Meet Her Eyes

Part 6

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12 years ago,
A clearing in the forest.

The early morning sun had illuminated the small glade, the golden rays reflecting against the shining droplets of dew gathered upon the long blades of the grasses. While the rest of the forest still remained dark and mysterious with it's big crowed trees that allowed no sunlight to penetrate to the ground.

Anyone could tell from the cooing bulbuls on the branches and the blooming balsam and cosmos, nearby that it was the peak of the summer. And if not, well the afternoon sun would burn you down into a pot of ashes, withing moments.

A little boy around the age of 13 to 14 was running around in the grass following the squirrels into their hideouts wih his miniature archery equipments.
While, his elder brother, still in his early twenties - stood guard, watching him, leaning on a tree trunk.

He was bored out of his mind. His own bow and arrows lay abandoned a few feet away on the ground as he watched his little brother's games with envious eyes.
He wished, just for one afternoon - he could be a boy like that too, to recapture that wild abandonment and run around with no worries or responsibilities to hold over his head.

But those are just wishful thinking. He let out a melancholy sigh! He could never forget his responsibilities, not for one moment - because the world wouldn't let him.

He had wanted this afternon for himself, to get some much needed solitude and fresh air that's impossible to get in their palace - that reeks of dirty politics and power hungry courtiers, at every corner.

But instead, here was now - stuck with the responsibility of Chandra - his little brother, who had threw a royal ass tantrum to come with him - to this forest.
While, just a few feet a away a whole fleet of soldiers stood guard, who were making more sounds than the bargaining shoppers, did in a market.

He sighed again. The last thing he was going to find here was some peace and quite.

And as the hours went by, he grew even more restless, even more stifled with the growing heat.
The afternoon sun had come out and the guards had taken refuge under the shades of trees and a game of cards had started between them, while Chandra had decided that it was a good idea to climb a mango tree, although it was another matter that he slipped back on the ground everytime after scaling the first two feet of the trunk.

It was then, that he decided to slip away for a few moments. Well, no one was going to miss him. The guards will keep Chandra safe and for once he could get some solitude and fresh air.
With that decided, he picked up his bow and arrows from the ground and quitely slipped into the silent forest.

Large rocky boulders lined the path, amidst the the greenery of trees. While the infertile red soil mountain stood on one side of the valley the other was swallowed by these dark woods, that hid so many wonders inside it's womb.
One of those beauties, was where Roopak stood now. A little, natural cave formed by weathering that showed the patterns of water that had once flowed through it. The river that must have once, helped in forming these hollow caves had now changed its course.

Bending at an obtuse angle, the slow moving tributary flowed through heart of the forest - leading east towards the deeper woods and away from the mountains.
And he followed that soft muddy paths, riding along the banks of that narrow river that seemed to have been here from millions and millions of years.

There were so many beautiful sights to see, every sound of a wild animal or bird - a musical tone in a wild orchestra of nature and he was so absorbed in all of that, that he forgot about everything else, at least he tried to.

He hadn't realised for how long he had walked, it culd have been miles if the exhaustion in his body was anything to go by, and the forest once again opened into a glade - he was shocked to find that the day light was gone, and the last glow of the dusk was turning into a stary night sky.

The happy  gait of his steps that he had gained with the day's freedom, once again fell away and his stomach once again plummeted below an inch - because it was already time to return to his golden cage. Anymore time, wasted here and the whole army would be sent here to search for him, in fact - they might already be searching!

After taking one last eyeful of the beauty surrounding him, he turned around. 'Right then! Let's head back.'

But he had barely taken a step or two in the other direction, when something stopped him in his steps.
It was bizzare sight, a red speck in the far distance was moving towards him at quite a speed, for a moment he wondered what it was ....but he need not have thought about  it too much because a moment later it all became clear.

And that made it even more bizzare.

It was a young woman - in a old brown garb, running through the darkness that had descended with a vengence as the night had approached.
She was holding a fire lantern in one hand, that swayed from one side to another as she turned around from time to time to look behind herself as she ran.

Roopak wasn't sure if she had seen him or not, and if he should be here trying to help her or avoid the situation completely.
But soon, she took the desicion from him and took it in her own hands.

"He..help! Please!" Her voice shook while she turned her tear stained large eyes towards him in a pleading way that pulled his heart's string like an musical instruent.
She was beutiful, like one of those delicate fairies that are often drawn on children's books with dainty hands and feet and delicate soft features upon her fair skin that could turn a saint mad in love.

"He is going to kill me, please....." A heartbreaking sob raised from her throat that felt like a direct hammer upon his heart, breaking it into a thousand little pieces. She invoked something in him, an instinct that told him to protect her.

'What kind of cruel person was she running from?' 'Who could want to hurt this delicate, beautiful creature, who was no less innocent than those squirrels his brother had been playing with?'
He felt bitterness, like never before- coil within himself, that soon turned into a raging - furious - anger, like an uncontrolled fire that heated his blood.

And he stepped forward.

"Please, ta-take me away from here...." She cried in a soft wishper as she looked behind her back once again. "Please!"She looked at him as if he was the only man in the whole world, imploring him with those large dark eyes, that took his breath away.

And he did just that! He took her away,  sweeped her into his arms and returned to the palace as soon as he could .
In the next few days and months, she told him her name was Charu and she had been running away from a cruel man who wanted to kill her, though she turned silent and sad whenever he asked 'why?'
And changed the topic whenever he asked about her family. That led him to believe that he was most probably an orphan.

And with time, Roopak decided to let it go, for now he fancied himself in love with the forest beauty.
'Charu' became his heart and soul, who made him smile and laugh, who filled his heart with so much tenderness that Roopak often feared that it would burst open with it.

'Charu' was in his blood and mind, she was always there in his every thought and behind his every action.
And he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything else in his life.

And so, he married her exactly 4 months after they met in that forest, unbeknownst to the turth that this seemingly innocent beauty wasn't at all what she seemed.

That 'the cruel man'  who had been chasing her that night in the forest was still serching every nook and cranny of the forest trying to find "Charu", his lost wife!

It wasn't the first lie she had told him, nor was it the last deception she cooked up for him.
It took him a whole year to realise that his wife was a patholgical liar and a bigamist - and it was already too late then.

But he wouldn't let Sunayna pay for his, past mistakes! And he hoped against hope - that it wasn't too late now!