|| PaulomīPrāṇaNāyaka: Labyrinth Of Lightning ||

|| Tri: Prince Anuhlada ||

"Soorya, listen to me!" Shachi tried to remove her hand from her friend's embrace but the latter's will was so strong that she was unable to stop her in any manner. "There's no need for this, Soorya! I don't want to meet him!"

"Not a single word more, Shachi!" Soorya hissed, pulling her harshly. "You are foolishly making things disastrous for yourself. Being your well-wisher, how can I let you do that? Prince Anuhlada is the only good match for you and you HAVE to realize the truth!"

It was astounding how Soorya had started the entire convincing session very humbly but she had slowly turned dominant and rude. She was basically dragging Shachi to Anuhlada against her consent and the latter couldn't react properly because of the shock she was facing due to her friend's behavior. Soorya had been her only friend since her childhood and though their opinions often clashed, their affection for each other had always won over those clashes. But the way she was forcibly trying to manipulate her to marry Anuhlada for her selfishness was too much to tolerate.

"There he is!" Soorya exclaimed, pointing to the direction of a pillar outside the palace where a tall man decked in opulent robes and jewels was standing. "Meet him and talk to him!"

Shachi had seen him before from afar as his family was used to visiting their residence often, owing to the fact that Anuhlada's father Hiranyakashipu was the brother of the Danava Queen, Shachi's paternal aunt Simhika. When their marriage was proposed between the two families, Shachi and Anuhlada, both were present. But they had never conversed with each other directly.

"Go quickly, Shachi, it's getting late for the ceremony!" Soorya pushed forward and the slight noise that her jewelry made, caused Anuhlada to turn towards them. Shachi was sure that she noticed him exchanging signals with Soorya and after that silent exchange, her friend left her alone there, baffling her completely. Before she could call Soorya back, she heard Anuhlada's footsteps approaching, stiffening her expression as she decided to not let her fear show up on her face.

"She told me that you had some doubts regarding our alliance," Anuhlada jumped straight to the point without any greeting in the beginning. "I'm confident that I can dispel all your doubts if you reveal them to me!"

His tone was creepy and intimidating, increasing the unease that was building inside her since she had arrived there or Soorya had brought her there. "If she told you about my doubts, she would have told you about my values too. The marriage alliance was decided by our elders but I cannot share my life with a man who doesn't respect my values, Prince!"

Though she had gathered all the courage she could and blurted away the needful, she was perplexed when Anuhlada started to laugh like a maniac. She stepped back hesitantly and averted her face, feeling abashed.

"Values?" He repeated the word with mirth and continued, "I have never heard a woman speaking about values. A lady has no values of her own, Princess! When she gets married, her husband's values become her values. In fact, she has no value of her own. Her husband provides her with value! Therefore you have to understand these concepts first! Then you'll have no trace of doubt left in your mind."

"Of course, there is no doubt!" She couldn't hold back her anger as his audacious words were enough to replace her nervousness with rage. "If you don't honor a woman, Prince, you don't deserve to have a wife!"

"Nonsense!" Anuhlada smirked. "Are you out of your mind, Princess? How dare you reject me! How dare you even think that you have a choice!"

"I won't marry you!" Shachi asserted. "If you want to save your honor in the eyes of the society, you can step back from this alliance on your own. But I'll never become your wife, not at the cost of my life, not at the cost of anything!"

"What will you do?" He stepped closer. "If you try to escape, I'll chase you, Paulomi. A lion won't feel tired while chasing a deer! I can abduct you as that equals to marriage as per the Asura way. If you protest and create more trouble, I won't stop myself from marrying you in the Pishacha way too. There's no way for you to run away. It will be better if you quietly allow the Brahma Vivaha to take place, at least you'll attain your parents' blessings!"

Shachi recoiled in disgust as he threw a smug look at her expression and was about to leave the place when her question stopped him in between.

"What's the relationship between you and Soorya? How close are you both?"

"She's too intelligent to be your handmaiden, Princess. She should have been the princess instead," he said, scanning her from head to toe. "But she cannot match your beauty and exquisiteness, Paulomi. As far as my relationship with Soorya is concerned, she is my close confidante in the Danava palace, and she has done literally everything in the world for me, including becoming an ornament of my bed. You have to learn from her, Princess, it will be very helpful!"

As Anuhlada walked away, Shachi could feel her veins burn with irrepressible rage, something that she had never experienced before. She had seen so many crimes happening around her and it was depressing but this time, she was facing injustice. It was awakening something new in her soul, a fiery power that she still could not recognize. She had assumed that it was her frustration and helplessness.

Anuhlada had admitted that he and Soorya were having an affair, and that explained her disloyal friend's filthy behavior. But he had also threatened her that he would marry her by hook or crook. If she tried to stop the betrothal ceremony, he would attempt something calamitous. But she couldn't let herself be suppressed by Anuhlada's greed, Soorya's manipulation and the Asuras' atrocities. She had no wish to sacrifice herself at the altar of the demons' heartless and soulless ways.

She wasn't someone who would give up only because she had no choice. If there was no choice to make, she would create her own choice. She would save her life and her character from bowing down to an undeserving man like Anuhlada. She could give up her life but not her values and her virtues.