OSR Samyukta part 20 – Siya confronted from all directions...
Recap - Veer manages to convince Sanajaya to release the troops and then takes his family to safety. Dharam fights the war of Aryanagar from his end at the border, while Veer battles out the revolutionaries. Dharam is saved in the nick of time when the troops finally arrive at the border. Veer is extremely injured and Shera comes across his body lying on a side street.
Links to previous episodes will be posted in the part below...
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Gaping at the body through the intense rain; she slowly recognizes it to be the handsome persona of the familiar Aryanagar prince and her eyes widen in astonishment, as she mutters to herself in a low breath "Rajkumar Veer...here...dead!" Briefly reflecting to herself, she smirks with a sly grin remembering Agni's taunts to her that morning "Huh! At least something for Rajkumar Agni and his father to be pleased about..."
Clutching the children; she leads them away from the unpleasant sight and the unsafe Shramik paths towards the humble hideout that her tribe were seeking refuge at, a considerable distance away. After a seemingly long journey through sparsely-inhabited wrecked streets, the trio arrive at an inconspicuous thatched hidden enclosure in one small side lane. Scanning the pale faces of her tribe members, she exchanges a casual smile with them and then ushers the two children amidst their closely crouched frail group, as she utters "Manu...Radha...go sit by chachi…she will keep you warm..."
A homely middle aged widow adjusts her veil with an understanding nod and signals the two children to come close by and share the warmth of her jute sheets by snuggling in.
Turning around to view the unceasing rain with a deep sigh, Shera removes her wet cloak, whips her long wavy hair to release the trapped water droplets and blows her chilly hands. Looking around; she springs to a corner of their shelter and fetches a small lamp to the centre for everyone's comfort. Placing the mud lamp on the ground; she stares at its flickering fire battling the winds in its struggle to stay alight and becomes lost in deep thoughts, as it reminds her of the disturbing image she just saw of Rajkumar Veer.
Her reflections are disturbed by the voice of a soft woman calling out to her "Shera... Shera...what happened" the puzzled girl looks behind to find her concerned chachi enquiring curiously "What happened Shera...you seem to be distracted...I have been calling you for a while..."
Smiling warmly in reply, Shera nods her head to dismiss her worries "Nothing chachi... why...do you want something?"
The anxious woman replies gloomily "As usual, there is no sign of Tasha or even Sardar ...they did not arrive with the food as planned...no one has eaten...not even the children"
Listening to the typical occurrence; Shera frowns in displeasure, buries her face in her hand; and then finally stands up, as she again grabs her wet cloak in order to set out to search for her father and some source of food for her tribe.
An old affable man raises his objections to her actions "Shera don't go alone now...the situation outside is very bad... we can manage without food...Tasha and baba will come...don't worry..."
She responds to the nervous regard with a pleasant grin, "Bade baba...it's better I go now...but, please don't worry for me...you know what Shera is capable of!"
The spry girl stealthily manages to obtain an additional cloak from another old man originally reluctant to part with his blanket; wraps the two rough cloaks around herself and quickly hurries outside, leaving behind her retinue, before anyone could stop her.
Hastily retracing her steps through the grim wet roads; yet prudent enough to hide away from any predatory gazes, she eventually arrives at the scene of the macabre crime. Shielding her face from the rain with her cloaks; she watches Veer's lonely form and then bends down to feel the pulse on his blue wrist and neck, expecting to find nothing.
Taken aback by the faint flutter in his neck, she thinks to herself "My God! Rajkumar Veer ...you are alive...a fighter, aren't you... wounded ...cold...wet... and yet clinging to life..."
Momentarily weighing his sorry state; she surveys around herself deliberating for a while on how to help him, without risking her safety. Quickly kneeling on the damp dirty ground, she draws her knife from the folds of her pink skirt and cuts out two long strips from one of her cloaks. She then steels her mental self, as the practical girl slowly begins to pull the metal out of his abdomen. Throwing the knife aside, she immediately applies pressure on his profuse wound and strives to move his body in order to tightly tie the strips around his injury and minimise the blood loss. While securing the knots around Veer's waist; she suddenly identifies the blurry lone outline of a passer-by, walking in their direction, through the hazy rain. Reassuring herself that he didn't seem like a dangerous ruffian, Shera decides to make use of the opportunity of his presence to help her out. Removing one of her blankets, she covers Veer in order to partially conceal his face and royal attire and then runs towards the traveller.
Folding her hands; she takes the man by surprise, as she begins pleading him with a sly mask of innocence in her eyes "Please help me sir...I am all alone in this dangerous dark rainy night...my old father is injured...I need to take him to a doctor...or he will die..."
Staring at her with an unyielding expression, the man shrugs her request off rudely "I can't help you...I am sorry...go find someone else...I have other things to attend to..."
Expecting such a reaction from him, the quick-witted girl abruptly falls at his feet and puts on a helpless act by bedewing her tantalizing eyes with tears "Please don't be so heartless with a girl...spare some time to help me... God will bless you and your family!"
Ultimately unable to resist the angelic reflection in the whelming eyes of such a beautiful young desolate girl; the incompliant man though reluctant at first, gives in. He walks towards Veer to help lift him up, while Shera continues to firmly hold the large blanket over the prince to ensure minimum attention is attracted towards him or his stately apparel. As they jointly support the unconscious Veer, the dupable man remains distracted by Shera's grateful smiles and witty conversations, for most of their journey through the barren rainy lanes.
Panting with exertion at her heavy load and simultaneously striving to keep up with the man's boring dialogues, Shera chides Veer mentally "Why am I doing this for someone from an enemy camp? If any of the revolutionaries roaming around spot you now, we all would be dead... if Rajkumar Agni or any of his friends found out about this, I would be dead...my tribe is hungry... awaiting my return with food...as usual Tasha and baba are missing...and here I am struggling with you...." slowly recollecting her conversation with Veer at the cliff; she smirks to herself, as she arrives at a conclusion for her puzzling actions "I know why I am doing this Rajkumar Veer...you impressed me by being the first man to respect my feelings and call me by my actual name...Ananya..."
While the oblivious man continues making animated conversation with Shera, his glance by chance falls on a speck of glistening gold through the mud and grime covering Veer's expensive shoes. Shocked by his discovery; he hurriedly peeps through the blanket, notices the prince's face and questions the girl angrily "So...this is your injured father..."
Observing his furious glares at being duped and at how he seemed about to raise an alarm; Shera wastes no time in casually taking out her knife to threaten the man with a calm smile. Rudely passing Veer back to the girl, the man immediately scampers away, fearing for his life.
Supporting Veer's heavy person with one of his arms around her shoulders; Shera sighs and then begins to pull him along by herself, complaining to the unconscious prince, as she does so "I agree I am strong, but do you realize you are not very light…I wish you would co-operate just a bit more and help me out!"
Dragging the injured prince all alone for a few yards, the petite girl becomes exhausted by the arduous task after a short while and finally gives up "Rajkumar Veer, you are not co-operating with me…so, I cannot take you all the way to the doctor's…"
Placing Veer's body back on the ground; she kneels next to him, catching up on her breath and contemplates, as she looks around "Actually my friend lives in that house there...they are kind people...I think they will take good care of you...they would at least be able to fetch a doctor immediately..."
Gauging the urgency of the situation, she immediately stands up and tiptoes towards a modest rustic dwelling close by. Briefly peeping through its tiny window, she finds the familiar faces of her sweet friend and her comely mother sifting stones from the lentils, by the light of the evening lamps. Breathing a sigh of relief at finding the residents home, she scurries back to Veer and tears out another small piece of cloth from her cloak. She begins to meticulously remove his royal jewels and places them on the cloth, one by one. As she tries to unfasten his chains, the feel of his icy bare neck on her chilly fingers only makes her realize how cold the prince's body seemed to be getting with every passing moment. Hurriedly tying the jewels into a taut parcel, she rubs his strong palms vigorously for a brief while and then in a final frail attempt, removes her wet blanket and places it on him to shield him from the rain. Staring at her pretty pink veil and blouse now stained with both mud and Veer's blood, she nods her head disapprovingly "Look at what you have done to my favourite dress Rajkumar Veer...now after all this effort that I have gone through for you; you better not die, I tell you..."
Staring at the hut; the shivering girl then stands up and aims the parcel of jewels violently through the open window in an attempt to ensure its contents caught the attention and curiosity of the residents. As soon as the parcel hits and cracks a clay pot of water standing on one corner, Shera stifles her naughty giggles and then winks at the unconscious prince to flaunt her success. Waiting until the anticipated noises of hurrying footsteps are heard from within; the fascinating girl then prances away from there, wrapping her quivering self in the only available protection of her own arms.
The rickety wooden door gradually opens to reveal a worried Sakshi peeping into the dark, anxiously holding onto the contents of the parcel in her hand. After quickly darting through the grim wet street to discern how the jewels made their way into their hut, she notices what seems to be a wrapped body, a short distance away. Apprehensive to investigate, she glares at its visage for a moment and then shuts her mouth in terror, as she recognizes it to be the familiar lifeless face of her generally adorable dynamic brother.
Palace of Niphaud - The prayer room
Her tightly shut ravishing eyes reflecting her profound devotion; the princess sits cross legged on the silk carpet, with her unfinished braids flowing down her pristine stone studded navy blue attire. Facing the large idol of Lord Ganapathy calmly seated on his opulent marble pedestal, the pious girl remains immersed in deep prayer; clasping the fateful scroll within her bare dainty folded palms. In spite of the conspicuous absence of her usual conforming regal ornaments, the princess emits radiance, characteristic of the longing for the positive news awaiting her. Unaware of the increasingly fading enthusiasm on the tired expressions of the girls around her, Siya continues to fervently mumble to herself "Oh Lord...please accept my fast...please accept my prayers ...let the war be successful for Rajkumar Dharam...let no harm come to Rajkumar Dharam, Rajkumar Veer or Balaram ji...let their families be safe...let Aryanagar be victorious..."
The bored girls in the room chuckle as Nanda lets out an unexpected muffled yawn, while Daksha rests her head on her hand to watch Siya continue zealously "Whatever the words in this scroll, please consent to these pleas of mine…nothing happens without your wish...you always hope the best for us...give me strength to face Rajkumar Dharam's reply in this scroll...give me the courage to brave any future troubles..."
Fed up of Siya's incessant prayers and flustered by the unending wait, Daksha abruptly grabs the attention of the princess by seizing the scroll from her hand. Disturbed by Daksha's interruption; the princess opens her eyes and glares at her friend furiously, before snatching the scroll back from her.
Justifying her brash actions, Daksha sighs and speaks up woefully "Siya... you have been praying in front of the idol, hoping for a positive reply since morning…I have lost all my patience ...why can't you open the message from Rajkumar Dharam, have a look and then continue praying...how would you know what is in it, unless you read it…"
Taking the cue; Nanda teases Siya in a bid to console her fears "Siya, if you are feeling so nervous...I could go through the scroll for you...like I did for Rajkumar Harsh's poem..."
Aware of the many pairs of curious eyes awaiting a reaction from her; the meek girl gradually refuses, expressing her wish to read the message by herself.
The impatient Daksha chips in to stall the prankish chuckles from the girls in the room, and again assures Siya, hoping she would succumb to her last attempt "Open it Siya... now...read it...I am sure the answer will be positive...do it... now...if not, I am leaving..."
Turning to the rest of the girls; the unwilling princess finds their stares equally restless and persuasive, and eventually gives in by breaking the seal to slowly open the scroll. As the girls ardently move closer to Siya to have a peep; they become taken aback by the sloppy script, a direct contrast to the impeccable scrolls gifted by Rajkumar Harsh.
Rajkumari Siya,
Hope this message finds you well. I received your cherishable scroll as a welcome relief, amidst the increasingly disturbing news we are fronting. Before I proceed; I would like to acknowledge that our stay at Niphaud was the most memorable experience I have ever had and I thank you for the wonderful time we had there. I would also like to express my gratitude for the information that you have provided us on the Chatarpur plans, which would undoubtedly help us in planning our strategies accordingly.
As the girls again begin commenting on the poor presentation, Siya reproachfully hides the scroll away and brushes off their comments in the defence of her prince "Rajkumar Dharam is facing so many troubles now...as it is, he has taken some time out to write to me and I am very grateful for it...he must have not had time to enhance its beauty..."
Re-opening the scroll; she conceals the contents from her naughty friends and starts browsing one line after another, as slowly as possible. Uncaring of how the girls were closely surveying her anxiety transform to ecstasy with every passing word, Siya studies the positive words and favourable phrases in the message in scrupulous detail.
Rajkumari Siya; I observed that in spite of your impending engagement to the prince of Chatarpur, you have braved many obstacles to inform me of Rajkumar Harsh's plans. Even though your family wishes you to permanently unify with Chatarpur; you have mentioned that you would pray for the victory of Aryanagar, a rival of Chatarpur. Shall I venture to take these statements as hidden intimations?
From the scroll, I also discern that you still remember my words and my promise to you. You have revealed that you now wonder if you already met the prince with whom you shared many beautiful moments. If I am indeed the fortunate prince that you are referring to, then what more could I say than that I share the same feelings for you?
Imagining Dharam uttering such words to her for the first time in the form of a lover, the elated Siya finds herself having to pause every other moment to recover from the hot flush on her blushing cheeks, before getting back to reading his personal admissions.
I shall admit that these emotions are not just a humble admiration of your courage for your timely scroll, not just affection at the heartfelt care you displayed at the Niphaudi springs, but actual inexplicable bliss from the very first moment I saw you. Being unsure of your wishes so far and wanting to ensure that you were happy and at liberty to make your own decisions wholeheartedly; I did not want to mention anything, in the fear of aggrieving you. However; detecting the hints in the undertone of your message to me, I have now dared to reveal my true feelings to you, probably at the expense of sounding insolent. Please forgive me if any of the words above have pained you.
Closing the scroll; Siya flashes her friends a wide abashed grin, indicating a favourable response from the prince. The joyous Nanda immediately clutches the letter from Siya and starts reading the message aloud to abate the curiosity of their remaining eager friends, struggling at times to decipher the handwriting. Still coming to terms with her good fortune; Siya turns away, unable to face the teasing whispers and smiles on the girls' faces, while Nanda approaches the end of the touching words in the scroll.
I now sign off in the hope of an affirmative reply from you and if God wills, I shall be writing to you once the war comes to an end.
Please convey my regards to everyone in your family
Regards
Rajkumar Veervardhan
As Nanda reads out the signatory name, the bustle and cheer in the room slowly starts dissolving into a hush. Gradually realizing the futility of their premature jubilations; the saddened girls gape at the shocked face of Siya, while Nanda addresses their speechless princess in absolute panic "Oh my Lord! Siya... Rajkumar Veer has sent you this letter... he has confessed his love for you...what are you going to do?"
Immediately seizing the letter from Nanda; the enraged Daksha quickly scans through it and then spotting Veer's signature, confesses vehemently "How dare he...how dare he do this to me...he happily accepts all the sweets I prepare for him...he promises to write to me, when he leaves...and now he confesses his love to Siya...Rajkumar Veer...I...I..."
Thoroughly disturbed by the unpleasant turn of events; Siya receives the scroll from her hurt friend and quietly examines its signature and its contents in disbelief and affright.
Noticing the sadness clouding Daksha's generally vivacious face, the teary eyed Nanda frets aloud at the plight of both her friends "Everything has become awry...everything we were thinking of...praying for...why would Rajkumar Veer do this? How could Siya ever talk to Rajkumar Dharam after all this...this would create so many problems now!"
As her troubled friends persist with their speculations on the disastrous occurrence, the unconvinced Siya goes through the silent pledges in the message for the umpteenth time and eventually speaks up loudly to stall everyone's distressing murmurs "Stop it...Nanda ... Daksha...everyone...please, don't jump to conclusions…haven't you learnt your lessons already...these were Rajkumar Dharam's personal words to me...it is his style of speech...no one else's...I know it from his glances, his actions and his words... how could Rajkumar Veer repeat Rajkumar Dharam's words to me?" she pauses, as she notices a ray of hope returning to Daksha's heavy eyes and continues in a milder tone with a soft re-assuring smile "Yes Daksha...trust me...my heart tells me...I don't know how, but one just knows these things...it is difficult to explain...this letter is from Rajkumar Dharam!"
Partly convinced and partly in doubt; the apparently calmer Daksha questions Siya sheepishly "Then w...why does the letter have Rajkumar Veer's signature in it?"
Pondering for a long while; the confused princess regards the casual handwriting and scribbles in the scroll that didn't seem characteristic of Dharam's prim self, and arrives at a plausible theory "Rajkumar Dharam sounds slightly hesitant from his confessions in the scroll. Rajkumar Veer probably had to convince his brother to reply and while writing the dictated letter, he might have ended up signing his name by mistake... I hope I have understood the brothers well enough...but I think this is what transpired..."
Listening to Siya's increasingly credible explanation; the glittering retinue slowly break out into loud sighs of relief and delighted snickers marking their second round of celebrations, while Siya silently blushes at Dharam's alluring reserved self and thinks to herself mischievously "So, Rajkumar Dharam; you wouldn't even write your own letters to me? I shall take my revenge..."
Rudely and forcefully shaken out of her blissful trance by a blaring abrupt announcement at the entrance of the stately prayer chamber, the enchanted princess and her festive entourage turn around to observe the horrified faces of Rajkumar Harsh and the Niphaud monarchs, standing there. Suddenly conscious of her incompletely decked attire; the princess stands up nervously, as the dispirited queen orders Siya's friends to leave the room. Striving to hide their concern for Siya; the subdued girls leave the room one by one, following which; the guards shut the massive wooden door to the chamber. Encountering an overwhelming sense of suffocation and imprisonment; Siya stares in horror at the unexpected presence of the prince and then at the dejected haze in her parent's eyes, anxiously waiting for them to speak up.
Coming towards the centre of the room; Harsh requests the monarchs politely "If you would permit, I would like to speak to her first..." after ensuring he had their permission; he holds his hands behind himself, turns to Siya and questions her sternly "Rajkumari Siya, did you send the princes of Aryanagar a message after reading my personal scroll?"
Ashened and dizzy by the unforeseen confrontation at her deeds being discovered; Siya holds on to the marble platform in an effort to compose herself. On receiving no reply, Harsh repeats his question in a slightly more irate tone. With no option other than responding to his repeated straightforward queries, the guilty princess looks down in shame and then slowly nods in agreement.
Alarmed by the princess' confirmation, the three dumbfounded royals stare at each other for a few moments, before Harsh asks her hurtfully "B...but why... Aryanagar and Chatarpur are rivals! Why did you sneak into my things...why have you meddled with something of such high importance...did you think we would not come to know? You have cost us so many lives...and so much money...my father is infuriated!"
Lacking the courage to look into his eyes, Siya hangs her head and replies humbly "Rajkumar Harsh, I have not cost you so many lives…it was your own decision to go into war…" she continues to reply, baffling her aghast parents "It was my mistake to read your scroll…but I did not sneak in to read it…I came across it by chance…I had mentioned that the princes of Aryanagar were my friends…you were declaring war unethically on them… how could I keep quiet after knowing all this…"
Instantaneously stopping her, the queen warns her vehemently "Siya...remain silent ...are you aware of what you are implicating…you have arrogantly taken so many matters into your own hands...ask forgiveness of Rajkumar Harsh now...ask forgiveness Siya..."
Feeling cornered and insulted in front of Harsh; tears starts flowing from her aggrieved eyes, as Siya apologises to him "I apologize for the distress I have caused you Rajkumar Harsh..."
Looking away angrily, Harsh adds in a strong fashion "Rajkumari Siya, is it not your duty to remain covert about such political issues? Once you become the princess of Chatarpur, will you continue leaking secrets to other kingdoms?" he pauses to add firmly "I have one more issue...I don't want you to maintain friendly relations with these princes any longer…I don't approve of it…"
Wiping her profusely streaming tears, Siya watches the warm pacifying smile on her father's face heavy heartedly and stutters "Pitaji... R... Rajkumar D...Dharam…."
Overcome with sorrow at his daughter's pitiful state, the king speaks up softly in a bid to calm her "I know my child...I told your mother about how badly Rajkumar Dharam treated you during his stay here...however, all that was only a confusion...you are soon going to get engaged to Rajkumar Harsh...so don't worry..."
Still reeling from the embarrassment of Siya's actions, the irked mother asks her "If they treated you so badly while they were staying here...then, why did you have to write to them and hurt Rajkumar Harsh in the first place, Siya?"
Hearing her parent's misconceptions and unable to muster her courage to speak in the defence of the person she loved, the depressed princess turns a few shades paler. Surveying Siya's forlorn expressions and agitated self, her mother begins to suspect that her daughter was concealing something substantial. While contemplating on the issue, the queen manages to catch sight of a scroll lying on the carpet, behind Siya. Just as the terrified princess realizes that her mother had spotted the letter; Maharani Gauri instantly darts forward and picks it up from the floor, giving Siya no time to shield it from her.
Despairing at the horrid predicament she faced in front of her perplexed suitor; the defenceless princess watches in agony, as her mother immediately opens the scroll and browses through its message.
Shocked by the contents of the letter, the queen glares at Siya in wrath and abruptly tries to destroy the document, lest anyone else came across the controversial message in it. Cursing God for the horrible timing; Siya hurriedly snaps out of her fearful trance, runs to her mother and protectively snatches the letter back, unmindful of the confused expressions on the faces of her father or Rajkumar Harsh.
Astonished by Siya's bold actions; her mother watches anxiously, as the tearful princess closes her eyes and finally strives to summon her courage and stutter the truth "Ma...pitaji...I can't act anymore...I can't...the prince of Aryanagar...Rajkumar Dharam...I mean...if I marry..."
Before Siya could complete her sentence, her concerned father interrupts her "We know you mentioned that at no cost would you ever marry that prince of Aryanagar...you can forget about him for now, my child..."
Troubled by the constant interruptions, the desperate girl blurts out aloud "Pitaji…I don't want to forget about him...if I marry anyone, it would only be Rajkumar Dharam!"
Perturbed by the sudden change in the attitude of his daughter; Maharaj Janardhan stands silenced, while Rajkumar Harsh and the queen of Niphaud seethe in fury at the revelation. Walking close to the demure girl, the offended Harsh screams at her "Siya! You are going to get engaged to me...I thought I made it clear how much I loved you... you agreed to everything...and now you are refusing my proposal...what is there in that scroll?"
Understanding Harsh's feelings, Siya folds her palms meekly and pleads with him "Rajkumar Harsh...your anger is justified...I will not say anything in my defence apart from the fact that it took me a while to come to terms with reality...forgive me for that …I know I have hurt you…but if I didn't confess now... or if I were to get married to you with love in my heart for someone else, would I not hurt you more…"
Angered by her daughter's words; Gauri walks up to her and rudely shakes Siya, as she bellows "Siya! You are so adamant and haughty…take back all your words…now..."
Worried for his trembling daughter, the king steps forward and whispers in a mild soothing tone "Siya...why are you doing this? Why are you bringing this upon yourself? Your mother is going to reprimand you...and hold me to blame...shall we discuss all this later…"
Exhausted by the taunts and accusations; Siya weeps intensely, as she tries to refute him "No pitaji...I don't have anything to hide…I have seen what keeping hush can do and how misunderstandings can be created. I am not ashamed of anything…in fact, I am proud to be in love with someone like Rajkumar Dharam..."
The confounded father stammers "b...but S...Siya…he treated you so p...poorly…"
Smiling through her tears, Siya justifies Dharam's actions reassuringly "No pitaji! He has treated me with more respect than all the people in Niphaud put together could ever have..."
Thoroughly bewildered by his daughter's statements; Maharaj Janardhan finds himself muted and helpless, while her pained mother turns away to hide her disgust.
The outraged Harsh approaches Siya and warns her in a low tone "Stop it Siya…do you think I would take this insult lightly? Do you think you can get married to Rajkumar Dharam and live happily? Do you think I would allow it? Don't you think I would declare war on Aryanagar, if you did so?"
Noticing Siya murmur an inaudible response to herself; Harsh challenges her to repeat her answer aloud. Wiping her tears; Siya gains her fortitude, stares at his furious eyes and responds to his rude cautions "Rajkumar Harsh...you declared war on Aryanagar, whether I am...or am not with Rajkumar Dharam…so why would your threats make a difference to my decision…"
Dragging Siya towards their royal idol of Lord Ganesh, Gauri points to the statue and blames the miserable princess "In this holy shrine…you have brought immense shame to your own family…after having given my word to Maharani Vaidehi, my friend…you are choosing to insult the Chatarpur family…how do you think they will be able to forgive us for this…if this is your decision, then you can do so over my dead body…"
Appalled by her mother's words; Siya falls at the queen's feet and sobs aloud, appealing sympathetically "Ma don't say things like that…I will take all the blame upon myself… but having given my heart and soul to someone else, how can I live a life with Rajkumar Harsh? Am I not cheating and insulting their family then?"
Closing her mouth in horror; the aching queen slowly walks to the velvet couch at the far end of the room, refusing to listen to her strong-willed daughter anymore. Burying her fatigued face into her hands; the queen bursts into tears at her impending calamity, while the king joins her in a bid to comfort his anguished wife.
Bending over the girl crouched on the floor; the vindictive Harsh whispers a threat into her ears, ensuring her parents did not listen to his intimidations "I will destroy Aryanagar...I will destroy Rajkumar Dharam and I will destroy you too!"
Refusing to be frightened by his intentions, Siya speaks with an inanimate smile "You are angry Rajkumar Harsh...your anger is justified. Hence, you want revenge against Aryanagar and its princes. Whatever happens to Aryanagar and to me is fate, but as long I am with Rajkumar Dharam, I would at least be able to accept it unreservedly."
Overhearing Siya's answer from the other end of the room; the king becomes awed by his daughter's fearlessness, as he thinks to himself "My…my little daughter has grown…I have never seen her speak so strongly in support of any place apart from Niphaud…how attached has she become to Aryanagar…and she has never even been there…maybe she has a point..."
Humiliated and unable to take his anger out on Siya in front of her parents anymore; Harsh addresses the monarchs of Niphaud with an oath "I will not remain here any longer…in the kingdom of Niphaud, where one does not respect the feelings of the prince of another kingdom...I shall never forget this insult...never forget or forgive..."
Maharani Gauri stands up to stop the raging Harsh, but he forces open the doors of the chamber and storms away, leaving behind the distraught family.
Watching her sinking dreams with the exit of the prince of Chatarpur, the queen beseeches her daughter "What have you done...you are our daughter...don't you realize, that if you have chagrin or bad name it's the same for us too...why did you do this Siya?"
Unhappy at the sight of her inconsolable mother; Siya stands up gently and walks up to her parents seated on the couch. Lovingly sitting on the silk carpet near their feet, Siya comprehends that the only way they would ever trust her judgement was if they could relate to her emotions. Delicately folding her legs within her arms; the princess slowly begins to narrate her story - all that happened ever since Nanda misheard the message from Maharani Vaidehi, the arrival of the princes of Aryanagar, the feast, the incidents at the bazaar and the temple market, the Niphaud springs and everything that she faced when Rajkumar Harsh had come to meet her.
Utterly startled by the increasingly alarming recital of her daughter, the unconvinced queen stares at Siya ruefully and then nods her head "Why did you hide all this from us? No...no...you are confused Siya…you don't know what you are talking about…Rajkumar Dharam was the first boy you met…he was handsome and you...don't...don't..."
The king chips in with a lighter tone to ease the situation "Siya…you just need to get back to playing around like you always do...distract yourself...with your music...painting ...rangoli...you will forget about all this...you are confused now...that's all... "
Smiling ethereally, Siya corrects her parents "I...confused? Till not so long ago, even I would have thought that Rajkumar Harsh was an ideal suitor because he presented me gifts, poems, paintings, necklaces...but only then did I fathom that I had already felt like a true princess when Rajkumar Dharam gave me a shawl to comfort me, when I needed it most. Is Rajkumar Harsh is an ideal prince because he wrote poetry to express his love to me...but I had already felt truly loved when Rajkumar Dharam never allowed anyone to criticize me, in spite of the fact that I mistreated them through their stay here. Rajkumar Harsh said he would protect me, but there was something superficial about his promises. He tried to physically display his affections to me, without even asking me… I…I am not trying to say that Rajkumar Harsh is an evil person...but it only goes to show what a gem Rajkumar Dharam is…"
Dumbstruck by Siya's rationalization; her father experiences a sense of pride listening to the wise speech, while her mother remains unrelenting, as Siya continues "I met Rajkumar Harsh to respect my family's traditions…wishes...I even accepted the fact that I would be eventually getting married to him…but all this only confirmed what had already happened ...that I was Rajkumar Dharam's by heart and soul... since the very moment he maintained his dignity at the temple market…the moment he protectively grabbed me so that rock wouldn't hurt me...I was foolish to take so long to realize..."
Musing on how Siya had managed to think so deeply about all her feelings and debating on whether they had misjudged or had failed to notice her maturity, the monarchs gape at her blankly.
Understanding her parent's silence, Siya concludes animatedly "Do you know that in that scroll …Rajkumar Harsh was teaming up with an evil cousin of the princes to secretly attack Aryanaagar…what nobility or justice is that…so I…"
The King refutes his daughter sceptically "Siya…we are not militarily as powerful as Aryanagar or Gadhwar. We can't afford to get embroiled in all this…why did you get involved in political matters between two other kingdoms…because of all that you have done, Chatarpur could now stand against us…and besides, do you even know if Rajkumar Dharam feels the same way about you…"
Respecting their feelings, Siya tryies not to blush in front of her parents and nods her head modestly in reply "Pitaji he has accepted his feelings for me in this scroll…" pausing briefly, she makes a final earnest effort to implore them "Ma…pitaji…please try to understand my feelings…what does Aryanagar lack that Chatarpur possesses…"
Noticing only an incompliant and uncompromising spiritless glare on her mother's face, Siya feels incapable of substantiating her claims any further and sighs deeply. Gauging that the shaken queen needed time to recover from the unexpected shock, the king gives Siya a faint smile and then stands up to lead his wife away from the prayer chamber. The downcast princess gazes at her hurt parents leaving the room; not knowing whether to rejoice at receiving Dharam's positive response or breakdown at the tempestuous events that had transpired within such a short span of time and wonders how many more hurdles her future had in store for her.
Ciao till next week 😳
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
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