The Blessed Pratibimb

Chapter-8

Although Adhrit and Mina had tried their best, but Isha was not fully convinced. She wanted Arihant to say yes to her no matter what. For her, he do loved her but now he thinks that she had hurt his feeling and she's not worthy of his love anymore. But that was not true, for Arihant he loved her more than anything but Isha was not yet ready to understand the depth of Arihant's love.

Isha was cooking her food when a passing by girl stopped and started looking at her. Isha noticed her and asked, "Can I help you with something?"

She nodded and said, "Yea, I would like you to take this ugly face of yours away from compition."

Isha frowned, and asked, "What?" she had always been in her temple and have never stepped outside of it. She didn't know the world was this ugly. The girl replied, "Oh, so you have hearing problems now? Don't worry our kingdom offers the best doctors of whole Aaryavart."

Finally Isha's patience broke and she replied with sarcasm completely laced in her voice, "Well, now I need doctors or not it's another question, but sure need a man to deal with your lust."

Hearing this girl made the most disgusting face and said, "How dare you talk like that to a pri-"

But Isha cut her by, "Princess? Princess is someone who walks with the pride of their kingdom in their hands. Not like you, who are ready to sell it anywhere."

Hearing those words girl's face was complete red and she replied, "Who do you think you are? Why are you even participating in the compitition if you have no such intention. If you're that pure of a kind, why not go home and prepare a meal for your cows, Brahmin girl. Why after king? Don't you know, Brahmin girls can't marry a king? Such a disgust you are to your family."

Hearing this Isha's heart broke into million of pieces and her eyes starts to water. She wasn't able to reply her in anyway. Her words were harsh but yet they were very true. Girl continued, "Why are you still here? Go away, shoo, shoo"

"ENOUGH!"

They both startled by the roar, they looked in the direction only to find a very angry Arihant. Seeing him the girl started to shake like a dry leaf in winter wind. On the other hand Isha, she felt ashamed, she felt like dying on the exact moment. She didn't reply and looked down only to hide her tears which she was bravely trying to hold back in her eyes.

Arihant came to the girl and said in the most polite way, "Dear princess Arundhati, I loved you come here and joined our competition. But you should consider yourself lucky because you're our guest and we don't kill our guests."

Hearing this princess's heart felt sinking and she nodded, literally running away from there.

He sighed at the girl's immature behavior. 'And they call themselves the princesses." Arihant told himself with most sarcastic tone. But then he looked back only to find a bowed Isha. He knew what she was trying to do. He said, "Don't need to take her words on your heart literally."

She nodded and started to go away from her own kitchen, but Arihant said, "You didn't take her words seriously, did you?"

Isha took a deep breath and looked at him. She was having watery eyes with complete pain floating in them, she said, "Your majesty, even if I don't take her words literally, my fate won't change. My love for you won't change. I am trying to fight my fear and guilt, but at the same time, my love is avoiding me and telling me to go away from him, is just increasing my fear and my guilt. But you know what? I can't stop this feeling, feeling which always make me end up in front of you. Feeling which makes butterflies in my stomach as you look at me and what not? This is pain of loving you is increasing day by day. I am just waiting for the day when it all will end. The day when it all will end along with me."

Arihant couldn't help but her eyes started to fill with tears. Seeing his love in so much pain, he just couldn't stay quite. Her every word pierced through his heart and the last line was enough for him to let go of his tears. He replied in saddest tone, "Don't! Please don't say such cruel words!"

Isha smiled through her tears and said, "Your majesty, this is the truth. I have tasted the f*******n fruit of love, now no one can save me from its poison."

Arihant replied in a broken voice, "No Isha, love is not poising."

Isha smiled and looked in his eyes. He could see her burning in the pain of rejection, humiliation, guilt, fear and what not. She replied with the smile, "Love is like poising when your love reject you."

Saying that she turned to her heels to get out of here, but what Arihant said after this changed her point of view completely. Arihant said, "Love is poison when your love rejects you."

She looked at him with a questioning look and he smirked and said, "How can you forgot, you rejected me too. I never waited for you, I accepted that you didn't love me and did I ever tried to interfere in your life? No? You know why?"

At the end both were in tears and Isha felt her heart tearing apart. Arihant continued in a broken voice, "I love you more than you can imagine but I know we cannot marry because society won't accept it."

Isha replied, "But I don't care about society anymore."

Arihant started to laugh out loud making Isha go crazy out of mind. Suddenly he stopped and narrowing his eyes he looked at her, he said in the most venomous tone, "It doesn't matter if you care about them or not. They won't like it, so they'll make sure to make your life a living hell."

Isha was shocked to one extent and before she could react or say anything, Arihant said, "You never knew this, did you?"

She looked down making her no clear and Arihant laughed in the most sarcastic way and said, "This is why I told you to be clear about what decision you're going to make."

Isha now understood Arihant's heart. She felt as if she was hit by thunder itself. A tsunami of guilt and shame washed her heart. Her knees felt lotus stem and with another hit of her own emotions, she fell on the ground.

But again this time, Arihant was there to hold her in his arms, before she could hit the ground. His touch sent sparks this time, which sure made Isha's body felt like heaven.

Isha couldn't hold back anymore, she hugged him forgetting all about rules, maryada and shame. Sparks ran through her whole body and she felt safe, home and loved.

On the other side Arihant couldn't reject his lover this time. He let her hug him and couldn't help but hug her back. As she hugged him, he felt home, secure and content.

None of them ever had this much of blissful feeling. Their tears were mixture of different emotion of love, pain, fear, guilt, shame and what not. But on thing was clear they both had the feeling of home, contentment and safe, which they have never felt with anyone else.

Although they were crying their hearts out but there was the smile of contentment on their faces.

They felt they can stay like for eternity and maybe they could have been. But Arihant came back to his senses, getting aware of his surroundings.

He unhugged them. At the lost of blissful sparks, Isha looked at him with a questioning look and he only looked away. He slowly stood up, wiping his tears, he started to fix his appearance. Isha knew what he was doing, but instead of crying she did something very different.

She stood up and started to help him. He stopped her hand and gave her a questioning look. She smiled and used other hand to free one. She nodded assuring him that she knew what she is doing and he didn't dare to stop her. She started to fix his clothes. From jewels to the dhoti. She fixed him completely and then finally took her dupatta, to clean the marks of her tears from his body. As she cleaned him, he couldn't help but tears started to fall from his own eyes.

His eyes were shouting at her, 'Stop! Leave me alone! I don't deserve this!'

She knew this completely, but she kept smiling which said, 'This is my right as a lover, dare stop me.'

Her eyes were filled with complete bliss which Arihant didn't know was coming from where. Her eyes were holding complete love and devotion for him. Arihant tried his hardest but couldn't find any pain, fear or guilt in her eyes, smile or anywhere near her.

She seemed so pure that now it fears Arihant what he has done to his love. He was afraid if he had send her in the endless pit of darkness, despair and depression. But she didn't give any sign.

After completing her work Isha smiled and stepped back. Arihant looked from up and down at her but couldn't find any negative emotions.

Arihant's eyes started to fill and Isha came in front of him and washed the lone tear which dared to fall. She shook her head making it clear to him that she don't want him to cry. He was about to say something but Isha bowed her in gesture of pranam, making sure she want him to leave.

He controlled his tears and went out of the kitchen without looking back. Isha on the other hand took a deep breath and went to the cooking pot which smelled the best of kheer.

She took the whole pot and emptied it in the nearest portable pot. She gather the all the food which she and prepared and went out of her kitchen.

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Everyone had gather at the dinning room to decide who would win. Hina, Mina and Adhrit were waiting for Isha to come but she never showed up. By Adhrit's advise Mina went to her kitchen, only to find it empty and the whole food gone too.

She ran to Adhrit and gaspingly said, "S-She's n-n-not here!"

Both Hina and Adhrit understood and all ran to find her. They checked the everyone's kitchen and every corner and every tent of the ground. But couldn't find her or her food. Adhrit exclaimed, "We have to tell brother."

Hina and Mina both gave a terrified look, but Adhrit said, "We don't have any other option. Maybe something have happened in them and she have left. We should at least ask him."

At this they agreed and Adhrit went to Arihant who was sitting on the throne completely out of emotions, when the selection were still going on. Adhrit went to him and whispered him, "Did you two fight?"

Arihant gave him a questioning look and Adhrit said, "We tried to find her in the whole ground, but she is nowhere to be seen."

His eyes went wide and he felt his heart sinking in his stomach. He was about to stand up but Adhrit hold him by his hands, he whispered again, "Don't move from here. I'll bring her back, I promise, she will face no harm."

He nodded believing his brother and Adhrit went to Hina and Mina, telling them to try to find her in the temple and city, while he would go to search in the forest. They agreed and started to find her. But probably only to find thin air...

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Aaryavart: The ancient land of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and some area of China.