|| PaulomīPrāṇaNāyaka: Labyrinth Of Lightning ||

|| Dvi: The Risky Mission ||

"Prabhu!" A frantic voice made Indra look up from the parchment he was studying. "Prabhu, our spies in Rasatala... they were caught by the Daityas and they were about to be executed but the presence of your father Maharshi Kashyapa saved their lives. But the problem is that we do not have any other way to know about the happenings at Rasatala as the spies are imprisoned, on the most important day, the day of the betrothal ceremony of Prince Anuhlada. We do not know what they are planning and what's the actual agenda behind this alliance yet!"

"Relax, Matali!" Indra stood up from his couch. "Alliances between the Daityas and the Danavas is not a new thing for us to worry about. Starting from Hiranyakashipu and Viprachitti, it has become a tradition for the two clans to make alliances between themselves to boost their unrighteous ways. It's not too difficult to guess what they would plot and discuss, and I don't think it's necessary to focus on that betrothal. We need to think about getting our spies back to the Devaloka. It has been a mistake on my part to send them into that risky realm unnecessarily."

"Unnecessarily?" Matali blinked. "Prabhu, you had suffered a lot due to those Asuras' actions. Bhumi Devi was abducted by Hiranyaksha, what could have been worse? Your cautious step to keep yourself aware of their future plans was not at all wrong or unfair. It was absolutely necessary. I feel that it's necessary for us to inquire more into the betrothal too. Do you remember what Devarshi had told you about Princess Shachi?"

"I remember but I don't want to think about it. And why are you reminding me about that, Matali?"

"You had thought about her constantly for some days, Prabhu, and I remember that very well. I think you should..."

"I agree that I was swayed by her description, Matali. But I realized later that I had no right to. She's a Danava princess and my marriage is more about Devaloka than myself. My wife will become Indrani whose rule every Deva and every Manushya has to accept. To have my own, independent dreams and to make personal decisions in this sphere is not acceptable. Hence, I do not want to think about her again."

"Alright, Prabhu." Matali looked down skeptically. "What shall we do about the spies and the Rasatala issue?"

"If you are very concerned about the Asuras' plots and if you want to go to Rasatala to spy on them, I will also accompany you there to ensure the release of our spies. We can look after both the issues if we go to Rasatala in disguise. But it is also quite risky."

"What's not risky when we have such dangerous enemies, Prabhu?" Matali sighed. "Hiranyaksha had tortured the three worlds enough. But his elder brother Hiranyakashipu is more cruel. On top of that, he's seething in vengeance against Maha Vishnu for his brother's death. His sons are no less ruthless. Hearing about Princess Shachi's virtuosity, I'm unable to imagine her life with Anuhlada..."

Indra shut his eyes at his friend's last statement, looking away quickly so that he could conceal the frown on his face from Matali. He wasn't supposed to have any opinion on that alliance as it was just like any other Daitya-Danava alliance made till then. He wasn't supposed to have the urge to interfere in a matter that had nothing to do with him, to have the urge to break the marital alliance, to stop the union of Anuhlada and Shachi. It took him so much time and effort to stop thinking about Shachi but Matali's one line was pushing him back into her thoughts.

He had deemed his fascination for her as nothing more than attraction for the uniqueness she exuded. He had never seen her or met her to feel anything deeper than that but his knowledge of her determination to follow the path of goodness despite the evil surrounding her earned her his respect. He was not able to accept the reality that such a lady would get married to the Daitya Prince Anuhlada who was purely malicious in his thoughts and deeds.

There would be many people amongst the demons who would be upright and honest, supporting Dharma and opposing the sinful path, but not everyone had the courage to defy everything else and stand strong on their virtues, safeguarding their character from the unrighteousness. From Narada's praise of Shachi, Indra had assumed that she was that rare person. But the fact that she was marrying someone like Anuhlada was making him wonder if she would become another Kayadhu, a high-minded woman serving a lowly man's Adharma. But if that was her choice, it shouldn't bother him at all.

Why was he getting affected by her marriage to Anuhlada? He was a stranger to her and if not for Narada, he would have never gotten to know about her nature. Given how bad her father's reputation was, he could have never guessed that Puloma's daughter would be different from her father and her birth clan and that she would be so distinct that her praises could reach the ears of the ruler of the gods. Then why was he overthinking this matter?

"When are we starting for Rasatala, Prabhu?" Matali's question snapped him out of his reverie. Indra could feel a lump in his throat, not understanding if he was being honest with himself. He told Matali that he was coming along for the release of the spies alone but his heart was hinting at something else. Something that he had thought that he had successfully suppressed.

"We shall leave as soon as possible, Matali," Indra responded, trying to sound formal but his mind was saying something else. "You are going to catch a glimpse of the only woman who has managed to agitate your heart."

Unknown to him, Matali had been observing him closely all the while. The charioteer knew how besotted his lord was with the Princess of the Danavas more than Indra himself did, and he hoped that the blooming connection the latter was experiencing became the reality of his future.