OS: Snow White and the Five Raizadas

Once upon a time in a land far away, lived a great King and his beautiful Queen. Life was perfect for them as all their subjects adored them and the kingdom was in peace. In time, the Queen gave birth to an adorable little girl and their joy knew no bounds.

But then tragedy struck as the King passed away leaving his devastated wife to deal with a two year old child and the entire kingdom.

The members of the King's court advised her to get married once again and so there came a new King to rule over the land.

Alas! The new King seemed to be quite the opposite of the old one. He mistreated his subjects, paid no attention to his duties, neglected his wife and twitched every time things didn't go according to his wish.

The Queen couldn't bear to see the kingdom suffering at the hands of this demon and one fine day she decided to end her life and escape his torture.

Before she died, she wrote a letter to her daughter which she would read when she turned eighteen.

Years passed and the chirpy young girl grew into a beautiful princess. True to her name, her skin was as white as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as black as ebony.

Princess Snow White was indeed a beauty!

Not just that but her caring nature, bright smile and warm eyes won the hearts of all the subjects. She was the pride of the kingdom and everyone was ready to deal with the King's ill treatment all for the sake of the lovely princess.

But all was not well for Snow White.

After her mother had died, she had been taken care of by the lady's maids. She was provided for in every way and to the world, she seemed to be the happiest princess ever.

Little did everyone know about how her father's lust filled eyes followed her every move. As she grew older, he became more desperate and she had to live life very carefully, not sparing a moment alone with him.

The day she turned eighteen, she was presented with her mother's letter.

My dearest Snow White,

By the time you read this, I will no longer be with you. I cannot bear the torture the King is subjecting the kingdom and me to. I know that it is a very cowardly thing to end one's own life but I was never a very brave person.

Now that you're older, I want you to know two things. The first is that the King is your step father. Your father was my first husband King Shashi and you could not find a better ruler than him. He was the most just, generous and kind King. But he left this world soon after you were born and I was forced to marry another man who would help me rule the kingdom. That man is none other than your step father, the evil King Shyam. You probably don't know about all this because he forbade anyone in the kingdom from mentioning that he wasn't the original King and that he wasn't your father.

The second thing that I want you to know is that I love you a lot. You were my sole shred of happiness in the wicked times that befell us. That's why you have that nickname; Khushi.

I'm really sorry that I had to leave your side as well but I know that you are strong enough to come out of all this triumphant. The situations may test you but you will be able to handle everything. I know that because you are just like your father and he was capable of dealing with everything beautifully. I want to leave you with something that he always believed in.

When in doubt, follow your heart and you will never go wrong.

I hope you can forgive me my darling.

Lots of love,

Your Amma.

Snow White wiped the lone tear that was travelling down her face and made a resolution.

Now that she knew that the King was actually her step father, and a wicked one at that, she felt more secure about the plan that had been brewing in her head for the past few months. She needed to escape his clutches and she knew that tonight would be the best time to do so.

So while everyone in the castle was happily celebrating the Princess's eighteenth birthday, the birthday girl snuck out and made her way into the forest.

Snow White had always been very resourceful and she soon found a cottage near the river which flowed through the forest.

She knocked on the door and was let in by a cheerful looking young woman.

She explained that her name was Khushi and she needed a place to stay for a few days as she had nowhere to go, having been orphaned recently.

The woman smiled at her and welcomed her inside.

...

It had been three days since Snow White had run away from home and she decided it was best to keep her identity a secret. So she stuck to being called Khushi, the poor orphan girl.

The cottage that she was staying in belonged to the Raizadas and boy were they a weird bunch!

Khushi had tried in vain to remember all their names but having mixed them up one too many times, she decided to come up with a few nicknames to help her remember.

The woman who had opened the door on the first day was called Anjali and although she seemed to be cheerful, it didn't take anything for her to burst into tears. So she was given the name Weepy.

Weepy's younger brother Akash was a nice guy and Khushi quite liked him, so she decided to call him Happy.

Happy was married to a very pretty girl who was perpetually blushing and barely spoke. So she was promptly called Bashful.

Happy and Weepy's mother was a very strange woman who seemed to hate her daughter in law and spent most of the time muttering away to herself. She had the privilege of being known as Grumpy.

And last was Grumpy's husband who never seemed to utter a word and had a lost expression on his face. Khushi decided to call him Dopey.

It was not the most desirable life but Khushi found pleasure in being away from her sick step father and she actually enjoyed the silly antics of the Raizadas.

...

Meanwhile, the King was furious to know that the object of his lust had escaped him. What irritated him more was the fact that a Prince from a nearby kingdom was coming to look for her.

This did not suit his plans and he plotted to remove this obstacle from his path.

...

Khushi was sitting by the window, gazing into the peaceful scenery when suddenly she heard the sound of hooves and a flash of white passed by.

She quickly ran out, curious to find out about the man riding away on a white horse when her eyes fell on a rolled up piece of parchment.

She opened it and gasped in surprise.

Dearest Princess,

Your beauty is famous across all lands and I have come from a nearby kingdom to meet you. Tales of your beauty and charm have propelled me to come looking for you and I hope that we shall be able to meet often.

Now is not the best time but I shall return soon for a first glimpse of your lovely face.

Yours truly,

Prince Nand Kishore.

A smile crept up her face as she reread the letter a few times.

A Prince was coming to meet her! Sure she was a Princess but due to her step father's strange obsession she had never really thought of Princes and fairytales with happy endings.

But now she felt much happier and she couldn't wait to meet this mysterious Prince Nand Kishore.

...

The King had successfully gotten rid of the happy go lucky Prince who was after his step daughter's affections and was just about to revel in his achievement when he received another alarming bit of news.

Yet another Prince was heading this way and his face involuntarily started twitching at the thought.

He sent his men to gather information on this Prince and when he heard who it was, his anger turned into an evil smile.

He would let this Prince find Snow White because when he was done with her, there would be no option for her but to return to him.

...

It had been almost a week since she had gotten the letter and doubts were starting to rise in her mind.

It was around noon when she heard the thunder of hooves nearby.

In her excitement, she rushed out towards the river, forgetting her slippers and the letter as well.

She walked cautiously as anticipation mounted.

She noticed that his horse was black this time around and it puzzled her because riders generally preferred a particular horse.

She craned her neck to get a glimpse of the man who was bending over the river, washing his face with the cool water.

Gathering all her courage, she spoke up.

"Umm... Excuse me?"

The man immediately stood up and turned to look at the owner of the soft voice.

Their eyes locked and time stood still.

Khushi had never seen a more handsome man in her life.

He was tall and broadly built but his body was lean and well toned. His dark brown hair was sharply trimmed, giving his look a dangerous edge. He had chiseled features and a strong jaw. There was a slight hint of stubble on his face and there were two scars aw well- one above his left eye and a tiny one on his forehead. But his eyes were the most astonishing part of his face. Never had she seen such expressive eyes before. They were chocolate brown and laced with so many different kinds of emotions that it almost scared her. She could feel the intensity of his gaze and she lost herself in his eyes.

...

Prince Arnav Singh Charming was not your average prince. He was the dark horse of his family and his temper coupled with his intense brooding personality awoke awe and fear in everyone's hearts.

He was a scarred Prince and his parent's loveless marriage had cleared him of all his delusions about happiness, relationships, warmth, kindness and love.

He had been riding through dense forest when he felt his horse tire below him. He looked around and spotted a river nearby and went towards it, meaning to rest his stead for a little while and cool down himself.

He had not been prepared for the beautiful sight that awaited him when he turned around.

There stood a young woman with pearl like skin and long, black hair cascading down her back. She wore a long, red dress and there were tiny white flowers arranged in her silken strands. Her cheeks were slowly turning a delicate shade of pink while her perfect lips quivered a little. The real sparks were coming from her eloquent eyes as they sparkled at him, full of life and emanating warmth.

She was the first to break the silence as she tentatively took a couple of steps towards him and spoke hesitantly.

"It's been a week since I received your letter. I thought you had changed your mind. But I'm so glad that you came, Prince Nand Kishore."

His eyes widened in shock as she spoke of his sworn enemy and any feelings he had garnered were brushed aside with a cruel blow.

"I did not write any such letter and I wouldn't dream of writing one to a girl like you who fawns over princes and dreams about their wealth."

Khushi's heart sank at his words and was about to speak when he cut her off.

"And for your information, I am not Prince Nand Kishore."

Khushi felt embarrassed that she had spoken to a stranger in such a way but anger seized her as she thought of how he had spoken to her.

"Khushi, lunch is ready, come inside before it gets cold."

She replied to Weepy's summon before turning around to glare at him.

"Just who do you think you are speaking to me like that?"

The Prince's eyes narrowed in anger before he snapped at her.

"I am Prince Arnav Singh Charming and I will talk to whosoever I want in whatsoever way I please. And I don't have the time to argue with a peasant girl like you."

Khushi rarely lost her temper but when she did, reason failed to stay by her side and she mostly did things which she regretted later.

Taking the necklace around her neck and thrusting it towards him, she retorted with equal anger.

"I happen to be Princess Snow White! And you dare not speak to me like this while you stand in the middle of my kingdom."

She was satisfied to note the shock and momentary regret in his eyes before he quickly masked it with arrogance.

"Oh, I see. You're the famous Princess, who ran away from her palace, aren't you? Tell me Princess, did you run away or were you thrown out?"

He immediately regretted his words as he saw the hurt flash across her face. But he had schooled himself to not let his feelings rule over him. So instead he threw another jibe at her.

"You haven't told these people your name, have you? What have you done to be so ashamed of?"

Tears started forming in her eyes but Khushi quickly blinked them back determined to not let him see how he affected her.

"I wouldn't talk so much if I were you Prince Charming. You possess no armor and none of the official symbols of a prince. It seems to me that someone else is trying to run away."

With that she walked off towards the cottage as the young man jumped on his horse and rode away in anger.

...

Arnav had tried everything in his power but thoughts of her kept invading his mind.

He thought of how beautiful she had looked when he first saw her, how softly she had spoken to him, how her mere presence was enough to make the world seem a better place. And he had made such an innocent girl cry. He had hurt her and he regretted it deeply.

But now he was determined to make things right.

He turned his horse around and rode towards the cottage by the river.

...

Khushi was not sure of anything anymore. Her encounter with the Prince had completely shaken her.

Her mind kept replaying his words and she wanted to hurt him for all the pain he had inflicted on her. But try as she might, her heart always felt something different.

She closed her eyes in frustration when suddenly; she remembered her mother's letter and her invaluable advice.

She decided to follow her father and listened to her heart.

She was soon clear about one thing.

She had fallen in love with Prince Charming, a man who hated the mere sight of her.

Dejectedly, she made her way into the dining room when her eyes caught sight of her favorite dish lying on the table, piping hot and just waiting to be eaten.

Little did she know that Grumpy had been consumed by her jealousy of Bashful and had prepared a batch of poisoned jalebis for her.

As soon as she bit into the syrupy goodness, her throat constricted and she let out a gasp.

Everyone rushed in to see Khushi collapsing onto the ground as the half eaten jalebis slipped out of her hand.

...

"What's going on here?"

Arnav looked around, puzzled at what he saw.

There were five people crouched over a long glass coffin and tears were streaming down each of their faces.

On hearing his voice, they slowly moved away so that he could get a better view of what they were crying over.

His heart stopped for a moment as his eyes took in the sight before him.

There she was, lying in the coffin, hands folded across her stomach and a peaceful look on her pale face.

He didn't like it. She was much too pale and he rushed over to her, fearing the worst.

He grabbed her hand and froze as he registered the how cold they were.

He held her by her shoulders and shook her vigorously.

"Khushi! Wake up, damn it! You can't leave me like this! I won't let you! Not after I've realized how I truly feel. Khushi!"

All the jerking and shaking had managed to dislodge the poisoned jalebis from her throat and Khushi coughed as she tried to spit it out.

Once she had calmed down a little, she looked up to only to be greeted by the most mesmerizing eyes in the world.

Her breath hitched as she fought off the surge of hope that was filling her.

No. It can't be him. He hates me. So why would he be here, looking at me with such loving eyes?

"Don't you ever do that to me again, understand? I was so worried! I thought I had lost you!"

She recoiled at the anger in his voice which seemed to overpower the concern in his eyes.

She jerked herself away from him and glared at him.

"So what if anything happened to me? What difference does it make to you?"

"Of course it makes a difference! Don't you see?"

For a moment she hesitated but the lack of softness in his tone riled her up even more.

"No, I don't see anything!"

"Oh really? Then I guess I'll just have to show you."

With that he claimed her lips in an intense kiss that completely blew her away.

When he finally pulled away, they were both gasping for breath.

"I love you."

"Took you long enough."

She flashed him a brilliant smile as he swept her off her feet and rode away into the sunset.

...

Elsewhere, King Shyam had died after having an intense twitching fit and the kingdom rejoiced at their freedom.

They decided to abolish the monarchy and instead adopted a democratic form of government with the help of their former Princess and current Queen of King Charming.

The two of them were married in the same forest where they had first met, with the well wishes of the Raizadas.

Khushi was very grateful to them for letting her live there for so long and ultimately help her meet her Prince Charming.

She blushed lightly as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek and he glowed with happiness as he took in the sight of his beautiful wife.

Eyes reflecting an unspoken promise, they held hands and lived happily ever after.

...

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