The Undying Tale of Love ✔

Some love stories get happy ending in this life, and the ones which don't, they become the example of true love!

Life and Death

She was eight, he was ten, and both of them knew it was love. No one ever noticed the sparkle in his eyes every time he saw her smiling, and her smile when he got her her favourite berries. Because for people, they were kids, innocent and immature, unaware of the suffering that love involves.

Time moved forward, and from childhood love, it was now an adolescent affair. He loved to buy her kohl, she happily made his favourite dessert. They exchanged their gifts, secretly - away from the scrutiny of the society, for whom now these two weren't immature or juvenile - but two budding transgressors, daring to go against the society that had forbidden love.

Soon adolescence was on to move, but not their love, which had bound them so intensely, allowing neither to leave the other.

Yet, the thread of their sacred relationship was weakening from the boy's side, who fell in love again, not with a girl, but the nation he was proud citizen of. The oblivious girl couldn't understand, what kept her lover up at night wasn't her anymore, now it was the love for his country. The love for nation was becoming stronger day-by-day, the love they shared, weaker.

Finally, they were no longer adolescents. They were adults now, ready to take on the world and become one by approaching the final step of a relationship: Marriage, the girl believed, but not the boy. She was beautiful, her parents couldn't wait to get her marriage fixed before she tainted their name, the girl didn't care, her love still strong. The rules of the village they lived in, didn't allow them to meet in public, so the girl waited for the boy to meet her soon, to request him to make her his, before her marriage was fixed with someone else.

He did! In the wee hours of night, when the entire village was asleep, the boy sneaked into her room through the terrace. Horrified, she was, but relaxed soon in her lover's arms. The warmth and security she felt in her lover's arms, made her forget even the harshest words bestowed on her for rejecting a marriage alliance.

"Marry me, make me yours. I can't be anyone else's."

The boy stiffened on hearing these words, he wasn't here for this. He was no longer the little boy who doted on her, he was a man who wanted to protect his nation. And marriage wouldn't let him do that.

"I can't! I love you, but my love for my nation is greater and I want to do my duty towards my nation. If you love me, you'd set me free. I'd love you forever, but Army is my calling, I've made my mind. I'm sorry!"

The love for nation, finally, overpowered the love they shared since childhood and won the battle. His first victory became her biggest loss. Her dreams were shattered, he was stoic. She was broken, he was prepared. She stayed silent, he left without a word more. She had lost her love, he was moving toward it.

Crestfallen, she said yes for marriage the very next day. Excited, he received his recruitment letter that very evening. Woeful, he was - the feeling of loss killed his heart, but the enthusiasm for killing the enemy compensated it enough. She had nothing to compensate the pain, not even the fulfilment of her dream to become a bride.

Time never stopped, and she was betrothed to a man that wasn't her lover, who now was a soldier. Her wish to get married was going to become true, he was ready to protect his nation.

She was no more lively, he was his bravest self. He was doleful to hear her marriage news, she was fearful on listening about his deployment.

The day of marriage was soon approaching. She was dying from inside, a strange tugging sensation in her heart, his insides were churning with a strange feeling. Dressed in a yellow saree, she was ready for her Haldi, far away from her, on the battlefield, he needed antiseptics.

Before the marriage could take place, a news reached her. Though the war was won, her lover couldn't survive. He had died after a brave fight, she was done with surviving as well.

The door of the room was pushed open, but the bride wasn't found, only a corpse in a red bridal dress was lying on the floor. Her hair partition, which her to-be husband was supposed to fill, glorified with her own blood, that only sang the brave soldier's name.

His body was brought home, Army ready to pay him homage. The last vigil for her body, about to begin. Those, who called them rebels, now understood the extent of their love. It wasn't juvenile, it was pure and sacred. Not something that would've tainted their reputation, but something which would've revered their name.

With respect and the only chance of uniting them, their bodies were cremated together, allowing their souls to finally find each other again.

She opened her eyes, feeling tranquil and lighter. He was the first thing her eyes found to stare. A soldier no longer, he was again the boy she unconditionally loved.

And she wasn't a bride. She was his queen.

"We are together, finally."

She beamed with happiness.

"Yes, we are. I fulfilled my wish to serve the nation, you almost got married. I think we both are even now."

His happiness, only they both could understand.

She rested her head on his chest, both of them in the castle of clouds. He was in a white suit, she, in an intricately designed white saree. Together, they watched the sunset in heaven, at last united.

Death wasn't cruel to them, Life's circumstances were. Death allowed them to be together, Life wasn't that merciful. Death sometimes unites people, the way Life was unable to do.

Yet, above these two it was their Love, that kept them connected - despite Life playing it's game and Death, ending it all.

A/N: Hey, guys! So this is the Valentine's Day special one shot, inspired from the epic love sagas like Heer-Ranjha, Soni-Mahiwal, Mirza-Sahiba, Romeo-Juliet etc. Happy Valentine's Day!

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