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Part 5 of Kamarupa Kathalu Universe
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Published:
2019-06-17
Updated:
2025-07-15
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10/?
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Swayamvadhu

Summary:

The brats of Mahishmati finally find their respective significant other, and Sivagami heaves a sigh of relief.

Notes:

This work is dedicated to:

@weaslayyy: This fic is honestly the result of the brilliant discussion I was having with her post-BBE, last year!

@queenofmahishmati: This fic features my first Indira/Bhalla venture, so this is for you, darling!

@amarsenadiehardfan: I got to know you late, but added you to my recipient list, thanks to your prompt!

Disclaimer: Indira is the wonderful OC of @queenofmahishmati.

Chapters will be updated as and when RL permits. Life as a postgraduate medical student is tough, so please be kind!

Would love to know your feedback. :)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

"Come in, Bhalla," Sivagami pronounces in her trademark silky voice which is usually reserved for making unpleasant announcements.

"Amma, you seem... worried?" Bhalla approaches cautiously.

"I certainly am," Sivagami sighs, shaking her head. "Sit down, Bhalla. I need to talk to you about this. Please, son, don't hide anything from your mother."

"What the hell is wrong, Amma?" Bhalla growls exasperatedly. "Stop mollycoddling me like that, I'm not a baby any more."

"You aren't, Bhalla," Sivagami nods. "And that-- precisely THAT-- is the problem. Let me come straight to the point... you have disappointed me yet again."

"I knew it," Bhalla flashes a knowing smile. "Sending us off to Kamarupa for Nilambari's coronation was yet another dismal match-making attempt. For Parameshwara's sake, Amma, Nila is a fifteen year-old kid! People might blame me for a lot of things but surely paedophilia won't be one of them!"

"I'm sure Nila wasn't the only girl present there, Bhalla, was she?" Sivagami looks almost kindly at her elder son now.

"She certainly wasn't. There was this cute peasant girl Baa... oops, ignore what I said."

Sivagami tries her best to maintain a neutral expression, concealing her ever-increasing anxiety.

So Baahu has been besotted with a peasant girl of Kamarupa. As if winking at all the pretty girls of Mahishmati wasn't enough.

"There were quite a few girls, Amma, I won't lie... and NONE was as horrid as that old guest of ours... what was her name again? Ah, yes, Vallabhi," Bhalla continues nonchalantly. "Don't glare like that, I am right!"

"And you didn't like ANY ONE of them."

"It's difficult to choose like that, Amma! I mean you need them all in one place to make a choice... just like Acharya says that having the probable answers in front of you makes it easier to attempt a question. He actually predicts that a day will come when students will have to attempt questions in THAT format. Multiple choice questions."

"Enough!" Sivagami snaps. "I have made my decision. You'll have it THAT way, then!"

"That way?" Bhalla rolls his eyes in dismay.

"Yes, THAT way. I'll send invitations to princesses of all the kingdoms on my memoranda, so that you can have them all in one place to make a choice."

"Amma, please! You don't possibly mean that! It's sounding eerily similar to the Swayamvaras of the princesses of ancient times!"

"Precisely. And this will be called a Swayamvadhu," Sivagami signs off with a triumphant smile.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

"Anna! An-na," Baahu's musical voice rises progressively, in terms of volume as well as pitch.

"What's up, munchkin?" Bhalla tries his best to maintain a confident face, hurriedly hiding his copy of the Meghadutam. Baahu calling him Anna instead of a usual nonchalant 'Bhal-la' drawl can only mean ominous news, going by his track record.

"The Natyacharyas want you in the courtroom. Now."

"NATYACHARYAS? How many dance gurus do we have in Mahishmati?"

"Oh, well, the Natyacharyas of the"-- Baahu pauses, looking for the right word-- "ahem, contenders."

"WHAT? They are HERE? But why?"

"Basically you are to perform a dance recital with every contender, albeit without prior rehearsals with any of them-- that's the first task of the Swayamvadhu. The respective Natyacharyas will help you select your dance moves, though."

Bhalla can merely shake his head in utter dismay.

"They are here at Amma's... oops, I forgot to mention, Amma's there in the courtroom as well," adds Baahu.

"You mean... Amma has invited all of them?"

"Amma did send invitations to all of them. All the kingdoms accepted them, except Kuntala."

"Hang on, Kuntala, did you say?" Bhalla straightens up.

"Yes, Kuntala. Why, Bhalla, what's wrong?"

"Baahu, a messenger has brought a letter for you from Kuntala a couple of hours ago. He insists that as per instructions from the Yuvarani of Kuntala he needs to deliver the letter directly to you. I have asked him to wait at the guest suite... do remember to meet him."

"The Yuvarani of Kuntala?" Baahu frowns. "But I don't even know her!"

"Ahaaaaa!" Bhalla smirks mirthfully. "Poor Yuvarani... her crush has already given his heart to a peasant girl of Kamarupa, and she doesn't even know!"

"Pull my leg later, dude, you're getting late," Baahu cuts in with a deceptively innocent-looking grin. "Have fun with the choreographers."

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Anna... HEY, SIT DOWN, why are you standing?"

"If you insist, Yuvaraj," bows the visibly touched Kuntalan messenger, hesitantly having a seat. "Here, Your Highness."

Baahu stares intently at the yellow scroll in the hand of the messenger. Is it too much of a coincidence that it's the exact shade of yellow worn by his Bihu partner at Nila's coronation?

Stop thinking about that girl... it's unlikely you'll ever see her again. You don't even know her NAME! 

Shaking his head in a vain attempt to shake off all the madness, he finally straightens out the scroll and begins to read.

"Yuvaraj Amarendra,

Unlike you, who makes false promises of lifelong love to random strangers, I am someone who takes matters of the heart more seriously. Judging by your prototype, I trust your brother, Yuvaraj Bhallaladeva, to be as worthless as you if not worse.

Not only do I have no intention to attend his Swayamvadhu, but I shall also personally make sure that no girl from our kingdom has the misfortune of marrying a boy from yours. My apologies may please be conveyed to Her Highness, the Queen Mother.

Others might be busy wagging their tails for all the wealth and power Mahishmati pledges to offer her bride. Not me. Never me.

Yours sincerely,

Yuvarani Devasena of Kuntala"

Baahu rolls the letter back, puzzled.

I haven't even MET her, and yet, such ferocity directed my way! Why, just WHY? 

He must talk to Amma about this. She will know what to do. She always knows.

 

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

"What on earth is the problem, Baahu? What's SO urgent that you were almost storming into the courtroom in front of all the Natyacharyas?" Sivagami Devi frowns, leading her younger son to her private chamber.

"This, Amma," Baahu replies briskly, handing out the yellow scroll. "It's from the Yuvarani of Kuntala."

Sivagami straightens up the moment she sees the scroll... and her spine is FULLY erect the moment she touches it.

There is no way I can miss the typical gloss, fine texture and the lack of porosity of muga silk... and you get that silk only in Kamarupa. Also, the Kamarupa royals have somehow not been very keen to export that silk. Is the Kuntalan princess connected to Kamarupa in any way?

OH YES, she is the bosom friend of Manimallika's daughter... age is clearly taking a heavy toll on my memory.

Hang on, so was she that girl... oh come on, Sivagami, you are acting like the anxious mommy now.

She continues to inspect the scroll attentively, her observant eyes diagnosing in no time that it has been torn out of either a mekhela or a saree (albeit a rather plain one), and begins to read the letter carefully.

She re-reads it.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

By the end of the fourth read, it takes Sivagami all of her efforts to conceal her smirk under the garb of a very well-rehearsed glare and an even more well-rehearsed thundering voice.

"Such arrogance! And at such a young age! I am going to tolerate none of it. Baahu, you leave for Kuntala this very moment. I want the girl imprisoned before me!"

"But Amma..." Baahu ventures.

"Where does the BUT come from? If this girl dares to question your character without even knowing you, I have every right to punish her the way I decide. This is my word, and my word is the law!"

Baahu nods, reluctance evident in his eyes, as he proceeds to leave.

"And Baahu, the army of a kingdom as small as Kuntala will be handled in no time by you and Kattappa... so he is the only one going with you. I cannot risk sending more soldiers at such a crucial hour. Vijayi bhava," she adds, hastily turning around to enjoy a quick laugh on her way back to the courtroom.

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

"It isn't as easy as you think, Yuvarani," admits the Natyacharya of Belur. "The Elder Yuvaraj of Mahishmati is a disastrous dancer, and Channakeshava alone knows how to save the day."

Indira, the Hoysala Yuvarani, merely cocks an eyebrow as a response.

"I had to struggle with him for TWO HOURS, take that! And he is still confused about the Hasta Mudras. I told him repeatedly how simple it is-- Kataka Mukha when the hand is near your chest, and Alapadma when you stretch it out. And yet..." the Natyacharya shakes his head in utter disappointment.

"Acharya, it must have been a hectic day for you, and I am sorry for all that you went through. Would you like some rest now?" Indira asks politely.

"I certainly want some rest BADLY now. All the best for tomorrow," yawns the Natyacharya, departing to his room in the guest suite of Mahishmati.

Indira lazily stretches her arms above her head, intending to stand at the balcony one last time before she retires to the deluxe bedroom allotted to her... the garden of Mahishmati looks ethereal in the moonlight, she has to admit.

Wait, who is that man strolling-- or rather STORMING into the garden at such an unearthly hour? 

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Indira tiptoes downstairs for a better view.

Yuvaraj Bhallaladeva-- her possible husband, Indira registers with a giggle-- is walking briskly in a directionless manner, clearly disturbed about something and muttering something on the lines of "Baahu you don't care about me, you clearly don't... why was going to Kuntala so important at this time?"

And then ALL of a sudden, his fist lands on the pillar behind which she currently stands, and the poor pillar crumbles to dust in no time, fortunately leaving the Yuvarani unhurt... but her head flies straight onto Bhalla's chest.

It happens a bit too fast for either of them to comprehend what is going on, but Bhalla wraps her in his arms just in time, preventing her from falling down in an unceremonious manner.

"What do you think you are doing here?" He snaps.

"I could ask you the same," Indira snaps back. "If this is the way you unwind after a hectic day, you, my unlikely groom, need to change your ways," she adds, her fiery gaze steadfast in his direction even as she frees herself from his arms and dashes upstairs.

Bhalla gazes in her direction till the very last moment she is visible in his field of vision.

I have found her, he whispers with a smile.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Sethupathy will be lying to himself if he denies that he is scared. Very, very scared, in fact.

The Rajamatha's summons to her private chamber-- that too on the dawn of the first event of the Swayamvadhu-- are a novel experience for him. Truth be told, this is the first time she seems to even register his existence, and Sethupathy does not know how to react to that.

"Salutations, Your Highness! May I come in?"

"Come in, Sethupathy, have a seat. It's a pleasure to see you," the Rajamatha begins, sarcasm dripping from every word as the visibly terrified man sits down, his head hung.

"Bhalla's bestie, you have a bit of explanations to do," she continues, more icily this time. "Your friend has just received a scolding of a lifetime from me... and now it's YOUR turn."

Sethupathy can only bite his lip, hoping against hope that the Swayamvadhu contenders haven't noticed him eyeing them with the rooftop telescope.

"What kind of a friend are you, if you cannot calm your friend down on a day like this? He was almost ready to leave for Kuntala to look for Baahu, can you imagine? I had to personally intervene to make the dunderhead realise the possible consequences!" Sivagami thunders.

"I am extremely sorry, Your Highness," apologises Sethupathy, quietly exhaling in relief and mentally thanking his lucky stars. "Is there any way I can be of service to you?" He ventures to add.

"That's the reason I sent for you in the first place. You are to leave for Kuntala right now... your mission is to secretly watch over Baahu and Kattappa and keep us updated about their progress. Remember, no one, not even BHALLA must know this... is that clear?"

And that's how I punish voyeurs like you-- by handing them over to women as badass as the Yuvarani of Kuntala, chuckles Sivagami to herself.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

"Why do you think people resort to false allegations, Mama?" Baahu makes no effort to hide his disappointment, his hands barely holding the reins of the pony he currently rides.

"The complicated reason could be a desire to make someone land into trouble, while the simpler explanation could be a plain misunderstanding," Kattappa winks, redirecting his pony towards the green meadows adjacent to the road.

"Oops, thanks for reminding me... there, Keshi, you must be hungry too," the younger Yuvaraj of Mahishmati follows suit, patting his pony. "Oh, we will need some water as well. Let's just find a pond without dead bodies, for a change."

The two riders unmount, stretching out their tired arms, only to be startled by the echoes of shattering glass.

"What on earth was THAT?" Baahu rolls his eyes, rushing in the direction of the sound, only to be greeted by the incredible sight of a telescope pinned down by arrows.

"Isn't this BHALLA'S telescope?" Kattappa wonders aloud. 

Before Baahu can reply, he feels a long sword piercing his tunic and landing on his armour-- that's right, exactly above his heart.

"Arrest them," echoes an oddly familiar feminine voice.

 

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

For Parameshwara's sake, I couldn't be dreaming, could I?

Baahu blinks at least a dozen times in quick succession, pinches his left shoulder REALLY hard and ultimately manages to speak up.

"YOU! How did you reach KUNTALA from Kamarupa?"

"The Hamsa Naava is a decent mode of transport, if you bothered to ask," Devasena flashes a satisfied smirk. "Yuvaraj," she adds saucily.

Baahu's lower jaw hits his chest with a thud.

"So you are..."

"The yellow-clad girl you shamelessly flirted with a few weeks back," Devasena digs her sword deeper into his armour-clad chest. "Remember something, partner? All those dramatic promises of lifelong love? All that spilled ink? I was such an idiot, Amarendra Baahubali!"

"Sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty, but I think there's a bit of a confusion, Yuvarani," Kattappa-- a thoroughly mesmerised Kattappa presently handcuffed by two Kuntalan soldiers-- finally faces the glaring princess. "I mean, you cannot arrest innocent men just like that!"

"Ooh, we were WAITING for your arrival, Mahishmatian Mama! Your spy is under our custody now... he has spilled a few beans following his arrest. Too bad he ended up gazing at Kuntalan beauties, that voyeur," Jayasena steps in with a sarcastic smile. "Bring him," he orders, turning around at a group of soldiers.

"Careful, Kumara," warns Devasena as Kumara Varma leads a blindfolded Sethupathy towards the two astonished Mahishmatians. "Away from the--"

Before she can finish, the unthinkable happens.

Sethupathy collides against a bull, and all hell breaks loose.

 

 

 

Chapter 9

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The younger Yuvaraj of Mahishmati has been whirled around by the bull's horns, and is presently unable to move his right arm. The voyeur, who has been wounded even more severely, lies in a semi-conscious state. Kattappa has miraculously escaped with minor cuts. 

This is completely beyond syllabus, an overwhelmed Jayasena shakes his head in dismay.

As for the Kuntalan Yuvarani, her hands are already-- almost involuntarily-- clutching the arms of the man she was admonishing to her heart's content barely a minute ago. Jayasena does not miss the glorious sight, of course, and is secretly half-relieved at the prospect of a peaceful reconciliation between these two.

Devasena refuses to budge until the prisoners have been shifted to the comfortable beds in one of the more spacious rooms facing the gardens ("Off with the handcuffs," she has ordered already) and the royal physician has examined them all. 

Her guilt-ridden gaze firmly rests on him... well, what does she call him now? Former dance partner? Crush? Lover? Betrayer? Prisoner?

Even in the midst of this confusion, she can't help being acutely aware of her excitement about seeing him again.

He opens his eyes, and tries to swiftly get up, only to find his head snuggled between her hands and her wildly beating heart.

"Get some rest," she whispers affectionately into his ear, blissfully unaware that he is fit enough to climb a tree faster than a monkey.

 

Notes:

Um, hi! *waves*

A lot (I repeat A LOT) has been happening on the RL front this side, but I haven't forgotten my WIPs. Thanks for being there with me!

Chapter 10

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Deva! DEVA! Goodness, you haven't changed your clothes yet! We're late for the Krishna Pooja already!"

"I know, Vadina, but surely nobody was prepared for these Mahishmatian...", Devasena pauses, not really finding the right words to fill in the blanks.

"Let' just call them visitors, shall we?" Mrs Jayasena offers, tongue firmly in cheek. "You have another visitor there. A messenger from Kamarupa. Nila apparently has an urgent message for you."

"Nila? Isn't she supposed to be at Mahishmati now... courtesy a certain Bhallaladeva?"

"Deva dearest," Mrs Jayasena offers her puzzled sister-in-law a serene smile. "You might blame the elder son of Sivagami Devi for a lot of things but don't you think accusing him of paedophilia is taking things a bit too far?" 

"You seem to forget, Vadina dearest, that Nila isn't a Princess but a Queen," snaps Devasena. "She has invitations to accept, not as a potential bride but as a ruler," she adds saucily.

"True that, yeah, but let's continue this discussion after the Pooja... he's waiting for you, hurry up!"

"Done, Vadina!"

"And remember to change into the orange-and-green combo for the Pooja once you are done," commands Mrs Jayasena. "There's a contrast blouse to go with it... it's your favourite navy blue, so no excuses," she sums up, with her trademark authoritative yet endearing smile.

Notes:

If you are still here, hi, my dears!!!!!!! And thanks!!!!!!

Too much on the RL front, but I do have plans of wrapping up my WIPs!

Series this work belongs to: