Author's Pov...

The sun had just begun to rise over Pali Kingdom, painting the sky in soft shades of gold and pink. The Royal Courtyard of blossoms was quiet.

In one corner, where the earth smelled fresh and damp, a few clay pots lay scattered near a wheel.

Sitting there, dressed in a plain kurti with a light sharara was Princess Sia. Her hands were coated with soft brown clay as she shaped a vessel with patient strokes.

A smear of mud brushed across her cheeks, but she didn't care. Her lips curved in a small, content smile, her focus entirely on the spinning wheel and the vessel taking form beneath her touch.

" Princess.. princess!" voice echoed from afar, but she did not lift her head. Her world, for now, was only clay and rhythm.

Then footsteps hurried closer. Her personal maid, Sunaina, appeared, her voice laced with worry. " Princess Sia! Tomorrow is your wedding and you sit here making pots?"

For a moment, Sia's fingers stilled. The wheel spun on slowly, carrying the halfformed vessel with it. Wedding, the word weighed heavy, though her face showed no fear, only a flicker of silence. Tomorrow, she would be married not for love, but for peace between two realms.

With a quiet breath, she lifted the clay from the wheel and set it aside. Rising gracefully, she brushed her hands together, sending little speaks of clay falling back to the earth. Her eyes met Sunaina's gentle yet firm.

" Just because I'm to be married," she said softly, " does not mean I should abandon the work I love."

Her voice was calm, almost like the morning breeze, but there was strength in it too the strength of a princess who could not be bent, even when her heart carried the weight of duty.

Sunaina shook her head, worried etched on her face. " I'm not asking you to give this up, Princess....but you must take care of yourself. Look at your face there's clay all over it."

Before Sia could respond, Sunaina lifted the small cloth she carried and reached forward to wipe her cheek. But the Sia pulled back quickly, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

" No," Sia laughed, stepping away playfully, " First catch me!"

And with that, she darted across the courtyard, her laughter ringing like little bells in the morning air. Her dupatta trailed behind her as her bare feet trapped lightly against the stone floor.

" Princess, please! Stop running!" Sunaina called after her, half anxious, half exasperated.

But Sia only twirled once, grinning over her shoulder before" Ah" a soft gasp escaped her lips. Her steps faltered. One hand clutched her chest as a sharp ache spread through her heart.

" Princess!" Sunaina cried out, rushing to her side. Her voice trembled as she caught Sia's arm, steadying her before she fell. " What have I told you? The doctor warned no running, no strain! But you never listen!"

She guided Sia carefully to a chair beneath the courtyard's flowering arch, helping her sit down.

Sia took a slow breath, forcing a smile even through the lingering pain. " Relax, Su. I'm fine. It was just a little ache."

Sia reached her hand, squeezing it gently. " Beside, I still have a year, remember? I'm not going anywhere so soon." her voice was light, almost teasing. Though her words carried the weight of the truth the doctor had spoken.

" Don't say such things," Sunaina snapped softly, glaring at her.

Sia raised an eyebrow, chuckled the sound soft despite the heaviness in her heart. " All right, all right sorry."

Her laughter, though small brightened the courtyard again, as if she refused to let sorrow dim the morning light.

Sunaina shook her head, " Okay now let's go inside, the queen called for you." she helping Sia to get up from the chair. " And also it's time for your medicine."

" Okay, Nani maa... whatever you say. " Sia grinned and walked off from there with Sunaina.

Sia walked back inside the palace with Sunaina by her side, her steps echoing softly against the marble floors.

The Queen of Pali, kausalya Yaduvansh, was waiting for her in the inner chambers, her presence graceful and commanding, yet warm with motherly love.

" There you are, my daughter," Kausalya said, her eyes lighting up. She reached forward, cupping Sia's face gently. " Your wedding is tomorrow, but looking at you, one would never guess you're about to become a bride."

Sia rolled her eyes playfully, her lips tugging into a sly smile. " What do you expect, Maa? Should I sit here draped in my wedding attire all day, just so everyone remembers I'm the bride?" her tone was light, but her words carried that teasing edge only Sia could manage.

Kaushalya sighed, though a smile tugged faintly at her lips. " It is useless expecting a proper answer from you, Sia."

" Exactly," Sia muttered under her breath," enough now," kausalya said, straightening. " Go and get ready quickly. We begin the rituals before the wedding the mehendi. You must look like the future queen."

Sia's smile dimmed slightly as her gaze fell to the floor. A quiet heaviness settled in her chest, though she masked it quickly.

She didn't want this marriage, not truly. But she was a princess, and a dying one at that.

With only a year left to her life, she had already decided if her marriage could bring peace between two realms, if her final days could ease the lives of her people, then she would give herself to that fate.

" I know beta," kausalya's voice softened as if reading her daughter's thoughts. She gently caressed Sia's cheek, her touch tender. " This marriage may not be of your choice, but believe me you will find happiness there. I have faith in it."

Sia looked up at her mother, her eyes calm, her smile small but steady." I know...Maa truly, I do."

With that, she turned and left with Sunaina, heading towards her chambers to prepare for the rituals, her duppata trailing behind like a whisper of destiny she could not escape.

                            .....

The village was quiet, tucked away beyond the edges of Pali's grandeur. Inside a modest old house, the air smelled faintly of wood shavings. In the center courtyard, beneath the shade of worn beams.

Yug worked steadily with his hands, carving smooth edges into an old chair. His face was calm, expression unreadable, the silence around him broken only by the soft scarpe of his tools against wood.

The wood rhythm stopped when the creak of the doorway echoed. A young man, ' Asvik,' barely twenty three, pale and tense stepped inside. His voice carried both urgency and hesitation.

" You're here, Yug bhai, I...I have news.".

Yug did not look up at once. He placed the chisel down slowly, his fingers brushing the wood dust from his hands. " What is it?"

Asvik swallowed hard. " They're marrying her....Princess Sia. Tommorow. To the king of Pratapgarh"

For the first time, Yug's hand froze mid-movement. His eyes were cold, and sharp, lifted to Asvik. A faint, bitter laugh left him, though it held no humor.

" Hm...after destroying my little one's life, now he marries her sister? And with such joy?" his voice was low, calm, but edged with steel. " When?"

" Tomorrow."

A pause. Then Yug's lips curled into the faintest smirk, though his eyes stayed merciless. " Hmm..then prepare...to give him a gift."

Asvik nodded once, understanding the weight behind those words, and quickly left.

Silence returned. Yug sat there, the broken chair half forgotten, his hand pressed against the round wood. His smirk faded into something darker, colder.

" You enjoy ruining the lives of other sisters, ' Samrath'." his voice was a whisper, heavy with venom. He leaned forward, eyes burning with quiet rage. " Now let us see...how it feels when your own sister's life is shattered."

His jaw tightened once more, every word laced with a vow.

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