Lust Or Love?

Chapter 19

Unknown

"Your highness....your highness! " came a broken, quivering voice from the outer verandah. When the vulnerable mother was lulling her little daughter to sleep, slightly patting her forehead with her bruised hand and a bandaged head. Another gift from her husband. When they heard a frightened voice.

Her mother opened the door as she mumbled, "Ila? What happened? " the old maid was now badly sweating in the middle of the night standing in front of the queen 's chamber.

"His....his majesty....his majesty. " she said panting. But the young queen wasted no more time to stop and listen to what the maid had to say, instead she ran towards the chamber of her husband.

No matter how many times he insulted her, hurt her, told her to leave, she still loved him and cared for him. She ran through the dark alleyways of the palace as fast as her feet could take her.

***

"Mother? " a little voice in the dark called, only to be answered by silence. "Mother? " this time her voice quivered a little as she realized the absence of her mother and that she was all alone in that dark room.

Putting on a brave face she forced herself out of the bed and followed the only sound of foot steps in the darkness of the alleyway.

***

The young queen entered into the dimly lit room of the king, tears already made it's way through her eyes and in the flickering lights of fire torches she looked at her husband who now lay on the bed peacefully, his head hanging down in the left of the pillow.

And beside him sat the royal doctor, his shimmering white hair which symbolized experience and wisdom now hung low in dismay and sorrow.

"I am sorry your highness. " he said said in a low voice looking down. "His highness....is....is no more! "

The other queens wailed and cried, but the little girl looked at her own mother, who looked utterly shocked, tears spilling out uncontrollably, her palms covering her mouth.

Soon the young queen 's legs wobbled, her head throbbed, and her eyes refused to look anymore and she fell into the world of darkness.

"Mother! " the little girl now cried in fear. Her father lay dead on the bed and her mother on the floor.

***

"Shivanya! " She heard someone calling from a far. "Shivanya? " Someone called again as she opened her eyes only to meet with a pair of concerned eyes looking into hers.

"Are you alright, child? " Urmila asked. As soon as she sat up on the old mat. She looked out of the window, it was still dark.

"Yeah, I am alright! " she said, doing what she is now mastered at. Masking her real feelings. She wiped away the traces of tears from her eyes and smiled at Urmila.

"Just a nightmare! " once again a smooth lie and both of them were back to sleep.

A few moments later Shivanya heard the faint snoring sounds and she looked out of the window which is at her side of the wall.

Sleep did not came back to her!

Moon is really immortal! Isn't it?

She found herself asking.

***

"your majesty! " a fearful voice called out. "What-" Surya's voice got stuck in his throat as he looked at the scene in front of him.

The little water body which consists the secret underwater passage to the palace was in front of them.

Two human hands floated on the surface of the water.

With the first signal two men jumped in there.

They carried the body to the shore. And a soldier from the army depicted him as one of the men who were sent into the underwater passage.

"I wonder how it happened? " king Rishikesh said. "All the soldiers sent this way, were the best swimmers of our army. "

But this wasn't the end.

"your majesty! " called the men who have been sent into the water now, as they carried another dead body to the shore, then another and then another.

And now almost all the fifty men sent into that passage earlier this day, lay dead in front of them.

"There's something terribly wrong about it! "Kumar said moving his head disapprovingly sitting in front of King Rishikesh and Surya in their private tent.

"I don't know! " Surya stated frustratedly, gripping the sides of his head with both his hands.

"It's alright, we would soon find out, but now you should rest. " king Rishikesh said watching the disheveled state of Surya, who now sat a few feet away from him, gripping his head, clutching his hair often and cursing something under his breath all the while.

He was frustrated!

He looked up at king Rishikesh and was about to say no, how could he sleep, when about fifty people loosed their lives, just because of him? Just because he sent them in some pit of water, putting their life at stake? Surely, there was something wrong about that passage and that he should not have sent them there!

And now when he took the lives of fifty innocent people, how could he rest? How could he sleep?

"King Rishikesh is right huzoor, you should go and get some rest. After all that happened today, you are stressing yourself too much. " he heard Kumar saying even before he could raise his voice to say no.

"Kumar"he breathed slowly, "how could you say that? Due to my carelessness those men loosed their life."

"Just because of my idiotic idea, they are now dead. "

"I should not have-"

He stopped in the middle as he felt a hand resting on his shoulder.

Kumar looked into his eyes, "Don't blame yourself for their death, Surya......"

For the first time in years, Kumar related him by his first name.

He looked at him, right now, the man standing in front of him wasn't his army general but he was his friend, his best childhood friend who grew up with him.

"Go and rest! " he said. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. " He smiled and Surya was left with no other option than to agree. Rishikesh nodded encouragingly as Surya huffed, "fine! " he said and left.

***

Changing sides on her bed from last two hours she at last gave up. Sleep was nowhere near her and she was sure that it won't be in the near future. And decided to get some fresh air.

After she got the news of the death of the soldiers, the whole day she was restless. Because she was the reason behind it! It was her fault! It was the result of the letter she sent to Azar Khan, she knows.

Her conscience was mocking her being.

She was here to take revenge on Surya, a man who is ready to kill thousands of men just to attain power, but she was even worse than him. She killed men, for nothing!

She inhaled the cold air walking in the sterile land of the army camp and closed her eyes for a few seconds.

When she heard heard his voice.

"You are awake?" Surya said, standing just behind her.

Suddenly she felt angry at him, all this just happened because of him,

"No! " She gave a stern answer. "I am walking in my sleep. " forgetting the fact that she is playing the role of a maid, a common maid!