INSEPARABLE I

VII

Arriving at the fair, they walked around enjoying the various flavors and entertainment it offered. They were greeted with great love by the people of Doab who had travelled from far and wide to attend the fair. Towards the evening, they headed back to the palace and arrived after dark. A royal feast was hosted by the Prince for dinner, after which, everyone retired to their chambers for the night.

Noor had just finished changing into her sleepwear, a light silk robe, designed specifically for her comfort when a sound in the closet made her smile. The door opened and Prem appeared before her. The room was dimly lit with small oil lamps burning in the corners and the royal bed was ready for Noor to sleep.

Not wasting a second, Prem walked over to her and placed his hands on her waist planting a kiss on her lips. "Hey." He whispered sensually.

"Hi." Noor glowed in response. "Welcome..." She whispered nuzzling his jawline.

"I missed you." He said gently kissing the side of her face.

"I missed you too." Noor replied beginning to lose her senses.

Moving his trail of kisses from her jawline to her neck, "it's been too long." Prem said.

"Way too long." Noor smiled working his hands from her waist to around her back and eliminating all space between them. Prem reached lower and lifted her off the ground carrying her to the bed. Noor wrapped her legs around his waist and he sat down on the bed so she was seated on his lap. They looked at one another for a couple moments before going in for a kiss.

"I love you." Prem told her in voice full of passion.

"I love you." Noor repeated in the same tone.

Reaching behind her head, Prem undid the loose bun holding up her hair. She shook her head letting her silky dark hair fall down to her waist. "Noor..." He whispered longingly. "My...Noor." He repeated leaning in and kissing her neck before digging his face into it for a hug.

"Your Noor." Noor tightened her grip around his shoulders and neck. Hearts beating at the same pace, lungs breathing in the same rhythm, minds calm, souls intertwined, they sat in that position at complete peace for a few minutes.

Prem eventually shifted and gently placed her on the bed next to him. With her legs still around his waist, Noor slowly began unbuttoning his kurta. Once she was done, Prem removed it in a smooth move with one arm revealing his bare torso to her. Noor ran her hands over his golden skin and came to a stop to at an unfamiliar scar above his heart. Though fully recovered now, it was a large cut that seemed to have been a rather deep one when it was inflicted. Her eyebrows furrowed as she traced it with her index finger. Prem watched her study it's details before slowly looking up and meeting his eyes.

"Sevak?" She asked in a lowered tone.

Prem nodded in response. "When you were being torn out of my hold."

Tears welled up in Noor's eyes as she lowered her gaze. "I didn't talk to him for two months after that." She informed him. "Didn't eat for a week, didn't leave my room for 3 weeks. Wrote 'Prem' on every inch of my body and on the walls in my room." She shook her head in a slight smile at the thought of her obnoxious behavior.

Brushing the lose hair at her cheek aside, Prem too smiled at her recollection.

"But I saw Sevak cry that night." Noor told him touching his scar one more time. "I've only seen him cry twice in my life. Once when my grandfather passed away, they were childhood best friends and once when he had to attack you. He loves you."

"I know." Prem nodded silently.

Planting a soft kiss on his cheek, Noor laid her head on Prem's shoulder still in the sitting position. Sighing, Prem held her as silence engulfed them at the thought of the time that led to their separation.

A few moments ticked by before he shifted once again and helped her lie down, gently placing her head on the pillow behind her. Pulling on the rope by her pillow, he unleased the transparent drapes at all four sides of the bed. He then reached for the knot at her waist and undid it freeing the silk piece of clothing. The robe fell to the sides revealing her naked body to him. The dim light reflected off of her smooth golden skin. It wasn't the first time he was seeing her naked and yet she took his breath away like she had every single time in the past. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and without an exaggeration. She was a goddess and she was his. His and his alone from the moment they met. Although the people closest to them would argue they belonged to one another before they even met.

As he stared down at her, he couldn't help but think back to where they started and how far they had come. Memories of their childhood days spent in the capital of Doab when their fathers were off fighting wars alongside the King and the other Chiefs flashed before his eyes. The five year old Noor would go running through the enormous halls of the palace yelling out his name on top of her lungs as soon as she lost sight of him. He would fight with all of the royal kids just for Noor to make sure she got what she wanted every time. They were heavily punished anytime they were seen together and yet they remained inseparable.

Eyes glued to hers, Prem watched on smitten as she laid before him ready to give him all of her. He did not just love her, he worshiped her. Being with her was like meditation for him. She was his path to liberation, his calm, his peace. And when she was away from him, she was also the reason for his destruction, his rage, his fire. She was his addiction, his obsession, his biggest fantasy, his love, his life, his soul. She was his and he was hers. Finally coming out of his trance, he reached for her face and moved the hair at her eyes to the side before running his thumb gently over her sweet smile.

"You're perfect." He whispered leaning below and kissing her one more time.

"I know." Noor smiled recognizing he had just taken a trip down memory lane.

Tracing his fingers from her lips to her chin and down her neck to her chest, he watched her heave an audible sigh in pleasure. He knew her body too well, from her the peaks and trough of her chest to the curves and folds of her hips. From the marks she was born with to the bruises she had earned. He knew exactly how and where she needed to be touched. Pausing at center of her chest, he navigated his fingers to either side and she shivered under his touch. Carrying on downwards, he traced her bellybutton before finally quenching her two year old thirst by reaching in between her legs. She moaned. He smiled. Their night had begun.

That night got to see them transcend the physical plane and enter the spiritual. Their love so pure and passionate, so intense and intoxicating that they lost their senses and the memory of the life they lived. It was an escape long overdue, something both of them were absolutely famished for. By the end, they were shaking, sweating, smiling, and satisfied. They fell asleep wrapped up in each other that night.

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PRECAP -  Spitting out the tonic into an empty vessel, "but there are no tunnels in Sauli..." Prem stated beginning to chew on a margosa twig to clean his teeth.

"Well...you're the Chief of Kurral, which makes you the second most powerful person in Doab right after me, the Chief of Basher, of course," Noor began, "so...um... use your mind and your insider connections and figure something out."

****