Suman rolled at bed..
she wasn't getting peace as the evening incidences kept on running over her thoughts...
She sat up...she decided to go to the balcony for sometime.... she was already fed up with the untoward incidences...now, she was clueless about Bhanu and Ranjit..In this state , only the full moon and the breeze would be the solace for her...
She put her right foot out of the chamber ... swiftly, a hand extended to stop...
Who's there to stop me...?
She looked up and her eyes twitched out of anger...
Malla!!!!?
" How dare you to stop me...? "
" Devi... it's the Royal order that you have to be confined to the chamber..."
Malla said politely...
Saying so, he leaned at the wall as though the conversation was over...
Suman tapped the floor irritated...
"Why am I living in the Earth even.? "
She shouted starring at the sky...tears rushed down her cheeks...she didn't mind to wipe it off...she leaned at the wall beside the window...and continued to sobb...
Suddenly she stopped crying and turned as someone touched her shoulder...and she was shocked to see Malla there...
She pushed his hand and stepped back as if she had touched fire...
"Malla... don't come near me...I am warning you...I will kill you if you move a bit..."
She gasped in anger...her eyes were red , warning him to the square...
"Suman... listen to me..."
Malla wasn't scared. He dared to move forward...
Suman looked around...she took the bronze lamp that was burning near her...she pointed the sharp edge at him...
" Dare not to near me...stop there..."
She said and grasped the lamp tighter...
Malla laughed mischief...
"Suman...look at me...look into my eyes...I am shiv...your shravan..."
He told in one go and looked her expectantly...
For a moment, suman was silent... Then, laughed aloud...
" you...? Shravan? You are a coward who tries to use a woman's insecurity... Shravan is a gem... even though he got many opportunities to near me in the princess fort,he never did so...and, he stood at my side at my tough time even after knowing that I may hate him later... Don't even compare him to you...you are a selfish.."
Malla stunned to hear her statement... she wasn't ready to accept him as Shravan...
While he was in confusion, she began to attack him with the lamp she had...
Malla nodded subsequently...he avoided her every possible move to strike him...
He grasped her waist and lifted her to his chest... he swirled her in the air gripping her waist firmly... He slid an armlet to her right arm...
It was her silver armlet that embedded with an emerald in it...
It was shravan's habit that whenever he had to leave Suman,he used to wear her armlet and he would make Suman to wear his armlet... This exchange indeed felt them to be close with each other...
While he was leaving to Kalyani...the same exchange happened....
After seeing the jewel, her eyes widened with shock...
"Shravan...."
Her mouth uttered those words involuntarily...
Shravan pressed his forehead with hers....and nodded with tears...
Suman looked deeper into his eyes...
The eyes which hold enormous love for her....!!!!
"Shravan..."
She hugged him close and cried her heart out...
He let her to cry until she got over with the turmoil...
She cupped his cheeks and stroked gently...
" Shravan...you were close to me...I couldn't recognize you...I am a fool..what happened to your face..? Why you are looking old?"
She was restless..
Shravan lifted her and walked towards the river bank...
He made her to sit at the grass. Her feet was dangling to touch the river water. He sat beside her and pulled her close to him...
The full moon shine catalyzed the Jasmine buds to bloom. Hence the entire Garden was filled with engulfing fragrance.. The silvery moon beams glistened on the jasmines not less than the twinkling stars . Thus , the ground appeared to be the sky overall...
Although the ambience was a heaven , Shravan was drawn to Suman's elegance... He starred at her ivory feet that shone like a pearl in the immersed water..
"Suman I missed you a lot" he said huskily...
She buried herself to his chest as his grip on her grew stronger...
"I was literally dying to see you shravan...what a fool am I? Neela...the night we spent together...the effect I had on me when you touched me...even after this many clues why didn't I recognize you..?"
Shravan smiled naughtily...
" That's because, you always thought about Shravan and this poor Malla wasn't a matter at all at your eyes..."
He was expressing the words theatrically.. Suman understood what did he mean and her cheeks turned to pink hue...
"Huhhh....it has been a long time.... I am enjoying you blushing..!!!"
Saying so, shravan knuckled his nose tip to her cheeks...suman traced the scar he had on his face.. Her eyes dripped down the tears...
" How did it happen shravan?" She inquired, viewing him sadly...
Shravan interlaced his fingers with hers...
" That's really a big story...I will tell you sometime later?"
" Suman... don't you like this Malla?"
He asked intrigued, gazing into her eyes...
Suman cupped his cheeks...
" Why don't I shravan? You are my soul...and, how would I leave my soul...? Thri bhuvana Malla..
.."
She raised her brows and winked...
Suddenly, she left him....
"Shravan...why didn't you help me to escape...? where is bhanu and Ranjit?why did you bring me back here?"
the queries were like arrows...
Shravan grasped her hands securely in his palm and gently pulled her to lean on his shoulders... wrapping her warmth to him,he began to narrate...
" Suman...when I saw you with udhaya Ravi, he introduced you as his daughter... I knew that you would have convinced him to send message about you to me...He is a genuine man and I don't want you to break his faith on you... that's why I didn't help you to escape"
"It wouldn't take much time to rescue you if I call them to the battlefield...but, think of the people... There will be lose at either sides...on behalf of me why they should suffer?"
Shravan let out a deep sigh...
" I decided to get you back with me by myself...you are my responsibility...and I feel responsible for everything that happens around us.and...its my duty to face them..."
" I left the kingdom to bhanu and guruji..* I got the clue with the size of the pearl you have left at the market place...I came hear and met parvatheshwar luckily...he gave me this avatar as my identity was a hindrance to search you..."
" Udhaya Ravi couldn't recognize me and he offered me a chance to be with you as a servant... when I reached here, I came to know about vijaya simhan..."
" I knew him..he is not less than jayasimhan...I began to observe him...I knew well that he would try to use this opportunity to defeat me...as I thought , he began to march towards our kingdom..."
" I don't want to leave you alone and at the same time I have to save our kingdom ...so, I have sent false message through our spy to Vijaya Simhan that I am coming towards Malayalam with thousand soldiers....so, with few soldiers he returned..."
"Now...my first part of the plan was success... The unexppected thing was Bhanu's arrival..."
" Why shravan...? We would have gone with her easily... our ship was just at reachable distance.."
Suman asked him quizzically...
Shravan smiled at her...
"It would be the dangerous idea....our ship was already conquered by Vijaya Simhan's marines... Bhanu and Ranjit didn't aware of it...he is intelligent as well... initially, like everyone I thought the Marines around the sea was commercial ones. But, they are actually warships...he was ready to defend me if I come via sea route..."
"My goodness....I wasn't aware of this..."
Suman's face showed her surprise...
"How would you know...? Your mind was occupied with Shravan day and night... You were like bhakt Meera who loved Lord Krishna fondly.."
He teased her....
"Shravan..." She called his name in warning tone...
" Now... where's Bhanu and Ranjit..?"
"Suman... They are in Vijaya Simhan's one of the warships..."
He said flat and his answer left Suman at shock...
" What...? At Vijaya Simhan's ship..? shravan... have you gone crazy..?"
She asked him angrily...
Shravan laughed...
" My dear Sumantha..., I wasn't sitting quite... I defeated Vijaya Simhan's warships one by one with parvatheshwar's help silently.. even Vijaya Simhan didn't know about this....now, everything under control at sea route...all okay now..?"
He yanked her cheeks playfully...
" That's like my Shravan..."
She cupped his cheeks and stroked them gently...
Shravan stood up...
"Suman..lets go back..I have some works to be done..."
In a flash, Suman remembered..."shravan...what if, the guards notice us together...?"
Shravan winked...
" Suman... everybody is sleeping with the help of this..."
He showed a parijath flower...
Suman knew how it will work...
She laughed and inquired him from where he got it...
"Parvatheshwar... He taught me to use this if necessary.. I sprinkled a herb over the flower that will create deep sleep...and the guards have smelt it..."
He secured the flower in his angavastra...
He bowed to her reverentially...
" Devi...time to sleep.."
She nodded like a princess and began to walk...
Shravan lifted her and walked towards the chamber...
Making her to lie down comfortable, he turned to leave...
" Malla...!"
She called righteous..
He raised his brow...
She gestured him to come near her...
He knelt in front of her , adorning the beautiful smile...
She pressed her lips over his forehead and whispered...
" Take care...come back soon..."
He nodded and left the palace...
Suman slept in peace after so many days , unaware of the things that happened in udhaya Ravi's royal palace....
-----------------------------------------------------------
So...
Its Shravan...and everything at the sea route is clear...
What will be the next move of Vijaya Simhan..?
Now, Bhanu, Ranjit, Suman and Shravan are at Malayalam... what if, Vijaya Simhan's soldiers attack Shiv's kingdom..? Only guruji is there to handle it...what he will do?
Pen down your views please...
*And... about the size of the pearl...I have read somewhere that in olden period, the oversized pearls are considered as precious and should be possessed only by the Royal family... They wouldn't allow those pearls to go out of their kingdom..and it was their pride...
Then...
have a happy read... please comment ... at least in a line or with an emoji..that means a lot...
Thanks for the love and support..
Arulpirai...