"Your father is responsible for this."
"You did this. Your father has done all this."
"There's a karma for everything."
"Shut up people, what's their fault in all this?"
"They cannot get away with everything like that."
"Oh! So THE family has stepped down their tower."
Nandini closed her eyes gulping what she had heard a few minutes ago. She was sitting in a huge tent all by herself. She in her entire life hadn't heard such venomous remarks. That walk through her people turned out to be a walk of shame.
"They hate us," she murmured. Her own people who blessed her always, hated her now. She stood up and shook her head in disbelief.
Weak sobs, she let the cry escape. She walked to the window and saw endless view of mountain line. Cold wind took away those tears in a jiffy and her trance was broken by her mother's voice.
"Everything will be fine, honey," She said while taking Nandini in a side hug.
Nandini looked at her, trying to find that missing assurance. She was the same lady who made her believe in fairy-tales once. She was the same lady who made her believe in everything she knew. She always believed her. But today, something was changed. Nandini could no longer find assurance in her. Her warmth, love and care were still there but belief was gone.
"I need some fresh air," Nandini took her shawl and walked outside. She covered her face with it and started walking down the alley.
Precisely one month back, she would have walked this beautiful alley carefree. Precisely one month back, everything was fine after all. Town heading for annual day; marts getting all dressed up; happiness around, everything was going how it was supposed to be. Then that riot...
That riot changed it all. Counting days, that's all she had been doing since then. Days passed and so did her countless questions. After all, all her questions like why it all happened; why she was not allowed to be there for her people; why her father had retreated; why he was not there for this town when rioters were destroying everything; how his one decision had changed everything and why he wasn't owning up to it, were passed as well.
Nandini was brought back from chain of thoughts by a delectable aroma. She saw smoke coming out of chimney. A wooden house! were people building themselves back? She thought.
She looked around to realize she was standing at a construction site. Someone's house was getting built. She saw people working with their heads down. They looked tired, quelled to be more precise. She heard a kid crying just to grab attention of his working mother. She ran to him and tried comforting him. That lady looked at Nandini who had been staring at them since minutes now. Her face turned blanch. She grabbed her son and left the place.
"Do you love to starve?" She heard someone yelling. She followed the direction.
"I don't fill your stomach to skip work in name of your crying kid," A man in uniform spluttered.
Nandini's saw the same lady standing with her head hung low. It didn't take long her to realize how officials there were exploiting those people. Her anger shot high and she didn't realize when she started walking towards them. Another guard dragged a man and threw in front of that officer. This startled Nandini and she halted. She took shed of tree and waited.
"This moron was trying to steal food, sire," Guard told.
That officer grabbed ear of that person so roughly that he cried in pain. Nandini took away her eyes. His cries were making her fraught.
"You filthy peasant, you would outsmart me?" He roared, "Throw him back in camp,"
That peasant kept pleading to the officer but he didn't listen.
Nandini didn't realize when her eyes got moist. She was angry, so angry. She didn't feel this helpless ever. Her father had always treated each citizen of the state with utmost respect and today that strange army was treating them like slaves.
Her chest ached at the bitter new reality. She didn't know how to let out this feeling. She gulped the rage and decided to walk up to that jerk. She couldn't let all this happen. She took a deep breathe and started walking towards that officer. She was sure she would hold her ground and tell those tyrannies right in their face that they couldn't exploit her people like that.
Before she could stride further, she was dragged behind a tree. Her eyes widened in shock. Before a shriek could escape her lips, they were buried under a powerful palm. She trembled in fear and shock. While She tried to register the tall figure pinning her to the tree, she heard an upheaval. A brawl maybe, she couldn't see what was going around back there. All she saw was those eyes looking in that direction all alert but doughty. She felt a muscular grip around her waist and next she knew she was swaying in air as he lifted her and started walking.
She looked at scene all horrified. People were attacking that warehouse. Uniformed men were trying to impede them using butt of rifles. Screams of ladies, stampede around; people had pulled a burglary she guessed. Nandini flinched to get rid of that unwanted ride but failed.
"Leave me," She bawled. She thrashed his back as she was exposed to that only and he paced his walk.
"I said Leave me," She roared again. All her efforts to get rid of his grip went in vain and she whimpered. Hold on her legs was firm and She was feeling a bit dizzy seeing world upside down as he continued walking with her head hung down. She looked around to find them away from any human traces and next she realized she was on ground. He dropped her on grassy ground.
She looked around to find herself in forest. Her eyes wandered everywhere before they stopped at him.
Dirty shoes, indigo jeans and a vest; Nandini looked at his face. A tall contour, he had his face covered with dirty bandanna but those eyes, they were captivating. He was staring right into her eyes. He didn't intend to conceal his identity as she looked into his eyes.
"How dare you?" She stood up and walked to him, fuming.
Curt, his gaze was curt as he didn't stop looking at her. Unstirred as she walked to him and tried slapping him. He held her hand in a jiffy and she stood perplexed at his ease. Frosty, not his touch but the way he held her hand. She felt even angrier.
His touch was like ice and his gaze was fire.
Nandini struggled to take away that cloth from his face and he didn't even try defending much. That bandanna fell down as she took it away and he stood revealed in front of her. She kept looking in those galling eyes. Not a single trace of anything on that young face, he wasn't perplexed or amused or anything.
Miffed? was he miffed as he let go of hand and looked away.
"Where have you brought me? Who are you? I can put you behind bars for taking me away without my consent," she said as he instigated her to speak up with his constant silence.
"That's your tent uphill. Walk on," he said and turned to leave.
Nandini looked up the hill and realized she was brought back to her own tent. He was walking away.
"Listen! Who are...," He turned around listening her and she couldn't even complete her sentence seeing revulsion in his eyes.
"You cannot just walk away without giving me answers," She said, "I could have helped those people if you hadn't taken me away like that."
"Save yourself first," He finally spoke in a dangerous tone, "This isn't your lawn where you can walk and rescue the butterflies."
He took her a bit offhand and she stood fazed. He walked to her and said, "This isn't your father's sponsored charity event where you would come and play mighty. Haven't you people had enough of limelight already?"
Nandini gulped the lump in her throat and opened her mouth to say something. "I was just trying to....help," she said.
"Don't!" he said coldly and turned around.
"Go home, your highness," He said and walked away.
Too much to take, Nandini wiped the sweat off her face and looked uphill. She started walking but his words were echoing in her ears. She was running from similar voices and ended up being there only. As soon as she entered her shack, her mother came running to her. "Where did you disappear?" she asked all worried, "And what's this pine smell?"
She looked at her Nandini from tip to toe. "I am fine, Mother," She assured her.
"I need to take shower," she added and went inside the bathroom. His smell, his words, his rough touch; she closed her eyes and put cold water on her. She was angry, very angry. Angry at those officials, angry at that rude man who saved her.
Oh well! He saved her and then stabbed her with those words.
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"Nandini, come out! We have guests," Her mother called.
Nandini went out and saw a man in uniform sitting on chair.
"Come honey, He is deputy in charge here and helping out our people," Her mother told and Nandini looked at him with veiled disgust.
She knew what was going around there in name of rescue and help.
"She has grown into a beautiful young lady," He said looking at Nandini.
"Well! This boy would bring you all the necessities." Deputy introduced this young man to them.
Deputy took their leave and Nandini saw a smiling face looking at her.
"Hello Ma'm, I am Aryan," He said, "I would be more than happy to serve you."
He looked like a cordial local boy. Well, a little over cordial as Nandini could deduce by end of day.
A day had passed with a lot happened. Nandini was tucked into her warm quilt. Cold wind did unsettle the fire beside but soothed her a bit. She closed her eyes but sleep was miles away.
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