MOH MOH KE DHAAGE : a royal saga

Whiplash

Neer had already given his assent for having an engagement ceremony before they came to Chandigarh as he had no qualms about making it official.

Now that both Ishanvi and Neer had agreed for the engagement ceremony, the elders decided to do it as soon as possible.

Everyone had gathered at the Maurya Sheraton hotel at noon time, where the Royal family was staying for their unplanned, short visit to Delhi.

"We would really like it if the ceremony can be held before we head back to Chandigarh," Mr Oberoi said over lunch. "The ceremony needn't be grand or extravagant, just a simple affair without any pretensions or splurging much."

"When do you plan to hold the ceremony?" Mr Dixit inquired.

"This weekend if it's okay with everyone," Mrs Oberoi replied. "Because we'll leave for Chandigarh early on Monday morning."

Everyone looked at Ishanvi and Neer to see if they were okay with having the ceremony immediately.

"It's fine with me," Neer said after a while. "Let's ask Ishanvi first before deciding anything."

Everyone smiled at his response before turning their attention to Ishanvi to know her decision.

"I don't have anything to do this weekend," Ishanvi hurriedly told them in a low voice. She felt uncomfortable with all the eyes directed at her.

Everyone burst out laughing at her response, even Neer couldn't help himself from turning his lips upwards.

After that, everyone got busy with the preparations and discussions of arrangements while Ishanvi sat there silently, stabbing her salad with the fork. She was embarrassed by how everyone had reacted to her reply and was still sulking about it.

Neer noticed that she wasn't participating in the preparations and wondered if she wasn't willing to go ahead with this marriage or if she was being forced or under some pressure to marry him.

But he knew Ishanvi wasn't someone who would just give into someone's demands unless she wanted to do something herself.

*"Then why is she looking upset?"* he asked himself.

Before he could arrive at a conclusion, he was dragged away by Nurvi and Inaayat to discuss the theme for the function.

As there wasn't much time left, Ishanvi was ordered to finalise a dress for herself as soon as possible and send it for the alterations if needed. Same instructions were given out to Neer as well, after all it was an important day for both of them.

Ishanvi and her sisters along with Nurvi and Anna had gone shopping.

They had decided to wear gowns for the event. And as it was an evening event, they had decided to keep it elegant yet glamorous.

A day before the engagement, the Dixits had arrived at the hotel by the evening to prepare for the ceremony as well as spend some time together as their families hadn't met yet. Ishanvi's *Dadu*, *Dadi*, *chachu*,*chachi* were excited to meet the Royal family as they had just met Mr and Mrs Oberoi, that too only once. Though they had met Neer a couple of times, whenever he visited them. In fact, her parents were going to meet Neer's uncle and aunt and their kids for the first time themselves. So, they were all looking forward to meeting everyone.

Neer's family members from Chandigarh had arrived as well. It was his *chachu*, *chachi* and their kids— Riddhima, Parthiv and Ira. Riddhima was their eldest kid and was married to Rachit, they had a two years old daughter 'Paridhi' and they lived in Germany. Unfortunately, they hadn't met anyone from the Dixit family yet and had only talked with Ishanvi once over the Skype call.

Everyone met with each other and decided to spend the evening together to get familiar as well to be comfortable around one another. The whole vibe was full of happiness with excitement coursing through their veins for the next day!

Riddhima and Parthiv were delighted to have finally met Ishanvi.

"Now I know why Nurvi couldn't stop talking about you all the time!" Riddhima said when she met Ishanvi. "In fact, you are the only she talks about now on our daily skype calls

Riddhima wasn't the eldest kid of her parents but was also the eldest kid of the family. Hence, she was loved, respected and feared by her younger brothers and sisters.

But Riddhima was also the most mischievous of them all, pulling pranks on everyone and teasing them about it later.

Anna and Onir had come to meet Ishanvi and Neer, and also to help them with the decor and other arrangements.

Everyone had gathered in one of the banquet halls where they had decided to play some games as well as converse with each other regarding the details of the ceremony as well.

The youngsters were huddled in a group, away from the oldies. Ishanvi was having a great time with them. As they chatted together, Ishanvi's eyes fell on Ira.

While everyone was mingling, Ira was seated in a corner awkwardly, her head hung low. Ishanvi excused herself and went to her.

"Heya Ira!" Ishanvi spoke slowly.

Ira mumbled an inaudible 'hello' without looking up.

"I wonder why a beautiful girl like you is standing alone here instead of joining us?"

Ira's eyes snapped to Ishanvi before she looked around her. "Are you talking about me?"

"Do you see anyone else here who's beautiful?" Ishanvi smiled, tilting her head.

A small smile tugged at Ira's lips.

"Oh, I forgot. We couldn't meet properly earlier. I'm Ishanvi," Ishanvi introduced herself.

"I know! You are Neer bro's fiancée. He has told me about you," Ira told her.

"Almost fiancée," Ishanvi corrected her. "Neer… he has talked about me?" she asked tentatively, not quite believing it.

Ira nodded her head in affirmation.

"I didn't know about this," Ishanvi mumbled under her breath.

When Ira saw her lost, she spoke up. "But you might not know who I am—"

Ishanvi interrupted her. "Of course, I know you are Neer's younger and his most favourite sister. He had talked so much about you

"Neer bro really is stupid. I can't believe he talked about me on your dates," Ira sighed.

Ishanvi wanted to tell her that they barely went on any dates except once, and it was more like casual meetings to get to know each other. But then she decided against it and changed the subject.

"Why didn't you join us?" she asked Ira instead.

"Umm… I'm a misfit. I don't fit in with people," Ira replied nonchalantly.

"Who told you that?" Ishanvi inquired, incredulously.

Ira didn't answer. Ishanvi realised she didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't press either.

"It's alright, if you don't want to join them. But we can talk here, right?" Ishanvi asked her.

Ira agreed and Ishanvi sat beside her as they talked about anything and everything they could think of. Ishanvi was stunned to see that despite being young, Ira was so mature and knowledgeable for her age.

The Oberois was surprised to witness this scene as Ira usually kept to herself and didn't mingle with her family, let alone strangers or people she's meeting for the first time. In her family, she was close to Neer and Neela only and ignored everyone else. But now she was conversing with Ishanvi with so much ease as if she had known her all her life!

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After a few hours, Anna excused herself and dragged Ishanvi to the room assigned to her. Anna had been noticing that Ishanvi looked bothered ever since she arrived there, and she had to know what was bothering her. Ishanvi complied and followed behind her silently.

Once safely inside, Anna started inquiring Ishanvi.

Unfortunately, Ishanvi's best friend couldn't make it for the engagement, thus Ishanvi felt she could talk to Anna about it. And as they were quite close, Ishanvi didn't mind sharing her worries with Anna.

Ishanvi shared her fears and dilemma with Anna and she tried to disperse her fears and doubts to her best ability.

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"Didn't realise we have been talking for over an hour now," Ishanvi spoke up as she glanced at the clock hung on the opposite wall. "It's almost time for dinner."

"Yeah, let's go," Anna said, getting up from the bed. "And remember what I have told you."

They left together for dinner and joined everyone in the banquet hall.

After dinner, Onir and Anna had left with the promise to return the next day early in the morning.

While the elders had retired to their rooms, the youngsters had decided to play dumb charades till late in the night citing it'd give them a chance to mingle and get to know each other a bit before the event.

They had gathered in Nurvi's's room that she was sharing with Ira, and divided into teams of three and began playing.

A little while into the game, Ishanvi received a text on her cellphone. It was from Neer and it read:

*Please come into my room for a while. We need to talk.*

She looked up from her phone and realised that Neer wasn't there which meant he had already left when the game had started.

Making an excuse about going to the washroom, Ishanvi got up and left from there.

Questions swarmed in her head as she made her way to Neer's room. Ishanvi found his request weird considering Neer had never really invited her to his room before. And what did he want to talk about right before the engagement?

Questions bugged her mind, questions only Neer could answer.

Reaching outside his room, Ishanvi knocked on the door a couple of times.

Shuffling of footsteps was heard before Neer opened the door and let her in.

He motioned her to take a seat on the couch but she refused and instead stood beside the huge window in his room that overlooked the garden outside.

"My apologies for calling you here in the middle of the game," Neer said, standing across from her.

"It's alright. I wasn't really into it," Ishanvi shrugged.

"Look Ishanvi, it's kinda important and hence I wanted to make it clear to you before we exchanged the rings tomorrow," Neer began.

"What is it?" Ishanvi asked him in a calm voice.

Neer closed his eyes momentarily as if it was paining him, whatever he was going to say. "Ishanvi, I don't want you to have any expectations from me or from this marriage. We'll be like a husband and wife only in name, only for the world. I'll do everything I'm supposed to do as a husband and look after you but don't expect anything else from me. I hope you'll understand!"

Ishanvi took a few steps backward as his words registered in her head, she couldn't believe her ears.

She stared at Neer in bewilderment.

She was baffled after hearing those words. She couldn't understand where it was coming from. If he didn't want her to expect anything from him or this marriage, why was he marrying her in the first place?

For a moment, she felt like cancelling this engagement and calling off the wedding. But then her family's happy faces flashed in front of her eyes. And his family. What was their fault? Why snatch this happiness from them? They didn't wrong her. Then why make them go through the pain of severing the ties?

No, she can't do this to her family! Or his. She can't break their hearts like he had broken his. And for their happiness, she decided to let it all happen as planned.

"But what about her? Her feelings and emotions— do they hold no value in his eyes?" her mind questioned.

"It's not the time to be selfish and think about myself. She needs to go ahead with the plan and get married to him for her family's sake," her heart reasoned.

Tears had pooled in her eyes— angry tears, tears complaining about this unfairness, tears asking a million questions, tears reflecting how much his words had hurt her.

But suppressing all her emotions that were surging inside her, she blinked the tears away and stared Neer straight in the eyes.

"Okay, I'll remember this," Ishanvi finally said after what felt like a century.

With that, she walked to the door, without sparing him another glance.

Walking out of the room, she closed the door behind her with a bang which indicated how perturbed and emotionally shattered she was!

And Neer kept rooted at his place, staring at her disappearing figure as her eyes filled with tears cracked something within him with a crackling noise.

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Did I just drop a bomb? The biggest bomb ever in the history of the story? I hope you enjoyed the sudden twist. Did you get a whiplash tho? I, for sure, did!

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Glossary:

Dadu — grandfather

Dadi — grandmother

Chachu — father's younger brother

Chachi — father's younger brother's wife

Note: In joint families of India, there aren't any cousins. Everyone are just brothers and sisters, the concept of 'cousins' doesn't really exist here unlike the western culture!