It's about midnight. The long howling of wolves was heard from Darya van, the forest
boundary between Amai and Hirangan kingdom. For the past many decades, it has alwaysbeen peaceful in the Mekong continent ever since Hiranga officially announced that they willno longer participate in any war unless they are provoked. It can be considered as therewon't be any war from part of Hiranga since no other country, even the Amai kingdom, woulddare to provoke the mighty beast Hiranga and its renowned Serpent and Hawks army.Amanya, the commander-general of the serpent army had a meeting with the othermembers of the army and was preparing for her usual night patrolling in the outskirts of thekingdom. General Jatin who usually accompanied her in this night patrolling was busy andcouldn't make it today, so she went unaccompanied.All was good in Hiranga and she was about to return, suddenly she heard a scream nearbyDarya van. She was perplexed as Darya van is an uninhabited area and it is fortified by theHawks army. She proceeded towards the gates of Darya van and was stopped by hawks"The Hawks army bows in respect to the commander," said the guards and they bowed."Just now I heard a scream and it seemed to be from Darya""Replying to my lord, we didn't" they repliedConfused, Amanya said "move, let me pass. I want to check it myself""but lord we are not lying""I believe in hawks but if there is a mistake, we should correct it before it's too late or elseDarya won't be peaceful anymore, and yeah, no need to inform others, maybe it's just myhallucination."she said and lighted her torch."Yes, my lord" and the gates opened.Even though she convinced them that it was her overthinking but deep in her heart shethought"I hope it's an exaggeration on my part and not an ambush"Little did she know, it was an ambush but laid by heaven and fate…As she expected, Darya was as cold as a witch's tit. The benighted forest with bleakshadows of trees in a full moon night gave it an eerie upshot."It's true. Darya lives up to its name" she thought in her mind.The wickedness of Darya fuelled her curiosity."The scream was from north of Darya" she patted her horse "let's go"The brown horse reared majestically and galloped. Maybe, it was also curious; like owner like pet. It felt like she searched every corner of Darya on her way but couldn't find thesource. She saw some light ahead. She jumped off the horse and walked slowly; gettingnear to it. Some people in armor were standing there and in between them there was afence."Guards of Amai respect the commander-general" and they bowed."General, do you need any help and why are you here at this hour?""Sorry to disturb you. I heard a scream from Darya but failed to locate it. Was it from...?""No general; not from here.""Ok then" she sighed.She got back on her horse. After she left, a young guard asked his fellows:"She is...?""She is the commander-general of Serpent army""Ah! then she is...!""The only princess of Hiranga" they completed his words."Then why are you guys bowing to her? I heard she is a beast in disguise, our kingdom'sbiggest rival""Yes, she is. Dear, you are new here. you will find it out soon"The young guard full of patriotism was baffled"So is she not our ..."On her way back she found herself caught in a mist of pensiveness."I should be glad that Darya is not at risk." But she found herself weird. She was puzzled .She couldn't stop thinking about that cry, a sound that is very familiar but not familiar. She was bemused ; "something missed my sight"."Amanya , what are you doing here at this odd hour?""What is an odd hour? I was on my night patrolling" She replied Dhruva."Night!! Commander, you should say it's a morning check. The guards are about to change their shift."" I had to tour alone since Jatin was occupied today; but what brought you to Darya?""I was looking for you. ""What happened? ""Ahh... Not here. Let's go back to headquarters. Jatin is waiting there".The day dawned slowly. On returning she slowly glanced back. The first rays of sunlight penetrated through the deep canopy of Darya striking the dewdrops over the green flush trees and the red bricks of the fort. It was shining as if it was baptized by the rays. The just risen sun seeped slowly on the city streets and tardily engaged with early morning activities.She reached the headquarters within an hour. Jatin was desperately walking in a circle. From that itself she knew there was bad news waiting for her; no it should be probably unpleasant news. Even though Jatin was a very powerful and calm general in war , deep down he is a cute bunny who gets scared easily."Amanya ! where were you ?""What happened ?"" The Decade Mekong conference is nearing. ""Ah! What's there to panic? Jatin, didn't Hiranga already reject it? ""I think we may be in trouble.""Stop! stop speaking in circles Dhruva; Jatin tell me what precisely happened""General; it's that according to number Hiranga should host the forthcoming Decade Mekong Conference but it was against the rule of strict admissions for non hirangans. So after the decision of voting ministers, we rejected the idea of hosting. But now all the other countries of Mekong have requested reconsideration.""And what now?""The King has ordered a meeting of voting ministers to discuss .So...""So as voting ministers we should go right?""Amanya what is your plan?""Plan..?"She turned and smirked at the mirror like she was not at all bothered and was enjoying her wickedness and went to her room leaving them there. Both of them looked at each other;"She truly lives up to her name : The serpent queen." Jatin sighed."Now I think real trouble is on its way." Dhruv completed his words.A wild wind blew through the windows leaving them befuddled.Hi friends, This is my debut novel. Thanks for giving me an opportunity, support and care. Don't forget to share your thoughts about the story. Thank you.
In the dayspring houses were busy making their morning tea and preparing for today. Shopkeepers were setting their stalls and some were purchasing. The streets were full of hustle and bustle. Loud neighing of horses were coming from the end of the street . As people turned they could see three big horses galloping and were approaching the streets at the speed of wind. They immediately paved the way for their commander as they could instantly recognize the mighty mascot and its master. The horses were followed by a squad of pythons. As she passed, her long hair with the scarf was waving in the wind leaving her majestic aura in the air. They could see the flag waving in the clouds high, piercing through the air. They slowed their pace and the horses reared on reaching the gates of imperial court . "Respect to the commander " the soldiers guarding court gates bowed and welcomed them. They went through the fort and the pythons stopped and assembled at the f
Amanya walked out so fast that she reached the fort within minutes. Jatin and Dhruv literally had to run to catch up with her. She was waiting for them at the imperial garden. Whenever she felt stressed it was her habit to visit a garden to cool down. "Amanya are you fine? don't stress out yourself" "Yes Amanya. Even if they really have ill intentions, don't you have faith in serpents and hawks? " "Hmmm." Amanya smiled but her face changed red instantly. "Now since they forced us then I can only reassure my reputation as the cold blooded Serpent Queen " A demonic smirk flashed behind her smile. "Ok jokes apart, now let's get down to business. Dhruv ask the cobras to report everything once in a week and immediately if they sme
Jiva and Aram rode back to the imperial palace. Jiva was riding really fast that they reached the palace quicker than what Aram expected. Even when the cold wind was embracing him he was still sweating. Jiva was very disturbed to an extent that even Aram was concerned. Jiva directly went to the king's chamber without even informing the king. He was behaving like he met some national emergency. "What happened to the crowned prince that he even woke up his majesty from his sleep." "Maybe something really urgent." The guards standing before the door whispered to each other. Aram was standing outside the chamber thinking about his odd behavior just now. "Did he just get shocked from Amanya's behavior? Such a drama queen!! Or coul
Abhik and Charan followed Yuvan closely . After the conference he went to his mansion ; The white pearl. He was staring at the white rose for a long time in his reading room. The atmosphere was too quiet for Abhik. "bruddah (meaning brother in slang), you have been staring at it for almost half an hour. And actually what does this white rose mean. I just know it's a symbol of cobras. Does it have any other meaning? " Yuvan smiled at him, something he is good at; to ease the situation. "Charan, what do you know about it?" "Little prince, Actually white flowers represent Serpents. White rose symbolizing cobras and White chrysanthemum for pythons. Finally white Lily symbolizing the serpent Queen. Usually if they are involved in any activi
This morning will be carved in the golden history of Mekong as it was going to witness a miracle. Even before the moon obscured, the streets of Hiranga were in full life. Soldiers were bustling here and there, preparing their parade. Jiva and Aram were thumbing in Lexicon to observe the final preparation and soon others joined Lexicon and started practicing welcome rituals and other ceremonies. The sun slowly painted the sky from pink to blue. With reference to the only request put forward; princes were the representatives of each country and only three invitations were sent to each Mekongian state, that is three were going to participate in this conference from each state. When the calculated profit in this whole case was still with them as they can enter Hiranga, they agreed. Time stopped. The chariots of the prince and their subordinates arrived. They all looked at the majestic fort of Hiranga and they were welcomed by hawks who led them to Lexicon after che
"Prince Abhik, what our commander means to us you can simply infer it from the power and unity of serpents. For an army commander, power gets from his decisions and victories his tactics and ability but unity is formed from respect. She may be a devil for others but for hirangans she is a source of light." Abhik and Charan were perplexed by his words which were full of passion and honor. Even though Abhik dislikes Amanya for her rudeness he had an appreciation for Shankar's loyalty and humbleness. "Shankar, can you tell us what today's program is?" While Yuvan was asking, their lunch arrived and the maids served them those delicacies. Shankar went to the guard who tagged along the lunch cart and they discussed something. The result was not pleasant
The dawn break and its here, the main day of the conference. They all were given today's agenda. It mainly focused on a friendly talk with Hiranga and some experience sharing to improve peace in Mekong. But it's funny that the person who is like a sword hanging above the peace of Mekong is not attending. They went to another place with a garden setting for this talk. "Bruddah to be frank, other than that devil I liked everything here." Abhik was sitting with his brother while Charan was nowhere to be seen. After some time Charan came and whispered in Yuvan's ears. Abhik looked curious but he didn't ask because he knew that it was out of his concern. His majesty arrived at the scene with Jiva. It was a silent entry and it matched the atmosphere. Following
"Frankly Amu, it was a brilliant act. They are double crossed in their own game and that too without even realizing." Jiva smirked in sympathy. "What else do you expect other than their defeat. They think cobras are a joke; ridiculous. They should know even the trustworthy guards of Amai who are beside their king are cobras." Amu laughed in satisfaction. "Amu now you said it I remember, you should not take that crowned prince of Amai Yuvan lightly. He was calm this entire day. Do you think he prognosticate our plan." "As for the case of Vira, we know it was Amai's plan and they were simply scapegoated. And for him he was calm not because he predicted our plan but because he knew it would be a flop. I think after all these yea