ArHi FF:1: The BEASTS and the BLEEDING ROSES - Page 6

Sorry for being so late. Caught up in a lot of strings called "life." But this update was spurred because molten_lava seemed to want to reach out and strangle me for my silence. This one's for you, Golden Dragon!

007008, Barun Forever, Siaa, rosette, Sweet Farwii, shagun, Yuks, kooltoad, masaf, Shweta, sam, areeba, rising angel, molten_lava, salsaly, vidya, poo, Jaya, darshi, dingle and shona-li. You guys are real great and I can never thank you enough for all your comments. There are some of you who are real dear to my heart, and some of you I am only getting to know. But I must say, some of you have succeeded in tapping the essence and track of the plot quite to the mark….brilliant indeed!

I have updated three chapters here...short ones but the beginning of all that is to come.

Chapter Three: The Two on the Trip

"Kushi!" her sister called out from the backyard.

The owner of the name appeared at the back door, "Yes, Jiji?"

"Listen, could you get the basket from the storeroom. I forgot to take it."

Kushi didn't move. Instead she stood staring at her sister, "What are doing dressed up like this, Jiji?"

"What do you mean what I am doing?" retorted Payal impatiently, "I do this every summer, remember? Now don't waste anymore time and go get that basket, will you?"

Kushi placed her hands on her hips, "You are going nowhere, Jiji!"

"But the Summer Fruit Sale is today," said Payal, "And all the villagers must have reached the Orchard by now."

"You cannot go in this condition," said Kushi, nodding to her sister's ankle.

"What condition?" demanded Payal, and twirled her ankle to show that it was cured, "Its been a week, Kushi and you can't expect me to do nothing but lie about all day because of a silly sprain! And besides, I'm the one who goes to the Sale every year since we moved here three years ago."

"This time I'll go," offered Kushi, without thinking. She bit her tongue wondering why she had said that.

"You?" Payal stared at her and burst into laughing, "What do you know about fruit picking?"

"I do know something," Kushi defended herself.

"I'll tell you what you really know," said Payal, "To ground cacao nibs and make chocolate liquor. You spend so much time with father at the mill, I think you'll be the one taking up the family business in the future."

Kushi knew Payal was trying to change the topic, but she was not one to give in. "That is not the only thing I know," said Kushi and she was about to say more but Payal interrupted.

"Go get that basket, Kushi," said Payal, "I'm already running late. By the time I reach the Orchard, all the fruits will have gone!"

Kushi stomped her feet and walked back inside. She dressed herself up in her riding boots and work gown just like her sister and grabbing the basket from the storeroom, made for the backyard.

"What are you dressed like that for?" asked Payal, taking the basket from her, and eyeing her from head to toe.

"I'm coming with you," stated a stubborn Kushi and before Payal could refute, Kushi scampered out of the lawn and onto the side road where carriages rarely passed and waited for Payal to join up.

They were both wearing their hats today and as they walked towards the direction of the Orchard, the wind flapped at their hats like birds trying to fly.

"You still shouldn't have come," hissed Payal, frowning against the sun.

"I will not let you wander alone even if the ankle does FEEL like its healed," said Kushi.

"Did you tell Amma you were coming along?" asked Payal.

"I've left her a note," said Kushi.

And with that the conversation stopped for it was too much effort to talk in the summer heat. An hour's walk later, the two of them were standing before the grove beyond which Payal had seen but Kushi had only heard. It was the first time she was coming here.

"Is this place we are going to where the…eh…Raizada Lords live?" asked Kushi as they made their way though the woody grove.

"Yes and no," said Payal, watching her step, "The Castle of the Raizadas is right around the far end of this grove and of course the Orchard belongs to them too. But only the First Lord and his sister stays in this castle. They are often visited by the Second Lord, their cousin that is, and by the General who is the husband of the First Lord's sister."

"So two people alone in the big house," wondered Kushi aloud, "how creepy." She had stopped walking to contemplate the creepiness of the idea and was about to tell her sister something when she noticed that her companion had walked further.

"Wait for me, Jiji!" called out Kushi, running with her skirt lifted slightly in the haste to catch up with her sister. Payal turned and shushed her, whispering when she had arrived to her side, "you are not to make too much noise. The First Lord doesn't like noise. Besides he had always been against the idea of allowing the villagers a share of his summer harvest from the rich Orchard he owns. It was solely because of his sister's pleas that he let the Sale be an annual thing and when it happens he goes for a trip to the town to get some peace from the noise."

Kushi snorted at her sister's description of the First Lord, "What a lordy Lord!" On getting a stern look from her sister again, Kushi hastily decided to remain silent through the rest of the journey.

A minute or two later, they emerged out of the grove and Kushi was taken aback by the sight that met her. A little in the distance was a tiny hill, the foot of which was lined with trees but the hill was not too high and could be managed to the top with thirty steps of her own young feet. But what held her open-mouthed was the huge mansion that stood erected on the hill. Its dark walls and the massive garden around it were so ominous that it would seize the fear of any beholder. But strange to say, Kushi frowned at the castle. She felt no fear. Rather she felt a strange sense of sympathy overcome her as if she could hear the very walls and windows of the house crying in desolate pain. The mansion, or more rightly the castle with its turrets and steeples, looked lonely and the only signs of movement around the house were those of two or three gardeners busy at their work.

Payal had proceeded to the Orchard which was at the right bend of the grove but on finding that Kushi had not followed her and was standing rooted and staring at the castle in the distance, she retraced her steps back and dragged the youngster with her.

"Told you to stay home," grumbled Payal, as she tagged her sister along to the Orchard, but Kushi paid no attention. She stared at the wretched castle and breathed, "Its beautiful."

Payal threw a glance at Kushi and then at the castle, as they walked, "That? Beautiful? It gives me the shivers….every time I look at it accidently. I never look at it when I come here. And here you are: unable to take your eyes off that desolate structure! Now come along! Your staring is making our walk slower."

And reluctantly but with relief, Kushi took her eyes off the castle and followed her sister, knowing not why suddenly she had felt a strange feeling come over her having looked away from it.

Chapter Four: Return Rethought

The Orchard was a massive plot of land where every kind of tree and shrub grew that bore fruits of various species. The two sisters soon found themselves busy with the noisy throng of villagers and all of them were picking the fruits kept aside for them to take away to their humble homes. Kushi was making a lot of mess, dragging her long gown along and bumping into people while she ran to and fro trying to get as many fruits as she could possibly find and rush to dump it into Payal's basket.

"Will you stop already," hissed Payal, fearing that the handle of the basket might break, "We've collected more than I've collected in all my years of coming to his sale!"

"That's because you never had a Kushi with you to fill you basket to the right limit," cheered Kushi and offered to carry the basket. They decided to take turns in carrying the basket every fifteen minutes. When they had decided to leave, they were crossing the path towards the grove and Payal had the basket in her hold, Kushi involuntarily gave a last glance towards the castle. Something caught her eye and she stopped walking. Was that a rose bush she saw in the garden? It was weird how she could see the bush from so far a distance but she was certain it was a rose bush. She assumed the Raizadas to be very rich that they could afford tall rose bushes. She could never dream to afford a tiny rose bush in her home garden.

"Kushi are you coming? Goodness! Are you still staring at that thing?"

Kushi awoke from her rose reverie, and looked at her sister, "We should thank them for allowing us to pick from their Orchard."

"What?" Payal almost dropped her basket to the ground, "Are you mad? They'll kill us if we even try to make a step towards their hill."

"But you said he goes away when the Summer Sale is held in the Orchard and that the sister is a kind woman," said Kushi, looking towards the house. Or are at the rose bush: she wanted to see it just once.

"They're just rumors the villagers spread," said Payal, trying to hold the basket in her hand, "We don't even know if the sister is kind or just like her brother!"

"Then we'll need to clarify it and help stop the rumors!" decided Kushi and before Payal could say a word, the youngster had trotted off in the direction of the hill.

"Kushi!" called out Payal, staring at her sister's retreating back, "Why can't we thank them by giving them what they want: silence and non-interference?"

Kushi, unhearing, still kept on plodding forward.

Payal gasped but stood her ground, "Should I wait or follow her?" And then deciding against waiting, she ambled after Kushi. She caught up with her, panting, and Kushi offered to carry the basket.

"You better make this quick," said Payal, between her pants.

" You can stay out if you want," said Kushi, also beginning to pant with the growing weight of the basket, "I'll just go, thank the sister and return to you safe and sound."

"Whatever," said Payal, rolling her eyes and then the sisters were silent, for something about them nearing the dreaded castle filled them with a sense of foreboding. Kushi was sad because she couldn't see the rose bush anymore. It was on the other side of the mansion and the path that led to the gate wound along the side away from the where it was and hence the castle walls now blocked her view of the rosebush.

Climbing the hill and with more panting, they soon reached the top and was awed by how the castle appeared less frightening from closer view. At the gate, the guard would not allow them inside and Kushi was making a lot of racket with her 'just to say thank you' and Payal had finally managed to drag the yelling Kushi away from the aloof soldier, when a small kind voice called out to them from the garden.

"Who is it?"

Both the sisters turned on their spot and gazed at the woman looking at them through the bars of the gate. She was extremely beautiful and richly dressed in an exquisite gown. Her long hair was let down making her petite face appear almost childlike, but her eyes looked eerily sad.

"Who is it?" she asked again, nodding at the two sisters standing transfixed. Her eyes shone with curiosity as she looked at them, wanting to smile but not quite smiling.

"Eh…we," Payal began, but Kushi butted in, "We're from the village and we came to thank you for giving us a share of the fruits from your Orchard."

There was a silence after her statement and everyone wondered why no one was talking. The woman at the gate suddenly smiled, a gentle but pained smile that hurt Kushi and made her wonder what was pulling at this woman's heart.

"Oh, please," said the woman, giving a signal to the guard to open the gate, "Do come inside and tell me more about it."

"No, we'd rather…"Payal began pulling both Kushi and the basket to start the downhill trip. But Kushi was quicker in moving Payal and the basket towards the opening gate, "Oh, we'd love to, my Lady!"

And so the sisters were admitted though the Gate of the Raizadas, and as the gate closed behind them the three woman walked towards the Castle doors: the kind woman whose silent steps were eager as she led them to her home, Kushi who couldn't take her eyes of the sights and sounds the garden constituted of, and Payal whose reluctant steps to the castle was camouflaged in her struggle to balance the basket in her hands which her sister had completely forgotten to carry in her dazed walk to the strange unvisited Castle.

Chapter Five: When they Met the First Time

The first thing they noticed on climbing the stone steps and walking though the massive oak doors, was how tall the ceilings and surrounding windows of the massive living room was. It was so gigantic that Kushi was certain their own home and little lawn would easily fit into a corner of the living room.

"Welcome to the Raizadas," said the lady, as she welcomed the gaping girls in, "I am sorry for my ignorance but what are your good names?"

"I'm Payal and this is my sister Kushi," said Payal when she could tear her eyes off from staring all around her, and saw that the wide-gaping Kushi might not have even heard the question to start an answer with. "Our father is Master Shashi Gupta and he runs the cacao mill in the village. We moved to Arhasia just three years ago so we are not very familiar with the surrounding customs and people."

"I see," said the woman, with a gentle smile, "Everyone around here calls me Lady Jha, but you could call me Lady Anjali. My husband is the General Jha. He is most often away on his war duties."

"Do you live here alone?" asked Kushi suddenly.

"No, I live with my brother," said Lady Anjali, and when she said the last word, Kushi wondered if she had not heard a wistful note in it.

"Shall I get you something to drink?" asked Lady Anjali hastily.

"No thanks," Payal said, "we just came to offer our gratitude for the Orchard-"

"But I would love you to stay a while longer," said Lady Anjali, half pleading, "My brother won't be back for long and I was feeling kind of lovely in this huge house. No one ever visits me…"

"We could stay for a few minutes more if you want," offered Payal, looking at Kushi for support but Kushi was staring at the paintings on the wall.

"Oh, do you love paintings?" asked Anjali, noticing Kushi, "We have a room apart just for them. Would you like to see them?"

"We'd love to," said Payal, and that was when Lady Anjali noticed the basket, "Oh, I'm sorry I let you carry that heavy thing all through our talk. Please keep it here on the table. You can take it back after you see the paintings and are about to leave."

Payal did as instructed and was about to follow Lady Anjali to the mentioned place when Kushi asked from where she had been standing, "Lady Anjali, can I have a tour of your garden?"

"Of course, Miss Kushi," said Anjali smiling over her shoulder, "Take care that you don't lose yourself in all the trees and plants. And when you're finished with the garden, just ask the butler where the Gallery is and he'll direct you to us."

"Thank you, Lady Anjali," said Kushi, and after curtsying, fled for the door. She ran out and headed in the direction where she had supposed to have seen the rosebush. She was walking along the long wall of Castle and was about to think it would never end, when there were suddenly no more wall and she was standing in an open space of the garden. She walked through the trees and along the bushes and searched for the rose bush but found it nowhere. She was about to lose interest and walk away, when she noticed a glimpse of red from the side of a tree. Knowing her search her ended, she gleefully let her steps find itself running towards the massive bush. It was taller and bigger than she had thought it would be. Almost nine feet high, the rose bush was like an entire wall that was constructed in a circular shape, of a substantial diameter, letting no one entry. She walked around it trying to find a door or gap through which she could enter but the search was in vain. She might have already circled the massive bush three times. And almost fifteen minutes had passed since the commencement of the first circle.

She stood staring up at the tall structure whose roses were on the inside and could not be seen or touched by her. She decide she needed something to hoist her up. Looking all around her, she spotted a ladder leaning unwantedly against the side wall of the castle, and she dragged the thing towards the rosebush. She placed the ladder appropriately and was glad to see that the ladder nearly reached the top of the bush. After tucking her skirts up to facilitate her easy mounting, she began climbing. No sooner had she nearly reached the top and was about to get her first glimpse of a red rose, than an angry voice called to her from below, "Hey!" The fury in that monosyllable was so evident that fear griped on her senses. And before she could look below to see who it was or even answer, the person standing below had pulled at the ladder and it came hurtling down and sent her flying in the air, only to have her land into painfully hard but strong arms. She had pressed her eyes shut, not daring to open them, but her heart was wildly beating with not just the excitement of the fall but also the closeness with which she could sense the beating heart of the man who held her. Was his heart beating faster than hers because he was angry? She braved her eyes open and her breath hitched at the sight she was met with.

This was definitely no gardener. (She had thought it was the gardener). This man looked too tall, and groomed to be a gardener, and he was dressed in rich garbs like a….Lord? She gasped, had he come back? The furious noise-disliking lordy Lord? Or maybe he wasn't as cruel and bad as everyone made him out to be? The sun was right above them, so she couldn't see his face. She could only wince up at him, fearing his expression in spite of not being able to see it.

It's bad to be on the wrong books of a Lord, so Kushi tried to make feeble amends, "I'm sorry, sir, I mean, My Lord, I was-"

No sooner had she opened her mouth, than he loosened his hold on her and she dropped heavily to the ground. She groaned from the pain that was not so hard because she had fallen on grass, but still it was a long fall, being dropped from the arms of such a tall man. She rubbed at her hips and was slowly struggling to rose when the voice above her growled, "Get up!"

Something about the way he said it or the crawly effect of the voice, sent her shooting up on her feet and standing wobbily in front of him. She couldn't quite muster the strength to look at his face, so she looked everywhere on the ground but on his face. She wanted to tell him he had a good rich pair of riding boots, but she decided against opening her mouth again.

"Look at me!" Her head shot up at the order as if his growling commands were magical charms that did what it intended. But she kept her eyes focused on the Castle across his shoulder, not daring to look at his face.

"I said, look at me!" And this time to emphasize his command to be obeyed, he took a dangerous step towards her and she took a panicked step backwards.

"Sir, I-"

"How dare you enter my gates!"

"I was let in!"

"How dare you back answer me!"

"I was explaining-"

"Lowly beggars like you have no respect for people like me which is why you continue to butt into what I say!"

That was the final strike. Kushi couldn't stand his ridiculous address of the villagers as beggars, "We're not beggars, My Lord. We're humble villagers."

"That's how they define beggars these days," he grunted angrily.

Kushi clenched her fist and looked away.

"Look at me when I am talking to you," he said sternly.

"I have the right to choose where I want to look," she said and stared pointedly at the rose bush.

If wrath could be metaphorized, it would be this huge storm that would not pass by without leaving a deadly reminder of its passing. When he got angry, his brain lost sense. It was like his tongue and hands would disconnect from the brain and attach themselves to the surge of his adrenaline. And that always ended in dangerous results. Like what happened that instance.

At her remark, he was so enraged that without thinking his hand lifted and its shadow fell over her pale face. She looked up and saw the hand hovering above her and then looked into his eyes. She was shocked by what she saw. When she had been in his arms and looked at him, the sun was right above them and its bright glare upon the two of them had left his face to be as in a shadow and she couldn't pick out the details in his features. But now, she saw that in spite of his cruel handsomeness, there was something worrying about his eyes: they were cold and heartless and she was shocked by the fact that someone could be so dead inside to have such eyes as his. Something about the way she looked at him, gripped his temper, and he paused in what he himself wasn't certain of. But she looked at him, her face a mixture of expressions: first with fear, then with disbelief and then with scorn. That did it, and he sent his hand plummeting down. But something in him, did not allow him to touch her, to hurt her physically. Instead, the descending hand slid down the left sleeve of her dress, and a loud ripping sound echoed in the heated air around them.

With a gasp, her other hand reached out to clasp the torn sleeve on her left shoulder and kept the almost exposed arm from his view. Angry tears welled up in her eyes and she stared fixedly at the ground, not knowing what to do. She couldn't find the strength to breath, she was so shocked that what had happened had actually happened and that it was not a nightmare she could wake up from.

"Beggars," he muttered coldly and she closed her eyes, tears escaping to fall down her cheeks. She could take this torture no more.

He stood his ground resolutely and stared hard at her, not knowing what the muddled up feelings in his heart was all about. Was he angry? Yes. Was he regretting what he did in his angry? Eh….No. He never regretted anything in his life. Everything he did was always right.

By the time he broke from his train of thoughts, he saw that she had already moved away and was running for the gate. He had this strange pull within him to chase after her and stop her from leaving, but he stood there hard-rooted and callously watched her retreating back.

Shaking his head of what had issued, his long strides led to the Castle doors and just as he was about to open them, the door opened from within and out emerged his sister and another lowly villager, this one carrying a heavy basket.

"What the!" he said irately, his wrathful gaze on the villager's trembling form, "Why do you permit these tramps inside, Di?"

His sister looked at him worriedly as if he had cursed and Payal, fearful of the coming wrath, was struck speechless at having come upon someone she had feared meeting. She gathered her courage by not looking at him, and without saying a word to the Lady, toddled around him and left for the gate, lugging the basket. The sooner she was away from this human terror, the better. She was afraid that Kushi, being in the garden, may have done something to start him off. She stopped and asked the guard if he'd seen her sister and when the guard said that he had just seen her running down the hill, Payal grumbled and followed Kushi's trail, her passage more slow with the heavy basket. And Kushi: she ran and ran through the grove, her vision blurred by hot tears, her feet often tripping and stumbling on roots and rocks. But there was nothing to stop her from running as she clutched at her torn sleeve, not once relaxing her hold on her arm and vowing with all her life that she would hate the man who had done this to her.

So, eh…how was it? Told you, it's a dark Romance. Remember, I am trying my best to bring out the symbolisms and parallelisms of this Gothic tale to reflect the real show we have of ArHi. Do you feel it?

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