(Neutral pov;)
The galloping grew louder as the two horses approached the gates of the kingdom. The soldiers at the gate rushed to open the huge gates to let their monarch in.
Aksh rode close by, stopping at the gates as Agastya entered first. The gates were closed right after as both of them went in.
On reaching the horse-shed, both the men dismounted from their horses. Aksh followed Agastya inside after the horse caretakers took the horses to feed them and place them in their respective sheds.
Traversing through the hallways, Agastya approached a room guarded by soldiers on both sides.
Aksh's footsteps came to a hesitant stop as he stood before the gate. Agastya went in, his steps steady and sure.
The soldiers opened the door after bowing to Agastya. The door closed after him.
The soldiers bowed to Aksh before assuming their previous position.
(Agastya pov;)
I stepped inside the chamber as my heart thudded against my chest. I've been delaying this for months, but now it was time. I made up my mind after meeting Ruh today.
This decision had to be taken and Ruh needed to be back here as soon as possible. She was meant to rule beside me and I would not delay her the opportunity anymore.
I stopped halfway into the huge chamber. Father was beside the huge window overlooking the sikri tower. It was peculiar about him. Whenever I saw him in the chamber, he spent half of his time staring at the tower thinking about something.
I cleared my throat, earning his attention. He didn't move from his position, only his neck tilted unnoticeably, acknowledging my presence.
" come here, Agastya." ....his voice was oddly emotional, it carried hints of moisture.
Nevertheless, I followed his orders and went to stand beside him. As I stood there, I realized how beautiful the sikri tower looked from up here.
The gravelly voice spoke beside me, taking me out of my careful observation of the tower and the village visible vaguely.
" Its amazing how quickly time passes. One day I was holding you in my arms after your mother gave birth to you, thinking of a name. I thought for days to no success. You were just so special to me, I was afraid I couldn't find a name that would convey that significance. "......he stopped to take a soft breath, sniffing lightly....." then one day I came into this chamber, it was an empty one back then. I came near the window and saw this tower. It was just so great. I kept staring for a while and then it reminded me of a bond. A bond between us and sikri. Rather, a condition enforced upon sikri by us."
" It was centuries from now. Sikri was a flourishing kingdom at our borders. it was just so beautiful, our ancestors couldn't just keep their hands off it. " .....he took a breath, as he wanted to continue, but I interrupted him before that.
" Father, forgive me." .......I spoke up before he could say anything. To this, I earned a confused look. I continued..
" I know the information about Sikri was supposed to be kept a secret from me, but I came across it either fortunately or unfortunately. I would leave that for you to decide. "......I finished briefly.
His mouth opened, and closed after a while. He stared at me dumbfounded for a while after which he assumed a cool demeanor.
He turned back towards the window and I saw a smile which I couldn't decipher. Either it was a sad smile or a part-sad part-happy smile, but he didn't speak for another few moments.
" I see. " ...he finally said, with a small nod. He continued again.
" so...the bond. The bond to include Sikri officially wasn't decided. I looked at the tower and it reminded me of that. It required someone courageous, someone bold to do that kind of thing in front of the people. The people who consider sikri cursed. It is till now one of the chief concerns of the empire that need to be addressed. Back then, it was even a bigger deal as sikri had started to gain back its initial functional state. I somehow managed to handle it and keep it silenced." ....he stopped once again, and this time I felt a warm hand grabbing mine. I looked downwards to see him holding my hands in a soft clutch.
" It required someone who could move mountains, and the day I held you in my arms for the first time, your eyes had that spark. Though your brothers were already competing for the throne, something told me that you would be the next king, and I wanted you to be that someone who moved mountains. That day, I finally decided on a name. Agastya, my son, I have been dreaming of this day from the time you were born. To see you standing beside me as the king of this huge empire. It's like a dream has been fulfilled. I know you do not need any of my advice or suggestions to uphold the greatness of this kingdom, and possibly make it even greater." ......he finished as a few drops of tears slid down through the corners of his eyes. He left my hands to wipe them softly and a small smile played on his lips.
I had never seen his smile since my childhood. He was mostly busy in the affairs of the kingdom and that kept a tough expression on his face. To admit honestly, this was also the first time I had seen him this off-guard, letting his emotions flow freely.
I stood for a while, before my body worked on its own accord and my arms went towards him to enclose him in a soft hug.
" Father, I promise you, none of your dreams will go unfulfilled by me. like this one, I would fulfil each one of yours and this kingdom's dreams no matter what it takes. you have left the throne to me, I request you to leave all your worries and problems with it too. you don't have to worry about anything concerning the kingdom now. consider it done by your son. "
I said as i felt him releasing from the hug as he kept a firm hand on my shoulders and looked at me with proud eyes.
" enough about me son. you came here to tell me something. go ahead." ....he said as he left my shoulder after patting it once.
I drew in a deep breath. it seemed too cruel, too hard to break this on him right after he told me what i meant to him. but I had no other way out of this.
Maybe I would feel terrible after this, maybe we would never have the same relationship once I am done. However, I needed to take that risk.
I reminded myself that this was also involved closely with the wish that father expects of me to fulfil.
" Father, I have made some hard decisions, and I don't know how fortunate or unfortunate they are. i don't know if you know about the woman i love...."....i was interrupted sharply.
" I do, son. " .....he chuckled and i was surprised beyond measure.
"how-"......i was interrupted once again.
" I'm your dad, son, and maybe I know what you plan too. Since you're the king now, I can't possibly stop you or even advise you on that matter. I've seen you messing things up a lot since childhood, but another thing I noticed was how you picked that messy stuff and managed to somehow fix it in your own crooked way. this too, might not go well, but i believe in your ability to complete it." ........he said as he smiled towards the sikri tower.
one surprise I gave him, and one surprise he gave me. This ended better than I had expected it to.
As I bowed slightly before him, he turned back to stop me abruptly.
" Remember what I'm about to say Agastya Rajvardhan Malik. The kings of Malik empire never bowed in front of anyone and never will, I don't care if I'm your father. The king of Malik's bowing to someone isn't something I have handled this kingdom for.".........he said, forcefully straightening me.
I nodded before him once as I was dumbfounded now. it finally felt like he had started to take me very seriously, which was unlike the case before.
" I will take my leave now.".........i said to him before turning around.
as i was at the door, I heard his voice.
" I thought you'd just move mountains. i didn't expect you to straight away pick them up and toss them in the air." .....he chuckled briefly and i felt some kind of pride building within me.
" Sikri being added to the empire was seen. but a woman from sikri itself ruling the kingdom beside the king was an unforeseen development. Best of luck, I'm always here if you need anything. "
As I stepped out of the door, I felt myself being rebuilt again, this time with some seemingly crooked motives, but strong nevertheless.
I walked out of the door to see aksh waiting for me patiently. As i went ahead, I heard his footsteps following close behind.
" Did it go well ?" ....he spoke when we're away from the soldiers and in an open space.
He didn't know what it was, I decided it in my mind and rode back to the kingdom with the motive. On arriving, I went straight in for the confrontation. He was not aware of any of it.
Nevertheless, he knew that relations between my father and me hadn't exactly been "well". I understood that he intended to relieve me of my tension if I had any after the conversation.
It felt good to know this time that I didn't need assurance after talking with my father.
I turned towards him finally.
" Plan the war, we will execute it next week. Just days after the coronation of the Rajvanshi's. " .......I worded slowly. A shocked expression painted his face but it was only for brief moments before he regained his composure.
" Why not now ?" ...he questioned the obvious.
" I made the deal with aadhrit Singh rajvanshi, and anything I execute concerning that deal should be under the rule of Aadhrit Singh rajvanshi and no one else. "
He looked at me once and nodded, looking away after that.
After a few moments, he turned to look back at me.
" Agastya. " .....he addressed me by my name, a privilege I've allowed him once in the past. I understood that this time he wasn't speaking as my official, but rather as my friend who had known me closely.
" Is Ruh okay with this ? War and everything...?" ........he questioned, and I found myself losing my breath shortly.
I had thought about this once, and ignored it when I found myself with no answer.
I knew she wouldn't be. She might even turn against me for all of this. However, I was willing to take that risk. She would have to give up eventually.
But right now, I have no answer to satisfy aksh.
" She will have to be okay. ".....i said with a strict tone, signalling him to switch the topic.
He looked at me once with critical eyes, but looked away swiftly when I looked back at him.
I retreated towards my chamber, wanting to take the last ounces of rest before I devote myself to the planning of the war, and finally......the execution.
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(Ruh's pov :-)
After he went away, I looked at the broken pot on the ground not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Maya came in after a knock. I turned around to see her standing surprised as she saw the broken pot on the floor.
" How did this even happen. " ...she said after a small gasp. As she tried to come towards the place, a sharp sound surprised us both as we jumped slightly.
We looked towards the source to see aadhrit at the door. He had slammed open the door and stood there.
" Privacy. " ....he said loudly, looking straight at me with burning eyes. I didn't know what to do.
I looked at Maya and she looked back at me slowly making her way out.
After she went out of the door, aadhrit slammed the door shut and I shivered with the impact.
He came towards me and held my arms in a tight grip, almost leaving a mark where he held it.
A sharp cry left my mouth.
" You're hurting me. " ....I said.
" Oh...am I ? Didn't know I was. " ....he said with sarcasm dripping his voice.
My eyes turned red slightly as I felt the grip tightening further and it hurt like hell.
He left it and pushed me towards the bed with a lot of force. I sat on it with a thud.
I felt my breathing get heavier.
" What are you doing ?" .....I said angrily this time.
" What am I doing ? Let me ask you a better question. How many men did you do ? " ......he said psychotically with a sharp glare.
I am speechless now.
" What do you even-" .....i was interrupted with another scream.
" Tell me. How many men did you do before coming here, and how many do I have to go to war with to end up marrying a degraded woman like you. "
Tears clouded my vision and I felt myself shudder with anger. I had taken enough, now I didn't care.
I got up heavily from the bed and went towards him. Holding his collar tightly, I pulled him down with a jerk.
" Don't you dare say another thing about my character or else you'll suffer through hell. " ......I said looking straight into his eyes.
He raised a brow, surprised with my newfound courage.
But that didn't stop him from pushing me back again.
" Oh and who's gonna do that ? Your bloody boyfriend you managed to pull at the other kingdom ? Because then he doesn't know what he involved himself with. " ........he clenched his fists, and a vein throbbed in his neck.
I realised who he was talking about, and suddenly everything started to make sense. That wound in Agastya's finger, his words and everything.
As I stood in a trance he slammed his fist on the table beside.
I shuddered looking at him. His ears turned red and he was breathing intensely.
" I never cared about you and never will. If I could, I would've tossed you out of the kingdom. But now, it's about the reputation of the Rajvanshi's. It's about the pride of my kingdom. Be prepared to marry me on the day of the coronation. Dare to run away, and find out how cruel I can be. " ......he said as he turned and the floor shook with the impact of his steps.
He stood before the door, his back facing me.
" Should've known women like you don't bring anything but shame and troubles to the kingdom. Tell your lover to watch out, i will behead him the same day if he tries to come between the marriage. " .......he declared before exiting.
Something in me shuddered when he said that last part, and that's when I realised I couldn't even think of losing Agastya.
I didn't want to marry him. Not now, not ever. But him threatening me about Agastya scared me to the core. I couldn't lose him. I would lose a part of me if I lost him.
I looked at the door which he shut behind him. Tears slid down my face but I didn't sob a single time or try to wipe them.
I wouldn't protest now, it might cost Agastya his life. But I'll not let him go away with insulting me. The time will come and he'll suffer for the fingers he pointed at me.
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(Aadhrit's pov;-)
After exiting the royal quarter's following the encounter with my to-be bride, I was fueled even more to assert my opinion. I know what rishi Eknath said, and I was also aware that it was in our best interest to let Ruh go, but I wasn't going to now.
I didn't have any attachments with her, at best I hated her. Nevertheless, now marrying her is attached with the dominance of this kingdom and I wasn't about to let that slide so easily.
I stormed towards rishi Eknath's chamber. On opening the door, unsurprisingly, I found my mother in consultation with him. as I entered abruptly, I alarmed the both of them, but I couldn't care any less.
" Aadhrit! what is this behavior. you're supposed to be asking for permission before entering someone's chamber." ...my mother glared at me.
" I am done asking for things mom. now I'll do what I want. stop me if you can. "
I heard a silent gasp coming from my mother, but rishi Eknath sat unfazed and that somehow managed to annoy me to my limit.
" what's the matter, son?" ......Eknath tried to say with a deliberately slow and calm voice.
" I'm marrying Ruh at my coronation next week. I don't care what you think, and you will be the one tying her to me with all the holy procedures needed." ....I declared strictly.. my mothers eyes widened but she was too shocked to say anything..
I looked towards her.
" mother, you were the one who wanted me to marry that girl, weren't you? now I'm fulfilling your wish, and I hope you know that intervening will result in huge loss to this empire. I'm not the king yet, but I'm taking charge from now. and if anyone tries to stop me, they shall see what happens."
I saw silent drops of tears rolling down her eyes but her face didn't betray any emotions. I didn't wait any further and exited the place to go towards my room. if needed, i'll prepare all of our best forces for war.
I was not going to bend infront of Agastya.
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Hey amazing people, here's another update!
Please vote and comment or I cannot help but be irregular with the updates. I've got tons of assignments too. If you guys simply don't care then i wouldn't be motivated to post so regularly.
Atleast comment on chapters and tell me how they were or what you would like. If you don't, then you leave me with no other option but to halt writing and focus on my professional front more.
Please try to be a bit more interactive and motivate me to keep updating further.
~ you know who 💖