Lust Or Love?

Chapter 23

You....you killed him? " she was now breathing heavily looking at him, anger and disgust running through each of her veins.

"Oh! How clever of you, now let's get to the point." He said taking a long stride and once again caging her.

"You are forgetting your limits, Aryan Rao. " she said, fear quite evident on her face.

"There are no limits for a king my lady. " as he inched his face more closer.

"Specially the one who had killed his own brother! " she spat at him, as he inched more closer to her face almost touching.

"Thank for reminding!" His eyes fixed on her lips as he moved more closer.

"Don't you dare..to touch me..I will....will call for help! " She flinched away from his touch.

The reaction of him, was now way what she would have been expected. He threw his head back in laughter as he slowly went away from her. "As much as I would have love that, I won't like them to hear something they shouldn't...."

He turned on his heels as his back now faced her.

"I give you twenty-fo-ur hours.....choose your options....be in my arms or be in my arms. " once again the laughter echoed around as a pit opened up at the bottom of her stomach. A tornado whirling around, messing up everything, her thoughts, her sanity, her will power.

***

"Maa! " tears flowed down ruthlessly from her eyes. She threw her little arms around her mother's form and told her wake up. "Maa please wake up! " this time she tried to shook her to wake. But soon realized that all these attempts are futile, her mother had taken the poison two hours ago, her body can't respond anymore, she is already dead. The female physician tried to make the little princess understand, but her heart refused to believe that her mother won't open her eyes ever again, she would never look at her, she would never smile at her.

The innocent little soul was so naïve that she tried to tell the physician and make her understand her mother was just sleeping, and that in a matter of hours she would wake up.

"Maa please....." her sobs were the only sound as the maids left to prepare for the funeral.

***

The chirping of birds made her aware of her present surrounding as she looked out, the dawn had broken as the ending to the evil darkness which surrounded the world moments ago like a horrendous nightmare and the sun rose with a fresh start once again. The storm had passed she realized, it was a fresh start.

Shivanya rose to her feet and joined her palms in front of the mighty God, the sun!

Ajmer

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

King Araman sing Rathore

The king and the queen of Avadh are very much keen to pay a friendly visit to your beautiful kingdom and the people of Ajmer. The finest of silk and the art of embroidery carving produced there have caught the eye of her majesty and have fascinated her, but apart from these materialistic crafts, her majesty have something else to ask from the king and the queen of Ajmer.

They wishes the hand of princess Mallika for their only son and the heir of the throne of Avadh for binding them in the sacred relationship of matrimony. They hope this will bring happiness, peace and prosperity in both the kingdom.

-from the royal family of Avadh.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

If only his wife samadri would not have been sitting there, the king would have hit his head in the wall, before shoving this letter into the fire.

God knows where is his daughter? Dead or alive? And here are the people, sending a letter like this.....

He looked at it once again and sighed, the desperation to bang his head on the nearby wall increasing.

"What do you think about it? " the queen asked smiling, clearly happy with the thought of her daughter becoming the next queen of Avadh.

Watching his wife's face he realized that she won't let this matter go easily, not before he gives his opinion.

Which was a clear denial. His daughter was more deserving than this. He looked at the piece of paper framed in silk with dislike before shoving it to the red of the fire place. He stood up before his wife could start a emotional war once again.

He didn't wish to spend the evening in a one sided war, where his wife would gamble about the hell lot of problems, whose resource in the one and only her husband, him!

He don't intend to make her angry in any way but now he's left with no other option. He lurked out of his chair and forced his steps fast to avoid a night of useless gamblings. The only wrong step he took was to glance a last look on the queen, before leaving and he swore this would eventually lead him to the doom.

Her eyes glowing with the fire, either it was the reflection of the burning letter where her eyes were fixed or it was her inner self which surfaced itself in the dimly lit room.

"Bloody hell! " he muttered before plunging on the poor handle and jerk it down as if, it would save his life and he would die instantly if he stayed a little longer.

It opened, but late!

"What are you planning to do with her? " an angry rasp voice reached his ears and he realized it was already late!

"Keep her here all her life? And turn her into a spinster? "

"Tell me! " She demanded.

'No! Not now! ' he hit his temple with his hand and tried to give it a last chance, two more steps and he would be able to avoid this all. As if on cue, reading his thoughts the queen stood up as well and was now standing as a rigid wall between him and the door.

He sighed frustratedly and turned around to resume to his earlier seat because his experience told him, this is going to be a long, long night!

"With the reputation she had already made, God knows how anyone would ever agree to marry her, I doubt it highly even with a high dowry, if I might add! "

"And here's this. " She indicated towards the fire place. "Where they have asked the hand of her in marriage and you burnt it down as if you don't care! "

She stomped her feet on the carpeted floor still standing, guarding the door, her hands folded on her chest.

"It isn't like that-" he started and was instantly cut off by, "don't tell me She deserves better, because I know the truth, 'huh'" She huffed and shrugged her shoulders. "Who'd choose a lady as his wife, as his queen? Who climbs a tree, sneaks away from the palace secretly and run around like a mad man no less! "

This time anger flared up within him, what was she trying to prove? He don't know what is good for his daughter? Or that he didn't care for her?

"Yes, you seem to know everything about Mallika, but do you know a single thing about that man, You are trying to bind your daughter to? For whole her life, no less! " he stated standing up.

"But I know! A alcoholic! A womanizer! And you? Without having a single knowledge about that devil of a prince, about his nature, you just sprang up to shackle your daughter to that man and get away from your burden. This shows:it isn't me who don't care about her, but it's you. "

"It's you! It was always you! "

"Always giving your sons more attention, more care! From childhood till now, you were discriminate, if you might remember, it wasn't me! "

"And yes, why don't you do a thing? "

The king now stood in front of her.

"Catch the first man you see on the road, this evening and then marry your daughter off to him. Beggar or not your burden will be lifted off your shoulders! "

He took her by arm and slightly her pushed her away from the door and left a woman behind her, who's tears were nowhere to end.

'It's you! It was always you! ' ringing in her ears.