Tale of the Princess

XVIII

Mahi's coronation and hers happened in a whirlwind of events. Emperor Songrat wanted to make Mahi the Emperor as fast as possible to avoid political turmoil; something that Mahi was still hesitant about.

Every night, he poured out his fears about his incapability to Shyra, and every night she comforted him in return and assured him that she would always be there by his side.

A lot of things seemed to be happening in a whirlwind, Shyra thought pessimistically as she stood beside Mahi and the golden crown was placed upon his brow after a series of rituals. She was then crowned after him with a slimmer circlet of gold and precious stones.

She could only hope that the period after her marriage would pass more peacefully.

And to her surprise, it did. It really did.

Mahi was just the loving husband she'd expected him to be, and the time they spent was engraved in her heart forever.

Besides giving each other company and enjoying their honeymoon phase, they stayed by each other's side and helped each other fit into their new roles.

Mahi had a lot to learn as the new emperor, and since his father took a step back from the throne, he had to navigate the dangerous waters of ruling an empire with Shyra by his side. They took great leaps of faith together and soon started grasping the technicalities of ruling.

Meanwhile, Shyra had to begin the process of ruling Ziya from afar. For the time being, her parents continued to rule in her absence, but Shyra soon began to feel the press of responsibility on her shoulders when her mother started delegating tasks to her.

And so, Shyra soon settled into her new role as the consort of the emperor, empress of Alza, and ruler of Ziya.

Her responsibilities often piled up on her and left her drained by the end of the day, so whenever her work ended early, she always took the opportunity to sleep for a longer time.

One such day, Shyra got off her work sooner than expected and strode across the palace, nibbling on snacks and admiring the temporary freedom. Her eyes soon grew heavy with sleep and she retired to bed with a content sigh, waiting for Mahi to finish his work and join her.

However, when the shadows on the walls grew long, her weariness took over her excitement and she nodded off to sleep.

All too soon, the sunlight poured through her window and grazed her eyelids. It forced her to open her eyes and stretch, bringing forth another day as an empress.

She turned to her side and patted the bed beside her, intending to find Mahi's face and give him a good morning kiss. However, her hands moved through silken sheets and thin air, failing to clasp upon a solid body. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, all drowsiness evaporating like morning dew.

Through her blurry eyes, she could make out that the space beside her was empty, and that Mahi was nowhere to be seen. This sight itself was unusual, as he always waited for Shyra to open her eyes and be the first thing she saw every morning.

However, she refused to stir herself into a panic and forced her mind to remain calm. Mahi is fine, she assured herself. He was probably prowling the kitchens for an early breakfast or wandering the gardens for fresh blossoms. She would catch him, scold him for giving her such a scare, and that would be the end of that.

With a determined nod, she made her way through the palace, calling out to him with an increasing volume. Although she tried not to, desperation crawled up her throat and merged into her voice, turning it croaky until she had to employ the servants to search for him.

Up and down the palace they went, calling his name with high-pitched voices, but Emperor Mahi was nowhere to be found.

Fear now held her heart in its ugly hands, and she turned and marched into the streets without a word. By this time, the sun was upon her head, and her stomach began to grumble in protest at the lack of food.

The townspeople cast curious glances her way as she wandered the bazaar, but her stony expression sent them hurrying after their tasks.

When she realized that Mahi wasn't in the streets either, her growing fear began to take shape into a panic. A nagging voice at the back of her mind told her to inform the council, to initiate a proper search for him, but her stubborn feet kept dragging her on, and she kept calling his name with her croaky throat.

By now the people seemed to understand that Mahi was missing, and they joined in her search, marching behind her and yelling for him.

The procession gradually split into groups and they traveled through all the streets of Alza, groaning in disappointment when he remained missing.

Shyra waited for everyone to report back to her, and when the last group returned without Mahi, her eyes filled with tears. She could feel the townspeople looking at her for guidance, for assurance.

So she straightened her spine and gave them a small smile. "Everything will be fine. I'll head back to the palace and organize a proper search for him throughout the pranali. Our couriers will travel to all the planets and take the help of royalty to look for him. Whatever happens, we will find him."

They held her gaze for a kshana longer, trying to gauge if their empress meant her words. When they confirmed that she would leave no stone unturned, they turned around and went back to their lives with considerable gloom.

Shyra watched them leave with a stoniness that didn't match the storm raging inside her. After the last of them disappeared, she started making the journey back to the palace.

She forced herself to remain calm and not show fear, but her mask cracked a little, and a single tear made its way down her cheek.