The Stolen Stars- 1

Princess Kalavathi trudged along the snow laden path, kicking the powdery snow that hung stubbornly on the crooked path. After one last shove, Kala gave up and pulled her fur coat closer to her shivering body and hopped onto her mare’s back in hope of sharing some warmth with the fidgety crystal-white horse. The mare, whose name was Moti, whinnied as soon as Kala clambered onto her back and shook dangerously, making some of the huge rocks on the mountainside rumble. Fearing that a landslide would occur, the startled princess got off the mare and rubbed her gloved hands against her shoulders. For once, she was glad of the heavy jewelry she had to wear. The cold would be blocked out for some time by the massive amount of robes and jewelry.

Giving Moti one last glance, she decided to proceed the rest of the journey on foot. If she were to reach the palace before sunset, she couldn’t waste much more time alone in a cold, creepy jungle. ‘At least there are no robbers.’ Kala thought as she unhooked her anklets and slipped them into her scarf to make sure there would be no sound heard. The silence was so huge that the continuous whistling of the hefty wind seemed like the loud roaring of a hungry lion. Being careful not to step on any of the sharp rocks, Kala wove her way out of the barrier of frosty snow and underlying carpet of oak vines. With a deep sigh, Kala walked with stiff limbs onto the dangerous path that lay ahead of her.

Large oak trees stood tall on either side of her, their thick, snowy bark bulging in thick strands of roots that creeped up and down the road. Above Kala, the sun started dimming over the horizon and the sky was tinged with hues of purple and blue. Kala walked on the unpaved street that seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. Hoping that this was indeed the road that she had taken on the little detour, she fervently wished that it lead to the palace. She scolded herself for her stupid determination to hunt the white tiger and prove to her father that she was indeed capable of ruling the empire. Kala  did not want to just sit in the court doing nothing. The council of ministers had voted her incapable of ruling because of what they called, ‘Absence of maturity and calm way of thinking in times of crisis.’ Kala snorted when she thought of how the nose of Minister Singh turned up as he, rather contentedly, voted Kala off the list of possible heirs for the kingdom. 

Kala just wanted her father to know that she loved her country and people and in case of ‘crisis’ it was only her sheer determination that would save them. The hair of the White Tiger has a number of magical properties, which she had learnt from her numerous tutors. She thought that she could save the people of Maya Niwas from the Death Virus if she hunted down the tiger and used its hair to prepare the cure, which would prove that even though her past decisions as the eldest heir were a bit off the mark, this was how far she was willing to go to protect her people. The White Tiger was one of the most dangerous predators lurking in the mountains. Now she grumbled about the audacity and stupidness of her decision.

The sun was almost down now and Kalavathi’s legs refused to walk any further, so she collapsed onto the soft snow and tried to scale the branches of the oak tree. ‘Better to spend the night here than walking like a lost lunatic.’ she thought and waited for a moment before trying to climb the slippery stems of the ancient looking tree. Finding a small hole in its bark she looped her fingers into it and grunted with pain as she hoisted her aching body and cajoled it into climbing it. The temperature seemed to drop with every step she took and felt the burning sensation on her face as the ice creeped up her body in slimy vines. Grinding her teeth against each other she hung on to a frail branch and clasped her feet to a lower stem.

Kala dragged her hand and reached towards the long, sturdy branch that lay about a foot away from her. Groaning loudly she removed her mud caked hand and stretched towards the branch, her eyes set with determination, adrenaline pulsing through her veins. It was helpful, reminding herself of the fate that would meet her if she let go. Failing was not even considered an option in Kala’s dictionary. Be it today or tomorrow, she would not leave without the tiger’s hide. When she finally fell on the wide branch, Kalavathi was more than exhausted. Her long mane of raven hair was falling astray from the neat bun, one or more of her earrings had fallen which she did not care about. She barely had enough energy to tie herself down when she fell unconscious shivering from the sharp cold and her aching limbs.