~~~FAIRY TALE THREAD-2--WELCOME EVERY ONE~~~,Pg42,Oct9,Note-38-page - Page 28

Originally posted by: bellaaa

Awww i m loving ths Os

Piya sacrificed everything 4 abhay ... her love is so atrong here ..liking that bubbly happy clumsy piya ;)

Hope abhay will understand the real meaning abt the last marmaid cono of them

I like that nikhil too ;)

Hatss of 2 u ... amazing story written by u

Waiting for every stories to be updated...

Part 3 :

[Alkisnia (Pronounced l-kis-niah) Capital: Ramula Largest city : Bahmth Official languages : English, Alkisnian Ethnic groups : No official statistics Demonym: Alkisnian Government : Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy Total area : 70,034 sq.km Population (2014 estimate) : 9,103,567 Time Zone : AST (UTC+7.30)]

The next day, Piya woke up with a headache. Grumbling, she got out of bed, clutching her head. That was when she saw a glass of water next to the bed. Along with two button- like spheres. One blue, one red. She blinked. Huh?

Throwing down a few of the barriers she'd erected around her mind since she'd met the sorcerer - the more to increase his difficulty if he went snooping in her head - she called him in her head. " Some help?"

"Stop shouting in my head. Those are medicines you are holding in your hand. You're supposed to swallow them with water."

She did as he said, then glanced at the time - 7:35 - and promptly ducked under the covers again. This time, she didn't wake up until it was almost ten, and that too when the phone rang.

She picked it up blearily. "Yes?"

"Piya?" came the Prince's worried voice. "Are you-" She groaned as she glanced at the time. "Sorry! I overslept. I'm really sorry I didn't join you for breakfast."

"It is no matter. You are well?"

"Yes," she said. "Th-thank you. Can we meet for lunch?" "Of course," said the Prince. "You feel up to it?" "Yeah, of course," she said. "Thanks."

She cut the call , putting the phone back in its holder, frowning as she recalled the events of the previous night... There was something she had to tell the Prince about herself.

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Darkness had fallen over Ramula by the time the Sorcerer returned from his assignment. As he walked to the hotel, the sounds of laughter floated in the air.

One of the many gardens around the hotel was apparently playing host to a party. Would the mermaid be there? He wondered, then shook his head. He had more important things to think about.

Even so, he found himself making his way over to the garden, watching the revellers from the sidelines . Music was playing. The humans were dancing... And then he saw her, dancing with a woman, her head thrown back in apparent happiness.

Relief.

Well, then. He turned away from the scene and went to his room for some peace. She did not need extra support - she was hardly a child.

Piya caught the Prince's eye and smiled. Their talk during lunch had gone well. Another sign that her instincts were never wrong. She had just known she could trust him.

She laughed, sang, danced, ate and generally enjoyed herself with some brand new human friends. She decided she liked the humans. They had such short lives, she thought...and they lived it. Humans in their twenties weren't really big on responsibility and duty. Most just did what they loved and adhered to their ideals. They loved with fiery passion, laughed with abandon. And Piya felt more at home than she had felt in years, laughing with a girl called Riya and trying out wacky, weird dance steps.

Eventually, though, she excused herself, pleading tiredness, and made her way to a darkened alcove. Which was already occupied by someone else.

She inhaled deeply. "Abhay?" She said softly, coming up behind him. He turned abruptly, catching her arms. "Piya. What are you doing here?"

"Finding you."

She tilted her head in the darkness. She didn't see his face, but she didn't need to. "What happened to you?"

No answer. He released her, but did not turn away. "I waited for you,Abhay," she murmured. "I wanted to dance with you. Why didn't you come?"

He gave a hoarse laugh. "I was thinking about it." He turned. She caught him from behind, her arms clutching his shirt. "Don't go just yet." He stiffened, and then relaxed ever so slightly. "All right."

She let go and he turned, then walked forward till he was crowding her against the wall. "Are you going to kiss me?" She asked curiously. "Do you want me to?" he asked, but this time, she heard amusement, instead of angst, in his voice. "Would you consider me a...woman of questionable morals if I said yes?" "I already know you have questionable morals, Piya," he murmured. "Or else you wouldn't have come here, would you?" "Oh, you-!" She broke off when he pressed a finger against her lips. She could feel his breath, warm against her skin when he nuzzled her neck.

And then his lips touched her neck. Piya's eyes grew wide in shock. She'd as good as told him to kiss her, but this...this was nothing so innocent. The flick of his tongue was definitely, definitely wicked.

She gasped.

He let go of her, moving backwards. "Too much?" She exhaled. "Right now, yes." "I'm sorry."

They stood in silence for a while, listening to the strains of music floating in.

"I loathe masks." His words, soft and yet venomous, jolted her. She remained silent. "I cannot stand it. And yet,all the time I wear them..Sometimes I think... one day I will not know who remains under them."

He hadn't expected Piya to reach for his hand.

"What you are," she said firmly, "Is a good man."

"You're saying that because you don't know. The games I've played, the politics-" "If you want to tell me about it...you can," said Piya soothingly. "It won't change my opinion of you." "Want to bet?" "I already am, aren't I?" she said on a smile. "You're the biggest gamble I've ever taken. You know that." "I'm not a good bet," he warned her. "Though I probably look like one. I'm supposed to be reasonably good looking, rich..." He paused. "Royalty." Piya giggled. "Do go on."

She could sense his irritation when he turned to her. "This isn't a joke, Piya. You don't deserve to be pulled into my nightmares."

He pushed away from her and began to walk away from her. She watched him leave the alcove, walk through the darkened corridor. Faint streams of light were flowing in, though, hitting the back of his dark head.

"Abhay!"

He stopped dead, but didn't turn.

"The reason I know why you're a good bet?" She called. "It's because you drop your masks with me. That's your most attractive quality. Apart from your reasonable good looks, wealth, etcetera."

She thought he would turn then. She wanted him to say something. But he said nothing, and walked away until he turned a corridor, and was gone from her sight. Piya stayed where she was for a few minutes, a bitter taste in her mouth.

Then she hurried back to the party, where she proceeded to lose herself entirely in merrymaking till the wee hours of dawn. The Prince finally came up to her and firmly escorted her back to her room.

"Get some sleep," he told her. "You're tired out." She gave him a tired, sad smile. "I'm sorry." He touched her cheek. "Never mind." He ducked his head and walked away from her as she closed the door, pulled her sweaty dress over her head and proceeded to wrap herself in the bedding and fall asleep.

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The next morning, the Sorceror joined her and the Prince at breakfast.

She smiled at him, but the Prince stiffened slightly, and Piya knew why. She touched his arm lightly, a sight that the Sorcerer noticed and acknowledged with a sardonic tilt of his head.

"Good morning, Your Highness.Piya." "Hi," Piya murmured.

"Good morning," the Prince said, but he didn't look very pleased.

The Sorcerer did not care.

"We haven't seen you for a while," the Prince said, sounding coolly unshaken.

The Sorcerer glanced at Piya, who was biting her lip, looking worried. "No offense was intended, Your Highness," he answered smoothly. "With all due respect, I assumed my addition would make a crowd."

High eyebrows rose. "Ah, Nick. You must never assume such. You are always welcome in our midst."

The Sorcerer inclined his head, calling upon the smile he often employed to make the other person stop talking - immediately. But the Prince was looking at Piya now. "We are...holding a celebration for my elder sister's birthday," he said. "I am honoured to extend an invitation to you - to the both of you," he said, turning around to look at the Sorcerer.

"Really?" said Piya, sounding surprised. "I had no idea. That's amazing. Thank you so inviting me - for inviting both of us." She turned and stared at the Sorcerer, daring him to refuse. He had always been susceptible to dares.

"It would be an honour,Your Highness," he said politely.

"We would be pleased to help," Piya cut in. "Can I help you with the planning? It will be a very large event, won't it?"

"It is no matter-" the Prince began. "Oh, come now," said Piya. "I would love to help."

The Prince eyed her critically. "You have planned such large scale events before? I had no idea."

"Not such large scale events," said Piya, "But yes, I have. I would love to do it for you."

The Prince looked at her, then glanced at the Sorcerer, who smirked. "She is underrating herself. Her parties are always wildly successful - she has hosted previously for several...groups of people."

"That is...astonishing," said the Prince. "Although, not really. I trust you implicitly, Piya, and you will of course be generously - "

"I don't need payment!" said Piya. "You've done so much for me already... Your Highness. It would be the height of insult to..." She made a vague gesture.

The Sorcerer wondered if he ought to give her a sudden sore throat, to stop her before she spouted more idiocy.

The Prince smiled, a genuine, adoring smile at Piya. "Piya, rest assured I will not insult you. But you cannot stop me from rewarding you in any manner that I see fit - apart from money." Piya laughed. "Incorrigible man. So? When is the function?"

"You have fourteen days," said the Prince. "Naturally, you may count on me for any assistance."

He was such a good man, thought Piya with a rush of affection.

When they were done, she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. You're a really good person." He gave her a courtly, slightly comical bow. "I aim to please, my Lady." She laughed, even as she and the Sorcerer said their farewells and walked to their rooms. "Why are you so grumpy all the time?" She muttered to him. "I can't keep trying all the time to be friendly, you know. It's like you don't even know how to relax and have a good time."

"And you," he said in a voice as cold as ice, "Have no idea when to stop talking. As always, too idealistic and naive. Why did you refuse a remuneration?" "Because you don't ask payment from people you care about. But you won't know that, will you?"

"I refuse to allow you to sell yourself short. You need money to spend, money of your own, once His Highness marries you. Or perhaps I am reading it wrong and you would consider his money as your own?"

She glared at him. He glared right back.

"Just because you're not used to a way of thinking doesn't mean it's wrong!" She flung at him. "Just because you don't care for anyone-"

She saw his eyes cool, his jaw tighten, his face turn away from her. "Shit," she muttered. "I'm sorry."

She caught his arm when he would have walked away. "I didn't mean that. I really didn't. I'm sure you have cared. It was unfair of me."

"Your apology is accepted."

He did not shrug her arm off, but Piya knew that she had used words that had hurt him somehow, and it angered her that he was so blas about it.

They did not speak another word till they reached their rooms, and Piya shut her door loudly.

Resolving not to think about it anymore, she opened her wardrobe, looking through her clothes and trying to select a proper outfit.

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She spent some part of the day fuming, the rest with the Prince, taking notes and making a list of people to be invited.

The basics were pretty much the same as they were for her world, when she had hosted parties for her mother.

Her mother.

Thinking of her still got Piya blinking like she had something stuck in her eye. Her beautiful, loving, scatterbrained mother who always forgot something or the other, but had never let Piya feel neglected. She had never really missed having a father.

"Hey." The Prince touched her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Piya blinked, not meeting his eyes. "Yes, of course." "I'm tiring you out," he commented wryly. "Don't work too much now. It's already half past seven. Join me for dinner?"

She acquiesced with pleasure. When she went back to her room, she frowned on seeing the Sorcerer lounging in one of the chairs.

"What do you want now," she said wearily. "I said I was sorry. I don't want to fight anymore." "Doubtful," he said sarcastically. "However, I came bearing news which you might be interested in. Your friend Raleigh is - quite unfortunately - no more."

Piya stared at him in shock. Through numb lips, she said, "You...you killed him?" His expression did not change. "No. He simply had a nasty experience with a stingray. Such temperamental beings."

Piya sank down on the bed, her knees weak. "The HRSB?"

"Defense has signed agreements with them," came the response. "The process was formalized today. There will be no future attacks on any member of the Bureau, among other...job perks."

Words failed her.

"You got him killed," she said, a statement, not a question. "Didn't you?"

He cocked his head. "Tut, tut. Surely you are not so naive as to sympathize with him? In that case - " He rose. "I must retire. I find myself already weary of this impending morals class."

"Shut up," she hissed in a low, quiet voice. "I wasn't going to lecture you, damn it! I was going to thank you for everything you did for me! You just have to ruin everything!" Piya stood, too, and turned away. "You know what? Just go. Just leave me alone!" He caught her arm and whirled her around. Impassive as ever, he said, in a much quieter, less condescending voice, "Then, you are welcome. But it is not for you that I did whatever I considered right. Do not give yourself so much importance." He was gone the next moment. Piya clenched her fists in fury. One day she would leave him, speechless. One day.

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For all of Piya's effort the next day in composing herself, they went up in smoke the next day when the Prince invited her and the Sorcerer to meet his sister for the first time. The hotel she was living in had originally been part of the main palace, but a small part had been converted into a hotel. She was excited to see the rest of it.

The Prince's sister was stunning. For a few minutes, Piya was quite literally tongue-tied, managing to say no more than one-word responses, gawping at her beauty.

Princess Anaya Sikham was most definitely the most gorgeous woman Piya had ever seen. She also took an instant liking to her, perhaps because she was the only woman around.

"Our parents died early," she told Piya in an undertone. "So His Highness and I - we had no one except each other. He was so young, a mere babe. He had turned five, and I..." She broke off, taking Piya's arm, guiding her away from the Prince and the Sorcerer. "I was not yet seventeen. I had the choice to rule, or keep the throne for my brother. I chose to do the latter, because I never could see myself ruling, and sometimes I regret my decision. He works so hard."

"He is a good man," Piya found herself saying. "He is," the Princess confirmed. "But I take no credit for it. I have tried my best to be mother, father, sister and friend, but..."

Piya was surprised to see the Princess wipe off a tear. "I worry so much, that I have not been enough, that I have not loved him enough. "

"He loves you very much."

The Princess smiled sadly. "I have always admired those parents who raise their children single handedly. I have tried my best to emulate them...and in the end, all I dearly wish is to be happy. You are a stranger to me, I know, but I...feel as though you will understand."

"I do, I do understand," said Piya, her voice thick. "My mother...she brought me up alone. She had no support from anyone, least of all my father. When I grew older, she told me that she worried she wasn't enough, and yet..."

Piya took a deep breath. "And yet, she was." She pressed the Princess' hand. "Your brother knows what you have sacrificed for him. Never doubt that you are enough."

The Princess smiled and patted her hand. "I have good instincts about people. You have proven me right once again, Piya." Piya simply nodded, her throat too full.

Dinner was a cordial affair at the palace.

Even so, watching how the Prince's sister fussed over him made her unable to eat anything, and she waited on tenterhooks till it was over, then made her excuses to the Prince and almost ran to her room, closing the door and leaning against it.

She shut her eyes, but was not quite able to block out the sob that welled from inside her. She pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to stop the shaking, trying to control herself.

"Here." Strong arms around her, pulling her to a solid chest, holding her there as Piya cried for her mother, mourned her properly for the first time since her death.

The Sorcerer led her to the couch, where he made her sit, but did not relinquish his hold over her even as she fell to pieces.

Piya detested crying - especially in front of anyone - but now, she couldn't stop herself howling. The Sorcerer said nothing, merely held her until she subsided to small hiccups. When she pulled away, red-faced and swollen-eyed, he held out a glass of water to her. She took it without protest, peeking at him. The Sorcerer was looking straight ahead, but somehow he seemed much less colder than he had during the dinner, much more...humane.

"I, erm.." She cleared her throat. "I apologise. I hope I haven't ruined your suit." He turned, taking in her still-pale face. "You have nothing to apologise for. You have not grieved since your mother passed. This is a normal consequence." Piya gave a shaky laugh and wiped her cheeks. "I know I must look a horror right now. I should wash my face." He looked at her, considered. "Yes, you should. But you aren't ugly, certainly not a horror." "Then I pity you for the women you keep company with," she said, trying to make light of it. "Give me a minute." She went to the bathroom, took one look at her raccoon-eyed, mascara-streaked face and devoted herself to scrubbing her face clean.

Most annoyingly, the tears began to come again.

"I believe that's quite enough," said the Sorcerer. She turned; he was standing at the door. "Any more and you will scrub off the skin from your face."

Trying to hide the evidence of tears - which had stopped now, thank goodness - she took a towel and wiped her face thoroughly. She went back to her room to see him standing near the couch, his back to her. "Look..." She cleared her throat. "I'm not always like this."

He turned. "I know that quite well, I assure you."

Silence fell between them.

"I cared for Katerina," said the Sorcerer suddenly. "I did care for her. She was the only person who cared for me, so I felt it was only right." "My mother."

He gave her a nod. "Your mother. She found me when I was a boy. She was very young then, of course. You..." He looked at her. "You were not born then, would not be born for a few more years. She kept me in a house, fed me. And when I left her, she let me go free." "After I was born?"

He gave a nod. "I felt, you see, that she needed me no longer. I was right, of course...but that does not lessen the blow of knowing that she remains no more. I understand and sympathize with your loss."

She tried, and failed, to curve her lips. She felt worse than she had a few moments ago, except that now... No tears would come. "You grieve for her, too," she said solemnly. He gave a curt nod.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't know." "You were not supposed to. It is not important."

Not important?

Piya swallowed back the furious retorts rising from her lips. When had she ever told him that?

"I have told him the truth," she said instead. A pause, and then his eyes went cold again. "You have told the Prince the truth?"

"That's what I said," she said defiantly. "I told him the truth."

"You...you little..." He caught her shoulders and shook her. "You were not allowed to tell him about your affections first!"

"I didn't tell him I loved him," she shot back. "And he took it well. He didn't call me a liar or anything, he didn't even laugh at me. He didn't ask intrusive questions either!"

He released her.

The Sorcerer was seething with rage. How dare she? How dare she do it - presumably during the day - and not even ask him?

"Do as you please, Lyretail."

He was gone the next instant. He could hear her shouting, calling him names, but he was too furious to pay it any heed.

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The next two weeks rushed by more quickly than Piya thought. She was, she felt, a little more fulfilled than before. Perhaps she might yet make a home in the mortal world, after all. She would consult extensively with both the Prince and Nikhil - the Prince, for things that his sister would likely appreciate and things that she would not - and Nikhil, for human things such as whether she ought to consider crab cakes or shrimp cocktails as appetizers. Humans, she noticed, could also be trying : she had to take into account allergies of the guests - and other such nonsense - when deciding menus.

She did not see Abhay again, nor did she talk to him, and she worried. She worried that she might lose him, worried that he might not come to her again for comfort. Because she knew Abhay well now. She kept him separate from the alter ego whom she had spent more time with, but she had deduced enough nuances to know that it was likely that Abhay lowered his guard only for her. Perhaps not only likely, but even probable. She refrained from asking him outright during the day - that would have broken the unsaid rules of the game they were playing - but he was on her mind often.

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It was the evening before the party, and Piya had finished all the last minute arrangements. She had then made her way to the beach, and finally to the cliffs for some much needed solitude. It was a cloudy night, and rain was imminent : every so often she saw streaks of lightning on the horizon. Piya smiled. She did like watching lightning, had always liked watching. She looked out towards the sea, listening to its roar as it crashed against the cliff repeatedly - a futile experience, for the cliff remained immoveable, unmoving. Self doubts assailed her. What if she too was like the sea, beating herself up for nothing? Damn, Abhay, she muttered. When are you going to stop running?

Lost in thoughts, she started when a hand tapped her shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"Her head shot around : he was there, a dark silhouette, standing next to her, a hand near her shoulder.

It was absurd, she thought, absurd to feel this amount of happiness at the presence of one person.

Taking his hand, she laced her fingers through his and pressed her face against his hand, her forehead touching his wrist, her lips touching his fingers. "I've missed you so much," she said, her voice husky. "Won't you sit with me?" "I was going to ask if I was...welcome." Oddly, he sounded unsure. She gave a shaky laugh, tugging on his hand so he sank down next to her. "Why have you not come to me before?" She said, looking up at him. "I have missed you so much." "Have you?" he asked quietly. He watched her movements, let her take his hand in hers. Her fingers made patterns in his palm, a sensation that imprinted itself on his memory. He would keep her touch with himself forever.

"Yes," said Piya. "Why would you think I wouldn't?"

"You've been busy," he said softly. "Settling into your new life. Have I told you how much...how much I admire you for your guts? In choosing to leave your world, for..." Piya's fingers stopped tracing patterns on his palm. "No. You must have forgotten to mention it." Her voice shook ever so slightly.

Then she laughed, a sound that reminded him of sunshine and rain, of birds and...home.

"What is bothering you?" She asked. She always seemed to understand him, another inexplicable fact that he had never mentioned to her. He reached for her, framing her face and pushing back the wayward strands of hair behind her ears. The red-gold strands of her hair glowed in the darkness, and he gave into the temptation to stroke them, feeling an odd triumph when she exhaled.

"You didn't answer my question," she persisted. He caught one strand, twisted it around his finger. "I don't want to." "If you don't tell me," she said, "I won't let you play with my hair." "You cannot stop me if you don't even want to," he said, belatedly realizing that he was...playing with her. A concept he had forgotten.

She didn't fight him, didn't press him. She simply moved closer, and without asking him, burrowed her head into his chest and leaned against him.

"If not me," she murmured, "Then who?"

"When I am with you," he answered, "I want to think only about you, not about...responsibilities. Duties. You are a dangerous woman, Piya."

Her hand found his again. "You are dangerous too. I think about you all day and some of the night. I have dreamed of you. And you haven't come to me for so long. I thought..." He let his other arm close around her petite body, letting her proximity warm him from the inside out. "Shall I tell you a story?" She asked. "If you want?" "Yes." Rain did not fall that night, even as lightning streaked around the sky. And as the waves crashed against the rocks, Piya spoke to him, telling him a story.

A story about a unicorn who spent his entire life searching for his horn, only to find it, in the end, affixed to his forehead. And when she fell asleep in his arms, he let himself sleep, waking up at the crack of dawn when it started to drizzle. He carried her to her room, tucked her in, and left. It would be the last time he would meet her.

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Piya had lunch with the Prince, watching the rain fall in sheets. It had been pouring since morning. "They will arrive, right?" she asked nervously. The Prince nodded, smiling sadly. "Of course."

Several hours later, Piya found herself walking to the party, escorted by the Sorcerer. She was wearing an off-shoulder gown in pale blue, her hair twisted up into a messy knot. Her lips were painted a dark red.

She looked nice and she knew it, but tonight wasn't about looking nice.

"Smile and raise your chin," said the man beside her. She turned to him at the unexpected boost, and caught him looking at her. "You will probably be in the top five most beautiful women in the room," he continued, "so act like it."

A surprised laugh escaped her. "Not the most beautiful?"

"I would be lying." His tone was ironical. "I am taking cues from your newly discovered truthful side."

She snorted, just as the doors opened and they walked in.

And since the tension had broken, once she walked in,all of it ceased to matter. She glanced around, doing a quick inventory : everything seemed as it should be.

The Prince had told her previously that he would be expected to escort his sister, but they would be entering a little later.

So she smiled, chatted with people she knew - and didn't know. These humans, she thought, were rather attractive. There were several beautiful women in the room. Some friendly, some not. Some wore daring apparel, some played it safe. Some were nice...some were not.

The Prince nodded to his sister. "It is time."

She beamed back, tucked her arm in his and they made the walk through the corridor. As they reached the doors, the Prince paused. The magnitude of what he was going to do...for a brief moment, he considered not doing it.

But then his jaw firmed. He was going to do it, and he was going to do it right.

He strode through the doors, his sister at his arm. The Sorcerer was at the very back of the room, doing what he generally did - observing the people around. The Prince and his sister entered, causing ripples where everyone made their way to them, wishing her.

Except one person. Piya was engrossed in speaking to one of the serving men holding a tray of empty goblets. He moved a little closer to hear. "-you understand?" She was saying. "That's all a girl really wants to hear, believe me."

The man nodded vigorously, and thanked Piya before moving away.

The Sorcerer made his way to her, but then stopped abruptly. The Prince made his way to her, and Piya's face lit up in a way he could only describe as relief. He tuned out the words exchanged, watching the look in the Prince's eyes - part heartbreak, part adoration as he asked her to dance with him. The Sorcerer did not care what the Prince felt. Piya was smiling as she took his hand and they went to the dance floor, joining a few others who had already been dancing, the Princess included. The song ended and the Prince released her. When Piya came off the dance floor, he was there. "Hi," she said breathlessly. "Aren't you going to dance with anyone?" "No."

Piya frowned. "Whatever."

She turned away - and stopped in her tracks. "Your Highness!"

The Sorcerer looked up to see the Prince standing in front of them, a dark-haired beauty on his arm.

"This is Celeste," he said to Piya. "Celeste, this is Piya - a good friend."

The beautiful woman smiled a little nervously. "We have not met, n'est ce pas?"

"Erm...no, not yet," said Piya, also seeming a little nervous. "I am so sorry." Celeste waved her hand. "It is no matter, nothing at all. I also give the apologies, for I am late, very late, but my darling, he is very...understanding."

"Oh." Piya seemed breathless : she glanced hastily at the Sorcerer and away again. The Sorcerer was glaring at the Prince.

"Darling?" He asked in a clipped tone.

The Prince smiled, as if amused. "My fiance is very affectionate."

He kissed the top of Celeste's head. "Celeste has been begging me to dance with her, but I had to make you two meet first. I'm sure you will get along fabulously well." The Sorcerer stepped forward, no hint of his rage showing through as he bowed to Celeste, and said, "My compliments to the most beautiful woman in this room. May I have this dance?" "Ah," said the Prince said, "But I have not seen Celeste for several weeks. You will pardon my enthusiasm - I have claimed all her dance." "Perhaps a next time, monsieur?" purred Celeste. He made the accepted remarks, and the Prince whisked off the French beauty onto the dance floor.

The Sorcerer turned to Piya, expecting her to be angry, perhaps...or shocked. She was blinking furiously, and the action was familiar. She was trying to cover up her anguish.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" Piya commented in a wobbly voice. "Just look at her."

The Sorcerer took her arm and pulled her to a relatively quiet area of the room. "What would you prefer? Should she die, or simply be made to leave?"

Piya blinked. "What?" "I am giving the choice to you," he said. "If you wish, I will spare her life. I can make him forget her very existence."

"You want to kill her?"

"If you will it, it shall be done."

Piya stared at him. Dear God, she has misjudged again, hadn't she?

"No killing," she murmured faintly. "It wouldn't be fair."

"That leaves me with two choices," he said, harshly. "Either I can engineer events so that he stops being with her...or I can make him forget her entirely."

"No!" she said. "No!"

A pause. "Should I do it the other way round, then? Make her leave him?"

Piya's eyes were round. "No, for god's sake. Promise me that you won't be separating them. Please. Don't do that. You will not."

He shook his head. "He used you. He will pay."

She caught his arms, forced him to look at her. "You will not do this," she said. "No."

"Why?" His fingers dug into her arms. "Why, Piya? Why did you give away so much for such a man!"

Tears in her eyes. "Why do you care? You've said from the beginning that I was being an idiot. Listen..."

She touched his face. "I release you from our bargain. He has not confessed his love, and I have failed. You can...you can go back to your life.You don't have to stay and take care of me."

It was only her hands gripping his sleeve that stopped him from going after the Prince and killing him, that very moment. "Promise me. Promise me that you will not cause harm to them directly or indirectly. Please."

A standoff. He stared at her. She stared back, refusing as always to back down. He said the words tonelessly.

"You have my word."

She considered him, then nodded and let go of him.

She took a deep breath, flicked away a tear, and smiled at him as though she hadn't had her heart broken at all. It made him want to shake her.

"I'll be on the beach," she told him. And then she was moving swiftly through the room, a smile here, a wave there. And she had left the room in under fifteen minutes.

The Sorcerer paused, glancing at the Prince, who was watching her go. The smile had disappeared, and something like heartbreak shone in those eyes.

It did not inspire sympathy in him.

He moved fast, not bothering to wave and smile, merely following as she moved out of the palace, past the gardens, where she kicked off her shoes and threw them behind her.

And then she was running, running down to the beach.

She slowed down to a stop just in front of the waves, and he halted next to her.

She turned to him, crossing her hands over her chest. "What are you doing here?"

She saw him take a step back. His hair was mussed, making him look strangely vulnerable in the yellow lighting from the many bulbs around.

"Let me do something," he said...almost as a plea. "Just let me do something for you."

"Why? It's not as if you're in love with me...are you?"

His jaw firmed. "No, I don't love you. I don't have the capacity."

Crack.

She slapped him full across the face.

It was so unexpected that it left him reeling. "You...stupid...mollusc!" She shouted, lifting her fist to punch him on the nose. She only failed at the last second when he caught her hand, and struggled furiously.

"Piya! Control yourself!"

"No!" she screamed. "You control yourself, you bloody moron! How dare you -" She beat his chest. "Damn you...damn you! You don't love me? Then what the hell is this, Abhay? What do you call every f***ing thing we shared? Huh? What do you call this!"

She tore her hand free from his grip and grabbed his shirt, shaking him. "Tell me! Tell me it was nothing! Tell me that it's nothing, what you're offering to do, to kill someone to salvage my feelings! Tell me that it's nothing that you did kill someone because he tried to force himself on me, you...idiot! Tell me that you didn't take my pain when I lost my tail!"

"No!" she said furiously when he opened his mouth to speak. "Don't. Even. Try. Don't even try to deny it! I saw you in the car! And I know you sent me that bloody boat. What the hell do you think I am, huh? Tell me, damn you!"

"What," he said, his voice hoarse, "did you call me?"

She almost hit him again, but now, he was gripping her arms. "Idiot," she hissed furiously. "And you deserve it!"

"Before that," he yelled. "You called me Abh-"

She wrenched herself free. "I can't believe this. Damn it, Abhay, do you really think I would let someone I knew for a month kiss me? Do you really think I'd stay up at night - twice - with someone I hardly knew? Do you think my mother wouldn't have told me about the fearless young sorcerer she raised in a cave, away from everyone? Do you really, think, Abhay -" she stressed the last word, "That I wouldn't ask why the man who saved my life, tended to my cuts took me to my mother? Did you really believe that I would think you didn't care! You..."

He'd gone still, staring at her in disbelief.

"You knew." His voice was hoarse. "You knew from the beginning that it was me, and you let me believe that you thought I was someone else."

She laughed bitterly. "You weren't even willing to talk properly to me. I figured a shot in the dark might work. What choice did I have, Abhay?"

"You little liar," he said very softly. "You manipulated me... And fool that I was, I let you do it... I walked into it with my eyes open, looking at you."

"Really, Abhay? I manipulated you? I never asked you to come after me. I never told you to kill Raleigh. All I wanted was -"

"Revenge?" He finished for her. "Did you want revenge? Because I took your immortality? If you did... You got it, Piya. You have got your revenge."

"Revenge?" said Piya incredulously. "Are you insane? Don't you see it? I - love - you!"

He raised his eyes heavenwards. "Great."

She caught him by the collar, shaking him. "I gave up immortality for you. For the chance that I could somehow make you notice me. I did rescue him - I never lied about that. I lied that I loved someone else so I could be close to you, so I could... So you might see me the way I see you. I haven't lied to you, otherwise."

"You talked about me to my face," he said angrily. "You patronized me-"

"As I recall," Piya cut in, "You were taking the chance to vilify yourself. I was defending you - which I would have done, regardless."

"After I made you cry," he said flatly.

"I heard you shouting my name!" she snapped. "And then you behaved like a jerk! Did you think I'd just... hate you after that? After you'd followed me there, told me not to cry? Huh?"

"You said...you said you told him the truth about yourself. This - today - was a lie, wasn't it, Piya?" said Abhay. "You told him to pretend to dump you and then you pretended to be heartbroken -"

"I did not pretend to be heartbroken," she rejoined angrily. "You called her the most beautiful woman in the room! You asked her to dance with you! Hell yes I was upset!"

She made a furious gesture. "And I told him the truth that I loved you, right after that first night. He agreed to help me make you jealous. I never said that he knew what I was."

"A trap," he breathed. "For me."

"Not intentionally," she said. "But it worked out." She bit her lip. "I didn't know you thought I was brave. It gave me courage."

The puzzle was clicking into place.

He stared at her, not speaking.

And for the first time he saw trepidation in her large eyes. "Abhay..." she said softly. "Please say something. Please. You can trust me - I promise. I would never betray you. Never. I love you - I know you love me too. Just...say something. Please."

He stared at her, his eyes blazing even his features were carved out of stone. "You came to me for the express purpose of making me fall in love with you."

"I couldn't just sit around and wait in case you forgot me," she answered. "I know you watched over me for five years after you saved me. I know you helped me get my job. But then...you stopped. And for years I hoped I would see you again... When I rescued him, I found him attractive. I thought that maybe if you saw me with someone else you might..."

"Elaborately planned," he cut in. "Pretending to love your goddamned Prince, insisting I accompany you. Running to me the second you found my gift, making me hesitate...making me confess without even me realising it. Spending time with him...making me feel sick that you had just been dumped for another woman."

"I thought you'd come to comfort me!" she said. "You've always been there for me, every time I needed you. I hated that you never let yourself need me. I didn't know you'd start making death threats!"

"It was pretend," he said, "and yet, you made it real."

He paused. "I don't love you," he said at last, watching her eyes fall. "I don't love you. Get it?"

He saw his words hit her. He saw the unveiled anguish on her face, and then, he had his answer.

She opened her mouth.He kissed her.

She matched his intensity : when he pulled her close, she grabbed fistfuls of his dress suit. When he buried his fingers in the hair that always attracted his gaze, she whispered his name.

"I'm keeping you," he told her. "I'm keeping you with me forever. I won't let you go. Not even if you want to." She kissed him in response, making him forget, again.

"You will not cry again when you are with me," he said imperiously. "And you will tell me everything. You will not leave me."

"You'll apologise when you're wrong," she whispered, pulling him down so her lips could touch his forehead. "You won't let any woman touch you apart from me."

"That is fair," he murmured, "Since I expect the same from you." She squeezed closer to him, her lips over his jaw. "You will tell me your secrets."

"In time," he responded, "everything."

She hugged him then, pulling him tightly against her, and he told himself to be careful, in case he broke her. "You gave up immortality for me."

"It doesn't matter," she said, her face buried in his chest. "It will have to be enough."

He caught her face in her hands. "No. A human lifetime will not be enough for you, I think."

And then he caught her up in his arms, strode into the water, and when it came up to his waist... He dropped her.

Piya went underwater.

Cursing him, she broke the surface to kick out at him...and then realised.

She had no feet.

Her hands went below her waist, touching...scales.

She stared up at him in shock. "You can't have...did you...?"

He watched her, a lazy smirk on his face.

She dived under, saw and touched her tail, swished it about, and then was so surprised that she was breathing that she almost opened her mouth and swallowed a chockful of water.

"You...how did you?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You can't reverse that spell, can you?"

"No. Once immortality is given away, it is given away forever."

"Well, then!"

Abhay raised an eyebrow. "I never took your immortality. I simply changed you so that you would have legs on land and a tail in water. Your immortality remains. Come."

Befuddled, she followed him out of the water, whereupon, her legs reappeared the instant she touched sand. This time she was prepared for the pain, and it was not debilitating - although, she had a strong suspicion that Abhay had taken the brunt of it upon himself again, because his hand was cold.

"Don't," he advised her as soon as she opened her mouth, and she subsided...only to remember.

"You told me I would be weak! Human! Forever!"

She hit his chest again, not caring about her soppy, ruined gown.

"I had to stop you," he said, displeased. "You left me no choice."

A silence. Then, Piya giggled. "I'm going to make you laugh someday."

"Yes," he said, taking her hand. "I am counting on you to deliver, agapi mou."

She made a face. "Is that Greek? I knew I should've taken up that language. Darn it."

"You," he said, letting her rest her head against him, "Have a long time to learn."

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

When Cyrus Nevitar, the Prince of Alkisnia, eventually married, he found someone at his wedding reception he had not thought to see again.

"Congratulations," said the man, tilting his head in the half-bow, as always.

"Thank you, Nick. I didn't expect to see you, after..."

"She wanted to come," said Nick. "I stopped her. I did not think that...it would be wise."

Cyrus smiled, a half smile that held no bitterness. "She is happy?"

Nikhil nodded. "I believe she is."

"That's good."

"You loved her, didn't you?" said Nikhil softly. "You knew, but..."

Cyrus smiled,and Abhay recognised the look in his eyes. It was the same look that he had seen when Piya had left his party, those years ago. "I was, yes. She represented everything I would have wanted in a wife, in a partner..." He shrugged. "But then, she would not have loved me, and I would have ended up breaking both of us."

"Your wife," said Nikhil. "You are...content?"

"I am content."

Abhay looked at the Prince, and felt a measure of respect. "I wish you well."

"I wish you both the same," he answered.

Cyrus would never love anyone the way he had loved Piya. But when his twins, Sara and Michael were born, he would fall in love with them, as quickly as he had fallen for the girl with the red-gold hair. And a few years later, his wife would be stunned when he told her that he loved her. He would surprise himself when he found he meant it.

Piya would take seven months to learn Greek, and discover that she did not have to ask Abhay to tell her he loved her.

Agapi mou meant "my love", and she didn't think she needed any more clarification, after all.

--------------------------

P.S - I hope you guys enjoyed reading this amazing story 😃 Do leave your precious comments 🤗

Mind blowing part

Originally posted by: Dark-Beauty

Mind blowing part

Brilliant work

I loved it

The concert is fabulous

I have already sent you buddy request

Please accept

And pm me next time too when you write something

Thanks for pm

phew . ek simple si story mein mystery dalna koi tumse seekhe 😆

Oh thank god!

U know what ? I had actually started to really dislike the prince , and I was like, this is like irst time I am actually considering someone else other then Abhay for Pia in a ff. And when the sourceror was like should I kill the prince , I was totally 'Go for it !' . I was really wishing for Pia to be with Abhay.

And then Voila, the surprise !
So indirectly I had supported Abhay 😆

The ending was cute and sweet .




Do write more :)

it was beautiful motu...loved it... ❤️

Originally posted by: ..Bournville..

phew . ek simple si story mein mystery dalna koi tumse seekhe 😆

but really liked the twist of nick and abhay being same and the price being someone else altogether. that was a really nice and sweet twist.

good job 👏