Ace of Hearts

3 - Anguished Hearts

"What do you mean?" she asked, her brows furrowing.

"Well, your sister wished to remain a little longer at the river this morning and sent us on our way." John shrugged nodding at Tusha's closed cabin, "No sign of her yet. I assumed she took the day off."

"Why would she do that?" asked Avishi. Her sister wasn't the kind to let any personal issues effect her professional life.

"She did not seem well. She seemed.. kinda lost" replied John "Is everything okay? I've never seen her so shaken up."

A heavy weight of anxiousness set in her gut twisting it painfully as Avishi registered the new information. She tried to console herself suggesting that her sister might have retired for the day but the unsettling feeling in her gut only thwarted the consolation.

"Uh.. yeah. Everything is fine. It is just one of those days. She must be at home." Avishi offered a sympathetic smile trying to mask her anxiety "I'll collect her belongings and go. Thanks John."

"Little A!" called out John on her way out "Don't hesitate to call me in case of any emergency."

Had it been any other day, Sadaf would have shared her worry with her sister's best friend and cantered out with him to find her but that day, she wanted privacy with her sister. She wanted to confront her for not sharing her feelings with her little sister. She wanted to scold her sister for not waking her up in the morning to at least bid goodbye while going to work. 

She wanted to have a heartfelt talk with her sister and drill some sense into her if she ever felt that her adoption changed anything between them.  Sending a small smile in John's direction, she ventured back home hoping to find her sister at her destination.

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Dwapara Yuga

Tainted with red, the orange rays of the evening sun maneuvered the corridors, thwarting every attempt to halt them by the dark long shadows of the pillars and soldiers, trying to reach the tall beauty lost in her own world. Her twinkling eyes devoured the rare reflection of the mountains painted white with snow on the orange tinted waters of river Sindhu.

The shadow of her long eyelashes rested patiently on her cheekbones as her orbs flickered around trying to carve the scenery in her memories lest she leaves the place. It had been a fortnight since her arrival and there wasn't a moment when the gears in her head did not work towards getting her back home. 

"Rajkumari! Maharani wishes for your presence in her chambers."

The liz eyed girl continued to trace the curves of the mountains with her gaze leading the helper to believe that the message was not heard. As the helper parted her lips to repeat the message, the girl unfolded her hands from above the railing giving a minuscule nod to her helper. She dreaded the impending encounter all during the long walk from the hallway to the queen's chamber.

The queen, who insisted on being called 'mother' by her, was a very orthodox lady and a stickler for rules and protocol. Having either lived on her own or with her little sister almost the entirety of her adult life, Tusharika was used to independence and being in control of any situation. So it wasn't a surprise to her when she was at loggerheads with the queen ten times in the fifteen days.

To preserve her own sanity, the girl decided to steer clear from the female ruler but the latter was adamant on spending time with her. She wondered what decision or protocol would be forced upon her in that particular encounter.

"Greetings Maharani! I hope you are doing well this fine evening." Tusharika greeted the queen ignoring the look thrown her way for her reference.

"Call me mata dear. I am well. I see your Sanskrit is improving fairly well. Good." came the reply.