Hello my dear readers...firstly i am really sorry for upadating so late...was not getting time to write actually š³...so this is again a very long post š...i know many of you were disappointed because of the lack of Manveer scenes in the previous part...so this part will hopefully compensate a bit ...hope you will enjoy this part š³
Chapter 7She suppressed a yawn as she glanced at the clock, it was 3:00 PM and here she was still stuck with her lessons, she felt drowsy as her tutor droned away about various acts, policies, laws, and rights of the country. She tried to force herself into concentrating in her lessons, but her mind seemed to have other plans'.the more she tried to concentrate the more it wandered away into the unknown zone of her brain'Manyata found herself gazing longingly outside the window of the study, the pale blue sky, the twittering of the birds, the soft breeze that was blowing outside'she could give anything to just spend a few minutes outside in the open, running in some field, with the golden rays of the sun shining brightly and her hair flowing wildly in the wind'she felt like a caged up bird and almost felt suffocated in this royal study where she was being stuffed with tasteless broth of words, which were utterly meaningless to her, but which seemed to mean a lot to someone of her stature'well at least that's what Dadisaab had hold her , when she had gone complaining to her about how boring it was to study about Politics and History of not only the nation but the entire world'she had made Manyata understand that to become a responsible ruler of an estate , she must have a sound knowledge about the world and her nation...she must have the knowledge about the past, present and future of the country where she belongs'for then only she would be able to understand the people who will one day depend on her for all their needs'the people of Devgarh'.she had taken each and every word of Dadisaab very seriously, so even though she felt bored while attending these lessons she really tried hard to make herself feel interested'well, there was someone who had helped her in bearing with all these monotonous lessons'that someone seemed to pop up faithfully, always at the right time to save her from the torture'that someone managed to make even the most dull subject seem interesting'and that someone made her boredom fly out of the window'."where the hell is he? Its already afternoon, and he has not turned up yet'may be he has again become busy with one of his numerous meetings'." frowned Manyata, deep in thought.
Its strange how she has become so addicted to his presence around her, "Is that a good sign or a bad sign?" Manyata thought chewing her lips, completely ignoring the lessons in the process' Uday seemed to have a weird effect on her, while she always tried to maintain a distance from him; an unknown attraction pulls her towards him thus turning her struggle to keep herself away from him as futile'.the more she pushes him away from her , the more she finds herself running towards him'like the day when they had a tiff at the terrace while playing "what if"'his actions were downright outrageous and any decent girl would have stopped acknowledging him for what he had done, but all she managed to do was yell at him and then run back to him to win back his friendship' instead of waiting for him to realise his mistake, she preferred to ignore his mistake'.she feared this addiction for him might destroy everything, her aim, her belief, her motive, her future'but this addiction itself is so intoxicating and powerful that she almost regrets even having to think about coming out of it'the surprising part is when she should spend her time dreaming about his future with Akash, she is instead spending quite a large part of her time thinking about Uday'"whats happening with me? Why is it that suddenly her relationship with Akash, the dreams that they had once shared together, the promises that they had made to each other, seems to be like a part of a life she has left behind long back? Why is it that the affection she had towards Akash is fading away slowly? Why cant she feel for him like the way she used to before? " Manyata sighed'.she tried to force herself to think about Akash'she remembered what Chikki had told her on the day of Holi'Akash has left Mumbai for the time being, and will return after a month or so'.while she felt bad for him, for it was because of her actions towards him that had caused him to leave Mumbai, but she did not feel sad for him, she did not miss him'it has been one whole month since she had met Akash, but instead of missing him she was missing Uday, whom she has not seen for about a few hours may be'"this is absolutely weird" Manyata almost said that out loud, when suddenly she saw her tutor looking at her with a stern expression. Manyata stuttered and said "S..sorry ma'am, I was'.err'umm"
"Rajkumari'I think we should wrap up our lessons for today, clearly I can see your mind is elsewhere"
"No, No ma'am , please continue'.this wont happen again." Manyata blushed bright red'she hated being reprimanded.
"Its alright Rajkumari'the lesson is almost over, it wont matter , if you go off half an hour earlier" the tutor said curtly'"we will continue tomorrow" saying this her teacher began to gather her belongings and prepared to leave.
"Thank you ma'am , I promise to do well tomorrow" Manyata replied smiling widely'her teacher merely nodded in response and left . Manyata heaved a sigh of relief and then happily made her way from the study , she skipped across the hall and went towards Daadisab's office'.it had been a while since she had chatted with her'and today all of a sudden she felt like talking to her'she liked hearing the royal stories of Devgarh that Daadisab narrated to her'sometimes she felt that she is slowly getting back all the things that she had missed in her childhood, the times when a child spends with her grandmother listening wide eyed to the fairy tales of far off kingdoms , of beasts and magic'when she spends her time with Dadisaab she felt just like that small kid listening eagerly to the tales of her ancestors and their brave deeds'
Manyata knocked softly on the door of Daadisaab's Office'when there was no response she slowly opened the door and entered the room. The office was empty '"Daadisab must have gone somewhere" she thought 'she decided to scrutinize the office properly , now that she has got the chance to spend here all alone. Manyata looked around the regal office, there was an oak-tree glass topped table, which was covered with files and important papers, but was arranged neatly. Behind the table was the chair in which Daadisaab sat, it looked very comfortable and cozy, and she went towards it and touched the soft leather of the chair. The walls of the office were lined with book shelves from top to bottom. Manyata ran her hands across the books that filled the shelves. There were books and magazines ranging from serious topics on politics, science, literature, to books suitable for light reading ranging from novels, classics, and even children's fairy tales. Off all the books a particular book caught her eye; she read the title on its cover carefully, it was written "Cinderella"'"wasn't that the name by which Uday had called her when they were playing 'what if ' that fateful day?" she wondered ,as she took out the book from the shelf. It was a thin bounded book and as she opened it she saw each page was covered with beautiful pictures along with the writings'she touched the pictures with her hand in wonder and then settled down on Dadisaab's chair to read the story. Just as Uday had told her, it was the story of a princess' like her Cinderella was also a poor ordinary girl, till she found her fairy god mother who turned her into a real princess'.its true that she did not have a fairy god mother, but her wish did come true'may be magic does exist'if only she had the power to modify the wishes that were granted to her, she might have been a bit more happier'.
Manyata closed the book as the story ended'so the prince finally found his princess and they lived happily ever after'..why cant this happen in reality? Why cant we get the prince of our dreams and live happily ever after? Does a happily ever after really exists or is it just a figment of our imagination? May be we like to imagine a "happily ever after" because we know that it is something impossible'.."How would I like my happily ever after to be? ",wondered Manyata'..may be when she will successfully become the true princess of Devgarh at the end of the three months which in turn will result into her family accepting Akash, and she will be able to spend the rest of her life with him, may be then she will get her "happily ever after"'or'may be not'nowadays she feels so confused when she tries to think where her happiness lies, or what she actually wants ,or with whom she wants to be, or what she actually feels about everyone'Manyata felt herself frowning as her mind got clouded with such absurd thoughts'.suddenly she heard someone say "Manyata beta , you here?"'.She looked towards the door and saw Dadisaab standing there'.she hurriedly got up from the chair, thus causing the book to fall from her lap. She saw Dadisaab coming towards her' she bent down and picked up the book, before Manyata could do that'."So 'you were reading this?" Dadisaab said pointing at the book
"Uh, sorry Dadisaab'err..I was waiting for you'saw this book and started reading'.I should have taken permission from you before touching it" Manyata said looking guilty.
"Not at all Manyata '.I am happy that you were reading this'all these books and everything here belongs to you'.you don't need to ask permission from me to touch any of these"
"Really??...Thank you Dadisaab" Manyata said giving her a bright smile
"Did you come here for some special reason?" Dadisaab asked her smiling.
"Actually I wanted to spend some time with you'but if you are busy then I will leave"
"Well Manyata beta'actually I am a bit busy'have got many mails, and paperwork'which I will have to read and complete'.once you become the heir of Devgarh , I will happily leave all these work and will hand them over to you"
"Umm..Dadisaab'I will have to do all these work??...but how?...I don't know anything about these'"Manyata said looking thoroughly nervous and anxious.
"Don't worry dear, I will always be there to guide you and you will learn everything in good time"
"Dadisaab, can I ask you something?"
"Sure dear, what is it?"
Manyata hesitated a bit and said'."Dadisaab'what about Jay'.wont she get anything of Devgarh, wont she also be a part of Devgarh's future?...Isnt it a bit unfair to remove her from everything related to Devgarh's heir?"
"Manyata, the problem is'.both of you sisters can be perfect rulers of Devgarh'but only one can get the throne'as you are the elder one , so I want you to be the future of Devgarh'there is also another reason for why I want that' I cannot tell you the reason now'.but I want you to know the gravity of the situation'.there will come a time when you will have to make some choices, some decisions, and may be even have to face danger..."
"Choices, decisions, danger?" Manyata repeated feeling a bewildered "Why Dadisaab? Why me? Why not Jay then? She can also make choices, take decisions and face danger'may be even better than me'for she has been a princess her whole life , while I have been a princess for only a month"
"Manyata, you have something which Jay does not have'.your tolerance, your strength and your determination'.while Jay may possess determination, but she does not have enough tolerance and strength that will be required to hold on to Devgarh'most importantly she does not know how to sacrifice'for a time will come when she may have to sacrifice the most treasured thing of her life, and that time she will fail'but you'you will not'I have trust in you'.you will never back down to save Devgarh even if it means that you will have to give up what you want the most'.you have not been a princess for a month, Manyata'you were always a princess'just you realised it a bit late" Dadisaab smiled
Manyata felt uncomfortable and a bit scared as she tried to comprehend Dadisaab's words'.she could not understand what sacrifice she will have to make'she could not understand what impending danger is there'.she could not understand what choices she will have to make'the way Dadisaab spoke, it was as if she said everything without revealing anything'.who knows what mysteries and secrets Devgarh held'.she knew Dadisaab won't tell her anything even if she pressed her'.but still she could not help it and asked " What sacrifice Dadisaab, and what danger? What choices will I have to make?"
"You don't have to worry about all these now'I just wanted to show you that being a Princess does not always mean power and glory, with that also come great responsibility'and sometimes while fulfilling our responsibility we have to sacrifice our own happiness'" Dadisaab came near Manyata and patted on her head lightly'"Don't make yourself miserable thinking about what I said'.you will understand all these one day on your own'till then take life as it comes'.it always helps."
Manyata nodded grimly 'she said "All right Dadisaab, I will try not to think about all these'thank you for answering my queries'I will take your leave now" '.as she turned to go out from the room, Dadisaab called her'"Manyata, wait a minute'there is something I have to give you"
"What is it Dadisaab?"
Dadisaab stretched out her hand towards Manyata and gave her an envelope '.Manyata took it and quickly opened it'it was a Royal Invitation card'.she read what was written on it.
"Yuvraj Ratandeep Singh of Pratapgarh cordially invites you to the Royal Masquerade Ball on Thursday, 26th April 2012, at 7:00 PM"
"A ball, Dadisaab?..." Manyata asked in surprise
"Yes dear, and you will have to be present there, all the youngsters of Royal and famous families are being invited there'and you, Jaynandini and Vijay are to represent Devgarh there'.be sure to attend it" said Dadisaab
Manyata looked at her wide eyed'the whole representing Devgarh idea seemed to make her feel a bit nervous'.till now she has not met the other Royal families formally, and to show up in a Ball when you don't even know how to present yourself there looked really scary'was this Ball like the one she just read in that book? What was this mas'no..masque'err Masquerade thing?...ohhh'she has never attended such a ball'.what will she do? Who will help her?...she felt her stomach tied up in knots with apprehension..
Dadisaab seemed to have understood her fear and tension'she smiled at her and told her "Manyata dear'don't be so scared'Vijay and Jay will be there to take care of you'they will tell you what to do'I will personally tell them to help you out'and may be you will find some known faces in the ball too'you never know"
Manyata just nodded at Dadisaab silently, still looking doubtful'then she said " All right Dadisaab, I will go to the ball 'and '.i promise I will try not to let you down'may I leave now?"
"Yes dear you may leave now" Dadisaab told her.
Manyata quietly closed the door as she left Dadisaab's office'lost in thought about the impending ball and all that Dadisaab had told her about her future , she did not know when she landed up in her mother's room'she realised it when her mother called her..
"Manyata beta, what happened? You want something?" Komal said
"Uh' what?...oh'nothing ma'.just came to see you" Manyata said hurriedly trying to gloss over the fact that she had absentmindedly landed up there'"So what are you doing ma? Are you busy?"
"Not at all beta, come and sit here'.i was just looking at our old albums'would you like to see them with me?"
"Yes ma, off course" ..suddenly Manyata realised she did not even know how her family used to be, how she used to be when she was a baby, how things used to be in the past'..all those years that she had been away from here'.all those functions, occasions, festivals she had missed , all those time when she should have been there and enjoyed with them, be a part of their joys and sorrows'she missed everything'she regretted having lost so many years of her life'yet she felt thankful now that she has found them back'she wondered how could she have cursed these very people about whom she feels so deeply now, just a few months ago...sometimes she felt like laughing at herself remembering all her antics, how ridiculous she was, not to mention dumb'well she has a lot of catching up to do'16 years is quite a long time'may be she can start from today'.Manyata went and sat beside Komal, and took an album that was lying on the bed'she opened it and started looking at the pictures'she could identify almost everyone there'..in one picture she saw a young Brijraj and Giriraj standing with their guns , they looked really handsome'..the next picture was of Brijraj and Komal'both looked so happy'.as Manyata turned over the pages, she stopped at one picture'it was the picture of a man who looked stern and every bit royal, but his eyes spoke a different story, they were soft and compassionate'"Who is this?" Manyata asked'
"That is your Dadasaheb'I never had the fate to meet him off course'but I have heard he was a very kind-hearted person, however stern he might look from outside'the people of Devgarh loves him and respects him even now'" Komal replied.
Manyata turned over the page and saw a picture of young Dadisaab and her Dadasaheb'it looked like a picture that had been taken just after their marriage'.the perfect Royal couple'
The next picture was the picture of herself, a little kid of about two or three years sitting on the lap of Brijraj, and beside them sitting was Komal with a baby Jay in her arms'.Manyata ran her fingers over the picture, and could not help feeling a bit despondent'..the picture reflected a happy family, everyone was in smiles'did they even knew that these smiles would disappear within a few months?...that this happy little girl in pink frock sitting on her father's lap would disappear from their lives for 16 years? That the love and bond that seemed so clear in the picture between the father and daughter would disappear? that this very father would start to dislike the daughter whom he once considered his life?...Manyata quickly turned over the page, not wanting to linger on the painful thoughts anymore'.and immediately she wished she had not turned over the page'.it was the picture of herself with a little boy, and she seemed to have a bandage on her shoulder'she could guess with her eyes closed who that boy was'he had the same eyes, same features, only a bit rounder'it was none other than Udayveer, all of five years'.what made her wonder was why was that bandage on her shoulder'she asked Komal " Ma, what happened to me? This bandage?"
Komal smiled and said " Uday and you used to play a lot with your plastic swords, and Uday one day accidentally hurt you with his sword'which caused that deep cut on your shoulder'.i still remember that day, Uday got so upset seeing you hurt that he threw away his sword'more than you, he seemed to be in pain'you both used to be inseparable when you were kids'where Uday was Manyata used to be there, and where Manyata was Uday used to be there."
Manyata felt she just cannot sit there anymore and listen to the tales which she could not remember, but which involved her, she could not bear to think that she has forgotten every single thing that meant such a lot to her family'..she tried hard to remember but always drew a blank there'and then she ended up feeling guilty'this guilt feeling has started again and she needed to just get out of here and run somewhere where far from her past'yet she wanted to hold on to this past'she got up and said " Ma , can I take this album with me?"
"Sure dear, you can"
"Thank you ma, I will leave now"'saying this Manyata quickly went out of the room'as she briskly walked across the hall towards her room deep in thought about the sword fight story between her and Uday, she bumped into someone, and there was a loud clanging noise'Manyata looked up startled '.she saw Brijraj was standing infront of her, looking a bit exasperated'"Manyata..look where you are going ,beta'.whats the hurry?...see you have made the Royal sword to fall from my hand'I was taking it for polishing"
Manyata looked guiltily at him and bent down to pick up the sword, it was heavy and had a shining blade'.it sure did not look like its in need of polishing'.the handle was made of pure gold and was encrusted with rubies, and other precious stones'she looked at the sword in wonder, and imagined herself holding it up in the air and slashing away the enemies in glory'she heard Brijraj say " This sword has been in our family for generations'and may be when you will become the heir of Devgarh I will hand this sword over to you"'he patted her head'.Manyata looked at him in surprise, not only did he address her as "beta" but he had also for the first time acknowledged her as the future heir of Devgarh not to mention he had patted her on her head'.she wondered what made her father become so caring towards her'."Baba, I thought you did not want me to be the future of Devgarh, I thought you disliked me'" Manyata replied not being able contain her surprise.
"I cannot deny, that I did consider you unfit to be the heir of Devgarh'but yesterday when I saw you fight with your best friend for the sake of your family, I realised that I was wrong' if you could change yourself for us, fight for us'why can't we change for you? Why can't I accept you as the heir of Devgarh?...yesterday I realised that I have got back the daughter I had lost'.and now I don't want to lose her again'and I have faith in you that you will be the best choice for the future of Devgarh'"Brijraj smiled at her.
"Thank you Baba, I will try to live up to your expectations'.i will never fail you'or Dadisaab" Manyata replied '
"And thank you beta, for calling me 'baba' "
Manyata had not even realised when she had addressed Brijraj as 'baba', may be since she had accepted everyone in her family as her own'so unknowingly she has even accepted Brijraj as her father, which made her call him that'.even though she had not planned in calling him 'baba' but she was glad she did'for may be this little word strengthened and reinstated the bond which had weakened between a father and a daughter'."Even you called me 'beta', and like you called me that from your heart, even I called you 'baba' from my heart'and I promise you will never lose your elder daughter ever again" she replied smiling at him'she then handed over the sword which she was still holding, and continued towards her room.
As she passed Jay's bedroom on her way, she noticed that the room was empty, she wondered where Jay was, she had not seen her all morning after breakfast, maybe she has gone out with her friends'but somehow she did not think that she was with her friends'.Manyata had noticed that since yesterday, Jay was looking a bit lost and thoughtful'not to mention she kept looking at her phone as if she was waiting for something'.she almost felt worried for her younger sister'.even though she still does not like her, but she felt this bond with her, which made her care for her '."well this is what family bond is called I suppose'however hard may I try , I cannot deny that Jay is my younger sister and being the elder one its my duty to take care of her, may be even to protect her"..Manyata thought'"well I will try to find out what's going on in her life, once she returns"
Manyata entered her room and stood in front of her dresser holding the album in her hands'she turned over the pages till she came across the picture of hers and Uday's'.as she stood staring at the picture thinking that how was it even possible for Uday'that Uday'. who had no feelings for others, to have reacted so strongly when she was hurt'.maybe it was the innocence of his age that caused him to behave like that'or maybe he genuinely hated hurting his best friend'.it was weird to think that they used to be best friends once'inseparable'is it possible to go back being inseparable friends even now '.well she already feels that they are inseparable once more'for she can't think of a single day without him around her' she feels an odd sort of emptiness when he is not there with her'.she now fears the day when she will have to make a choice'she hoped that this choice won't include her inexplicable relationship with Uday'for she did not want to sacrifice this relationship for anything'anything at all'.
"Princess'"called out that familiar voice, that voice which again weirdly enough made her heart leap with joy, which brought a smile on her face unknowingly, which made her feel that now nothing can go wrong'. that voice gives her the strength that she feels ebbing away, that voice makes her feel confident in whatever she does, and most importantly that voice makes her feel secure..
Manyata turned around and saw Uday standing near her'"Had a very busy day I presume'that's why you came now?...what happened?...got busy with meetings again?" Manyata said a bit sarcastically.
"Wow Princess, great guess'indeed I was busy with meetings'hmm' made you miss me again didn't I ? " Uday said smirking
"Me and miss you??...in your dreams' here I was thanking God that he has kept you busy somewhere, and hence my day will end peacefully, but see my bad luck'here you come and stand infront of me .."
"Well'since you did not miss me'that's why I suppose you were looking so intently at our childhood pictures?"
"oh you mean this picture?...i was not thinking about you'.i was thinking about sword fights'all royals must know how to do that right??" Manyata replied cleverly changing the subject, for like always she wanted to avoid Uday guessing how much she missed him when he was not around'she will not allow him to gloat over his victory'never'Manyata thought firmly
"That's right Princess'.every Royal must know how to use the sword, whether to protect themselves or to attack when necessary" Uday said
"Then lets do it'"
"Lets do what?.." Uday asked surprised
"Teach me...fencing" Manyata said
"Now?..." Uday replied back
"Yes , now'.its a punishment for making me suffer through the boring lessons all afternoon alone" Manyata said making a face at him.
"Ok , princess'I am ready to face my punishment" Uday said laughing'"but we need swords first.."
"That's not a problem" said Manyata and she called for two of her Royal servants and asked them to bring two swords'.the servants soon brought the swords for them'.Manyata gave one sword to Uday and kept the other with herself'then together they made way to the terrace.
"Princess'there are a few points which you should remember while fencing'.the purpose is not to injure your opponent but to make sure that you can disarm him with your strength'always try to read your opponent's moves before they actually do it'"
Uday moved around and came behind Manyata'.he then placed his hands on hers, and made her hold the sword properly'"Here, this is how you should hold it'now look straight in your opponent's eyes'he might try to distract you'use false footings to confuse you, but you need to concentrate only on his eyes and sword'"Manyata turned her face to look at him, as he explained '.and as she did that she realised what a big mistake she has committed, she found her face just inches away from Uday's, she also realised that Uday was standing dangerously close towards her'she again began to feel the knots in her stomach'she gulped involuntarily'and turned her face to look infront again 'she felt flustered and unsettled'.her close proximity with Uday was not helping her at all'she cursed herself for asking Uday to teach her fencing'it was a bad idea'instead of listening to the rules of fencing that Uday was telling her, she found herself losing in the sound of his voice...she suddenly felt that she just wanted to close her eyes and rest her head against him, to be in his arms'. forgetting everything, the three months, Devgarh, Jaigarh, her past, her present ,her future'to just live in this moment'just then she felt that comforting presence disappear from around herself'Manyata looked around '.she saw that Uday had moved away from her , and was instead standing before her smirking'"So princess, shall we start the first round?"
"Huh'what?... round? " Manyata replied feeling confused 'she had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she had missed everything that Uday had explained her about fencing..
"Seriously princess, didn't you hear what I said?'.there will be three rounds, the one who disarms his or her opponent most number of times, will win'is it alright with you?"
Manyata nodded nervously and said '"Ok, lets start'I am ready"'she stood like Uday had told her to, holding her sword firmly'.and then she looked straight into his eyes'the only problem was the moment she looked into his eyes, she felt that she will now burn'.his eyes were boring into hers'she could feel the strong undercurrent between them, it was electrifying ' Manyata wanted to drag her eyes away from him, but she did not want to lose the match'.so she continued to look into his eyes, but at the same time also concentrated on the sword which he held'she saw his sword coming crashing towards her, involuntarily she held her sword up and blocked his sword with all her might'there was a loud clanging sound, which made her close her eyes'.she saw her sword has fallen from her hand and was now lying on the ground'"
"Tch , Tch, princess'never use your whole strength while blocking, the trick is to use it subtly '.else it might backfire'just like it did now'hmm..so two more turns left'" Uday said smiling
Manyata picked up her sword and then with a determined face looked at him, she pulled herself together and focused on the fight'"This will be my turn" she said firmly
"lets see Princess" Uday said teasingly
Manyata braced herself as Uday readied for another attack on her'.they circled around, looking at each other intently'each waiting for the attack to come from the other end'.before Uday could make his move'Manyata brought down her sword on him'Uday quickly blocked her attack and with that he brought his foot forward and Manyata suddenly found herself pinned with her back against him, and him holding the sword at her throat'.she felt his breath on her neck'.she shivered and felt an odd sort of tingle inside her'.she had never experienced such feelings with any other man before'when she was with Akash, they had hugged each other so many times'it was comforting, it was nice'.but she had never experienced what she was experiencing now'this feeling was new to her and it scared her'. she heard Uday whispering in her ears " Did that scare you?"'.Manyata replied softly "No"'.Uday removed the sword from her throat'. suddenly she felt his arm around her waist holding her from behind and pulling her towards him, her back hit against his chest' she tried to free herself from his hold'but he was holding her too firmly and she knew that it was of no use trying to struggle out as he would not let her go'.she felt a light touch on the skin of her shoulders'.she closed her eyes as she felt the touch, she felt herself trembling'.
"The scar'.do you remember?" Uday said softly '.Manyata realized that Uday was touching her scar, the scar which he had given her so many years ago'the scar which had sealed their fate together may be forever'"No...but I know'" Manyata replied, she felt her heart beat speeding up'
"What do you know?" whispered Uday as he ran his finger down the length of her scar.
Manyata sucked in her breath involuntarily and said in a shallow voice "I know'you gave me that scar when we were kids'.ma told me today'"
"And'" Uday continued to ask her
"And '.you threw away the sword which gave me the scar'" Manyata replied'
"And 'did you know that this scar brought us together after 16 years'it was when I noticed your scar that day in the club, that I recognized you to be the lost princess of Devgarh'"
Manyata found herself saying a soft 'no' '.so this scar entwined hers and Uday's fate in more ways than she knew'..she knew that she must now get out of his clutch, for now it was becoming difficult for her to even breath'.the tension between them was apparent and she feared that any moment now something will occur which she might regret for the rest of her life'she did not want that'.she will have to prevent the disaster that might just happen 'and then without thinking anything, she grabbed hold of Uday's arm and tried to pry open his hold on her'.as she did that, accidentally the sword which was in one of her hands slashed across Uday's arm '..Manyata felt herself getting released from his grasp immediately, but was shocked to see Uday standing before her, with a bleeding hand and wincing with pain'."I am so sorry'I did not mean to hurt you Uday'OMG!! You are bleeding'let me take you inside'you need to put medicine'" Manyata cried out loudly, she dropped the sword from her hand to the ground, and then quickly tore a part of her dupatta which she had wrapped around her waist during the fight'.she began to tie Uday's bleeding arm with that piece of cloth, not paying any heed to Uday's repeated statements of him being alright'while she got engrossed in bandaging Uday's arm, she felt as if someone's eyes were on her'.she looked up and saw Uday staring at her 'she felt a little disconcerted'.she decided to break the silence between them, as the silence was building up the tension even more than before '.she cleared her throat and said " halkat vede, what are you looking at?"
"You'" he said, still not removing his eyes from her'"have anyone told you that you look like an angel?"'he pushed away a lock of hair which the wind had blown across her face'.
"No'and anyway who knows how an angel really looks like?" she said her voice trailing away'Uday just smiled at her reply and said "For me an angel is like you'.innocent'like a breath of fresh air'a bit wild '.but at the same time charming'"
Manyata shook her head and said "I am anything but an angel'neither am I charming nor as innocent as you think me to be.."
"Whatever you may think about yourself'but you will always remain my angel" Uday said
Manyata felt tongue-tied when she heard him say that'she tried to decipher what Uday really meant'did he just confess that she meant a lot more to him than just a friend'Uday successfully confused her even more than she already was with her feelings for him'
"Hey princess'I want to ask you something" she heard Uday saying'she looked up at him'and just nodded in response.
"Will you be my date?"
"Huh?...date? for what?" Manyata enquired feeling surprised'.
"Err'.there is this Royal ball of Yuvraj Ratandeep'didn't you get the invite?" Uday asked her quizzically.
"Oh 'that ball'.yeah Dadisaab showed me the invite'I forgot even you will be invited there'thank god, you are coming'now I won't feel so nervous'I was so worried about attending this ball'.and oh'its some mas'no masque'err..its got a funny name, don't even know the meaning'but its not an ordinary ball" Manyata rattled off non-stop without a pause.
Uday started laughing and Manyata looked at him annoyed'."What makes you laugh so much? "
"Oh my dear princess'this is why I find you so adorable'you were scared to go to the ball?...and it's a masquerade ball'nothing funny in it'.in this type of a ball , everyone who attends it is given a mask to hide their face'"
"we have to hide our face with a mask?...why ? are we criminals?" Manyata asked rolling her eyes
"No Princess, its just to create an element of surprise, a bit of a mystery may be'the masks are usually handed over at the venue'and when everyone goes to the dance floor wearing that it becomes difficult for people to recognize each other, and you may never know when you end up dancing with your enemy'its all for fun.." Uday said laughing
"Hmm'ok'.so you need a date to attend such balls?" Manyata asked'
"Not really princess'but I would feel bored going alone'and I don't want to go with anyone else other than you" he smirked
"Why me?...you can take Jay with you'she would love to be your date" Manyata said making a face
"And what about you?...won't you want to go with me?" Uday asked playfully
"well'not that I am much interested in accompanying you'but considering everything'even I would feel 'bored' if I have to go alone'.so alright'I am ready to be your date for the evening.." Manyata replied smiling..
"Thank you for considering my request Princess" Uday said '.
"Umm..Uday'.our sword fight remained unfinished'who won this round?" Manyata asked as she noticed both their swords lying on the ground'
"I think 'it was a tie'my sword fell when you slashed me" Uday replied smiling'"and I must add, you didn't need me to teach you fencing'you are a natural'this proves you are a true Rajwade'"
Manyata smiled at his reply and said "but I was not supposed to injure you'in that case I won by cheating'"
"Its not cheating Princess'accidental injury does happen in a fight, but you managed to disarm me' so you won"
Manyata nodded at him looking doubtfully'she then said'"I think we should go down now'it will be evening soon"
The sun has set in the horizon leaving an orange-red hue across the sky'and the light of the setting sun filled the terrace with a red glow'
As Manyata moved towards the terrace door, Uday came beside her and quietly took her hand'.Manyata glanced at Uday but did not try to free her hand from his'she just smiled and held the hand even more firmly as they left the terrace.
*****
PS: There will be Manveer chapters in the coming updates...but i cant say if it will be next part or the part after that š³
Edited by mysticwater24 - 13 years ago
Debate Mansion
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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