said and turned to Vikrama to ask. "How old is she??"

"She should be 24 years old, right now."

"We have a couple of ladies that age in the village." Bhuvesh said.

"Then.."

"That said, we cannot allow strangers into the village."

Bhairava looked disappointed.

Vikrama spoke up, taking a deep breath.

"Please, can you make an exception this time? She means a lot to me."

Bhuvesh thought for a second.

"We cannot allow you into the village at this time. If you are willing to wait till the morning. I can arrange something." He stated.

"What are you saying?" Bhairava began. He was quickly cut off by Vikrama.

"Yes, Yes. We will wait till the morning."

Bhairava glanced at the village chief. He was pretty upset at the unwelcome treatment. He calmed himself down, as he didn\'t want to cause trouble for Vikrama.

Vikrama continued, keeping his gaze fixed on Bhuvesh.

"Is it okay? If we set up camp close to the village for the night. Of course, we will ensure the guards can see us."

"Yes, you may. We shall meet in the morning then." Bhuvesh walked back into the village.

Vikrama looked past the Bhuvesh inside the village to see a young lady walking across to the other side of the village.

He squinted and blinked to get a better view, but she was gone.

\'Shraddha, my daughter. Hope I can see you again.\' He silently prayed.

"Ugh! What was the use of straining ourselves to stay the night in the forest?" muttered Bhairava, propping up a makeshift tent.

"Thank you, Your Highness," mumbled Vikrama.

"Eh!! Did you say something?" Bhairava asked, glancing back at him.

He smiled warmly at Bhairava.

"Nothing, Your Highness."