Fated to Love: Princess Amodini, #2

By C Phillip

Still a fugitive princess in an enemy kingdom.

Back in the university town of Satvikshila, Satya sets up a free chemist store for destitute patients using the reward money she received from the emperor.

But fate has other plans.

Veerata seeks her hand in marriage while still unaware that she is the lost princess of Amritambu. Meanwhile, the king and queen of Videha, who arrive in Satayu for the new year festival, seem to have a perverse interest in the promising young female physician and seek to bring her back to their own kingdom.

When the empress of Satayu refuses the absurd request, a contest is arranged between the best warriors of the two kingdoms—the notorious Charaka, and the great general of Satayu, Veerata—that will decide Satya's fate.

Will Satya be forced to choose between the two, or will she stand up for her own freedom?

 

Bonus story: Eight years ago, the young queen, Nandini of Amritambu, captures the traitor, Charaka, and sentences him to death for the assassination of Amodini's mother, Devisena.

How does Charaka escape the execution and flee from Amritambu?

And has he truly escaped his fate?

• Language: English
• Publisher: C Phillip
• Release date: Dec 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223797043

C Phillip

C Phillip is a Mumbai-based, self-published author of two book series, one light novel and short stories. She writes action-packed historical fiction and fantasy novels with a generous helping of romance, suspense and strong female leads. Her short story, 'The Prince and the Flute Player', is featured in a charity anthology, Children of War, that explores the experiences of children trapped in war and seeks to honour those affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  Apart from writing books, C Phillip is engaged in active research on women's empowerment in ancient India, which she uses as a basis for creating credible, diverse, dynamic and multifaceted characters. 

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Content Warning

This book is a work of fiction involving scenes of physical and/or emotional violence, murder, toxic behaviour, intimidation, implied nudity, profanity, pyrophobia, delusion, and self-harm, occurring in limited chapters, that may be upsetting and triggering for some readers. Unsuitable for all readers under the age of 16.

Blurb

Still a fugitive princess in an enemy kingdom.

Back in the university town of Satvikshila, Satya sets up a free chemist store for destitute patients using the reward money she received from the emperor.

But fate has other plans.

Veerata seeks her hand in marriage while still unaware that she is the lost princess of Amritambu. Meanwhile, the king and queen of Videha, who arrive in Satayu for the new year festival, seem to have a perverse interest in the promising young female physician and seek to bring her back to their own kingdom.

When the empress of Satayu refuses the absurd request, a contest is arranged between the best warriors of the two kingdoms—the notorious Charaka, and the great general of Satayu, Veerata—that will decide Satya’s fate.

Will Satya be forced to choose between the two, or will she stand up for her own freedom?

Bonus story: Eight years ago, the young queen, Nandini of Amritambu, captures the traitor, Charaka, and sentences him to death for the assassination of Amodini’s mother, Devisena.

How does Charaka escape the execution and flee from Amritambu?

And has he truly escaped his fate?

A Recap

Fated to Live–The Lost Princess of Amritambu

Book One of the Life & Exploits of Princess Amodini

A fugitive princess in an enemy kingdom.

18-year-old Satya is the best female medical student at Satvikshila University in the kingdom of Satayu. Her dream is to become a doctor and spend her life treating patients. Unknown to all, she secretly uses healing magic to administer miraculous cures. Born with the gift, her powers are also the sole proof of her true identity–Princess Amodini, the last remaining survivor of the royal family of the fallen kingdom of Amritambu.

A chance encounter brings her face-to-face with Veerata, the great general of Satayu who conquered Amritambu. Seeing him suffer from an old battle wound, she heals him using her powers in the hopes that he will save Satvikshila from the clutches of a corrupt feudal lord. Failing to recognise the princess, missing for the last three years, Veerata is attracted to the beautiful and intelligent young maiden who saves his life.

Determined to guard her secret, Satya and her two trusted companions, Madhav and Sulochana, intend to leave Satvikshila and find refuge elsewhere. But their plans are thwarted when Veerata seeks her aid in treating a dancer from the kingdom of Videha, who is slowly being poisoned to death.

Will Satya be able to save the poisoned dancer while still keeping her powers and her identity a secret from her sworn enemy?

Fated to Strike–The Last Queen of Amritambu

Book Zero of the Life & Exploits of Princess Amodini

A warrior queen in a fallen kingdom.

When the white stallion of Satayu breeches the borders of Amritambu, Queen Nandini orders it's capture against the better judgement of her entire court. She refuses to surrender her kingdom peacefully to the Ashwamedha ritual that allows the horse to wander freely and declares Satayu a sovereign empire over all other kingdoms in the continent.

Capturing the magnificent beast means war against the forces of Veerata, the invincible young general of Satayu, who conquered even the great kingdom of Matsya. Nandini's insignificant army falls to his might in a single week. Under orders of King Padmapani of Satayu, Veerata must capture both the queen and her younger sister, Princess Amodini, alive. But he finds the palace deserted and the fiery young queen waiting to ambush his soldiers in a secret room in the tallest tower.

Can Veerata convince Nandini to surrender and save her own life or will they perish together inside that ill-fated room?

And where is Princess Amodini?

A Quick Note

Common Attire in Princess Amodini’s World

This book is a work of fiction based in a parallel universe of ancient India. The clothing, described here, is derived from the traditional dress of ancient India, which is one of the main pieces of evidence marking the existence of gender equality during that period. Most historians agree that both men and women, even children, wore the same three pieces of clothing that constituted the complete dress. These three pieces are referred to liberally throughout this book and are essential to the plot.

The lower body garment, called Antariya, consists of a cotton cloth, mostly white, five yards long, tied below the navel, and covering the entire lower body up to the ankles. The front end of the antariya hangs in long pleats from the waist till below the knees while the other end is passed through the legs and tucked at the back. The men in ancient times wore loosely-fitted antariyas while the women sometimes also wore tightly-fitted or knee-length ones. Over the centuries, the antariya has evolved into its current form called dhoti, specifically worn by Indian men.

The garment covering the upper body, called Uttariya, consists of a single loose piece of cloth, cotton or silk, maximum two yards long, similar to a shawl. It can be draped in a number of ways. The evolved version is called the dupatta and is a vital part of the female dress in India. For the sake of convenience, in this book, the characters, both male and female, drape it over their person in only one single way. One end goes over the left shoulder and covers the entire chest and torso, up to the navel. The other longer end of the same cloth is pulled from behind the waist, passed under the right arm, wound three times over the front of the abdomen, like a belt, and tied securely at the back. The antariya and uttariya together constitute the main parts of the traditional costume and shall be referred to as a common attire or garments throughout this book.

The third piece, called Kanchuka, is a light-weight, full or half sleeved, jacket. Soldiers wore a kanchuka made of leather, under their armour, when marching into battle. In daily life, however, a cotton alternative is mainly worn by little girls. In this book, the kanchuka is described as a light-weight jacket for ease of reading.

A fourth piece of cloth, only for women, is the Stanpatta. It is literally an ancient version of the bra. It is a single strip of cotton cloth, mostly white, wound a number of times over the breasts and shielded under the uttariya. The modern version is the choli or Indian-style bodice, available in various colours, shapes and sizes, worn with a sari or lehenga or palazzos. In this book, the stanpatta is described as a bodice only.

Apart from the above, the people also wore a cummerbund, known as kayabandh over their torso. It's usually a tightly wrapped, broad belt of thick cotton or leather, for added support to the antariya. Although its unisex, this book uses the cummerbund as part of the male dress only in an effort to reduce complexity.

The headdress in India is exceptionally complicated even to this day. It differs by gender, age, region, caste, sub-caste, socio-economic factors, occasion and season. This book has completely omitted the headdress for both genders since the plot works well without it.

The Sari is still the most traditional women’s garment in India, consisting of a single cloth of seven yards, made of all kinds of fabric, and elaborately draped around the body in a large number of ways, depending upon the region. A cotton skirt, tied with a drawstring at the waist is worn under the modern-day sari, along with a half-sleeve cotton sari-blouse. The sari, worn by some of the characters in this book, uses either cotton or silk fabric, and is paired with the same kind of skirt and stanpatta, instead of the sari-blouse.

Indian jewelry is also pretty elaborate. Both men and women can wear gold or bronze danglers and necklaces, armbands, waistbands, wristbands or bangles, toe-rings and anklets depending on their financial status. However, the danglers, anklets and wrist bangles are the most basic ornaments worn by all. The Royals of Satayu also wear pearls embedded in their gold jewelry as a mark of their ancestry. Teachers and students at the university wear mostly beaded strings instead of gold or bronze.

Hair is the last piece of the ensemble. Young women tie their hair into plaits, little girls into pigtails and older women wear it as a chignon on top of the head. Men keep the hair loose over their shoulders or tie it into a top-knot depending on the length. Sometimes both genders can be seen with dreadlocks.

This preface can be used as a reference for terms in all books in this series. It is not to be used as a foundation for understanding the traditional dress worn in ancient or modern India. More reliable sources can be found both online and offline with considerable research.

C Phillip

Eight Years Ago

Part 1

8320 BCE

The massive ironwood doors at the end of the long dimly lit corridor, leading to the dungeons of Amritam Palace, stood open for the royal party. 

With brisk steps, the young queen approached the dungeon entrance. Her retainers followed close behind. 

Four burly dungeon guards stood on either side of the open doors. Welcome, Maharani Nandini! They saluted with bowed heads and joined palms.

Temples throbbing, lips pursed in a thin line, and fists clenched tight, Nandini stormed past the guards without a word. Despite years of training, her fury refused to stay hidden. 

Beyond the threshold, she continued down a similar corridor, and turned into many dark passageways until she reached the locked execution chamber, where the Royal Executioner Maya awaited her. 

Maya, open it, she ordered with a curt nod at the door. 

Maya bowed head and joined her palms. As you command, Maharani.

The tall and muscular female executioner unlatched the door to the execution chamber. Watching her, Nandini steeled herself for the task ahead. 

At eighteen years old, she took immense pride in her duties as ruler and crusader of justice. Dressed in white and gold silk garments that complimented her lean figure and ivory-white skin, the young queen was taller than most girls her age, and yet all the warriors and dungeon guards towered around her. Her fiery copper-brown hair, adorned with intricate gold chains and plaited at the nape, hung down to her waist.

Both male and female retainers in her party wore white cotton garments, leather vests and full metal armour. Each carried swords, daggers and battle axes stamped with the Amritambu royal insignia. 

In contrast, the dungeon guards wore leather armour over their blue and green uniform garments made of coarse linen, and wielded iron spears. The Royal Executioner Maya was the only exception in the group, dressed in red uniform, combination armour, and carrying a whip with a silver handle at her side. 

Having unlocked the elaborate latch, Maya turned around and faced the queen. Maharani, you may step inside now.

Sudden hurried footsteps echoed through the dungeons. Nandini peeked over her shoulder at the other end of the foyer. 

Ten-year-old Princess Amodini, dressed in a gold embroidered, indigo-coloured cotton skirt and blouse, appeared in the door frame. Head Maid Sulochana and Warrior Madhava stopped close behind her. Having sprinted down the dungeon passageways, the trio stood catching their breath. 

Little Amodini’s mystical, deep-brown eyes—the only physical trait she shared with her elder sister Nandini—scanned all the dignitaries present in the foyer until they rested on the young queen. 

Amodini, Nandini asked, what are you doing here?

Sister, Amodini replied in a determined tone, please let me see the execution.

Nandini eyes moved from her little sister’s tear-stained face to that of the head maid and the warrior standing behind her.

Apologies, Maharani, Sulochana said joining her palms together. I shall escort Princess Amodini back to her chambers right away, and I shall accept any punishment for not following your orders.

No, Sulochana did nothing wrong, Amodini cried. Please don’t punish her. It’s my fault. I ran away from her.

Amodini, if you understand that, Nandini remonstrated, then you must return to your chambers at once.

Please, sister, I must see the execution.

Maharani Nandini is right, Maya interjected. Princess, this is no place for a child. You cannot enter the execution chamber.

Forced into a painful silence, the little princess’s eyes grew wide and moist. Her lips quivered with regret. Nandini crossed the foyer and wrapped her sister in a warm embrace. 

Chubby, petite and innocent, Amodini’s messy copper-coloured, shoulder-length hair and rose-coloured skin made it impossible to guess that she was Nandini’s little sister. Yet, the two girls shared a firm bond that seemed to grow stronger in grief. 

Amodini, Nandini said releasing her, we understand how you feel. We know why you want to see the execution. But we cannot allow it. We are all gathered here for the same reasons. Justice shall prevail today.

Unable to protest further, tears started streaming down Amodini’s cheeks. She brushed them away.

We have assigned a more important task to you, Nandini continued in a more gentle tone. Rajmata Devisena’s funeral ceremony is your duty. We are certain you will honour her memory not only as your beloved mother, and our dear stepmother, but also as queen mother of Amritambu.

Yes, sister, Amodini said gulping down more tears. I will!

Headmaid Sulochana and Warrior Madhava, please escort Princess Amodini back to her chambers and inform all the palace staff to assist her in planning the funeral ceremony.

It shall be done, Maharani. Madhava stepped closer with joined palms and knelt down next to little Amodini. Princess, allow me!

Amodini nodded in silence. She flung her arms around the old warrior’s neck as he lifted her off the ground. Sulochana joined her palms and bowed to the queen. The trio turned and left just as quickly as they had arrived. 

A faint sigh escaped Nandini’s resolute lips. She wished she could cry for the queen mother, Devisena, like her little sister. 

As queen of Amritambu, we must keep all emotions at bay.

She turned back to the execution chamber. 

Maya pulled the door handle and the royal party walked in.

Part 2

Burning streaks of sunlight from two barred windows, high up on the opposite stone wall, lit the entire room.

At the centre of the bare space, six dungeon guards stood on top of a three-foot high gallows. A young prisoner knelt under the hanging noose, his hands tied behind his back, a black cloth wrapped around his eyes, and his head dropped low over his chest. 

As Nandini and the others entered the room, a guard standing nearest to the prisoner grabbed his shoulders and forced him to his feet. 

Charaka, Maya addressed the prisoner, her voice echoing off the stone walls. Son of Chatura. Traitor of Amritambu. You are now in the presence of Maharani Nandini of Amritambu. This is your last chance to plead for mercy. Do you have anything you wish to say before we proceed with your sentence?

No answer.

Very well, she continued. Charaka, we find you guilty of the barbaric assassination of Rajmata Devisena—mother of Princess Amodini, stepmother of Maharani Nandini, and queen mother of Amritambu—on the second night of the second waxing moon in the last month. We also find you guilty of murdering the late Rajmata’s personal guards through the illegal spell of mass hypnosis using earth magic.

No answer.

After committing this most heinous crime, you tried to flee the kingdom, but Maharani Nandini arrested you and brought to trial before the royal court of Amritambu. You refused Maharani’s generous offer to secure a lenient punishment in exchange for the name of your employer who ordered the assassination. By the laws of Amritambu and in accordance of Maharani Nandini’s royal order, in the presence of secular witnesses, we sentence you to death by hanging for your crimes.

Charaka, the prisoner, kept his head bowed throughout the entire speech. At the end, he appeared to shake all over from head to toe. 

Nandini ignored him. Maya, proceed with the hanging. 

A muffled laughter emanated from Charaka at the last word. The sound grew into an audacious cackle until he threw up his head and roared in glee. Everyone present in the room seethed with anger.

Nandini’s frown deepened, her brows twitching in rage. The dungeon guard swung a fist to strike him. Nandini raised her hand to stop him. 

Charaka, she said, her words seething with contempt. Traitor of Amritambu. Only a villain or a fool can laugh in the face of his own death. Do you really find Yamaraj that amusing?

Maharani, Charaka chuckled. I would welcome Yamaraj, the great god of death and wisdom, when my time comes. But I shall not meet him today.

His words provoked a chorus of curses and swear words from the courtiers.

Insolent traitor!