PROLOGUE
8 yr old.
Kartikay's voice trembled, eyes pleading.
"Maa, Please. I don't like archery, at least let me play for some more minutes just for today... I don't want to train with the bow today."
Kalyani, His mother, tried to persuade him. "No, son. Don't say that, you have to walk in your father's step, right."
Queen Vanika, who was standing with Kalyani said, "Kartikay, you are not just a child- you are your father's son. The path ahead of you is not one of games and laughter, but of duty and honor."
She stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "One day, this kingdom's armies will march under your command. And when the time comes, only through this discipline will you be able to stand beside your prince Snehal - not as a boy, but as a warrior, stride for stride, sword for sword."
15 yrs later,
KARTIKAY'S POV
I still remember those days vividly... When Mother and Queen Vanika used to teach me how to wield the bow, and how a true soldier must stand beside his kingdom with unwavering loyalty. She taught me to honor the throne, to hold it sacred, and to always stand beside my dearest friend, Prince Snehal, in guiding this realm together.
And now... here I sit, head bowed before the very throne I was raised to protect - before a grand assembly, heavy with silence. In my heart, I pray the god for justice...
'Former Commander Kartikay is sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for treason. He shall receive one meal a day and be made to labor within the prison walls from dawn to dusk. His family is to be exiled from the kingdom.' A courtier declared aloud.
"No, please. Don't take away my husband, he hasn't done anything wrong. His only crime is that he considered this kingdom his own. Let him go... for god's sake, let him go."
"My beloved... Don't cry. I will definitely return. If they see you in teers, they will think they have won. But remember this - you are the wife of a warrior, and the wife of a warrior is a warrior herself. Don't cry, my beloved..."
Without a crime... without a voice... I have been sentenced in the very kingdom I gave my childhood to...
As the soldier began to take Kartikay away, a powerful voice rang out from behind- "Stop right there! Touch him, and I swear by the gods, none of you will leave this hall unscathed."
Who was this... the one who dared to raise their voice in the middle of the royal court?
IMPORTANT
Join in the journey of BETRAYAL, DUTY and SACRIFICE, story of Kartikay.
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