Once Upon In A Moonlit Night
Part 2
Up above the tree on the starry sky, a night bird waved its wings and moved to the black horizon aiming the moon as if like it wished to reach there. The monotone of the night insects was interrupted when the sound of two anklets vibrated the ground. With confident bit cautious steps princess Razia moved through the bushes. The silvery light of moon on the dark canvass of night created some beautiful mystical aura on the surroundings. Razia felt like some enchanter was calling her from the deep down forest. She could feel the vibe in her blood.
The night birds were peeping out towards princess and seemed confused seeing a human in their territory in that time of night. Razia could hear the sound of their wing's flaring. She was far away from the royal tent's area and it seemed like no human was around her. It was not that she was not afraid, but she always belonged to the kind of humans who prefer to challenge their fears. So she moved forward with a pounding heart inside her cage. A night bird suddenly screamed out from the top of tree standing like a giant in the dark. Razia gasped and hold her pounding heart. The owl moved from one tree to another in front of her eyesight. She stood there motionless for a while try to normalize her vibrating heart. She was panting slowly closing her eyes when she heard an odd sound from her back. It felt like someone was coming from her back crushing the dry leaves under his feet. Cautious razia quickly got alert and hold her dagger hidden inside her cloth. Gathering her all courage she quickly moved back with a hard determined face. There was pitch black darkness at her back and no one could be seen there. Razia frowned and quickly checked all around her with alert eyes. But she couldn't find any human trace nearby. But she was quite sure that she heard someone behind her back.
After some moment when razia couldn't find anyone still she was not convinced. However she turned forward with a sigh and moved on her path. Those greenish grey sharp eyes which were keeping eye on her from the dark shade of forest seemed relaxed at last. When he saw shehzadi again going forward Altunia let out a huge sigh holding the tree trunk. If he wouldn't move inside the forest in a blink of seconds she would surely caught him following her. The moonlight made the darkness quite clear. Even in that situation he couldn't afford to smirk thinking that what would be the situation if shehzadi caught him following her. He chuckled imagining her face. However he didn't have time to think about that as she was moving further more inside the forest and if he didn't hurry up he would lost her track. Altunia came out from the shade of trees and followed her with quick but silent steps avoiding the dry leaves as much as possible.
Razia was a bit confused if she lost the track inside the forest. The lake side must be nearby she felt a bit tensed and was thinking if she should go back to tents. But the curious mind in her was continuously luring to move forward. After some moment she reached to a place where the thick shades of forest had ended all abruptly. Razia's face lit up with her huge childish grin as she understood that she had reached to her destination. She looked forward and the scene she witnessed made her spellbound for a while.
The silvery moonlight was reflecting on the lake water in a manner like it had changed into melted silver. Somewhere the water was shinning like the diamonds engraved on silvery sheet. For a while razia felt like she was not in earth anymore, she had reached into some forbidden fairyland in some magic. There was not a single sound anywhere rather than the sweep of wind. Her amused eyes got fixed on the wonder of natural beauty when the quick sweep of wind loosened the cover from her head revealing her face to the moonlight again. After some silent moment of amusement, razia's charming hypnotizing smile flashed on the moonlight again, which unknown to her, took away someone's breath who was just watching over her from a bit distance. With a little jerk, razia shoved away the quilt which was covering her. Another sweep of wind came and her curls danced around her face. She garbed the hem of her dress lifting it up a bit and rushed near the lake shore running on the grass. The sound of her vibrating anklets reflected all over the silent wind of the night while in answer the mad wind danced through her hair ruffling through her hairs, her white dress. Razia finally reached the shore and panted heavily. Still her smile widened as she got a better view of lakeside. The silvery lake water looked marvelous from the close view. The side of shore where she was standing was in quite a few miters high from the water level so she can had a proper view of the area. The quite lakeside was occupied with the sound of night insects and winds only. She observed some forest dears at the corner of a comparatively low height who were engrossed in drinking water. The whole scenario looked like some part of a fairy land which accidentally landed on earth. To her surprise, a bunch of fireflies surrounded her from nowhere. Razia felt like they were there to invite her in the place. She lifted her hand and a firefly rested on the top of her index finger. The cool breeze continued to play with her hairs and white dress. Razia closed her eyes with smile intact in her face to feel the serenity within the nature.
Just from some few miters back, Altunia kept on watching over her without disturbing or calling her. His green eyes looked like the huge sea of intensity with the wave of mesmerized expressions. He was almost breathless when he watched the wind playing with Razia's hairs and her white dress quoted with silver embroidery. Moonlight was glowing all over her feature and at the mid of that scenario at the lake shore, while the fireflies were around her, she exactly looked like an angel from the sky whohad landed into the earth haunted by the beauty of moonlit night at lakeside. Altunia was not at all ready to expose him to her. He thought that he would just keep his eyes on shehzadi from distance so that she didn't get into danger for her reckless adventure inside forest. But her enchanting divine beauty haunted him like the magnet calling for the metals. That pull was dangerous like the fireflies getting drawn to the fire even if it knew that he would get destroyed. Just like the poor firefly he couldn't control that call of his heart anymore. He looked hypnotized when he moved a step forward towards razia's direction. His long toe length over coat floated in wind in perfect sink with razia's transparent dupatta hanging from her hair. With gradual steps as he removed their distance he felt his heart increasing beat with every step.
Razia didn't even notice the light footstep behind as she was busy in admiring the firefly seating on the top of her finger. The firefly jumped up from her finger and joined its group flying in the air. Razia looked towards the silvery moon which was already on the western sky indicating that it was about to set soon. She felt that it was too late and she should go back to tents before anyone could detect that she was not present there. But she didn't want to left the place so soon. She was in dilemma that what to do when she felt someone behind her as his warm breath hit her back. Razia's big eyes widened more as a gasp escaped from her mouth. Soon a sarcastic tone mixed with a intense voice spoke from her behind.
"Shehzadi... Aap kee jaankari kee liye bata doon ki iss ghane jungle mein itni raat koo anna munasif nahin hain... Yahan sirf yee jugnoo nahin hote... Khunkhar jungle janwar bhi hote hain... Jissey aap kee jaise nazuk aur laziz shikar kii be sabari see intezaar raheta hain..."
That voice hit her numb mind and brought back to her sense. Razia shook tremendously for a while understanding the situation. She was right when she felt some moment ago that someone was following her. who was standing at her behind. Must be her enemy... might be shah turkan sent her man to kill her. her brain flashed with the idea and she quickly take out her dagger to attack on the stranger but somehow the stranger understood her move. In a flash he hold the wrist of her hand which was holding the dagger. In a jerk he turned her around facing him, pinning her dagger holding hand in his firm grip over her lower back while his other hand held his forearm firmly. Razia didn't even notice his face cause she was already struggling to get free of that stranger attacker's hold. He just smirked under the cover of his scurf which was covering his face up to nose. Razia understood that he was way more powerful to defend. She lifted her hardened gaze to see the face of his captivator and the first thing he noticed were his green eyes looking straightly towards her face without a blink. For a while razia became paralyzed with the intensity emerging from those eyes. She felt like he was witnessing a deep bottomless ocean of feeling in those eyes which had power to drown anyone in it. She had to admit that she never found someone's eyes to be so dangerously gorgeous. His half face was covered with that kaftan but his eyes were enough to shook her. While he watches over her with his silent intense gaze razia felt like he could see through her soul with those eyes. she stood dumb for a long moment. The silent moment passed when they both searched for something in each other's eyes; the answer to their unknown heart's question.
To be continued...
Waiting for ur reviews... though I know the chapter turned out to be quite boring. But hope u like.
Edited by ifians - 10 years ago