The temple was enormous with high walls and flowering trees around. Even the entrance of the temple has a strong smell of incense sticks and camphor which immediately gave out a pleasant feeling. All walls and pillars were deeply carved into beautiful sculptures and words of holy scriptures were written in Sanskrit. Chitra was lost looking at the beauty of this temple, she felt an immediate rush of adrenaline and couldn't wait to run inside and see what else this beautiful temple has but before she could run Vikram caught her hand swiftly.
"Have you never been to a temple?" Vikram asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
"Um..why?" Asked Chitra not understanding how to reply, Should she just tell him that this is the first time ever she stepped out of her caged palace?
He let go of her hand and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. After the thieves incident, Chitra unknowingly felt comfortable around him, witnessing his playful side made her understand that he was not the rude person he was trying to show.
"You have to go to the pond first and-"
"Really! A pond? Can I take a dip in the water?" Chitra's eyes went wide as she spoke with excitement and again she turned around to run for the pond, but Vikram caught her hand again making her stop the run.
"Are you a kid? Stop running for god's sake!" Vikram scolded Chitra, but of course, nothing was registering in her brain as all she could think was about the pond.
He took her to the pond, it was a huge pond compared to the one's he visited, Vikram thought. He caught her hand immediately noticing the size of the pond, with this excitement she will trip and fall down and that would just ruin her day, he thought.
The moment she entered the temple she became more careless and he can guess for sure that she doesn't know swimming and he can't take a risk with her life.
Chitra was moving forward towards the water but Vikram pulled her back.
"You are just supposed to wash your feet and hands, that's all! Don't you dare take a dip or play in the waters?" Vikram spoke in a warning tone but Chitra was too high on excitement to notice his warning tone.
"Yes, brother!!" Chirping happily Chitra walked down the stairs leading to the pond.
He felt a tug at his heart as she called him brother. Vikram noticed she has been doing that a lot, addressing him as a brother. The first few times he was irritated but then he started warming up to that call. He once had a family and if things went right he might have had a sibling, probably a sister. But he was not destined for happiness. He lost his family and he never even had the chance to say his final goodbyes.
"Brother let's go inside!" Chitra yelled as she was climbing stairs up.
"I won't be coming inside," Vikram said with a straight face as he walked towards the entrance which was leading towards the main temple.
"Why?" Chitra asked, looking disappointed.
"I don't believe in God," Vikram said, looking down at Chitra.
"You don't?" Chitra asked, clearly surprised.
"Yes, now go and get your prayers done. I will be waiting for you right here."
After giving her instructions about what she should and shouldn't do inside the temple, he let her go. He just hoped that she would come out soon with no trouble around.
** Somewhere in the forest. **
Arjuna hit the man to a tree making him cough out blood due to the force. He held the man by his neck and tightened his fingers, making the man gasp for air.
"Tell me, where are the rest of your members!"
"I don't- don't kn-know what yo-you are talking a-about." He stuttered due to the pressure on his neck.
"Oh really? Alright then, let us go by your way and just for your information my men are right around your house." Saying he bent down to his ear level and whispered in a dangerously low voice. "And all they need is a small sign to chop their heads off. "
And that sentence worked like magic. He started crying and begging to let his family members live.
"Please! Plea-se kill m-me instead!!" He fell to Arjuna's feet, begging him.
"Then spill out all the information you know!" Arjuna's voice roared with anger which echoed through the empty forest.
* * *
"What did you wish for?" Vikram asked in a monotonous tone, though he was curious about why the handmaid was so keen on sending the princess to the temple.
"If I tell you then you shouldn't speak about this to anyone."
"I won't."
"I was supposed to pray for the well being of my in-laws but-"
"In-laws?" Vikram asked, surprised.
"Yes, I am being married off to the minister's son." Vikram just frowned while listening to what she was saying. "But instead I prayed that the marriage should be called off."
"Why? You don't want to be married yet?" Vikram asked deeply involved in the conversation now.
"Of course not, I mean it is every girl's dream to be married and also I would be the happiest girl in this kingdom to be married bu-but he is already married." Chitra mumbled the last few words,
He didn't know what to say but he couldn't understand her situation. It was most common for royals to have more than one wife, then why would she be so sad? But as he was thinking a small thought struck him.
"I understand," Vikram said quietly walking beside her.
"What?" Chitra asked, looking puzzled.
"Your sister might get married to a king if everything went right. But here you are getting married to a minister's son with no proper royal position and-"
"NO!" Chitra cut in his sentence. "That is not the problem here! Don't interrupt me and just listen!" Chitra said, playing with the edge of her headscarf.
"Okay," Vikram said, not understanding where this conversation was going.
"Even if I get married to the poorest person in this village I won't mind! I just don't want to share my husband with any other woman, I just want to be accepted by his family as if I am their own." Chitra exclaimed, swallowing the shiver down her throat thinking that her dream might never come true. She can't cry, not now and not here.
"I know I sound selfish, even foolish to say, but I can't deal with that drama, I have seen my mother and all my life I keep facing the consequences-" Chitra stopped abruptly as if she was shaken, she just realised that she was blurting out every shit that was happening in her life.
She felt embarrassed and looked down not and kept mum and Vikram gave her some space by not asking her any questions.
They soon reached the sanatorium and before Chitra could walk inside Vikram spoke, "Everyone suffers princess but all that counts is the efforts you put in. We might never meet again so let me tell you this."
Chitra tilted her head as she looked at him and Vikram gave her a warm smile.
"You believe in God right?" He asked as if he was speaking to a five-year-old.
"Yes."
"Then take it this way, all these years were a test and God has something better for you in the future. Something better like the love you are dreaming of and if you don't fight for yourself now you might never find it. "
Chitra couldn't find her voice, never once she had this thought of fighting for herself.
"My lady!" She could hear the faint voice of Meenamma, but she couldn't move. Her brain kept replaying what Vikram has told her, What if she actually had a better life in future? Could she fight for it?
When turned around, she saw Arjuna talking with a person sitting on the bullock cart and Meenamma was waiting for her near the cart opening ready to get inside.
"Don't be a coward, sister. Fight for yourself." Vikram said, patting her head, giving her a lovely smile. And soon he left disappearing back to the street they walked.
Soon Meenamma walked near her and asked her about the visit and when they both settled in the cart ready to go back to the palace, Arjuna gave Meenamma a pouch of Gold coins and said, "Keep them with you, it will be helpful."
Arjuna turned towards Chitra with a smug smile and asked in a teasing tone, "I hope that my crying princess didn't shed many tears today?"
Chitra looked at Arjuna's smiling face, her heart was making those weird sounds again but she somehow managed to reply, "Thank you."
Her heart was filled with gratitude. Even she couldn't comprehend why she was feeling so emotional. No one from her family even cared to provide her with some security and support when it was her first time to step outside the palace, but someone from such a powerful position made an effort to make her comfortable and most of all, make her smile.
Maybe she was more thankful to Arjuna that she has got a chance to meet someone like Vikram. Brother, She would never be able to call him like that again. But deep down she was grateful to even get to know them.
----------------------
Hey there! Don't forget to press the star down here 🌟
A fun question!
Do you have a sibling ? If so, how are they like ?