AMARAVATI had always been a land of quiet grandeur _ ancient, dignified, and unhurried. The VARMAN ROYAL ESTATE arose beside the KRISHNA river like history returned to life, a place where past did not simple live_ it breathed.

The palace walls, built from pale Amaravathi limestone, still carried the delicate cravings of lotus petals, apsaras , lions and sun discs_ are now lost to time. Yet, beside these age old motifs stood glass - paneled corridors, sunlight streaming through them, reflecting on floors and polished to mirror like sheen. It was a marriage of eras_ heritage and modernity.

The estate grounds stretched wide_ pathways pave in dark granite, lined by jasmine and champagne trees. Their fragrance floated in the air, soft and steady , like a memory that had always belonged here.

The Royal Defence Corps guarded the entrance _ disciplined, loyal, gold- crested badges bearing the emblem of the Varman dynasty _ a lion rising with the sun, strength guided by purpose. Their swords were ceremonial, but their training was not. The palace did not display power_ it carried it quietly, undeniably.

Portraits of kings, queens, poets and warriors lined to walls_ but beside them hung modern photographs of diplomatic meetings, charity foundations, educational trusts, and rural development projects.

The DYNASTY did not cling to history. It continued it.

This was not a forgotten throne. This was a living kingdom _ shaped by its past, active in its present, waiting for its future.

And in this heritage of power and silent expectations....

Two souls were about to meet.

One born to rule.

One born to protect.

Their story began here.

In the heart of AMARAVATI.

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SCENE : THE ROYAL COUNCIL CHAMBER

CHIEF SECURITY ROYAL GUARD, RUDRA DEV GAJAPATHI, a man who had served the Varman throne for more than three decades, walked through the corridor with steady , echoing steps. His shoulders were straight, his gaze unwavering . The palace guards bowed down as he passed, recognizing not just his rank, but the loyalty etched into every line of his face.

He reached the King's private office, where HIS MAJESTY , ADITYA DEV VARMAN worked over state documents _ an older man, yes, but with the kind of presence that commanded rooms without raising his voice. The faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the air.

Rudra Dev bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty".

The king looked up, calm yet perspective, "Rudra ...... what news?".

Rudra Dev hesitated for a moment _ not out of uncertainty, but out of respect for the gravity of what he was about to say.

"The threats against the CROWN PRINCE are increasing. Day by day. Since the government your Highness supported is now in opposition, the enemies we once kept at distance are gathering courage. They are waiting for a single misstep."

The king's hands stilled. His gaze grew shaper. "Even after twenty years...... that incident still casts its shadow."

A soft exhale left him_ , the memory of an old wound reopening.

"Must the past chase us forever"?

Rudra Dev answered steadily, "We cannot erase the past, Your Majesty. But we can fortify the future."

The king leaned back slightly, "Then tell me_ what must be done?"

Rudra dev bowed his head lower. "A personal bodyguard. Not among the palace staff. Someone trained outside our system. Someone exceptional."

The king lifted an eyebrow. "Do you have someone in your mind?"

Rudra dev's tone changed_ firmer, assured. "Yes. My niece."

The king's expression shifted, controlled but surprised.

"A woman? Rudra , we cannot endanger her. A guard to the Crown Prince stands at the line between life and death every day."

Rudra Dev didn't flinch.

"She is no ordinary woman. She is trained in firearms, guns, rifles,close combat, blades, multi- level martial arts. She has broken records in tactical endurance. Your Majesty _ men twice her sizes have failed to even land a hand on her. If death comes near to the Crown Prince stands at, it will have to walk through her first."

A brief silence.

The king studied him_ not as a ruler now, but as a man weighing trust.

Rudra Dev continued, "But there is one thing you must know. She is a Daughter of the traitor. The one whose name we no longer speak in this palace. However...... she lost her parents before she knew the world. She grew up under my care, far from Amaravathi.

She knows nothing of her lineage. Her heart is loyal only to the duty she is given."

The king closed his eyes for a moment _ the past flickered behind them : Betrayal, Blood, fire , Grief.

But when he opened them again , his gaze was steady as the river beside his palace.

"A child should not bear the sins of her parents", his voice was quiet , carried the weight of a decree.

"I trust you , Rudra. And that is enough. Bring her. If destiny has written her place beside the Crown Prince then be it."

Rudra Dev bowed_ not out of routine, but with Gratitude.

"Yes, Your Majesty".

And somewhere, miles away.....

A woman who didn't yet know the weight of her own blood line was about to step into the heart of a kingdom.

And into the life of its future king.

SCENE : THE OLD KING'S ROYAL BEDCHAMBER

The corridors leading Old King's Chamber quieter than the rest of the Palace King. Aditya Dev Varman paused outside for a moment. Silence.

The room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn to softer the harsh daylight. On the Central Bed lay. His Majesty VEERENDRA VARMAN, the Former King _ once a man whose presence could silence entire assemblies, now weakened by time and illness. Yet his eyes _ sharp, discerning, sovereign _ still held the weight of thousand decisions that shaped the Kingdom.

Aditya Dev Varman bowed his head, deeply, not as a ruler_ but as a son.

"Nanna gaaru" ( Father).

The old king voice was faint but steady. "You have come with something troubling your heart. I can hear it in your silence."

Aditya Dev Varman exhaled slowly.

"Nanna gaaru ( Father)...... the threats against Crown Prince have began to rise again. The factions once we silenced have grown bold after the Government shift. Their anger has not faded _ and old grudges are waking."

The old king's eyes narrowed. "After twenty years?"

Aditya Dev Varman nodded .

"I have decided to appoint a personal bodyguard for Crown Prince. Someone outside the usual Command......

Rudra's niece."

A flicker passed through the Old king's gaze_ recognition of the name he didn't speak.

"The traitor's blood".

"Yes . She is his daughter, but she knows nothing of that past. She was raised under Rudra's protection. She is Loyal by heart, by Discipline, by Honor. She is trained beyond any soldier we have."

Silence. Long_ weighted_ old.

"Aditya...... the past is not a shadow that disappears when ignored. It is a flame. If mishandled _ it burns."

Aditya Dev stepped closer. His voice softened, yet held the quiet steel of King.

"Nanna gaaru ( Father). The sins of the father are not the child's burden. If we punish innocence because of memory.... then what makes us any different from the tyrants we once defeated.?"

A slow breath left the old king_ not surrender but acknowledgement.

"You spoke as a King should."

His voice was faint, the authority still remained.

"Your judgment has not failed this kingdom before. If you trust her_ then I will not stand against it. But, Aditya_"

His gaze sharpened, commanding _

"Be watchful. Blood remembers what the mind forgets."

Aditya Dev bowed his head again_ deep, respectful, unwavering.

"I will, Nanna gaaru ( Father)."

The old king's eyes narrowed closed his eyes, resting _ not weakly but like a General who passed the

Sword to the next Commander.

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👑 To be continued.

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