IPKKND-ARHI-FF - Gypsy- Chapter 42 - Page 28

awesome...loved it! this fic deserves many more Likes and comments

Hi everyone...here's Chapter 21...pls bear with me...for the next few chapter's Aniket and Khushi both will be out of the equation. Think of it as them resting or something. These few updates will cover Arnav and his family mostly and of course his plans...Thnx

Chapter 21

The door clicking shut behind Maan Singh registered in Arnav's mind and his control snapped. He allowed the full horror of Maan Singh's revelations to swamp him. Whipped! The word conjured up a picture of the sinuous, black, wicked looking hunter's whip that had been a gift to his father from someone and which now occupied a place in the gallery of Devgarh Palace. He had once seen their hunt master practise cracking a whip once when he had been a child only. The same whip had entangled in something and instead of cracking in the air, it had lashed the master's legs. He still remembered the hiss of the whip as it sliced through the air and the sick sound it had made when it landed on the master himself. But most of all, he remembered the welt it left behind. The master had later explained that if administered with enough force, whips stripped off skin as well. A young Arnav had listened in horror.

Another picture floated in his mind; this time it was Charan. He recalled the whip marks and shuddered. God! To think that someone had actually used it on a slim defenceless girl! What she must have endured! Where was she now and in which condition? Was she all right? No! How could she be all right? He was a fool if he thought that she was fine and happy now. The beating and whipping; the loss of her dignity; oh Khushi, how could anyone be that cruel with you?

Unable to sit still anymore, Arnav jumped up and started pacing in the study. His eyes fell on the sofa in his study and he recalled when she had visited him; on the night on the party. She had come to him for help. How beautiful she had looked that night; her fragile beauty emphasized by the tears in her lovely eyes. And what dignity! Her dignity when she had refused his proposal would put a queen to shame! But the memories of her beauty and dignity also brought back memories of his own black anger; his ego! He had not been able to bear her refusal and had lashed out at her. He cringed as he recalled how he had bandied their few kisses in front of her tribe; making it public. Hell, she had allowed him those kisses...no she had not allowed them...rather he had taken them of his own accord!

But her own tribe members! How could they turn on one of their own in that way? He thought gypsies always protected their own. But then, what was he thinking. This was India; here a person's honour was everything. Girls didn't allow anyone except for their husbands to touch them. And Khushi was a gypsy girl. They had their own secluded society; their own rules. And he! He had actually thought that gypsies had no honour or rather they had loose morals. He realized with a sickening lurch that the little gypsy girl Khushi had had much higher standards than he did. Not only had she refused his proposition but she had done so with immense dignity.

In his agitated pacing he never heard the knock on his study door, only turning around when the door opened. A sharp rebuke formed on his lips but died when he saw his visitor.

Anjali Singh Pratap entered her brother's domain with a gentle smile on her face. A tall, slim young woman in her late twenties, she had a soft, gentle manner. Her smile faltered when she saw the tense look on her brother's face. Admittedly he didn't smile all that much but usually it was a cold, forbidding expression that his face wore and not this tense one. His whole body was tense as a bow as he stood in the middle of the study.

"Chhote?" Anjali asked concernedly. She had just arrived at Devgarh Palace for her annual holiday of one month at her mayka and decided to meet her brother. She came closer to her brother and cupped her slim hand over his cheek affectionately. She saw the almost tormented look in his eyes and was instantly worried for him.

"Di..." Arnav sounded just as tortured as he looked, his normally husky voice sounding rough.

"What happened Chhote? You look troubled. Is everything all right?"

"Nothing Di...wo...main..."

"Chhote, you can tell me you know."

"Di...something happened...very wrong..."

"What?"

Anjali gently grasped her brother's arm and walked to the sofa, sitting there and pulling him down beside her. He obeyed politely. To Arnav, his Di was very precious to him. They had always been close and in childhood it was Anjali who had sheltered his many misdemeanours, even the time when he broke her doll's house. Even then she had covered for him. It was she to whom he confided that he was nervous about going to boarding school. He didn't want to appear clinging in front of his father and worry his mother and Dadi but Di; she understood. She always had. Even today her soothing manner was anchor to his agitated mind and he found himself confiding everything to her.

To her credit, Anjali listened to all her brother said quitely. She was sad to hear about her brother's proposition to the gypsy girl (evidently the old teachings were ingrained in him very deep indeed). She was truly shocked to hear that he had actually dishonoured the girl in front of her tribe but she was beyond horror when he recounted Maan Singh's latest findings. Tears sprang to her eyes. They were both for Khushi and her brother. When Arnav finished, Anjali was silent. Her hands still clasped her brother's hand in her own but she was speechless, staring at her brother almost as if she didn't recognise him.

"Di...please say something. I know I have been wrong; beyond wrong, I have been unhuman. Whatever has happened to her has been because of my actions. I don't know what to do Di. Please say something; tell me what to do Di. How can I make things better?"

Still Anjali remained silent, staring at her brother. She almost didn't recognise him. Surely he had learned something from their life. He couldn't have been this cruel and snobbish that he would demean someone like this. Moreover one who had trusted him.

"Di..."

His voice penetrated her mind and Anjali blinked. Arnav was asking her what he could do to make things better. She had to answer him...had to give him the best answer.

"Nothing."

"Huh??? Di..."

"Nothing Chhote. Do nothing."

"Di...what are you saying?"

"You heard me Chhote. Don't do anything. Forget the girl. Let her be in whatever state she is in. Nothing. Do absolutely nothing..."

************************************************************************************

I think Anjali is right, Arnav should Khushi alone! What can he do now? He have done everthing, he have destroyed everthing she had. She is not Khushi anymore! What else is there for Arnav t destroy? Why is he still after her? What is he trying to do? He want to say sorry, thats it?

nice update...

now arnav is repenting
but what he wants to prove?

Why is anjali saying that? Guess that she doesn't want khushi to see arnav as seeing him will only bring back those memories of her suffering.

He has in his ignorance has destroyed something beautiful and fragile.. a budding love which has a great potential to go on and becoming a Grand Passion.

Arnjali is right and she is wrong.. she is right in saying dint do anything at the moment directly, but he dies need to find her and make amends indirectly.. after all he is a king anything is possible for him.

Awesome update. Loved it.
Please continue soon.
Thanks for the PM.

awesome n amazing update..now he understand that how he demeanour he was to kushi..let him repent for a while n realise the importance of love n wat it means to him..plz update the next chapter very soon..

i think arnav should listen to anji and just leave khushi alone !!

Hmm.. I'm two minded about Anjali's response.