King Nivas (Dharani's father)'s POV:
Finally, my beautiful daughter is coming home. I made all the arrangements. Her 20th birthday is going to be a blast. I kind of wonder how she is doing. Did I do a mistake by agreeing to get her married to Arjun? I still remember that day when Acharya said we should get her married to Arjun. I was against him. I told him Dharani is not a deal material. She is my daughter and I would prefer war rather than doing something against her will. However, Acharya convinced me. He told me that Arjun and Dharani loved each other the moment they met. Else Arjun would not have provided medical care for the prisoners and Dharani would not have fought the battle with such ferocity. He also told me that Dharani needs Arjun as much as Arjun needs Dharani. The only drawback my daughter had and the one that I always wanted to correct is her nature of being too good. She never hurt anyone. Not even during practice and I was genuinely shocked when she fought with Arjun putting her values aside. It proved that if there is someone who could make her angry, it is him and as Acharya says " It is acceptable for a normal woman to be gentle, but not for a warrior princess. A warrior princess should be able to kill someone if its necessary for the well being of all." Maybe I am selfish. Maybe I am putting my little girl in a not so comfortable zone just because I wanted to see her as a warrior. I don't know, but one thing is for sure if I get the slightest clue that my daughter is not happy I am going to cancel this marriage.
There she comes, daddy's little princess. She came and hugged me. Later she went on to her mother. Arjun was behind her with Dev. I didn't notice anything out of place except for the cloth tied to his hand. He came towards me and took my blessings.
"What happened to your hand, Arjun?" I asked.
"I made a mistake and so I punished myself," he said without hesitation. This is a quality I like in him and I think this is the quality Dharani likes in him as well. He never hesitates to admit his mistake or tell people about them. Not everyone could do that. I wanted to ask what his mistake was, but he told me without asking.
"It was actually related to Dharani and I think you should know," he said. "I got to know that she is afraid of dogs and I wanted her to get rid of her phobia. So I woke her up at 3:00 in the morning today and took her with me. Later I announced the soldiers to set the dogs free. I was with her and I tried to console her but she fell unconscious. I felt really guilty for what I have done and I still do. So..." he paused, "I am sorry."
He was honest. He hurt himself because he was the reason for my daughter's pain. That is impressive. He is her only enemy. Ironically, he is also one of her biggest well-wishers. However, I still had a question.
"Are you still planning to help her get rid of her fear?" I asked.
"Of course, sir," he said, "Dharani is a warrior. She should not be afraid of dogs. I will keep trying, this time step by step and I am sure she will not resist. She is not a coward. "
I got my answer. Acharya was right. Arjun is the right person. He values her. He has this sense of respect everytime he talks about Dharani. He has this passion to make her the best. There are love and affection in his eyes for her.
"All the best, Arjun," I said before going back to the celebration.
Arjun's POV:
I ordered my personal soldiers to send 20 rose plants to the camp by the time we return and as fate would have it Dev heard me.
"For my sister's birthday, is it?" he asked sheepishly smiling and clapping lightly.
"Nope," I replied.
"You are lying Arjun. There is no reason your soldiers would need roses. These are for my sister's birthday only," he argued with me moving his forefinger like a kid.
"No Dev," I replied politely, "These are for her, I admit but not for her birthday. I wanted to gift her a plant everytime she successfully meets a dog."
"She is not a pet to get rewarded for doing something you want," he said in a little angry tone. Dev's concern for his sister made me smile.
"You are taking me wrong. She is a princess, I know and this is not payment or something. I wanted to give her something that would remind her of her brave moments and what better than a rose plant that would bloom and bring joy," I replied politely. He was satisfied.
"That's so sweet," he said, "You really love her a lot."
What? Do I love her? I don't want to. She has been influencing me since the moment we met and is probably the only one apart from my parents who is capable of doing so, but that doesn't mean I love her. I do admire her for her bravery and for how calmly she deals with situations, but that doesn't mean I love her or does it? Suppress your feelings Arjun. You will have to fight a war with her every single day once the new kingdom is formed. Your thoughts just don't sinc with that of her's. Forget love, we can't even be good friends.
(Hey guys, thank you for making it till here. So the next chapter will be published on 5 November 2018. So stay tuned. Thank you. Love you all. The cute kid above is Dev btw.)