Jarota - The Trapped Queen

PROLOGUE: PRINCESS GETS THE SCEPTRE

It was still dark when the Princess awoke. The wooden clock in the hallway, which hadn't given a wrong time in the past two centuries, chimed five times.

Aaryamani lay wide awake in bed.

Eager for the day to arrive, she hadn't slept well. After all, it was her sixteenth birthday, the day that she would be crowned Queen!

How could she have slept?

"Happy birthday Aaryamani," she told herself. She wondered how it would feel to be the Queen of Jarota, a prime Kingdom of Manohar Lok, situated at the third level of the Mahat Pahad. The humans below referred to them as the Himalayas, unknown to this different name conferred on them by the Manugans.

The Queen was a Manugan, one of the most powerful beings of Manohar Lok.

Pushing aside the soft rugs that kept her warm through the night, she leapt forward. Drawing the curtains from the window, she inhaled a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

The day welcomed her. Jarota looked as beautiful as ever. Tall snow clad mountains lurked higher up in the sky, far away from where she stood.

She scanned the grounds nearer to her palace.

The marketplace was still deserted, their inhabitants safely tucked away in their beds. Green lawns and exotic flowers covered every expanse of what remained. Bees buzzed around collecting their sweet honey, trees bustled with innumerable chirps.

Aaryamani continued to peer out of the window, a tiny part of the colossal palace in which she stood.

The Jaroti Palace in itself was a masterpiece, paying homage to the three Mahagajrakh Elephants, who once roamed freely in the skies.

At a third of the height of the nearby tall mountains, the palace was built of pale pink marble. Shaped in the form of three massive elephant heads, facing outward and forming a closed triangle with their ears, their trunks soared up, reaching for the skies. The three trunks crossed each other a little above the ends, wherein bridges connected them internally.

The soldiers were positioned at distinct intervals along the outward portion of the elephant ears, providing them a complete view of the horizon from every point. The ears also stored artillery and weapons, to be used if the situation arises.

Each of the three elephant heads housed different chambers of the Kingdom. The one facing the palace gates, known as the Janmat, housed the court, along with a public theatre and dinner hall. The chambers on its left, called the Gyaanpeeth, housed the knowledge and research centre, while the one on its right, known as the Aavasan, housed the royal lineage along with all the ministers, administrators and soldiers of Jarota. The mouth of each chamber led to the royal palatial garden.

The garden was huge and symmetrically designed. Tall trees and bushes were placed evenly, giving enough room for curvy walkways to pass through them. A huge lake situated at the centre of the garden, poured fresh life into it. Filled with exotic fishes and mystical beings, it reflected the three trunks of the palace in its waters. The statue of a beautiful swan rising from the lake operated as a fountain, water gushing out from its mouth at full speed.

A clear broad driveway ran along the left end of the garden. Powerful beings called Yazhis, that are tusked lions from the waist up and horses from the waist down, stood guard at equidistant positions on the driveway.

Seeing no movement outside, Aaryamani decided it was a good time to embark on her adventures. She draped a peacock blue shawl over her red blouse and flowing skirt. The skirt had dashes of green, orange and yellow splashed across it, making the young Princess look nothing less than a rainbow herself.